This one's theme is "entertainment" which I like because it's focused enough while still leaving plenty room for various interpretations. The main drawback here is that almost all devs are newcomers, which makes the game lack a big selling point since they're all unknown, but it's cool to see some different stuff.

Unlike most people apparently, I enjoyed the hub. Lacks meaningful puzzles like 2 or some well-paced dialogue like 3 and The Hunt, but the setting is pretty cool. I also really liked the monster, creepy design, very disgusting and while it becomes predictable, it's first appearances came off as a surprise for me. While The Hunt ended with a showdown against the monster, it was right at the climax and it wasn't particularly well animated or a difficult chase either. In most hubs there is no real threat, and I thought that was the same case here when the monster first appeared at the stage. But after that you see the damn thing chasing you and it becomes a different story. Gave me a couple of good scares. Honestly quite enjoyed the setting and atmosphere, story was fine too.

12. Interim

Idk what that was, kind of embarrassing lol. I think it was going for a Videodrome kind of thing but it's just all over the place and janky af, couldn't enjoy it or take it seriously.

11. Spirit Guardian

Kind of the same, I like the visuals but the nanny herself is really dumb and the way you fend her off is so stupid it loses all tension in the first couple of minuts. Puzzles are really silly too, idk, seemed more like a meme game.

10. Ludomalica

This one's a shame because the concept and ideas are really cool but it doesn't delve too far into any of them. The "you must be alone" thing gets old faster than it should and the game can't come up with anything else aside from running you around turning off the lights. The monster isn't scary at all either. Would've liked to see it build up more tension, but flopped hard quite quickly.

9. Rotten Stigma

Idk what this one was going for, it doesn't even fit the theme I think? I mean you could argue the sports center serves as entertainment but idk. Played like a mini-silent hill thing and it was actually fun but there was little aside from that, the scares were pretty silly. I had fun with it but that's about it.

8. Hunsvotti

This one was too silly but it was also fun, I wasn't expecting it to end like that lol. It's a really short game but it sets up the story nicely. Fun stuff.

7. Vestige

This one was silly too but I respect the commitment to the concept. This one gave me the most scares and the game within a game is really fun, really stupid too but it's genuinely well polished lol, I liked how it combined 2 completely different types of games. Had a good time

6. Beyond the Curtain

I've seen people shit in this one and I don't get it! There's nothing besides walking and the scenery isn't that interesting but it's quite short and keeps you on edge once the knife buddy appears. Nothing particularly amazing imo but it's well designed. Ending is fucked up.

5. The Book of Blood

Really liked the concept here but some stuff completely trivializes how it works, like the evade mechanic when the clown tries to stab you. There's also the thing with keeping your stand secure by locking the doors and looking through the windows, would've liked to see more of that, or that the game forced you more to explore the place in which it takes place. It's good tho, never drops the ball and is very focused despite the flaws, the scary factor quickly became meaningless tho.

4. Resver

The style's amazing and that's about the point I think, I can understand the general aspects of the story but it's left very vague. Still enjoyed it a lot, the visuals keep it going for a while.

3. We Never Left

This one would have surprised me more if I hadn't played Stories Untold before, although the concept is definitely explored better here, made me nervous more than I'd like to admit. One of the more polished ones for sure.

2. Gallerie

Holy shit this thing's long, I thought Squirrel Stapler was the longest Dread X stuff but this can go on for like 2 hours or so lol. I liked a lot of ideas here, didn't fully buy the asmr at first but I enjoyed how the rest played out. The "horror by stress" thing, the "trying to decipher a language" thing, the setting itself, idk, really enjoyed it. It definitely felt like too much sometimes, but the final thing feels very consistent, might be the most ambitious release in any collection.

1. Karao

I WOKE UP EARLY THIS MORNING. This one takes the cake tho, everything's just on point, looks cool, plays cool, story ends up being cool, I was expecting it to the predictable way but it absolutely delivered.

Overall, this one's all over the place. They didn't have a strict time limit like previous collections apparently so that's why you end up with lengthy and/or polished stuff like Gallerie, Karao or We Never Left and then some really short and/or limited stuff like Hunsvotti and Ludomalica. I absolutely wouldn't put it below other collections though, there's more to like than to hate here, and I think it has more to do with all devs being newcomers this time. The highlights here are really different to what you're used to in these collections by this point so the reaction is sort of understandable, but in many was I consider it superior to the previous ones. Apparently Dread XP is more focused on publishing now and this one might be the last one, at least for a good while, but I personally don't mind it. The hub story feels disconnected from previous ones but I like what it went for.

Glad I played these honestly, I enjoy little horror games but I don't usually go on hunting for them on itch or stuff, so having them delivered like this was quite the treat. It also introduced me to a lot of cool devs and made me appreciate some I knew before even know, so I'm thankful for that.

2 > 3 > 5 > 4 >> 1