REVIEW: Narcosis - Drifting Between Worlds: Weight of Survival

©️Xinyu Lu, Narcosis Production

Inspired by the critically acclaimed indie video game of the same name, Narcosis is a solo performance that places its audience in the aftermath of a deep-sea accident. Through a blend of minimalist live performance and rich computer-generated visuals, the show constructs an immersive psychological landscape, where time fractures, memory distorts, and the ocean becomes an extension of the diver’s mental unravelling.

Performed inside a church venue, the piece makes compelling use of its natural acoustics, echoes and reverb, reinforcing the sense of isolation and depth. One of the most effective aspects of the production is its multimedia design: first-person game footage is recontextualised as both environment and point of view, pulling the audience into the diver’s increasingly fragile mental state.

Yuhao Yin shifts seamlessly between physical storytelling modes, offering a performance that is both grounded and visceral. Particularly striking are the moments after the performer dons the diving suit, where movement slows and weight becomes pronounced. His ability to evoke underwater resistance, through dragging steps, sudden collapses, and high-intensity bursts of physicality, brings a raw intensity to the diver’s struggle. The repeated slamming of the body to the floor, in particular, becomes a kind of rhythm that underlines the psychological and physical toll of survival.

The performance moves fluidly between digital imagery, live theatre, and moments of immersion. It gestures toward a form that is somewhere between mediums, and would likely benefit even further from a more tailored screen or projection setup, to sharpen the visual integration and deepen the sense of presence.

One moment of quiet beauty comes when the diver’s silhouette, cast onto the white fabric backdrop, flickers between human and otherworldly. There’s a simplicity and elegance in this visual device that hints at a wider aesthetic language yet to be explored.

Directed by Yi Qu, Narcosis is a thoughtful experiment in form, atmosphere, and endurance. It offers an intense and intimate encounter with fear, memory, and the slow collapse of a human mind.

★★★1/2

For more information, please visit:https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/narcosis

©️Xinyu Lu, Narcosis Production

Credits

Creative Team & Cast
Playwright/ Director: Yi Qu
Producer: Ruiwen Zhao
Executive Producers: Chenxing Liu, Xinyou Zhang
Set Designer: Yuhe Zhang
Multimedia Designer: Ting Wei
Sound & Music Designer: Tongyu Wu
Costume Designer: Manling Fu
Props Maker: Qinying Huang
Script Translator: Tiangi Mo
Performer: Yuhao Yin

Early Creative Contributors
Multimedia Designer: Cong Le & Yuyan Zhang
Visual Designer: Tingting Xie
Makeup Designer: Jingmeng Dou
Stage Manager: Fan Mo
Lighting Technician: Zhiyun Ren

Publicity Team
Trailer Director: Hansheng Zheng
Poster Designer: Yuxin Jiang
Publicity Coordinator: Wei Jing
Poster & Production Photographer: Xinyu Lu