jakewashere
18 reviews liked by jakewashere
Indigo Park
2024
Indigo Park is special in its own unique way when it comes to mascot horror games. Where many go the route of creating disturbingly creepy characters that were apparently meant to appeal to children, Indigo Park actually created one of the best mascots these games have to offer, Rambley the Raccoon.
To put it nicely, Rambley carries this game from start to finish. For an introduction to the series, I can't deny that it intrigued me greatly and made me want to finish the first chapter. And, even though this review is negative, I still want to see more of Rambley in future chapters. However, every other aspect of this game is either average or sub-par at best.
The horror elements of this game include a jumpscare and a chase scene that is identical to Poppy Playtime, with 3d models that look worse than what you'd find on the Garry's Mod workshop. While you're waiting for these "horror" elements to occur, the game distracts you by throwing in random collectibles to find and the ability to play a small minigame on an arcade cabinet. I found myself more interested and finding the random toys around each level than whatever horrifying thing was supposed to be happening at the moment.
In the end, if you're looking for an amazingly written and performed mascot, this game will be right up your alley. If you're looking for a horror game, you'll be severely disappointed. If the same level of quality given to Rambley was given to the rest of the game, I'm sure it would have been a great introduction for the series, but this is mostly disappointing.
To put it nicely, Rambley carries this game from start to finish. For an introduction to the series, I can't deny that it intrigued me greatly and made me want to finish the first chapter. And, even though this review is negative, I still want to see more of Rambley in future chapters. However, every other aspect of this game is either average or sub-par at best.
The horror elements of this game include a jumpscare and a chase scene that is identical to Poppy Playtime, with 3d models that look worse than what you'd find on the Garry's Mod workshop. While you're waiting for these "horror" elements to occur, the game distracts you by throwing in random collectibles to find and the ability to play a small minigame on an arcade cabinet. I found myself more interested and finding the random toys around each level than whatever horrifying thing was supposed to be happening at the moment.
In the end, if you're looking for an amazingly written and performed mascot, this game will be right up your alley. If you're looking for a horror game, you'll be severely disappointed. If the same level of quality given to Rambley was given to the rest of the game, I'm sure it would have been a great introduction for the series, but this is mostly disappointing.
Indigo Park
2024
It's pretty much no different then most of the other free first chapter mascot horror series, only this time around I honestly like it more. Don't get me wrong it's still jank as hell, kinda boring, and not scary at all; but as someone who has a fixation on theme parks and the history behind them I can tell the devs working on this have a genuine love for this setting and their own characters. This game doesn't read like a BanBan or Hello Neighbor tier cash grab, it's more along the lines of Amanda the Adventurer or My Friendly Neighborhood where it's in the same genre as this trash but it's made with heart and a soul which I think is one of the most importent aspects of making art even if it's bad.
Also Rambley is gods gift to man and I love him very much (Yes I did fall for the Furry bait; no I'm not gonna apologize, sue me.)
Also Rambley is gods gift to man and I love him very much (Yes I did fall for the Furry bait; no I'm not gonna apologize, sue me.)
Indigo Park
2024
This review contains spoilers
The first chapter for Indigo Park at its core is uninteresting and boring in both story and gameplay. The series is still very much a work in progress, but seeing the Steam page for the game not having an early access tag or warning leaves a sour taste in my mouth, meaning that if this is the highest point of polish and quality that the game will have throughout the remaining chapters, I fear that Indigo Park is subject to be dead on arrival in the first few weeks of its full release.
Making up for the lack of meaningful gameplay, Chapter 1 serves entirely as an exposition for the story of the series, and plays more as a walking simulator with two or three point and click puzzles to fill the gaps. Unfortunately the story for the game is entirely predictable and on the nose, leaving no real surprise for when the all too popular trope of "cutesy characters turn evil" comes into play. The tactics the developers use to try to instill fear or paranoia fall flat when they come in contact with the player, it doesn't feel fresh or unique enough to make the player be at a loss as for what comes next. The game simply isn't scary, and doesn't capitalize on the themes and tropes that this genre of horror that the game is styled in relies on. The juxtaposition of horror and the cheery environment you're in is not emphasized enough, and is highlighted most during Mollies death. She gets decapitated by a vertically closing door that spawns four blood splatter PNGs, and Rambley just.. doesn't care. Neither should the player- you know its coming without even knowing how or why.
The layout of the park itself is strangely disproportionate in terms of how big the areas where park attendees can peruse and where the staff-only areas of the park are. The immersion that Indigo Park was a real (in-universe) attraction for the public is broken in nearly every segment of the game, most notably at Mollie's Landing Pad, a childrens play place in which Mollie is present. The design of the mazes and corridors just don't make sense given the location, the park is more-so designed for a video game character than it is the general public. The entire game can be completed by holding shift+W and hugging the right wall of every room, a harsh side effect of the games painfully intuitive design.
The best attributes of Indigo Park lie within interchangeable factors that don't have any impact on the story or gameplay, like the atmosphere or voice acting. Every voice actor in the game fits the characters they play, most notably in Rambley himself. Come to think of it, I would say that Rambleys VA was the only part of the game I could say I genuinely enjoyed. The writing of the character and the voice actors are two separate things however, and while the lines he says themselves are a little lackluster in terms of how it conveys specific parts of the story (that the player can already infer), the voice actor does a great job of making the character seem like a real mascot character for the park. That's about as far as the positives for the game go.
I cannot recommend the game how it is, and wouldn't recommend it even after its full release unless the developers put more effort into the story, and the thirty unity assets they visualize it with.
Making up for the lack of meaningful gameplay, Chapter 1 serves entirely as an exposition for the story of the series, and plays more as a walking simulator with two or three point and click puzzles to fill the gaps. Unfortunately the story for the game is entirely predictable and on the nose, leaving no real surprise for when the all too popular trope of "cutesy characters turn evil" comes into play. The tactics the developers use to try to instill fear or paranoia fall flat when they come in contact with the player, it doesn't feel fresh or unique enough to make the player be at a loss as for what comes next. The game simply isn't scary, and doesn't capitalize on the themes and tropes that this genre of horror that the game is styled in relies on. The juxtaposition of horror and the cheery environment you're in is not emphasized enough, and is highlighted most during Mollies death. She gets decapitated by a vertically closing door that spawns four blood splatter PNGs, and Rambley just.. doesn't care. Neither should the player- you know its coming without even knowing how or why.
The layout of the park itself is strangely disproportionate in terms of how big the areas where park attendees can peruse and where the staff-only areas of the park are. The immersion that Indigo Park was a real (in-universe) attraction for the public is broken in nearly every segment of the game, most notably at Mollie's Landing Pad, a childrens play place in which Mollie is present. The design of the mazes and corridors just don't make sense given the location, the park is more-so designed for a video game character than it is the general public. The entire game can be completed by holding shift+W and hugging the right wall of every room, a harsh side effect of the games painfully intuitive design.
The best attributes of Indigo Park lie within interchangeable factors that don't have any impact on the story or gameplay, like the atmosphere or voice acting. Every voice actor in the game fits the characters they play, most notably in Rambley himself. Come to think of it, I would say that Rambleys VA was the only part of the game I could say I genuinely enjoyed. The writing of the character and the voice actors are two separate things however, and while the lines he says themselves are a little lackluster in terms of how it conveys specific parts of the story (that the player can already infer), the voice actor does a great job of making the character seem like a real mascot character for the park. That's about as far as the positives for the game go.
I cannot recommend the game how it is, and wouldn't recommend it even after its full release unless the developers put more effort into the story, and the thirty unity assets they visualize it with.
Indigo Park
2024
sorry for taking the furry bait ... it will happen again
Indigo Park
2024
Basically a preview for the rest of the "chapters" coming down the line. Unfortunately the most this game has going for it is Rambly himself. Otherwise, it does not do anything unique to the genre at all. It doesn't look terrible, but every once in a while you will see the cracks.
Indigo Park
2024
Indigo Park distinguishes itself from the many mascot horror games on the market because you can tell it comes from a place of love for the genre. Its director UniqueGeese is very transparent in that he’s just doing his best to create something cool, and he does manage to incorporate some pretty cool thematic elements into this first chapter.
Indigo Park takes its inspirations from Disneyland which is a cool place to start and I liked seeing all the parodic themed elements. Additionally, the main character of Rambley Racoon, who seems to be some sort of artificial intelligence seen only through sceeens, is an interesting lead mascot in that he doesn’t seem really as menacing as the other evil mascots around the park. He doesn’t give the protagonist information about the dangers they are in, but just seems to want to revitalize the park. I really loved the opening and closing which of this chapter, the latter of which feels very reminiscent of Portal 1 and 2 in a great way.
Where Indigo Park feels derivative is the gameplay, which is basically just a jump scare walking simulator that doesn’t differentiate itself from its peers. You occasionally have to pick up items from the environment that spawn in after you’ve been asked, and there’s one visual puzzle and one scripted chase sequence at the end, but that’s it for gameplay. Some players might be cool with a basic jump scare walking simulator but I think that the best elements of Indigo Park are just begging for more engaging gameplay. I hope that UniqueGeese can iterate on that in future chapters.
Indigo Park takes its inspirations from Disneyland which is a cool place to start and I liked seeing all the parodic themed elements. Additionally, the main character of Rambley Racoon, who seems to be some sort of artificial intelligence seen only through sceeens, is an interesting lead mascot in that he doesn’t seem really as menacing as the other evil mascots around the park. He doesn’t give the protagonist information about the dangers they are in, but just seems to want to revitalize the park. I really loved the opening and closing which of this chapter, the latter of which feels very reminiscent of Portal 1 and 2 in a great way.
Where Indigo Park feels derivative is the gameplay, which is basically just a jump scare walking simulator that doesn’t differentiate itself from its peers. You occasionally have to pick up items from the environment that spawn in after you’ve been asked, and there’s one visual puzzle and one scripted chase sequence at the end, but that’s it for gameplay. Some players might be cool with a basic jump scare walking simulator but I think that the best elements of Indigo Park are just begging for more engaging gameplay. I hope that UniqueGeese can iterate on that in future chapters.
Petscop
TBD
The fact that this is even remembered positively, let alone considered a "timeless masterpiece", endlessly eludes me to this day. Even as a child, I could tell just how shit Petscop was. I wish I could type paragraphs upon paragraphs about how terrible it is, but there is genuinely so little depth that I can barely type a few sentences.
To give you the full picture; in Petscop, there is only one level. And said level has maybe 4 or 5 one minute dead-brained puzzles. That's it. No other levels. No extras menu. No easter eggs. That is ALL of content in this game. Anything else is either unfinished menu options or scrapped pets (which are all left in the game and do nothing).
The only reason I can conjure up that this unfinished, buggy mess of a game is so beloved is either 1. it's one big ironic joke that I'm out of the loop of, 2. I somehow received an unfinished build of the game, but judging by a YouTube video I skimmed through, I don't think that's the case, or 3. some people for some reason REALLY love the visuals, music, and general aesthetic of the game. The ladder is the only case in which I can understand liking this game, but even then, why not give your attention to other actually good, well crafted games instead of this shovelware scam game?
I do not recommend this game under any circumstance. Life is short, go obsess over something else.
To give you the full picture; in Petscop, there is only one level. And said level has maybe 4 or 5 one minute dead-brained puzzles. That's it. No other levels. No extras menu. No easter eggs. That is ALL of content in this game. Anything else is either unfinished menu options or scrapped pets (which are all left in the game and do nothing).
The only reason I can conjure up that this unfinished, buggy mess of a game is so beloved is either 1. it's one big ironic joke that I'm out of the loop of, 2. I somehow received an unfinished build of the game, but judging by a YouTube video I skimmed through, I don't think that's the case, or 3. some people for some reason REALLY love the visuals, music, and general aesthetic of the game. The ladder is the only case in which I can understand liking this game, but even then, why not give your attention to other actually good, well crafted games instead of this shovelware scam game?
I do not recommend this game under any circumstance. Life is short, go obsess over something else.
Amorous
2018
I thought this was another game :(
hand-drawn credits are really endearing more games should have that
Adastra
2018
Adastra took a bit to really grow on me; its opening hour makes for an incredibly tough sell that's probably going to throw off a lot of people on its focal love interest, and a lot of its initial character introductions and world building is just okay. It's several hours in where Adastra really turn the gears once you have that starting knowledge and development, and by the second half flipping itself on its head that what started as a relatively simple political battle with a cheesy romance on the side turns into something so much more extensive and intriguing by playing with the idea of trust and the different faces that people put on to get what they want from others. There's also a big gay himbo space wolf at the center of all of it, and as stupid as he can be and how rough his first impressions are, there's a point where it's hard not to at least find him even a little endearing. Will admit I did get choked up at one point, if only because having to read some of the most descriptive text possible for the biggest and most stoic cast member breaking down and sobbing his heart out is difficult not to have empathy for!
I do think Adastra suffers a bit from being what was clearly initially a side project from one of the Echo Project writers turning into something a whole lot bigger than was probably initially planned; being trapped in mostly one location for the entire game does hurt the game in trying to sell a literal galactic scale of a setting, and while it is partially the point(tm) and is something that affects the main protagonist, it tends to make parts of the game drag at points and especially during the last third of the game. There's one overly suspcious dialogue choice that feels like a bad 'gotcha' moment if you make the wrong decision for something you aren't given any clues or context for and only discover the consequences for hours later, because it means the game ends abruptly and cuts off the entire actual last third of the story, never really been a fan of those in visual novels in general. I'm also just kind of hesitant on how open the game leaves its ending off on, being clearly set up for more sequels in a story that honestly I think I would've been happy with just being standalone and smaller in scale. At the same time though, Adastra surprised me already for what I thought would've just been an okay goofy little sci-fi romp from one of the writers for Echo, so at this point I'm more than open to whatever they come up with in the future to continue this story and build off of its world and cast.
(And also a very quick brief warning to those who may have came from a more general recommendation from Echo: Adastra is a lot harder to recommend to a general audience if you don't fit into the funny 'gay furry' niche, since one of its central overarching plot points is the relationship between the protagonist and its lead character Amicus, including several straight up porn scenes! Adastra also is generally way lighter in tone than Echo is, and doesn't really share a lot of similarities beyond a brief select few darker scenes towards the end of the game. Adastra may have been written by one of the two lead writers for Echo and you can definitely spot his style throughout, but if you're expecting this to continue that game's themes and style, you'll have to look elsewhere.)
I do think Adastra suffers a bit from being what was clearly initially a side project from one of the Echo Project writers turning into something a whole lot bigger than was probably initially planned; being trapped in mostly one location for the entire game does hurt the game in trying to sell a literal galactic scale of a setting, and while it is partially the point(tm) and is something that affects the main protagonist, it tends to make parts of the game drag at points and especially during the last third of the game. There's one overly suspcious dialogue choice that feels like a bad 'gotcha' moment if you make the wrong decision for something you aren't given any clues or context for and only discover the consequences for hours later, because it means the game ends abruptly and cuts off the entire actual last third of the story, never really been a fan of those in visual novels in general. I'm also just kind of hesitant on how open the game leaves its ending off on, being clearly set up for more sequels in a story that honestly I think I would've been happy with just being standalone and smaller in scale. At the same time though, Adastra surprised me already for what I thought would've just been an okay goofy little sci-fi romp from one of the writers for Echo, so at this point I'm more than open to whatever they come up with in the future to continue this story and build off of its world and cast.
(And also a very quick brief warning to those who may have came from a more general recommendation from Echo: Adastra is a lot harder to recommend to a general audience if you don't fit into the funny 'gay furry' niche, since one of its central overarching plot points is the relationship between the protagonist and its lead character Amicus, including several straight up porn scenes! Adastra also is generally way lighter in tone than Echo is, and doesn't really share a lot of similarities beyond a brief select few darker scenes towards the end of the game. Adastra may have been written by one of the two lead writers for Echo and you can definitely spot his style throughout, but if you're expecting this to continue that game's themes and style, you'll have to look elsewhere.)
