What you won’t like
Scientific mumbo jumbo
As much as I loved the overall story, the origin of the orbs and the light trails was a little confusing. One of the main characters, who you hear mostly through the radio, rambles on and on about routing power to telescopes and amplifying signals to do … something. I’m still not sure what she was up to, even after listening to her messages multiple times. Her husband, another scientist, also goes on jargon-filled rants. I felt as dimwitted as his neighbors were when he was trying to explain to them why the world was ending.
You’ll also come across a ton of star charts and books about stars and chaos theory throughout the town, but no one addresses them. I suppose everybody just liked reading about astrophysics in their spare time.
How the light ended up in Shropshire is the least important part of the story, but it would’ve been nice to have a clearer explanation for us laymen.
Above: The orbs act like wild animals. They’re always moving.
Conclusion
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture’s greatest accomplishment is making you care for its departed characters. Their personal stories give you an incredible glimpse of what life was like in their little corner of the world. They’re not the nicest group of people. They can be selfish, stubborn, and downright stupid. But that’s what makes them feel real and memorable.
The most tragic part? You can’t do a damned thing to save them.
Score: 96/100
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture releases on August 11 for PlayStation 4 for $20. Sony provided a download code for the purpose of this review.
