Despite my low rating, I actually liked this one. The gameplay is abysmal, yeah, and it lacks some basic functions that one would expect in a video game.

Yet, I found it oddly charming. I had no idea what was going on at any given moment but truth to be told, it reminded me a bit of Henry Darger's Realms of the Unreal (just in space) in a way I can simply not explain.

It's weird, it's a bit out there and I frankly love this game for it. I think there is a case to be made for games like this, considering the current state of gaming and its relentless tendency to simply repeat familiar formulas.

Started off okay: Great atmosphere, nice game design, neat little puzzles.

Unfortunately, it fell flat rather quickly. Different story lines scrambled together with no real connection between them, tied to locations that also... have nothing to do with each other.

The game soon managed to destroy the carefully crafted (and honestly, pretty scary!) atmosphere by turning into a jump scare simulator half-way through.

And I guess we should also talk about the protagonist. The voice acting just isn't very good. In fact, he sounds close to tears at any given moment, his comments are annoying and often of little value. The devs seemed to know this, too, since they included an option to mute him. Which is pretty funny, ngl.

This could have been great but in the end, "Madison" is just another forgettable indie horror title.

Sure, your girlfriend looks - and behaves - like a semi-molten barbie. The evil voice in your head sounds like a 12-year-old with a voice changer in a CoD lobby. The story makes little sense, unless you're equipped with a brain wielding the power of a thousand burning suns. Yeah, even the credits are utterly bizarre and a bit of a fever dream.

But perhaps you're not supposed to take this seriously. At least that's what I'm hoping for. More of a comedy than actual horror. Absolute masterpiece of a game. Truly, the best one I've ever played.

I assume this game is an allegory for what happens when society does not support those who need it the most. A tribute to everyone who suffers in deafening silence; alone in their giant, yet sparsely furnished homes.
The antagonist of "Escape Until Friday" clearly shows how hardships can change a person and turn them into monsters.

The kidnapper is a character that invokes disgust, anger and yet, sympathy. Indeed, he is just a little dude. A normal guy. Someone you wouldn't pay attention to when you saw him in the streets.
All he has are some beans and an otherwise empty fridge. His kitchen drawers proved to be as desolate as his heart. Conversations are certainly not one of his strong points - in fact, I think this is where the effects of social alienation come into play.
Maybe this feeling of not belonging was what drove him to commit the crime of robbing another person of their freedom. Perhaps this is his final, desperate cry for help, for attention, for human company.

So what does this mean for the player? Should we fear his presence? Should we curse his name, his blank expressions, his funky animations? Or should we cry for him, our tormentor?

Or: Perhaps this game just isn't very good. Maybe this is poorly written, poorly programmed, just a huge mess. Yeah. Yeah, I think that might be it.

The fact that this got released (and that you had to pay money for it a while ago) truly amazes me.

The plot is such a mess. I swear, it has to be AI generated. A super computer that analysed tons of indie horror games and came up with this monstrosity.

This would work much better as a comedy: Our lovely protagonist keeps a detailed plan for murdering said friend in a word document and it's the funniest thing I've ever seen. The phone in your hotel room only has four buttons and a couple of numbers are completely missing. The voice acting is text-to-speech.

If you need a good laugh, this might be for you. If you're looking for horror, just find something else to play.

very weird advertisement for computer parts.

Honestly, though: It's a solid horror title. Not very scary or deep but fun for a couple of hours.
The animations look smooth and the environment is quite detailed. I truly loved the designs of the enemies. Simple, yet effective.

Unfortunately, the visual aspects are overshadowed by the gameplay mechanics. Exploration is slow and rather boring, not much happens except for casual conversations on the way from one point of interest to the next. There are also chase sequences scattered about but they proved to be more frustrating than terrifying since it's hard to figure out where to go while running from an enemy.

Furthermore, the plot and the characters' personalities are all over the place and do not make much sense. The main characters seem to have the memory of a goldfish: They freak out when something supernatural happens but they usually forget about it a few minutes later.

This was based on a movie of some kind - I have never seen it. Mayhaps this might be a lot more interesting for fans of the film.

Absolutely loved the religious imagery! But that's about it.

Let it be said that I've never played any other games in the series. So I have no idea how this one relates to the other two Dungeon Nightmares. Are they supposed to be funny?

Because Ergastulum sure felt like a comedy. Weird animations, a story that is as wild as it is nonsensical. Granted, I couldn't tell you what this game is about even if I tried really, really hard because it just gives you nothing. No explanations for the different sequences, no context, no coherent story line. You just do stuff to proceed to the next thing on your agenda and never really learn why.

Maybe this is a weird social experiment? Are the developers trying to see how long they can make do actions without cause or consequences? Is this subliminal conditioning?

The horror of being a woman.

On a more serious note, Chilla's Art is wonderful at turning mundane, every-day experiences into a source of horror and I love them for it.

Still, this one didn't really click with me - I just felt like something was missing. A bit too much repetition if you're going to get all the endings, not much variety in game play.

The Karaoke is not a bad game by any means but it just didn't reach its full potential.