The articlegameplay, story, development, reception
Gameplay
The game is played from a first-person perspective and composed entirely of full motion video scenes as the unnamed protagonist attempts to flee a man wielding an axe. Gameplay involves the player either making choices as regards what action to take at a given moment, or tapping on the touchscreen during context sensitive moments.
When the player is presented with a choice, the game cuts to a decision tree, where the player selects their choice. The game then moves on to the next segment, and the player can see if they selected the correct choice. Choices involve, for example, choosing to take the left or right path, or choosing to remain hidden or run away. However, the game script is fixed, different choices do not lead to a branching narrative - if the player makes the wrong choice (choosing to remain hidden instead of fleeing, for example), the player will die and the game will end, with a text description of how the player has died. At this point, the game can jump back anywhere between one and three choices.
Story
The game begins with an unidentified man awakening in a shed, where he has been tied up for reasons unknown. After managing to free himself, he begins to run through the woods surrounding the shed. However, he soon finds himself being chased by a hooded man wielding an axe, the same man who had placed him in the shed originally.
As he flees, the player finds a mysterious, and recent, tattoo of a letter H on his arm, the same letter was also inscribed on the inside of the shed door. The player continues to run, until he seems to faint. He awakens to find himself being dragged back to the shed. Groggy and confused, he once again escapes from the shed and runs through the woods, only to once again find himself being chased by the hooded man.
Reception
Upon its release, Hysteria Project received mixed reviews. The PSP version of the game holds an aggregate score of 68 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on four reviews. On GameRankings, the iOS version holds a score of 57.40%, based on five reviews, and the PSP version holds a score of 56.67%, based on three reviews.
Chris Hall of 148Apps was impressed, scoring the game 3.5 out of 5. He praised how the game was shot, comparing it to The Blair Witch Project, but felt the gameplay was repetitive and the game itself too short; "Hysteria is a short, sweet adventure that only costs $1.99. If you are at all a fan of the old cinematic video game genre or just like horror games in general, pick this one up." TouchGen's Nigel Wood also scored the game 3.5 out of 5, praising the tone of the game, but criticizing the length; "If you want a quick fright then this game delivers, but if you were hoping for a deep interactive experience then this first part of Hysteria only scratches the surface."
