Ad Infinitum is a first-person psychological horror set in World War I, moving between the Western Front’s trenches and a decaying family manor in Berlin. Paul von Schmidt, a German soldier haunted by war and family collapse, faces a horror that is more psychological than monster-driven.
The story is the game’s strongest feature, told through letters, diaries, medical files and newspaper clippings that piece together a family tragedy. The chapter structure maps each section to a different family member, giving the horror a clear emotional shape.
The atmosphere is authentic, from wax-cylinder audio that cuts out during a spiritualist séance to visuals that look strong throughout. The music adds an aura of mystery, and the volume of written lore rewards close reading.
Chapters close on confrontations that offer a binary moral choice, with consequences flagged before they are made. The light-fearing creatures behave in learnable ways, from blind patrols to noise distractions, and being caught is not instantly fatal.
The default brightness is the game’s main irritation, so dark that gamma must be raised to spot collectibles, and no calibration screen exists at launch. The wind-up torch’s battery barely lasts seconds, offering little help against the darkness.
The mannequin stealth section is a pain point, with two patrol paths running too close together. Grabs by the prosthetic-limb creatures grow annoying, and chase sequences always sound as though they are right behind.
Overall, storytelling and atmosphere make Ad Infinitum a memorable psychological horror set in the First World War. The brightness problem and the torch’s short life are practical frustrations, but the family drama remains the draw throughout.