September 1999 is a game from 2018 that adopts a Found Footage aesthetic, and if to my own recollection, was one of the first bigger games to be purely in the style of Found Footage, now it's mainly Bodycam horror games, but I feel this was the first big example of a game starting this trend.

The game is 5 minutes long, you can't make it shorter, or longer, and most of it you have to interpret for yourself. I believe you are either a serial killer, or someone that has some form of schizophrenia. I do believe this game is a test game almost, for the developer to test his abilities for making a game, and trying things new. This feels like a project, to start a bigger project, at least to me it does.

The game's aesthetics are very cool, and you only have 2 rooms to go through, but how they use these two rooms are very cool, but, there's not too much to this game, maybe if it was expanded upon with more story, being longer, and just an overall expansion in general. I believe this could be quite good, but it is too short to warrant a high rating, at least for me.

Overall: 6/10

Curto e GROSSO!

Não sou o maior fã de jogos do gênero mas me surpreendeu bastante, mesmo com tão pouco tempo de gameplay. A atmosfera tensa, o "silêncio" desconcertante, a incerteza do que está por vir... tudo isso contribui para uma experiência peculiar e arrepiante.

O que mais me chamou a atenção é o fato de não estarmos na pele das vítimas e sim de um serial killer que, ao que tudo indica, gosta de registrar os momentos infames daqueles neutralizados por ele. O estilo VHS e o espaço limitado favorecem o clima macabro do ambiente, passando uma sensação de claustrofobia e perigo.

Longe de mim querer entender a mente de um psicopata e acredito que não seja essa a intenção do desenvolvedor, porém, me deixou com um gostinho de quero mais! Sei que pode ser controverso, principalmente por se tratar de uma obra com esse tipo de foco, entretanto, ficaria extremamente satisfeito caso o projeto viesse a se tornar algo maior no futuro.

Graphics were so convincing I honestly thought I was looking at real footage when the game started up. Such an incredibly effective use of the VHS recording postprocessing effect that other, lesser indie horror games just kinda tack on in a sort of in-your-face fashion. Besides the eerily realistic visuals, the sound design is also the main focus of the experience, as the game's way to suggest more than to show.

Neat little 5 minute game. Would love to see the developer make a larger game using ideas from this in the future.

It’s almost impossible to avoid the regurgitated tropes stuffed into horror games nowadays. This especially applies to the indie scene, where soulless projects can be thrown together in no time to make a quick buck. There’s a serious lack of originality or innovation in the genre; I suppose it’s just easier for devs to lean into cheap scare tactics and dime-a-dozen ghost stories.
September 1999, on the other hand, is a free horror game with a surprisingly interesting and well-told story - one that’s neatly wrapped up in the span of five minutes. While I won’t spoil much, I will say that I really enjoy the narrative that this game chose to tackle, and I think it was done well. There are clear comparisons to make to American Psycho; and obviously September 1999 isn’t nearly as complex or innovative, but it’s a refreshing idea to bring to horror games in particular. This isn’t any old dime-a-dozen haunted building simulator with a Samara ripoff.
You take the role of a man living alone in a small house. The first-person view is overlaid with VHS grain - even the time and date are stamped in the corner, a useful tool for tracking the chronology of September 1999’s events. The game doesn’t solely rely on this VHS gimmick, though; its entire visual style is actually quite amazing. Perfect realism is far from my favorite aesthetic, but it worked very well here I think. I almost felt like I was looking at real video footage sometimes! The only thing that struck me as a strange (and quite funny) choice was the protagonist’s apparent obsession with framed pictures of budgies.
There are a handful of little details to notice, too, such as the tape placed on one of the closed doors (if you’re not aware, this is done when someone wants to ensure that the person inside the taped room can’t leave without their knowing.) I’d even overlooked a few things my first time around that I only noticed on a second playthrough. An impressive amount of worldbuilding was done here, and in such a minuscule span of time!
There are some delightfully creepy audio cues scattered throughout the game, too. September 1999 plays with volume in very interesting ways; certain noises are so subtle that you might think it’s in your head at first, while others viscerally destroy the stillness of the house. Nearly all of the frightening moments are in large part thanks to this sound design.
In fact, September 1999 never once relies on anything like garbage jumpscares to make its point. Instead it utilizes visual storytelling and atmosphere! There’s not even any dialogue - something I think is really neat, as it means that anyone can experience the game fully without language hindrance.
Of course, there’s not really any ‘gameplay’ to be found in September 1999. You simply observe the story as it takes place around you. Actually, it can sometimes take a bit too long for the game to transition itself into the next scene; this can easily turn into a nuisance when you’ve already seen everything you need to, and you’re stuck waiting for things to automatically progress.
Still, that small annoyance didn’t hamper my overall enjoyment of September 1999. This isn’t a life-changing or genre-defining piece of work, but it’s something I really appreciate for what it is. It commits completely to story and quality over reusing tired old tropes. I definitely recommend checking this out, especially since it’s free and very short!


Visuals: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Story: 3.5/5
Gameplay: 0.5/5
Worldbuilding: 4/5
Overall Game Score: 3/5 [3.2/5]

i'm a HUGE mark for the lo-fi and ps1-aesthetic indie horror games that have enjoyed enough of a limelight in the last five or six year that they're probably a played out aesthetic by now, so i've played a lot of stuff that kind of looks and feels like this game.

One thing this one does that not many of its contemporaries quite capture imo is the actual specific aesthetic vibe of VHS tape. There's a really perfect fuzz, a great overlay, the transitions really work. I think also the way the game advances for you helps with this? The lack of traditional gamey elements obvi isn't new but it really works for the presentation, i think that's definitely the strongest part of the game, and it's a really strong part!

which is good because it's servicing an actual experience that is otherwise just kind of okay! it's fine! it builds the tension well, maybe overplays its hand a little bit towards the end but the payoff is pretty good.

my big thing with games like these is like, it's FREE and it's SIX MINUTES and i had a good time with it i can't really ask for anything else. it feels weird to be gripey but i'm always chasing that indie horror high i guess. solid game!!