Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins – Game Review

“Don’t blink. Blink and you’re dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don’t turn your back. Don’t look away. And don’t blink.” This dire warning from Mr Tennant’s Doctor is etched into the minds of every Whovian, ever since we were introduced to those horror-esque Weeping Angels back in 2007’s episode ‘Blink’.

‘The sequel to ‘Blink’ we’ve all been waiting for’

Since 2018, Maze theory has been at the helm of reinvigorating the Doctor Who video game universe. Following on the back of the hugely successful ‘Doctor Who: The Edge of Time’ release, Maze Theory, partnered with Kaigan Games, bring us the Doctor Who found phone game: The Lonely Assassins.

Right off the bat, I must commend composer Richard Wilkinson (Cool Music Interactive) on his score for the game. The updated Doctor Who theme stays true to the original, whilst also standing out from the crowd with extra brass and synth, also incorporating ideas from some of the classic theme scores.

The game begins with the discovery of a phone that we later find out belongs to Larry Nightingale (Finlay Robertson) The phone inevitably starts to self-destruct and just in the nick of time, UNIT’s very own Petronella Osgood (Ingrid Oliver) comes to your rescue. She subsequently tasks you with rooting through the phone, uncovering texts, photos and browser history to discover any clues that might explain Larry’s disappearance.

There are loads of little nods to the show and they’re a delight to find, acting as easter eggs within the game. From the inclusion of RTD’s well-loved department store, Hendrik’s, to the Sarah Jane Adventures very own, Rani Chandra. The extensive world-building that Maze Theory has made really immerses the player and gives a fantastic feeling of actually being a part of the Doctor Who world we all know and love.

The majority of the game is spent texting Osgood, working together to uncover the truth of Larry’s disappearance. Who has taken him and what exactly Wester Drumlins has to do with everything?

There are plenty of fun puzzles for the player to solve and cryptic clues to piece together, these are not exactly hard, however, this works in the game’s favour, meaning it’s accessible to everyone, not just avid gamers.

The game really takes the Weeping Angels back to their roots. The Angels we meet are the ones who have been trapped since 2007 in the basement of Wester Drumlins. Somehow, they have been freed and now they’re looking for vengeance, and your character and Osgood are their targets.

I played this after dark with all the lights off for added ambience, and I wholeheartedly implore you to do the same as the jump scares in this are so effective and have you on the edge of your seat. Maze theory has really managed to capture what makes the Weeping Angels so undeniably creepy and hide behind the sofa scary. This in my opinion has slightly lost its power on the tv show in recent years, so it’s refreshing to experience the fear and suspense that you got from the Weeping Angels in their first few outings.

For me, the Angels are at their scariest when channelling themselves through their victims’ vocal cords to speak to and taunt their next victim. This was first seen in the 2010 Matt Smith two-parter ‘The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone’ with Angel Bob. Fast forward 11 years and the effect is still achieved wonderfully in the game too, with Ceri Mears delivering such a spine-chilling performance. If there was a line to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, It would definitely be “Petronella goes to hella” The atmosphere adds to the suspense and terror and delivers a terrifying jump scare to boot.

The Lonely Assassins has some top-grade performances in its casting lineup. Firstly, we have fan favourite Ingrid Oliver (Petronella Osgood) who we last saw all the way back in the episode: The Zygon Inversion in 2015. 6 years later and it’s like Osgood has never left us, Ingrid slips perfectly back into the role and delivers a thoroughly delightful performance.

The games co-star alongside Ingrid Oliver is Finlay Robertson (Larry Nightingale). He reprises his 2007 role with ease, seamlessly reconnecting the player with the events at Wester Drumlins, Robertson brilliantly shows the player what life is like when The Doctor leaves, normal life resumes, and how that affects the ordinary person. (I’m surprised Larry hasn’t joined a L.I.N.D.A. Branch!)

Sabina Arthur (Natasha Nightingale) provides an emotionally heartfelt performance, with her video message to Larry bringing a tear to the eye and left me pondering how i would cope after being zapped by an Angel? The relationship between Natasha and Larry is also incredibly believable, this is owed to the terrific script by writers Amelia Chung, Gavin Collinson, Rebecca Hee and Priya Kulasagaran.

Additionally, there are some fantastic cameo appearances from Whoniverse characters past and present. I found that the game also has a great replay value as you almost certainly will not find out everything the game has to offer the first time around. If you do manage to complete everything, the game also boasts a secret ending. All I’ll say is that it’s definitely worth going back and achieving 100% gameplay for this!

Overall, Lonely Assassins is near impossible to pick fault with. It is a fantastic way to spend 2 – 3 hours that is guaranteed to satisfy Whovians and non-Whovians alike. The game feels very well rounded and extremely well written, the dark atmosphere and suspense keep you hooked throughout, and the characters are so relatable, you can’t help but be invested in their stories. Maze Theory has not once, but twice created a Doctor Who game that is not only incredibly fun to play but also feels like they truly understand the show and what fans want to see in a Doctor Who game.

I think it’s safe to say, with Maze Theory in charge, Doctor Who video games are in safe hands.

Maze Theory has also generously, just released a free-play version of the game allowing players to trial the first chapter before deciding whether or not to purchase the full version.

Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins is available now on IOS, Android & Steam. Priced from £3.99/$3.99.(Nintendo Switch Coming Soon).