2 people found this review helpful
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 1.2 hrs on record
Posted: 26 Dec, 2021 @ 9:07am
Updated: 26 Dec, 2021 @ 9:35am

Disappointing.
I can't, in good faith, leave it a negative review, because it definitely leaves an impression. That said, here's what you should know before playing:

Most importantly, this product deserves a very serious trigger warning it doesn't have.
You can skip this paragraph, if you don't care. Themes include: suicide, murder, domestic violence and neglect, multiple symptoms of schizophrenia, trauma, possibly derelization and OCD, usage of prescription drugs. It includes light jumpscares (no loud screams or screeches) and can very much trigger bathophobia and scopophobia. I can't stress this enough - contrary to what most people seem to be saying - if you've been diagnosed with mental illness or trauma, you definitely shouldn't expose yourself to this type of media.

Secondly, this is hardly a game. It's a poorly translated short story you might enjoy, and there is nothing more to it. There is a single ending, there are barely any "hidden" dialogues, and there is no real freedom in choosing or typing your dialogue options. If you choose three bad ones, you get some flavor text and have to start from the beggining. When you're allowed to type in your own answers, it doesn't really matter what you type in - you either go through, or you get stuck until you answer with something else. You either go with the intended dialogue options, or you're not allowed to play at all.

This is the definition of wasted potential. After your first playthrough, you will feel like there has to be way more to this story, and that you'll discover more, if you choose other dialogue options or type in the right answers. There is a ton of hints that you can do that. You can't. Maybe if you name your character something specific? Nope, nothing of that nature. Absurdity reaches its peak when you type in the right answer, but the game ignores it and says "No, the answer is actually [the answer you typed in]". So the story is painfully linear and unresponsive, and after about 10 replays, and an hour of skipping text, trying out different options, all I found was 2 extra lines of (admittedly chilling) dialogue.

Overall, the story is uh... it's hard to tell if it's good or bad. All I know is it's sad, disturbing, and it definitely sends a chill down your spine. Quality aside, it makes you feel things, and it hits surprisingly hard. For what it achieves in 10 minutes, and for its low price, I'd say it's enough for a "positive" review. I'll probably play the sequel.

As a game - 1/10, not only is it not interactive, it misleads you into thinking it is.
As an experience - 6/10, it's intriguing enough.
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