Trisha noooo
This review contains spoilers
Managed to get a real up close picture of the killer hitting me with an axe and used it as my news article's lead picture, like a professional would.
Bom jogo, gostei da trama, mesmo sendo bem genérica.
O jogo ainda tem seus problemas, tipo a obsessão com objetos pequenos e que não se destacam, na teoria é mais realista assim, mas no gameplay não ajuda, tipo um cartão em cima de um banco aleatório que eu passei reto 30 vezes só por que ele não se destacava. Na vdd, na vida real seria muito mais fácil perceber o cartão do que foi no jogo. Tem os puzzles de datas que também me deram um ódio por que a maior parte do mundo lê dd-mm-aaaa, mas Estado Unidense tem que ser especial.
E um dos tópicos divergentes é a sequência final do jogo, que eu fico do lado das pessoas que não gostaram. Achei barato de mais.
O jogo ainda tem seus problemas, tipo a obsessão com objetos pequenos e que não se destacam, na teoria é mais realista assim, mas no gameplay não ajuda, tipo um cartão em cima de um banco aleatório que eu passei reto 30 vezes só por que ele não se destacava. Na vdd, na vida real seria muito mais fácil perceber o cartão do que foi no jogo. Tem os puzzles de datas que também me deram um ódio por que a maior parte do mundo lê dd-mm-aaaa, mas Estado Unidense tem que ser especial.
E um dos tópicos divergentes é a sequência final do jogo, que eu fico do lado das pessoas que não gostaram. Achei barato de mais.
Apesar de eu não ter gostado muito do final, o jogo é maneiro. A investigação é muito boa. Fez eu gastar 12 páginas do meu caderno de anotações.
seria 5 estrelas se nao fosse os ultimos 20 minutos de jogo
This review contains spoilers
Spoilers!!!
There aren't many games like The Painscreek Killings. Non-linear mystery games where you genuinely have to solve a mystery on your own without help or guidance are not very common. I was desperate to find a game like this and I am so glad that I did and went into it blind. Despite there being no NPCs I felt emotionally connected to the characters and their interconnecting stories. The main twist is a little predictable when you read everything but then that's the point really as the more evidence you collect the better chance you have of getting the answer. I delayed going to the graveyard so I didn't know that many of the characters are already dead. Upon discovering this it felt like a major twist in the story as I had been working on the assumption that Scott and Trisha were still alive just elsewhere. It was really effective as I had grown to feel emotionally connected to these characters but I suppose not everyone experiences it that way because if you go to the graveyard first you know straight away. I think it's the mark of a good game that a story can make you feel emotionally connected to the characters despite not actually meeting them. The ending felt out of place for me and I think spoilt the experience a little. The game would have done better if it let you get the answers wrong properly without telling you what happened in a confession tape. For me the chase sequence was really not welcome as it felt so different from the rest of the game. Though it did scare the shit out of me, oddly, as I wasn't expecting it. So maybe it did it's job. When recommending this game to friends I advised them to write their answers down before entering the church at the end. I am glad this game exists and that the same company is making another investigation mystery in the same vein as this one, although a much less story based experience from what I can see.
There aren't many games like The Painscreek Killings. Non-linear mystery games where you genuinely have to solve a mystery on your own without help or guidance are not very common. I was desperate to find a game like this and I am so glad that I did and went into it blind. Despite there being no NPCs I felt emotionally connected to the characters and their interconnecting stories. The main twist is a little predictable when you read everything but then that's the point really as the more evidence you collect the better chance you have of getting the answer. I delayed going to the graveyard so I didn't know that many of the characters are already dead. Upon discovering this it felt like a major twist in the story as I had been working on the assumption that Scott and Trisha were still alive just elsewhere. It was really effective as I had grown to feel emotionally connected to these characters but I suppose not everyone experiences it that way because if you go to the graveyard first you know straight away. I think it's the mark of a good game that a story can make you feel emotionally connected to the characters despite not actually meeting them. The ending felt out of place for me and I think spoilt the experience a little. The game would have done better if it let you get the answers wrong properly without telling you what happened in a confession tape. For me the chase sequence was really not welcome as it felt so different from the rest of the game. Though it did scare the shit out of me, oddly, as I wasn't expecting it. So maybe it did it's job. When recommending this game to friends I advised them to write their answers down before entering the church at the end. I am glad this game exists and that the same company is making another investigation mystery in the same vein as this one, although a much less story based experience from what I can see.
Clearly made on an incredibly tight budget, the movement speed and music nearly drove me insane.
But the truth is, a town devoid of people to explore and a mystery to solve are compelling enough to create a game where most of the "game" plays in your head (or in my case, 10 pages of a notebook) as you join dots together and figure out just what happened in Painscreek.
But the truth is, a town devoid of people to explore and a mystery to solve are compelling enough to create a game where most of the "game" plays in your head (or in my case, 10 pages of a notebook) as you join dots together and figure out just what happened in Painscreek.
Honestamente esperava mais mas é legalzinho
os últimos 5 minutos do jogo me broxaram demais
"Murder Mystery Gamified"
For a title that is built using Unity engine, I expected this game to be a lot worse than it actually is. The visuals are solid, but the gameplay built around it is enough to keep the player engaged through this game's narrative. Now there are some weaker aspects of the gameplay and story that do start to intrude on the experience by the 10-ish hour mark, but it was still an interesting adventure.
The gameplay is this game's most simple aspect, and I think it was done fairly well. Actions are mostly limited to interacting with objects and walking, but because of this the pacing of the game's story was solid for about 75% of the playthrough. I do wish that there was more to do on the puzzle side of things, and some of the puzzles are a bit wonky and lack real guidance in terms of how you're supposed to solve them.
The story is the much better aspect of this title, and I found the tale of Painscreek to feel semi-realistic and engaging. The characters were mostly established well through the multitude of writings throughout the game, and the town (while being empty) had a sense of forelonging. The atmosphere was consistent and showcased elements of America's lost townships, broken dreams, and buried secrets.
The ending was a bit too clunky to be very enjoyable, and it sort of takes a nosedive in believability. The killer also ends up being fairly obvious about 75% into the game, yet you have to still find a bunch of clues that point you in the "right" direction that sort of kills the pacing. The last 20% of the game is a bit bloated, and the puzzles also felt like they were waning in quality.
Overall, it's a solid mystery title. The puzzles could have been tighter, and the pacing smoother, but the story is interesting, and you feel pushed to figure out more information.
Final Verdict: 7/10 (Good)
For a title that is built using Unity engine, I expected this game to be a lot worse than it actually is. The visuals are solid, but the gameplay built around it is enough to keep the player engaged through this game's narrative. Now there are some weaker aspects of the gameplay and story that do start to intrude on the experience by the 10-ish hour mark, but it was still an interesting adventure.
The gameplay is this game's most simple aspect, and I think it was done fairly well. Actions are mostly limited to interacting with objects and walking, but because of this the pacing of the game's story was solid for about 75% of the playthrough. I do wish that there was more to do on the puzzle side of things, and some of the puzzles are a bit wonky and lack real guidance in terms of how you're supposed to solve them.
The story is the much better aspect of this title, and I found the tale of Painscreek to feel semi-realistic and engaging. The characters were mostly established well through the multitude of writings throughout the game, and the town (while being empty) had a sense of forelonging. The atmosphere was consistent and showcased elements of America's lost townships, broken dreams, and buried secrets.
The ending was a bit too clunky to be very enjoyable, and it sort of takes a nosedive in believability. The killer also ends up being fairly obvious about 75% into the game, yet you have to still find a bunch of clues that point you in the "right" direction that sort of kills the pacing. The last 20% of the game is a bit bloated, and the puzzles also felt like they were waning in quality.
Overall, it's a solid mystery title. The puzzles could have been tighter, and the pacing smoother, but the story is interesting, and you feel pushed to figure out more information.
Final Verdict: 7/10 (Good)
This review contains spoilers
Ótimo jogo de investigação, mas as partes sobrenaturais e a perseguição do final estragaram um pouco da experiência
I think this is the first time where I've wanted to give a game a 4.5 star rating, but feel that a 3.5 is probably warranted. For eleven and a half hours of my playthrough, I was having an absolute blast with The Painscreek Killings. Exploring the ghost town, taking VERY detailed notes, and working through the backstory of each character/event was some of the most fun I've had with a game all year. The mystery was consistently engaging, and the game was open enough to allow you to discover things at your own pace, while also giving a bit of guidance so as to not feel aimless.
However, the last half hour of the game has some incredibly stupid design choices that unfortunately hamper the experience as a whole. It adds a needless plot hole/complication to the narrative, and botches multiple gameplay ideas. And it's just so frustrating, because I think the end would be extremely easy to fix with the slightest bit of reworking. I honestly think if you simply remove THAT part of the ending (anyone who's beaten it knows what im talking about) then the game goes up to 4 stars just from that change alone. And with some other simple tweaks that would only take a few days of dev time to implement, it could go up to the 4.5 star I want to give it.
That all being said, I absolutely loved the vast majority of my time spent with this game, and I refuse to let the conclusion sour how much fun I had leading up to it. We don't see many games that aim to tackle a cold-case with such little hand-holding, so for that I can easily recommend it to those interested. It's a shame the devs made as many bad decisions as they did in that final stretch, because this was genuinely seeming like it would be one of my favorite games. But hey, they got a lot right leading up to the end, so im definitely looking forward to what they do next.
However, the last half hour of the game has some incredibly stupid design choices that unfortunately hamper the experience as a whole. It adds a needless plot hole/complication to the narrative, and botches multiple gameplay ideas. And it's just so frustrating, because I think the end would be extremely easy to fix with the slightest bit of reworking. I honestly think if you simply remove THAT part of the ending (anyone who's beaten it knows what im talking about) then the game goes up to 4 stars just from that change alone. And with some other simple tweaks that would only take a few days of dev time to implement, it could go up to the 4.5 star I want to give it.
That all being said, I absolutely loved the vast majority of my time spent with this game, and I refuse to let the conclusion sour how much fun I had leading up to it. We don't see many games that aim to tackle a cold-case with such little hand-holding, so for that I can easily recommend it to those interested. It's a shame the devs made as many bad decisions as they did in that final stretch, because this was genuinely seeming like it would be one of my favorite games. But hey, they got a lot right leading up to the end, so im definitely looking forward to what they do next.
te amo the painscreek killings te amo