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Mr_Selfy

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A member registered Dec 17, 2019

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Forget Kong Vs. Godzilla

Forget The Rumble in The Jungle

Forget Tyson Vs. Logan 

This is the epic showdown you've been waiting for! Poop Killer Vs. Fart Killer!

Another 616 banger - the most ludicrous, over-the-top, toilet humour indie game you'll ever play. Enjoyed the dialogue, quirky characters and random cutaways - however there is a lot of dead space in-between customers coming to Jeff's kiosk. Maybe have the character interact with other things or gather some lore of the Fart Killer during this time?

I definitely think there should be a form of survival mode with the cooking (i.e. one round you have to cook a certain amount of hot dogs and burgers and the next round increases the amount, etc) but there could be the addition of maintenance going on, like the cooker blows up and you have to play a mini-game to fix it, or the fuse goes and everything stops until you get the fuses done, or various phonecalls come through saying that a last minute delivery has been ordered and the Kiosk guy has to prep something alongside other orders. And then of course you can have smokey ghost appearances too...

I don't know how you're banging out these games so fast, but each one is getting better and better! Dialogue is greatly improved, multiple choice endings and a dark storyline to boot!

I was expecting to be housesitting for a demon that had possessed grandmother, but I guess that's in the pipeline ;)

There was some initial confusion when we jumped to the hospital, as I thought 'the player' had put the wife in the hospital, but after a while the pieces started to come together. I think there could be some improvement with the pacing on this one - it seems to jump around a bit and leave the player feeling a little taken aback by all the info funnelling through, think of pregnant beats and pauses like you get in TV shows and films - but overall a nice experience.

There are a plethora of 'convenience store' short horror indie games on itch.io and most of them follow the same tried and tested formula, but 'Kiosk' elevates itself above these with food packaging mechanics,  a Fears To Fathom-esque storyline and an unsettling atmosphere throughout. 

The different array of customers (and returning customers) itself should grant a pat on the back for this developer - from cheesy 'pun' guy, to a woman who can also see the spectral shenanigans, you'll be swept up in the unfolding drama (as well as making sure you don't burn your burgers.)

At first I thought the 'smoke ghost' was a little goofy, but on one of the 'appearances' it did actually make me jump. And I consider myself someone that doesn't jump that much. So congrats on that.

The ending was a little abrupt and ambiguous  -  I generally wanted to experience more of this little kiosk and find the mysteries behind it . Did we ever get to find out what happened to the last guy that worked there? Did he explode?

And remember kids...don't drink and drive.

Liked the concept of this short indie horror - a couple retreat from the city and live the farming life, until Daniel goes into the woods and discovers a meteor with some strange flowers budding around it.

Technically, the look and feel of the game were okay - mechanic of killing the deer and the wolves was a nice switch from the basic 'pick up groceries, do the washing,' etc - and Kevin the dog was a nice touch. Was this based off a H.P. Lovecraft story?

A few flaws with the dialogue (first the present Daniel is going to give is cheese then turns into honey? Is it their anniversary or Amanda's birthday?) disrupts the flow of things, and a few jarring sound effects (man the van is LOUD! and it seems like Kevin is playing the maracas when he moves) is a little off-putting, but overall a good concept.

Last little note: What happened after Daniel shot the wolf? Why did he wake up in the barn with the cows? I'm assuming that Kevin was infected and bit Amanda, turning her into one of the abominations, but this was guesswork...was Daniel immune? 

Enjoyed the meta narrative with playing a game within a game - the first puzzle had me stumped for a second even though I knew how it worked! Think it ended a little abruptly and would love to see this universe expanded upon (who is the monster, for example - how did the player come across the game in the first instance) but some great world-building and intuitive puzzle design (such as the volume control etc)

Look forward to seeing (and playing) more in the future!

As a fan of Bugs Fixer and Train Departs I was intrigued by the small project of The Dog - keeping the Fears to Fathom aesthetic we're presented with a 2.4, white picketed fence suburban family - with a meddlesome dog in the basement. Maybe.

Although short and succinct, the game leaves a few questions at the end for the player...looking forward to the next Creepy FM!

 

Following on from Lost Innocence, Finding Her is a separate story that involves a father looking for his daughter in the woods. Taking on the Fears To Fathom aesthetic, this game deals more with body horror and Hellraiser vibes from the outset. 

It was interesting to see the lore with Paimon, and how this will incorporate (hopefully) within the next game, but it also felt a little jumbled, with a forest scattered haphazardly with torsos, limbs, appendages and baby heads. Perhaps if there was some more build-up to Amman's descent into the forest, it could have resonated with the player a little more. At the moment it seems like the player is confronted with all the gore and blood splatter straight away, which loses a little tension. 

It would have also been interesting to see Amman's state of mind deteriorating after picking up each stone, causing him to question whether what he was seeing was real or the demon's machinations. As a second project however, I can see definite improvements from the first game including better grammar and dialogue, as well as execution with cutscenes.

Also, did the father kill his daughter? I thought the whole point was to find his daughter, but when he's talking to Paimon he has her body? Not sure whether this was a plot reveal, but felt a little ambiguous...

Looking forward to guarding gam-gam in the next one ;) 

You feel hollow inside. You never got to eat your EGG FRIED RICE.

This was such a hoot to play - with multiple endings, wry humour throughout and driving mechanics thrown in (albeit with spongy brakes), this indie game deserves all the recognition it deserves. I especially liked the way that there was a story for the main character but it was left a little ambiguous as to what happened. 

The atmosphere was on-point and several moments posed real 'oooh, crap,' moments. Especially liked that no ending gave a satisfactory GOOD GAME S for the player. Very well done and looking forward to the next one... 

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE VIBRANT MAN? Hopefully he got the bus in the end...

Enjoyed the lore of 'Sming' and the unexpected jump scare in an area where I wasn't expecting one! Although the mechanics have the same concept as any 'convenience store' game, there was great emphasis constructed to make the player feel distrust with his companions, following the feeling of apparent safety in the tree house. 

Would have had the player conduct other tasks rather than just picking mushrooms and laying traps, but overall enjoyed this one. Looking forward to the next one. 

TIGER DANCE.

Thoroughly immersive experience, showing the darker side of QA in a AA video game studio! Although inspired by the Fears to Fathom series, Creepy Waves FM is taking on its own unique identity within the genre and Bugs Fixer improves dramatically from the first game, Train Departs

The game-within-a-game mechanic whilst fixing the code of the prototypes is fun and interesting, the developer has clearly listened to feedback and constructive criticism from the earlier game in the series. The dialogue and grammar is cleaner this time around, the meta nods throughout are humorous and you empathise with some of the characters (love Mike. Poor Mike.) 

With these types of games, when the main character has to take medication to help with hallucinations and whether what they're seeing is 'real' the payoff can sometimes be a little anticlimactic, but Bugs Fixer handles this scenario with just the right balance of suspicion and paranoia. 

With an expanded storyline this time around, there's a slow build of tension and with an alternative endings on display, really looking forward to what comes next in the Creepy Waves FM series.

Few critiques this time around:

  • Walking pace could be sped up (just by a notch) 
  • The section going to the laundry shop felt like padding. Although there were some interesting characters to talk to, this may have been a great opportunity to learn more about the main character and interactions with friends, or why he decided to leave the indie studio. The section just felt a little off-kilter from everything else in the game.
  • The Manager could have been given a name!

There's quite a few life moral lessons to take away from playing Creepy Waves FM: Train Depart...

1) Never accept opened soda cans (even if it comes from someone in authority)

2) Don't talk to strangers on a train. Most of the time they'll give you their life story. Other times they'll just come off as creepy.

3) If you find yourself with a block of the Bolivian marching powder - stick it down your pants and sell that stuff ASAP. You'll be rich and have stories to tell the grandkids...

Overall, Train Depart puts the player in familiar territory to the Fears To Fathom game series - a 16 year old travelling solo for the first time finds himself in a pickle when he discovers a strange bag in the train's toilet...

There was an engaging story here, complete with texts from parents and friends, a nice mechanic with a game-within-a-game (even if it was an idle clicker) and some shady characters to boot. Caused an uneasiness throughout and made you realise that sometimes the most innocuous places can cause fear and dread. A few grammatical errors throughout kept this from the lofty highs of games of similar ilk.

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Okay, so I thought I was generally good at anagrams, ditloids and hangman puzzles...until I played 'Disorder.' Maybe it's the heat. The mugginess in the UK at the moment is affecting my brain capacity. Sure, that's it. Sure. I'll use that as an excuse...

With a fiendish plot at play (your family have been kidnapped and you have to save them by playing word games) Disorder has that highly sought after and coveted 'just one more time, I'll save them this time!' replayability factor - it's also dripping with tension and atmosphere. Who is the mysterious Ghoul man with arm sleeve tattoos and shotgun? Have we been targeted because the player is an internet troll?

Not sure, because I never actually managed to save my poor, tortured family. (Sorry Pops! Sorry Ma!)

Taking a fairly simple premise and twisting it into a dark, macabre game of life and death (a-la BuckShot Roulette, Egg's Tale etc) this is one of those stand-out games that you'll keep on coming back to. Well done on this, and I hope to see more in the future! 

Note: Just had a thought - what about a multiplayer version where each family member is pitted against each other and the first one to solve the word puzzle is 'safe' for that round (i.e. you don't want to be the last one to get the anagram, etc?) A lot of future potential with this one... 

If you're a fan of the Fears To Fathom series then you'll get a kick out of the first chapter of 'Lost Innocence.' Although it doesn't break the mould with the mechanics at play (get the food, eat the food, answer the phone, etc) there's an interesting story at the heart of this, and intrigued where the story goes. 

There is a glaring grammar/translation issue that made things a little more comical than terrifying, but that can be easily fixed with an update. Congrats on the first game, one of many I hope! 

What a great, succinct horror game. If you're 14 years old and made this then you should be very proud - I really enjoyed the atmosphere on display here and the humour was on point. *Poor little kid on the lamp-post...* From the nonchalant reception desk guy to the crack-head in the alleyway who flew off into the night, I genuinely enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek humour throughout. 

The ending was a little abrupt, but would like to explore other areas of the town and rummage through more dumpsters to find ridiculous clothing to fool rent-a-cop jobsworths. Although most of the dialogue led to the same place, I would love to see more from you, as I think there's a definite career in game development for you, squire.   

Another banger from whilegameisfalse - each new game released from this developer somehow seems to raise the bar with regards to theme, atmosphere and tension - whilst still retaining a unique signature style.

The other games in this developer's catalogue have a rich, vibrant narrative, and 'Indistinguishable' is no different. With complex themes at play, such as AI and the subjective form of art, as well as the things we would do for love, the dialogue/text between Anna and Echo seems real, as a couple that have been going through it and just want things to run smoothly in their lives. It begs the question whether attempting to patch up areas of our relationships leads to further turmoil down the line, but by the end of this you'll have a lot to ponder...

This one had ne guessing - I thought that with the talk of AI our scientist friend Echo had made a cyborg version of himself! Glad that I was wrong in this sentiment, but also when you think of the continual loop of what is really going on, it made me question everything...

The only critique of 'Indistinguishable' is that on several occasions I found myself walking around aimlessly, not quite sure what the next objective was. I've cut these pieces out on my playthrough as it wouldn't serve much in the way of content, however having played a plethora of indie horror games, usually going to have a shower or going to bed seems to propel the player into the next scene, although having to stand in a particular spot for the next line of dialogue to continue or reading a book seemed a little too niche. Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that this game doesn't hold your hand, but if there was an option just to speak to Anna I think this would lessen the walking around. 

Also, I think there could be a sprint mechanic or option to walk just a 'little' bit faster than the prescribed walking speed.

I really think a lot of other indie games could learn from whilegameisfale's slow-burn, dreaded horror that escalates as the game progresses. 

AND I NEED THE INTRO/OUTRO SOUNDTRACK IN MY LIFE. WHERE CAN I FIND THIS???

Isn't Richie Tozier a character from Stephen King's "It"?

This is a great prototype - loved the concept of having to go into the mind of the person sitting next to you, but needs a lot of work for it to become something that rises above the rest. 

A few notes:

The radio announcer should have subtitles, as the voice is pretty low compared to everything else. Walking through the woods started to feel a little forced, as there didn't appear to be a clear direction of where to go. Perhaps this part could be filtered with thoughts from Richie's mind, why he did what he did - we are in his subconscious after all, aren't we?

The second sequence could have more puzzle-type elements involved in it, rather than carrying out a few chores, but overall would like to see this expanded upon and have a cohesive storyline behind it, I think this could go far... 

A guy can't even get his dirty undies washed without being bothered by a ghost...

I enjoyed the mechanics at play here - taking a mundane task such as laundry washing but emphasising the realistic nature of adding detergent, the quarters and the dryer, etc. I didn't think the scares were that impactful, and after having played through to the end thought the slow-build could have escalated into a full-blown murder mystery, where the protagonist has to find clues scattered around the laundry in order to get the key to the dumpster. 

More information about the manager could be on the noticeboard, eluding to his creepy nature, but the protagonist has to break into the back room and maybe find a password or play a mini-game in order to access the manager's files?

Another banger from Dace Games, and made in only a week!

Thoroughly enjoyed the escapades of the Park Ranger, utilising some ingenious methods to help rescue two girls from a deranged convict. Got the vibes of the Meryl Streep Thriller 'The River Wild' in this playthrough, and wasn't expecting to actually use the surroundings to be terribly sneaky...

Each instalment from Dace Games gets better - hoping to see Point Click Killer 3 sometime soon...

Taking out the garbage...one bin at a time.

This is quite a particularly gory one from 616 games, and I love me some giblets. As you can tell from the YouTube thumbnail, my first thought was that Trash Night encapsulated the 80's zaniness of Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2, with some twists that I genuinely didn't see coming until the last moment. 

Nice changes of perspective throughout - one thing I would note is that the rubbish collection at the start did seem to stretch on for a little longer than maybe required - perhaps the protagonist could be complaining about his job during this time and commenting on how much he wants to be a photographer?

Creepy vibes - looking forward to the next one!

Carcass is indeed a very unique, experimental horror experience. 

From the outset, the player is thrown into an ethereal world set in an apocalyptic wasteland. After having played the game, I was left wondering what would be occurring on the 'topside' world level, and what other fascinating characters could be implemented in a potential sequel.  I found the weird characters highly entertaining - where most would see the Witch as a tyrannical overlord I found her the player's salvation...but that could just be my twisted look on the situation!

The mechanic of having to dissect the bodies and consume the flesh was bordering on a repetitive streak after a few goes, and although the Kafka-esque 'bug collecting' was a welcoming break from that, I think to truly set this game a bar above other games of this ilk would ideally have the player interact with other mechanics too. Maybe after the first inoculation of the prisoner and 'yum yum brain juice' has been collected, the player could have other tasks to perform in the underground facility?

A highly entertaining game, and looking forward to seeing more like this in the future. Keep it weird. Keep it creepy. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Night Bus. In my playthrough, I managed to get 4 out of the possible 5 endings - didn't realise that the fuel gauge was actually the sanity meter!

Acerola should definitely show up in future games - that cat's got a bright future ahead! Really enjoyed the role of the bus driver, and the gadgets and gizmos that the bus offered. There's a certain hypnotic satisfaction with picking up passengers and letting them off at the right stops... 

Some notes: 

For me personally, the scares were a little diluted. Could have created more lore with the passengers giving the driver some exposition about the cursed bus/route or the ONE THAT CANNOT BE NAMED. Overall though, a fun game with some interesting ideas.

Chapter 1 definitely set the 'Saw'-esque premise, with an engaging story and simmering tension throughout. I particularly enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass references and that you were constantly being watched...

The first part of 'The Torture House' sets up the scene quite nicely and subverts your expectations of the 'gotcha' moments seen throughout these types of games. When the masked killer appears it genuinely startled me. I thought the puzzle mechanics on show were quite well thought out and had me guessing where someone was about to pop out. 

Only notes I could suggest for Chapter Two: make the save points check points instead, as this dilutes the growing dread. 

Great game - can't wait for the next instalment!  

Teen campers get more than they bargained for when they decide to set up camp in a forest somewhere in Ohio. 

Really enjoyed the premise of this, and eagerly anticipating the next chapter in the series. Will we find out about the spooky house that we saw from the cliff-face? Is James hiding something from the rest of the group? Will we see the racoon again!?!? Too many questions to contemplate. 

There's an eerie build-up straight from the beginning when the teenagers set up camp. Sound design and ambient soundtrack immerse the player and set them on edge. Was under a constant feeling of being watched...

Dialogue between the characters seems real and authentic - does James have the hots for Melissa and is he hiding something? He wanted to sleep in the car and was missing when everything seemed to be going wrong...

Cute racoon is cute - is it possible to feed the hotdogs to him? I realised after my playthrough that I didn't equip the hot dogs in my 'hands' so to speak, so was wondering...

Hopefully future episodes will have more puzzle solving and we learn more about the mysterious house from the cliff-side. Enjoyed this one immensely!

The Haunted Journey Home has similar mechanics and feel to the early 'Fears to Fathom' games, and in this instance there's a few jump scares and tension building that leads to an unexpected ending. 

A few notes on my playthrough:

  • I think the dialogue options are little superfluous; when the diner owner asks about payment does it really matter if you have the cash or not? Could have more replayability if choices matter throughout the gameplay...
  • Enjoyed the text messages from the father - think there should have been more conversation between the son and father to heighten tension.
  • Was the pizza guy someone who worked at the diner? 
  • Where does Aiden work? How long does it take for him to get to and back from work each day?!?

Enjoyed the game - looking forward to the next one!  

Well, that was truly something. To be made only in 14 days and have so many mechanics, immersion and replayability really shows your skill when it comes to a quick-fire indie horror. 

I particularly liked the whole aesthetic, with the gameshow aspect - reminds me of the upcoming horror film 'Late Night With The Devil.' The mini-games were a welcome touch, as was the palpable sense of unease as each round began. I thought I was a goner after my 'moralistic' choice was made and Sarah wasn't my best friend anymore...

I didn't have much time to go through other scenarios, and having read some of the other comments I doubt I would have got all the endings! In any case, I definitely think there could be scope more more rounds, other contestants and endings. Loved the trivia section.

Best of luck with the gamejam - definitely a worthy contender!

As soon as I saw the "non-jump scare" quotation marks I knew this was a lie. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the concept and execution of Abyssal Reflections - in a small underwater research facility three men with questionable backgrounds are gathering samples (presumably) from the ocean floor. You play as a service droid that cleans up after the men over the course of several weeks. Each man has their own attitude to the robot (who I called Bob in my playthrough) and things start to take a drastic turn for the worse when they collect a sample called NL-X...

Some notes:

I would have loved to spend more time interacting with the three men - to create more empathy and connections with them. I think this has a great concept and could be expanded on with some time to get to know each men - why does Thomas have such a grudge against the robot? Richard is wary of everyone but he could come out of his shell a bit later on...I think another couple of 'scenes' may have been required - when things start to go off the deep end it escalates quite quickly. 

There was a door that didn't seem to open - are there multiple endings to the game dependant on certain choices made?

I soft-locked in the 'robot charging station' and had to restart that particular week. May need to see if this can be fixed if other people are experiencing the same encounter. 

Spoiler: Why did the robot attack one of the men? I was left with some questions regarding that.

Overall - a great concept that harkens back to some of the great sci-fi films of the 80's, mixed with a thoughtful and poignant ending...

616 games have a flair for juxtaposing 80's slasher gore with some wildly hilarious dialogue, and MEAT is no different. If you're squeamish about the subject matter than you'd better get back on your vegan farm, because this game doesn't hold back! Kind of like a Sweeny Todd soufflé, mixed with a sprinkling of Texas Chainsaw Massacre...

A fun little run, with some memorable characters. You can take that to the bank...BROTHER!

Although the storyline takes main precedent here, and it's pretty solid as it stands, a few suggestions for possible future scenarios:

  • A cool mechanic would have had Jerry search the local area for unwilling victims for the restaurant - with the threat of being caught by the police. It was a nice transition from the restaurant area to the trailer park, so a few more instances of this would have been nice.
  • Variable endings dependant on whether you decided to let some of the customers live? Or an 'Overcooked' type element where a timed section serving customers gives you a rating, then a different ending?

Had a lot of fun with this one!

The concept of the game reminded me of the 2000 film 'The Cell' with Jennifer Lopez, where we enter the mind of someone to extract information - in this demo we see that instead of the killer we traverse the ethereal plain of one of the killer's victims, #37...

A few notes from my playthrough - I hope all the critique helps develop for the final release:

1. I believe the first chapter requires more tension and narrative, to ease the player into their surroundings. Apart from the initial exposition at the beginning, there's little information presented to the player in order to ascertain where we are, what we're doing and why we're doing it. At first I thought we were in Vera's office, which confused me as I didn't know if we were already in the victim's head or not. The phone call explains that we are, but I think it would help if #37 left notes directed explicitly at Vera - maybe with her gift you could explain this by them sharing a connection to find the killer's identity?

Following that, I think that we should really get to know more about the victim herself. I really loved the segment with the piano and this was starting to showcase her life - the player needs to empathise with her if we care about solving her murder. There should be more instances of this. 

2. The jump scares didn't really resonate with me, unfortunately. I think this game could benefit with creating an eerie tension, rather than multiple jump 'gotcha' moments on display. One is fine, possibly with the woman coming towards the player when they open the door, but the others seem a little too forced. They seem a little all over the place, too - what's with the inflatable clowns? 

3. Although I suck at platforming sections, I think bringing in the mechanic nicely balances the chapters out - although I don't think a 'potion' is required, just let the player jump from the get-go. 

4. Don't think you need a stamina bar presented in the top-left of the screen. The player will know when they can't run anymore, no?

5. WHO IS THE NAKED MAN??? WHY IS THE NAKED MAN???

Think you've got a cool concept on your hands, just needs a little polishing here and there. Good job! 

The creatures from the Deep...how beautiful they sing...

Another short and sweet banger from Dace Games, following in the wake of Point, Click, Killer Part 2 - you can really see a signature style forming with these point 'n click adventure games, from the atmospheric music to the beautifully rendered pixel art. 

This was made for the PowerJam Game Jam, so not as long as previous projects, but I'm a fan so wanted to spread the love. 

If this was developed into a fuller scenario, it would be interesting to see how the rest of the crew interact with our main protagonist - especially Stan. Poor, poor Stan. This could encompass all the deep sea shenanigans of Sphere, The Abyss and 2,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Man, I would love to see a full game with these astecthics.   

Now, more importantly...WHERE IS POINT, CLICK, KILLER 3?

All the best with the jam - can't wait for the next one!

No problem at all - I always try to give fair critique to the games I play, and I'm always in awe of the time/dedication it takes to create them, in a lot of ways it's a collaboration between the designer and the consumer at the end of the day. Which can only lead to great things. At least I know now that the door was a glitch, and not my mind playing insidious tricks with me - as someone who used to do QA for a 'leading' game developer there's always going to be bugs in a release, so no problem there, either. If you're a one-person team then all hats off to you, you're doing a terrific job and may you continue with it. Great sense of putting tension/feel/atmospherics in the process. 

With regards to the mouse sensitivity, I'm just one person - see if anyone else feels the same way and take the statistics for your decision, although including it wouldn't hurt ya ;) 

Understand the need for having an alternative button - maybe there could be a poster in the carriage that 'without breaking the fourth wall' ;) lets the user know this without having to look at the menu screen? The more intuitive a feature, the better the result. But maybe I'm just a little dim when it comes to these things, as has already been pointed out to me in the video there was a gun underneath a chair and I didn't see it at all!

This one had a real interesting concept, and I was thoroughly impressed with the blurb on the Itch.io developer page - although I got stumped a few times and had to backtrack/examine everything in each carriage. It's a slow build from flickering lights to the announcer on the PA system relaying information to the character, and by the time passengers start turning up with their pixelated faces the eeriness of the situation starts to crawl over you. 

Not entirely sure if I encountered a bug with the TV - my assumption is that when you turn it on there should be a puzzle clue or something to help you progress, but wasn't able to see this? Could just be my setup - but I couldn't get through a certain door and after attempting a few things (one involving a severed arm) I was still unable to proceed. 

Pros:

  • Great graphical realism, encompassing the bodycam mechanic
  • Slow build into increasing trepidation and horror. 
  • Keeps the player engaged to find out more about what really happened

Cons:

  • I couldn't seem to find a mouse sensitivity function in the menu - think controlling the character is very floaty.
  • Not sure if I was just stumped or a bug, but couldn't progress through one of the doors 
  • Middle mouse button as another 'interactive' button was initially confusing to learn - why not make 'E' the function for interacting with objects in the gameworld?

Would like to see how this one ends, so will be enjoying others on their playthroughs!

Valentine's Day. 

You've just started seeing someone, and the day is fraught with peril. Say your courtship began less than a month ago: is sending a card a bit full-on? What about chocolates? What if you ignored it completely, thinking it's all a bit wishy-washy...only to discover your new partner bought you a 5kg Cupid-shaped diamond ring in a presentation box made of compressed rose petals? There's too much pressure on a day like today. Better just stick to a nice restaurant that will see mugs like you enter and charge you through the nose for some salmon. 

With multiple endings, Samantha gives you a unique dating experience that can end in your misfortune or your lucky escape. The voice acting is really good, the trepidation of upsetting Samantha is REAL and if you want to simp hard, you go for it soy boy, you simp hard. 

Word of advice: Samantha LOVES a whole turkey.

Great game - would have spent more time on finding all the endings but unfortunately my partner barged in halfway through recording and told me she was leaving me. And that my farts smelt like chicken.

Ah, Valentine's Day.  

All of Emika's games are truly immersive experiences, setting up jump scares, eerie atmospheres and disturbing presences with aplomb - I'm Counting To Six is no different. Hats off to the sound design with this one, from the squelching of mud underneath the foot in the first segment, to the creaky floorboards, clapping hands and other ghastly noises and sounds, the player really gets the feeling they're in a dilapidated house with spooky shenanigans happening around them. 

Emika games are fast becoming a solid independent horror game developer, and I can't wait for their next instalment. 

The only criticism for 'I'm Counting to Six,' would be the convoluted plot - I wasn't entirely sure if the boy was the witch's son, if they had kidnapped children when they grew up as the townsfolk were responsible for her death, etc - but apart from that everything else was on top notch form.    

A great premise, with 80's nostalgic atmosphere, characters that you care about (even in the short space of time within the demo) and some great mechanics to boot. 

Flipping between characters is a great touch, as you learn the layout of the cinema with Nika, and then get some dread with the hobo. Switching things up a notch with serving customers tickets and snacks is a great way to immerse the player into the world and there's some great costumes to see in the process! As every great demo should, this leaves you wanting more for the final product and I can't wait to see the full game shine in all its glory. Well done TaintedPact Games, you've got yourselves a modern day indie horror classic in the works here...

Pros:

  • Great VO acting - immersing you into the world of the Mirage with the different characters. Attention to detail with the film posters and day-to-day jobs within working at a movie theatre is a nice touch. Hopefully we'll get more mechanics like that in the final game. 
  • Truly imaginative 80's horror nostalgia, with an antagonistic jester that seems to be stalking the victims. This guy made me think of Art the clown from the Terrifier films...wonder if we'll need to avoid/fight this guy and how that will turn out.
  • WHISKERS!!!

Cons:

  • Not a con as such, but maybe an area that could be improved: when serving the customers as Billy I think you could do a mini version of 'Papers, please' where you get to decide who is admitted to the Mirage based on age/drunkenness/oddball behaviour, etc. Similarly, Nika should have to restock the foodstuff or have a time limit to serve the customers to increase the level of tension for this section.
  • Why you gotta do Eric dirty like that? 

Had a blast playing this and will definitely be doing a full playthrough when Massacre At The Mirage is released. Nice work!

The premise of 'Myst of Guatemala' is an interesting concept; following experiments conducted by the US government on poor unsuspecting victims, and the eerie atmospheric 'haunted house on the hill' trope is played well here to begin with, but this is marred by a few too many 'jump scare gotcha' moments that don't really land. 

The opening cinematic is slick and polished, getting the player into the right frame of mind, even though the text flies by too quickly.  

I think if all the doll creatures/weird rabbit thing coming up from the ground at the entrance to the basement/spooky maid girl/skeletons placed haphazardly around the starting segment were scaled down to elevate tension and the lore of the experiments was touched on more, this would invest the player's into the world a lot more. The AI voice of the main protagonist is quite wooden and brings the payer out of the scene...

The study room section was by far the strongest chapter - the puzzle solving and hiding elements were synced well, but think this was another opportunity where the player could have found out more about the experiments.

Pros:

  • Great sound design - the lightning, floorboard creaking, basement noises all combine for an unsettling experience
  • Opening cinematic and subsequent theme is interesting and hopefully this is expanded further in the main game
  • Puzzle mechanics including melting wax of the picture and hiding mechanics are a great compliment to what can achieved in Yahaha studio 

Cons: 

  • Text flies by too quickly in opening cinematic - needs to be slowed down so the player can become immersed in the experience
  • Too many goofy jumpscares using assets found in other games
  • AI voice of main protagonist is too stilted and robotic.

Enjoyed the concept behind FRS: The Pilot, from the eerie start walking through the woods, to the ominous, nightmarish looping Quick'N'Go and then the firewatch tower, looking forward to seeing more from this series. The forest section had a creepypasta/Blair Witch vibe going on, then the looping convenience gas stop reminded me of Wayward Pines/Twin Peaks/Here. Finally the end section made me think of Fears To Fathom: Ironbark Lookout - and you even get to drive! Lots of things happening in this pilot episode, so eager to find out more. 

Pros:

  • Great voice acting - enjoyed listening to Mike Stone on the radio and would love to hear more from the DJ in subsequent episodes.
  • Got to admit - the jump scare got me. Wasn't expecting it - really good job of building tension and subverting this particular player's expectations. 
  • Feel that there's a grander, larger story boiling to the surface, and intrigued to find out where this is going. Great astecthics and even though it's a fairly short playthrough, it packs in a great deal for the player to absorb.

Cons:

  • More nit-picking than anything else, but would have loved some puzzle/interaction mechanic for the ranger - the gas stop section (although eerie) felt a little hollow with regards to actually doing anything. He stopped in there to get supplies, but we didn't actually leave with anything. Perhaps the car could be on its last legs and the ranger needs to repair it before he leaves? Or maybe he needs to get something for the mysterious Dale Cooper character?
  • Ended too abruptly. God damn it I want more!

Eagerly anticipating this report to be submitted to the FRS. :)

It's a great thing to see when devs take the comments to strengthen their work. Nicely done Old Men :)

Jack is a strong name - just look at the powerhouses of Jack Nicholson, Jack Reacher, Jack Palance and Jack(ie) Chan. 

I enjoyed the premise of Dead Faces, with the chapters of the four characters located in the rooms of the apartment. Attention to detail with being able to pick up pretty much every item was noted, and could have spent an hour just looking at the books in the bookshelf for some hidden easter eggs. (Metallica!) Intrigued to find out more about Jack and how he has (maybe) hurt the other four characters in the game. Got caught with a jump scare in the above play-though, but thought the Tall Man was a little goofy and felt like he wanted to give me some cookies or just play with me. Looking forward to the full release - just saw the update so roll on February!

Pros:

  • Great atmosphere and left me wanting to find out more
  • Attention to detail with all the objects in the game and how you can interact with them is impressive. Bar above most games of this genre.
  • Sound design/foley work is eerie and keeps the player listening for clues, etc.

Cons:

  • Could just be for this prologue demo, but thought the amount of jump scares was starting to be thrown around a little willy nilly.
  • Seems to be a lot of time of being stuck in the rooms with the forcefields without anything happening - would reduce the time for pacing/flow issues.
  • Would make the Tall Man a little more threatening...

Overall looking forward to the final product!

I enjoyed the general concept of the game, especially with the dry, sardonic humour - made me think of The Stanley Parable upon the first night. The mechanics at play are relatively easy to grasp yet if you allow the time to dwindle you'll be deader than the Dodo. 

Upon the second night I thought introducing the power outages was a good indication of ramping up the tension and the need to do more within the time constraints - however I have to ask: is this a completed game? On the third night I was expecting the HR guy to offer some new advice, but he was suspiciously missing...

Then, when the 'endless' prompt came up I felt that there wasn't else much left to do, unless I missed something? Could be a good metaphor for the 'working 9-5' life, which is an endless grind, but I expected something a bit more 'final' - i.e. the creature we were growing in the tube to be released or something to that affect. Realised this was made in 5 days and commend the devs for the mechanics at play, but overall felt this was an unfinished product? Would like to see more of this, as I feel it has legs.