Line #120 VideoGame/ThePainscreekKillings


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/painscreek01.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[StepfordSuburbia Don't worry, it's just a lovely little town.]]]]
3
4	->''[[DrivingQuestion Who killed Vivian Roberts?]]''
5
6	''The Painscreek Killings'' is a murder-mystery EnvironmentalNarrativeGame by EQ Studios, [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/624270/The_Painscreek_Killings/ released]] for [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] through UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} on September 27th, 2017.
7
8	As Janet, a young and upcoming journalist, you have been asked by your editor to investigate the mysterious abandonment of a once lively town. Based on the information released by the media about the deaths of the townspeople, you set foot into the town thinking you would find an interesting story to publish, only to uncover secrets that were meant to stay hidden forever.
9	----
10	!!Provides examples of:
11	* AbandonedPlayground: You find one by the river.
12	* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Played straight and averted. There are small drains that Janet can't possibly fit into, but there is also a big tunnel system under the town that she can comfortably walk through, with doors, ''working lights'' and everything.
13	* AccidentalMurder: [[spoiler: Andrew's version of Sofia's death is that :a fight broke out between her, Vivian, Dr. Johnson and Andrew during which Sofia fell and broke her neck by [[DeathByFallingOver hitting her head on a well]]]].
14	* AffablyEvil: With the exception of [[spoiler: Henry Johnson]], all characters are noted to be nice or loved by at least some people and have at least at some point done genuinely good things for someone, if not the whole community.
15	* TheAlcoholic: Andrew Reed. [[spoiler: [[GuiltRiddenAccomplice Heavy guilt]] and being haunted by a literal ghost can do that to you]].
16	* AlcoholInducedIdiocy: While drunk, Andrew babbles in Scott's present about Sofia.
17	* AllLoveIsUnrequited: [[spoiler: Derrick Tyler, Bernard Hopkin and Matthew Brooks]] all have unrequited feelings for someone.
18	* AloneWithThePsycho: Near the end of the game, you find out that [[spoiler:the Painscreek Killer is around and very keen to bury an axe in you.]]
19	* AnonymousBenefactor: Steve Moss received several hints via telegraph and a key from an anonymous source. We later find out that it was [[spoiler:Matthew Brooks who tried to [[TreacherousQuestGiver use Moss to frame Bernard Hopkin]]]].
20	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Henry Johnson, Andrew Reed and Vivian Roberts.]]
21	* BastardAngst: Averted, since [[spoiler: Scott Brooks isn't aware of being one until late and instead being treated as an HeartwarmingOrphan]]. Ironically, [[spoiler: Vivian Roberts causing him to become an orphan due to his bastard status is what leads to all the killings]].
22	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Oh so much.
23	** Matthew Brooks [[spoiler: wanted to find out what had happened to his love Sofia Miller, leading to the death of five people]].
24	** Derrick Tyler [[spoiler: wanted Scott gone so he has a chance with Trisha, leading to both dying and him being left alone]].
25	** Magdalena Roberts [[spoiler: wanted a grandson to continue the family line, pretty much being the [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom catalyst for everything that goes wrong]]]].
26	** Vivian Roberts [[spoiler: wanted to make sure that no mistress or bastard child can inherit the Roberts fortune. Both she and Trisha die for it]].
27	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Two of the nicest and most beloved characters [[spoiler: are responsible for the majority of deaths]].
28	* BigFancyHouse: The mayor's mansion is huge and well furnished. It even features an art gallery.
29	* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Roberts look like the ideal family, but they are really not. [[spoiler: And that's not even looking into the BrotherSisterIncest...]]
30	* BloodStainedLetter: You find a kid's painting regarding the time capsule at the hospital with bloodstains on it.
31	* BloodyHandprint: There is one on the glovebox of Steve Moss' car.
32	* BookcasePassage: [[spoiler:Charles]] has a hidden room behind his study room which is opened via moving books in the right order.
33	* BreakTheCutie: Trisha Roberts' TraumaCongaLine.
34	* ChalkOutline: At the hospital, marking the spot where [[spoiler: Trisha Roberts fell to her death]]. Becomes relevant when [[spoiler: Matthew Brooks falls on it [[KarmicDeath in the same way]]]].
35	* CheckPointStarvation: The game only saves when entering a new area and the only way to save on purpose is by exiting the game. While this is fine in small areas like Dorothy's or Bernard's house, it can be incredibly frustrating in big ones like the hospital or the mansion.
36	* ChekhovsGun:
37	** The [[spoiler: broken axe closet]] in Bernard Hopkin's house.
38	** The [[spoiler: photo of Andrew Roberts writing with his left hand in the church.]]
39	* ChekhovsGunman: The one who send both PI Steve Moss and a journalist to Painscreek was [[spoiler: Dorothy Patterson]].
40	* CloseKnitCommunity: Everyone knew everyone and most people were on first name basis with each other. Even the servants called the Roberts by their first names.
41	* ConcealingCanvas: There is a safe behind [[spoiler:a painting at Charles' art galery]].
42	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Not exactly a CEO, but [[spoiler: Henry Johnson is later revealed to have put 160k on his private bank account from the funds meant to support the ill and elderly of the Painscreek hospital]].
43	* CreepyBasement: The hospital basement, complete with a morgue.
44	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: All deaths in this town are very gruesome.
45	** Vivian Roberts [[spoiler: got an axe to her forehead]].
46	** [[spoiler: Henry Johnson got an axe to the head, then was put into a car that got dumped into the river]].
47	** [[spoiler: Andrew Reed got his lung punctured by a knife, then had his house set on fire with him in it]].
48	** [[spoiler: Magdalena Roberts got poisoned by heart medication overdose, leading to a fatal heart attack]].
49	** [[spoiler: Scott Brooks got stabbed multiple times]].
50	** [[spoiler: Sofia Miller had her head crash against a well, breaking her neck]].
51	** [[spoiler: Trisha Roberts [[DrivenToSuicide threw herself off the hospital roof]]]].
52	** [[spoiler: Matthew Brooks accidentally ran off the hospital roof]].
53	** It can also be assumed that [[spoiler: Steve Moss died of "axe to face"]].
54	* CuriosityKilledTheCast: It definitely killed [[spoiler: Scott Brooks and Steve Moss. Also potentially Janet]].
55	* CycleOfRevenge: The reason of how the deaths spiraled out of control. [[spoiler: Vivian took out her frustration and jealousy on Sofia and killed her. Matthew killed her for it. Bernard killed Matthew's adopted son, thinking the boy is the killer, leading to Matthew trying to frame Bernard as Vivian's killer and murdering all who don't believe it]].
56	* DarkSecret: Almost every single character in the game has one. The only persons that never did anything wrong are probably Oliver, Steve, Ann and Trisha.
57	* ADeadlyAffair: Both [[spoiler: Number 3 and possibly 6]]. Specifically, [[spoiler: Vivian ends up killing Sofia and then has the baby disappear without regard to where]].
58	* DespairEventHorizon: Multiple people cross it.
59	** [[spoiler: Vivian Roberts when she finds out that a mistress and her bastard child could inherit the entire family fortune due to the child being a boy]].
60	** [[spoiler: Bernard Hopkin when he not only believes Vivian Roberts to cheat on Charles, but then finds her murdered without her potential killer being persecuted for it]].
61	** [[spoiler: Matthew Brooks when he finds out about what had happened to Sofia Miller]].
62	** [[spoiler: Trisha Roberts when not only her mother, but also her boyfriend got brutally murdered]].
63	* {{Determinator}}: A few people show this quality.
64	** Scott Brooks [[spoiler: stops at nothing once he realizes he could find out who his biological parents are]].
65	** Vivian Roberts escaped poverty by this, she [[spoiler: in fact even kills a woman to protect what is now hers]].
66	** Matthew Brooks puts his entire savings into [[spoiler: the defense of Scott Brooks]].
67	* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler: Derrick witnessed Sofia die with her eyes staring right at him]] which gave the person nightmares ever since.
68	* DisposingOfABody: Four obvious cases.
69	** [[spoiler: Sofia Miller got thrown into the well that killed her, though her son later found and buried her properly on the cemetery]].
70	** [[spoiler: Henry Johnson was put into a car and the car sunk into the river. It took about two weeks until a diver found it by accident]].
71	** [[spoiler: Scott Brooks was hidden in a bush at the border of town, though he was easily found by a passing jogger]].
72	** [[spoiler: By the end of the game, it is still unclear what happened to Steve Moss]].
73	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Trisha Roberts]].
74	* DrivingQuestion: Who killed Vivian Brooks and why? How do the events of 1975 connect with what happened?
75	* DrugsAreBad: The game goes into quite some detail on how Andrew Reed alcoholism effectively destroyed his entire life and personality.
76	* EarnYourBadEnding: To get the Missing Journalist ending, the player usually has to find at least 80% of all clues and keys since they need to access [[spoiler: the church attic]]. A good ending can be had by solving about 50% of the clues. See SequenceBreaking for details.
77	* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Some citizens see one around the playground [[spoiler: and Janet/the player see her leading them to safety once they're hunted by the killer. You can also witness the character in [[https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/960857516897260706/2C1A43E047EE5BB155ECA1257011116983A0DE8E/?imw=1024&&ima=fit&impolicy=Letterbox&imcolor=%23000000&letterbox=false other]] places]].
78	* EnterSolutionHere: Several puzzles involve entering passwords you discovered somewhere else.
79	* EvidenceScavengerHunt: You run around town, enter houses and go through their stuff in search for letters, diaries and keys.
80	* FemalesAreMoreInnocent: [[spoiler: Of the five people to be directly responsible for a murder, only one is a woman]].
81	* FirstPersonSnapshooter: Janet has a camera as part of being a journalist. It can be used to make pictures of notes, objects or just the scenery.
82	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Since diaries and letters can be collected mostly in any order, it is possible to figure out major parts of the story quite early.
83	** It is possible to find quite early: [[spoiler: the confession of Derrick, the knife of Bernard, the notes of Steve Moss and some revealing letters and diaries of Scott Brook]].
84	** In the alibi paper, [[spoiler: Derrick Tyler claims to have been with a friend, but never gave a contact number. Cause that friend didn't know he was there]].
85	** The open bill for room 201 in Ann's Inn gives away that [[spoiler: Steve Moss never returned from the hospital basement]].
86	** When knowing that [[spoiler: Vivian got killed via axe]], then seeing [[spoiler: the broken axe closet]] in Bernard Hopkin house shows that he [[spoiler: is only a RedHerring]].
87	** It's mentioned at the beginning that an anonymous source wants the paper to investigate the murder. Over the course of the game, the only person that a) has an interest in solving the murder, b) doesn't believe it was [[spoiler: Scott Brooks]] and c) definitely leaves the town alive is: [[spoiler: Dorothy Patterson]]. It's also quite easy to figure it out when comparing notes because the handwriting is the same.
88	* FrameUp: The reason why so many clues point to [[spoiler: Bernard Hopkin]] as the killer? Cause [[spoiler: Matthew Brooks]] wants people to believe that, most likely due to that person's role in [[spoiler: Scott Brooks murder]].
89	* GameplayGrading: At the end, the game will give you a grade based on how many clues you found and if you figured out the killer and murder weapon.
90	* GhostTown: Painscreek is deserted by the time Janet arrives [[spoiler: or so it seems]].
91	* GuideDangIt: Some letters and/or keys are incredibly difficult to find. Considering that most walkthroughs only give hints, stuck players are often struggling quite a lot.
92	** Matthew's riddle, the cross "key" and the garden gate key are probably the worst offenders. Also the trick with [[spoiler: Scott's secret passage]] and how to access the hospital basement.
93	* GuiltRiddenAccomplice: [[spoiler: Andrew Reed feels horribly guilty for being somewhat responsible for Sofia Miller's death and especially for hiding her death all those years]]. He became [[TheAlcoholic an alcoholic]] and regularly breaks out in tears about it and has a mental breakdown when confronted about it twice.
94	* HalfwayPlotSwitch: While still relevant until the end, chances are the player will stop being curious about who had killed Vivian Roberts about halfway through and instead be obsessed with [[spoiler: the story around Sofia Miller and Scott Brooks]].
95	* HarmfulToMinors: Derrick witnessed [[spoiler:Sofia's]] AccidentalMurder when he was five which rendered him traumatized for a good part of his childhood. It didn't help that his mother told him not to tell anybody about it.
96	* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler: Steve Moss]]. Also potentially [[spoiler: Janet in Missing Journalist]].
97	* HeroicMime: Janet never utters a single sound - what little glimpses into her mind the player gets are through short item descriptions. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as the game takes place in a ghost town.
98	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: If [[spoiler: Matthew Brooks]] hadn't tried to actively make [[spoiler: Bernard Hopkin]] look like the killer, both Janet and Steve Moss might have never figured everything out.
99	* HollywoodDarkness: While the flashlight is useful to find tiny stuff such as keys or keyholes, all rooms are usually lit enough to see. Including window-less basements.
100	* IDidntMeanToKillHim: [[spoiler: Matthew Brooks claims this in regards to Andrew Reed]].
101	* IJustWantToHaveFriends: Both Scott Brooks and Derrick Tyler got badly bullied as children until they met Trisha Roberts.
102	* InsurmountableWaistHeightFence: Only a handful of houses can be entered, in most cases Janet doesn't even try to reach the house door, if there is a closed fence in the way.
103	* InterruptedSuicide: Andrew Reed got saved from ''three'' suicides. [[spoiler: Sadly, no one saved him from being murdered]].
104	* ItsAllMyFault:
105	** Charles Roberts confesses to feel this way in his last diary entries.
106	** [[spoiler: While not thinking it is ONLY his fault, Andrew Reeks is definitely feeling extremely guilty for both Sofia Miller's death and covering up her disappearance]].
107	** Interestingly, [[spoiler: neither Matthew Brooks nor Vivian Roberts nor Henry Johnson ever express honest guilt for the deaths they caused]].
108	* JoggersFindDeath: How [[spoiler: Scott Brooks body]] is found.
109	* {{Jumpscare}}: The power outage in the hospital.
110	* JustifiedTutorial: The Sherrif's office.
111	* KarmaHoudini:
112	** It is never mentioned, if [[spoiler: Bernard Hopkin]] suffered for what he did.
113	** Downplayed with [[spoiler:Charles]]. His actions (and inability to stand up for his family) are the source of all the misery in Painscreek, yet he's one of the few characters to [[spoiler:walk away alive]]. However, after all the happens in the town, [[spoiler:including the deaths of his wife, his legitimate daughter, his illegitimate son and his mother]], it's doubtful that he escaped psychologically unscathed. [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse We never really learn what became of him after Painscreek]].
114	* KidsAreCruel: Both Derrick Tyler and Scott Brooks got badly bullied in school. A letter also mentions that [[spoiler: Derrick Tyler tortured and killed animals as a small child due to the trauma of having witnessed a murder]].
115	* TheKillerWasLeftHanded: Used interestingly to make [[spoiler: [[RedHerring Bernard Hopkin]]]] quickly highly suspicious. The real killer, [[spoiler: Matthew Brooks, is also shown to be left handed in some photos in his office]].
116	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: There's a list of regular customers and their addresses in the inn with a mention that "you might want to memorize this".
117	* LikeBrotherAndSister: Trisha Roberts thinks like this about Derrick Tyler, much to his displeasure.
118	* LockedDoor: Your bread and butter in this game is to find keys and keycodes to unlock doors and drawers behind which vital clues are hidden.
119	* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: Dr. Johnson's murder was covered up to look like a car accident. [[spoiler:The coroner's report reveals that Johnson died before drowning.]]
120	* MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot: While not exactly minor, looking into the murder of Vivian Roberts reveals a sickening amount of related murders that were all deemed as accidents, suicides, missings or even not important enough to properly investigate.
121	* MisplacedRetribution: [[spoiler:Bernard kills Scott]], wrongly assuming him to be Vivian's murderer.
122	* MistakenForCheating: Bernard believes that [[spoiler: Vivian Roberts is cheating on her husband with her banker, but her diary entries reveal that they are only on friendly terms and she wants to properly reconnect with Charles]].
123	* MotiveRant: Both [[spoiler: Bernard Hopkin]] final diary and the audio recording [[spoiler: in the church attic]] have one.
124	* MultipleEndings: The game - based on the ending achievements - has four:
125	** You're Fired: Finish the game by leaving Painscreek with less than 50% completion.
126	** Case Unsolved: Finish the game by leaving Painscreek with more than 50% completion, or by going through the final sequence but naming the wrong culprit or murder weapon.
127	** Truth Revealed: Finish the game by going through the ending sequence and naming the correct cuplrit and murder weapon.
128	** Missing Journalist: [[spoiler: Get killed by the axe man]].
129	* MysteriousEmployer: Moss is hired anonymously by [[spoiler:Dorothy]].
130	* MysteriousWatcher: Even though the town is abandoned, at times something looking like a person can be glimpsed in the distance...
131	* NeverFoundTheBody:
132	** Poor [[spoiler: Steve Moss]]...
133	** If it weren't for [[spoiler: Scott Brooks]], then this would have been [[spoiler: Sofia Miller's]] fate as well.
134	** What happens in the Missing Journalist ending.
135	* NeverTheObviousSuspect: Chances are, the player will think that [[spoiler: Charles Roberts, Bernard Hopkin, Scott Brooks or Derrick Tyler]] was the killer. They will be very wrong with that.
136	* NothingIsScarier: Entering a building will immediately change the nice music to a creepy track. Even worse when exploring the hospital, only for the power to suddenly go out...
137	* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Charles outlived his daughter [[spoiler: and, though unbeknownst, his son]].
138	* ParentalAbandonment:
139	** What [[spoiler: Scott Brooks]] thinks to be the case. He's wrong.
140	** Both [[spoiler: Matthew Brooks and Sofia Miller]] were orphans.
141	* ParentalBetrayal: When [[spoiler: Scott Brooks gets accused of having killed Vivian Roberts]], what does [[spoiler: actual killer and adoptive father Matthew Brooks]] do? [[spoiler: Stay quiet, get a lawyer to defend his son and after the kid gets murdered due to not being prosecuted, the only bit of former love for his son that shines through is that he tries to [[FramingTheGuiltyParty frame his son's murderer]] for ''his'' crimes]].
142	* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: Several keycodes are derived from birthday dates. E.g., the code to [[spoiler:Charles' safe is Vincent's birthday and the compartment in the church's confessional box can be opened with Father Calvin's birthday.]]
143	* PersonalEffectsReveal: Adding to the TragicVillain theme, you find an engagement ring [[spoiler:Matthew Brooks bought for Sofia.]]
144	* PinkMeansFeminine: Trisha Roberts diaries are flowery, pastel and two of them clearly pink.
145	* PixelHunt: Some keys, buttons or even keyholes are VERY hard to see.
146	* PlotTriggeringDeath: [[spoiler: The murder of Sofia Miller]].
147	** Even discussed in the letter of the good ending:
148	--> It was true that [[spoiler: Charles and Sofia's affair]] was wrong. But [[spoiler: Vivian]] had a choice, either [[spoiler: confront Charles about it]] or [[spoiler: take it out on Sofia]]. [[spoiler: She]] chose the latter.
149	* PoliceAreUseless: A private detective finds out more about the deaths and potential killer(s) in a few days than the police in multiple months. Heck, a single journalist finds out more in ''one day'' than the police ever did.
150	* RedHerring:
151	** Everything points at [[spoiler: Bernard Hopkin]] being the killer.
152	** There is also the [[spoiler: questionable alibi of Derrick Tyler]].
153	** Neither the [[spoiler: coal mine incident from 1973]] nor [[spoiler: the child who disappeared from the playground in 1989]] turn out to have any bearing on the plot.
154	* TheReveal: Quite a few reveals.
155	** Scott and Trisha [[spoiler: are half-siblings]].
156	** Derrick [[spoiler: could have given Scott the perfect alibi but didn't, leading to Scott being murdered]].
157	** Bernard [[spoiler: had a crush on Vivian and killed Scott]].
158	** Sofia [[spoiler: is the biological mother of Scott and has been murdered shortly after his birth]].
159	** Matthew [[spoiler: is the Painscreek killer]].
160	* RevisitingTheColdCase: The case of Vivian's murder was closed a few years back due to lack of leads. Can your investigation now shed new light on the matter?
161	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler: Matthew Brooks violently kills Vivian Roberts, Henry Johnson and Andrew Reed for having killed Sofia Miller and hidden her body twenty years ago]].
162	* RoomFullOfCrazy: Andrew Reed's upstairs room features something that looks like a magical circle on the floor and words scribbled on his walls.
163	* RunOrDie: [[spoiler: When confronted with the killer, the only thing Janet can do is run into the sewers]].
164	* TheScapegoat: [[spoiler: Scott Brooks]]. Initially, most people note how they find it unlikely that the killer would be them. After a few weeks, most are absolutely convinced it was them despite the lack of evidence, simply cause no one else has been deemed more suspicious.
165	* SceneryDissonance: Painscreek is an incredibly eerie place to explore despite the entire game taking place during the day.
166	* SceneryPorn: As is standard with Walking Simulators, the town of Painscreek is absolutely gorgeous.
167	* SecretDiary: There are 15 characters in the story who left behind diaries. A [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality welcome way to provide the necessary amount of exposition]] to unravel this web of dark secrets.
168	* SecretPassage: Quite a few characters have one in their closet/bookcase, such as [[spoiler: Charles Roberts, Matthew Brooks and Scott Brooks]].
169	* SecretRoom: There are at least two secret rooms to be found. [[spoiler:One in a study room behind a bookcase and one that can be entered via the backside of a closet.]]
170	* SequenceBreaking: It is possible to just guess the killer and weapon literally at the beginning of the game. It will consider it properly solved when at least 50% of all clues have been found, which still leaves most stories unresolved.
171	* SerialKiller: [[spoiler: There are - in a way - two: Matthew Brooks and Vivian Roberts]].
172	* ShipperOnDeck: Both Charles and Dorothy find Trisha and Scott a cute couple. [[spoiler: They don't know the two are [[BrotherSisterIncest half-siblings]] though]].
173	* StalkerWithACrush:
174	** [[spoiler: Derrick Tyler]] for Trisha Roberts. The only one who knew was Dorothy and she is creeped out by it.
175	** Bernhard notes this about himself while stalking Vivian and her banker.
176	* StalkerWithoutACrush: [[spoiler: Scott Brooks]] for the Roberts family, [[spoiler: once he realizes that the Roberts are somehow related to who his parents are]].
177	* StringTheory: In his [[spoiler:secret room at the cabin]], Scott has a pinboard with photographs of all suspects, some of them crossed out because of the evidence ruling them out.
178	* SurpriseIncest: [[spoiler:Scott stopped seeing Trisha after learning that they were half-siblings]]. But he doesn't tell her the reason for his decision which [[PoorCommunicationKills contributed to her nervous breakdown]].
179	* SurpriseWitness: A late-game letter reveals that [[spoiler: six-year old Derrick Tyler had watched the murder of Sofia Miller]].
180	* TheTopicOfCancer: Wanda Tyler having cancer is mentioned by most characters and one of the drives for Derrick Tyler's state of mind. All make very clear how horrible the disease is.
181	* TitleDrop: On the front page of a newspaper in some of the endings.
182	* TragicVillain: Nothing can excuse the murders, but [[spoiler: having the love of his life murdered over money]] at least somewhat explains the motivation. And later [[spoiler: having his adopted son murdered for his own crimes]] probably were the nails in the coffin.
183	* TraumaCongaLine: Trisha Roberts - out of all characters - suffers this the most. She is getting ignored by her parents, her best friend becomes dismissive, her mother is against her relationship with her boyfriend, her mother ''dies'', [[spoiler: her boyfriend is claimed to have killed her mother]], [[spoiler: her father stops her from meeting her boyfried]], [[spoiler: her boyfriend breaks up via letter without telling the reason and avoids her]] and - as the final cherry on the cake - [[spoiler: her boyfriend gets brutally murdered on the street]]. It is little surprise that she ends up a mental wreck and finally [[DrivenToSuicide suicidal]].
184	* UnexpectedGameplayChange: The game is a calm, if scary, walking simulator. Once the player listened to the audio tape [[spoiler: in the church attic]] though, the game changes to [[spoiler: being chased by the killer and having to follow a ghost along a very specific route to escape]].
185	* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: The killer notes how killing Vivian didn't make them feel at ease.
186	* VigilanteExecution: [[spoiler: Bernard Hopkin decides this is the best way to deal with his grief over Vivian's death and stabs Scott Brooks multiple times despite the boy having been let go due to a lack of evidence]].
187	* YouKilledMyFather: Subverted. [[spoiler: Scott Brooks never harms Vivian Roberts for having murdered his mother, he simply yells at her and then leaves to cry. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge His adopted father on the other hand]]...]]

Context VideoGame / ThePainscreekKillings