Datura asks players to look around. That simple act becomes the whole game. Plastic, the studio behind the earlier Linger in Shadows, built Datura for the PlayStation 3, and the game is now remembered as a quiet, strange piece of work rather than a polished one. It is a game about being lost, and it leans on that feeling harder than almost anything else on the platform.
Trailer, via PlayStation.
Starting In The Ambulance
Players start as a patient in an ambulance. The vehicle stops, and the player steps out into a forest. That is the entire setup. There is no tutorial, no menu explaining controls, no warning about what comes next. Players simply walk forward and find themselves somewhere else entirely.
The forest is the main stage. Objects sit beside paths, and players can pick them up, turn them over, set them down again. Characters drift through the woods, and conversations happen in short, fragmentary pieces. Nothing moves fast here. The pace is deliberate, almost slow, and that is the point.
Move Or No Move
Datura can be played with the PlayStation Move controller, or with the DualShock 3. That split choice is a small part of the game’s identity. Neither option changes what happens on screen. Both let players move through the forest and talk to the people they meet along the way.
The game’s core trick is that it rarely tells players what to do next. Players must look around, notice small details, and follow instincts. That freedom is the game’s strength and its weakness. Some players will find the lack of direction calming. Others will find it frustrating.
A Forest Full Of Questions
The forest itself is the real star. Trees rise tall, paths wind through thick undergrowth, and small objects sit waiting to be found. Each one carries some weight, some hint of meaning, though the game never explains fully what any of it means.
Characters appear briefly, speak in short bursts, and vanish. Their words rarely answer questions directly. Instead, they raise new ones. This is a game built on mystery, not on answers.
Length And Pace
Datura is short. Its length is modest, and the pace stays low throughout. There is no rush, no urgency, no sense of time running out. That deliberate pacing suits the game’s aim, but it also means there is little room for variety once the central trick is understood.
| Stage | Focus |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | Player enters the forest |
| Forest Walk | Exploration and discovery |
| Conversation | Short exchanges with characters |
| Ending | Conclusion |
What Works And What Doesn’t
The game succeeds when it trusts players to look around. Small details, placed carefully, reward attention. A player who stops and looks often will find more than a player who rushes ahead. That patience is rare in games of this kind, and it pays off.
Where the game stumbles is in giving players too little direction. Without clear goals, some players will wander without purpose, finding little to hold their interest. The forest is beautiful, but beauty alone does not sustain a full playthrough.
The sound design matches the visuals. Sound plays a large role in building the game’s mood, and it never overpowers the quiet of the forest. Together, the images and the sounds create a world that feels lived-in, even when nothing much happens within it.
A Quiet, Mysterious Work
Datura is not a game built for everyone. It asks players to accept a slow pace and a lack of clear direction. Those who do will find a thoughtful, strange experience. Those who want clear goals and constant action will likely find the game thin.
The game’s strengths are real. Its world is distinct, its exploration is rewarding, and its willingness to sit quietly sets it apart from most other titles on the platform. But its weaknesses are hard to ignore. The lack of direction, the short length, and the deliberate pace keep it from reaching greatness.
Datura is a game worth playing for its ambition, even if that ambition does not always pay off. It is a quiet, mysterious work that rewards patience and punishes haste. It is a game best played alone, at a steady pace, with the forest as the main focus.
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