tortwah
2018
I have issues with this game but ultimately its a cute short indie horror game that felt very inspired by silent hill and other retro horror. The premise is very unserious, and so I had a hard time engaging with the story. I also think there's flaws with the combat, as well as with the healing/ health system. This was the most noticeable in the last last area, as I couldn't tell how many hits I could take before getting a game over, and its so hard to not get hit in this game bc of how jank enemies and combat is. I couldn't tell if my health was regenerating either lol. Really not an issue until ng+ tho. I had issues with the weapons not feeling accurate/ effective/ different enough as well, but who cares lol. Like I said, flawed game but I'm glad I gave it a try. It was spooky and I loved the twisted environments, even if they got a bit repetitive.
2020
cute but flawed retro horror game. really loved the almost og resident evil gameplay feel, but damn was this game janky lol. not my fave but i see why ppl like it
A fun one-off short experience, would def recommend for environmental horror fans. Great atmosphere + the retro visuals are really effective. Not great for immediately doing a second playthrough to get both endings tho lmao, this game is lowkey tedious.
2021
I'm so conflicted bc this is objectively a downgrade in many many ways from the first game, but I still did have a really good time. I was so immersed in the world that I didn't want the experience to end, but at the same time for almost 2 entire chapters I was having such an unfun time and wanted it to be over lol. So I have thoughts....
First things first. I think every one of my issues can be reduced down to this game being insanely buggy or poorly optimized. Considering this was never really an annoying or detrimental problem in the first game, I was truly baffled by how much I encountered issues lol. The biggest grievance wasn't specifically a bug, but was how sticky the playable character gets against the foreground camera/ invisible wall. The fact that we can move on the z axis meant that a lot of the time I was getting stuck on that front invisible wall, which makes Mono walk incredibly slow or just fully stop. This proved quite annoying during the many chase sequences, and honestly during some of the stealth sequences too. It was so easy to get caught, to the point that I almost would have preferred using m+kb to play this game over the recommended controller. On top of that, it was so much easier to get stuck on small ledges and objects, and overall there were ton of collision issues. Controlling mono was actively annoying as it felt like the game was fighting me, which is so odd bc I never had this problem with the first game. Like quite literally never had ANY of those problems.
My next issue, I don't even know if was purposeful or not, had to do with the lighting and camera. Again, it just seemed like they were actively fighting the player at times. Why during big enemy reveals, which are supposed to be these monumental moments that elicit fear or excitement, is the lighting completely obscuring the enemy's face and hiding all detail in their models? This was definitely the worst for the teacher and doctor, to the point where after playing through this game twice I still don't have a good idea of what their models fully look like. The camera didn't help with this issue overall as well. I really do like most of the camera work in the game, but why is the camera fighting me every time I enter a new room? This didn't help with the movement issues either tbh.
I do also have problems with the main enemies, which are arguably just as important in the little nightmares games as the protagonists. The main problem is that besides the thin man, all of the main antagonists are not particularly creative or interesting, in terms of design and execution. ESPECIALLY compared to the first game. The janitor's design is SO distinct and unique, instantly recognizable, and completely memorable. People obviously remember his long arms, and his blindness makes him unique compared to the other enemies in LN1. The chefs aren't particularly unique compared to other depictions of evil chefs, but they're still fun, full of character, and their interaction with the environment gives great moments of food-related horror. And the kabuki woman is such a juxtaposition from the other enemies, with her striking beauty and both literal and figurative height over everyone else. Her ease of catching us if spotted contrasts the difficulty every other enemy has trying to chase us.
For LN2, they don't give these enemies the same sort of memorable moments or designs apart from the tall man. I actually do like the trapper, but objectively his design is not particularly interesting or memorable. In spite of that, running through the wilds as he shoots at you is tense and such a fun idea for a chase sequence, and his death is memorable too. That's what makes chapter 1 so fun, and one of the best chapters in LN2.
The teacher and the doctor both are good enemies in concept, but the execution of those concepts fails. Neither have a particularly unique or interesting look, and I think their unique mechanics fail too. The teacher can... stretch her neck. Okay... It doesn't look particularly good, and there's so much more potential for body horror if her neck were just naturally extra long and folded in on itself. That would make her more memorable as a character, as that's what made a character like the janitor is LN1 memorable. Or I mean choose a different gimmick since having a stretchy neck is a little silly lol, even if I can get how they got to that idea. Strict teacher who sees everything, yeah there's potential but idk. Really I just think if she was modeled more interestingly, and actually lit in a way that emphasized her features rather than obscuring her in darkness most of the time, she would be a more effectively scary enemy. THE LIGHTING IN THIS GAME IS SO BAD. It creates mood and atmosphere, but sacrifices environment and detail. And a dark mood and atmosphere isn't inherently scary or unique. Give me the body horror and gore !!!! please !!!!
The doctor is equally unremarkable. Unsure why he crawls on the ceiling, but of all characters to have that unique gimmick, it really doesn't fit the doctor. Also again, his model is just simple, uninteresting, and poorly lit. He isn't unique, and none of his actions are unique within the LN universe or in any sense of an evil doctor. I truly think a lot of the grotesque body horror of LN1 was lost in this game bc of the lighting, like I couldn't have any sort of reaction other than "oh okay" when I saw him... bc I couldn't fully see him. He was just a fat, crawling man. That's not particularly scary lol.
I'll take this moment to say that ch. 3 OVERALL in many many ways was absolutely dreadful, and if I were to ever replay this game I would skip that chapter entirely lol. Flashlight controls have been spotty since the LN1 dlc, and yeah... still not great! And just an uninteresting, dull looking area. It doesn't feel particularly unique in the horror genre, and almost feels like a different (worse) game than LN. It's also difficult in a way that makes me think it shouldn't have been difficult lol, again bc of the controls, lighting, and camera. And this makes the whole thing feel a bit boring and annoying. I think ch. 2 has its issues too, esp with the needless combat (COMBAT DOESN'T WORK IN THIS GAME, STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.) but those issues definitely are worse in ch. 3.
Tall man amazing villain for the same reason as kabuki woman. The contrast of it all. Plus the sound + music + effect work with his segments TRULY made his sections scary and interesting. He's not a particularly unique character design, but the contrast works so well in this setting. The first time he comes out of the tv was truly terrifying, which doesn't happen very often for me anymore lol. Ch. 4 overall felt VERY fresh and fun after the slog of the previous two chapters, and with that villain made it the strongest chapter in the game I think. The tv gimmick works so well too, very fun and engaging puzzle mechanic.
I have no thoughts on ch. 5. LOL. Final boss was interesting, I'll give that to them, but I feel like ppl probably like it more bc of who the final boss is. Rather than the actual content.
Enemy a.i. also seemed a lot buggier than the first game, which wasn't terribly annoying but just added to my list of annoyances lol.
I'm over talking abt this game tbh. I probably have more thoughts but I'm tired. I think my issues are aggravated bc I fucking love this game, I was so enamored by this + the first. The potentials for this horror universe are insane, and LN1 was so graphically unique and the body horror in this style was insanely memorable and interesting. This was a let down, and yet when it was good it was so good it made me obsessed with playing more and wanting more. I want more so badly! Clearly I'm rating this decently high, so I have to have enjoyed it lol. I critique from a place of love <333
First things first. I think every one of my issues can be reduced down to this game being insanely buggy or poorly optimized. Considering this was never really an annoying or detrimental problem in the first game, I was truly baffled by how much I encountered issues lol. The biggest grievance wasn't specifically a bug, but was how sticky the playable character gets against the foreground camera/ invisible wall. The fact that we can move on the z axis meant that a lot of the time I was getting stuck on that front invisible wall, which makes Mono walk incredibly slow or just fully stop. This proved quite annoying during the many chase sequences, and honestly during some of the stealth sequences too. It was so easy to get caught, to the point that I almost would have preferred using m+kb to play this game over the recommended controller. On top of that, it was so much easier to get stuck on small ledges and objects, and overall there were ton of collision issues. Controlling mono was actively annoying as it felt like the game was fighting me, which is so odd bc I never had this problem with the first game. Like quite literally never had ANY of those problems.
My next issue, I don't even know if was purposeful or not, had to do with the lighting and camera. Again, it just seemed like they were actively fighting the player at times. Why during big enemy reveals, which are supposed to be these monumental moments that elicit fear or excitement, is the lighting completely obscuring the enemy's face and hiding all detail in their models? This was definitely the worst for the teacher and doctor, to the point where after playing through this game twice I still don't have a good idea of what their models fully look like. The camera didn't help with this issue overall as well. I really do like most of the camera work in the game, but why is the camera fighting me every time I enter a new room? This didn't help with the movement issues either tbh.
I do also have problems with the main enemies, which are arguably just as important in the little nightmares games as the protagonists. The main problem is that besides the thin man, all of the main antagonists are not particularly creative or interesting, in terms of design and execution. ESPECIALLY compared to the first game. The janitor's design is SO distinct and unique, instantly recognizable, and completely memorable. People obviously remember his long arms, and his blindness makes him unique compared to the other enemies in LN1. The chefs aren't particularly unique compared to other depictions of evil chefs, but they're still fun, full of character, and their interaction with the environment gives great moments of food-related horror. And the kabuki woman is such a juxtaposition from the other enemies, with her striking beauty and both literal and figurative height over everyone else. Her ease of catching us if spotted contrasts the difficulty every other enemy has trying to chase us.
For LN2, they don't give these enemies the same sort of memorable moments or designs apart from the tall man. I actually do like the trapper, but objectively his design is not particularly interesting or memorable. In spite of that, running through the wilds as he shoots at you is tense and such a fun idea for a chase sequence, and his death is memorable too. That's what makes chapter 1 so fun, and one of the best chapters in LN2.
The teacher and the doctor both are good enemies in concept, but the execution of those concepts fails. Neither have a particularly unique or interesting look, and I think their unique mechanics fail too. The teacher can... stretch her neck. Okay... It doesn't look particularly good, and there's so much more potential for body horror if her neck were just naturally extra long and folded in on itself. That would make her more memorable as a character, as that's what made a character like the janitor is LN1 memorable. Or I mean choose a different gimmick since having a stretchy neck is a little silly lol, even if I can get how they got to that idea. Strict teacher who sees everything, yeah there's potential but idk. Really I just think if she was modeled more interestingly, and actually lit in a way that emphasized her features rather than obscuring her in darkness most of the time, she would be a more effectively scary enemy. THE LIGHTING IN THIS GAME IS SO BAD. It creates mood and atmosphere, but sacrifices environment and detail. And a dark mood and atmosphere isn't inherently scary or unique. Give me the body horror and gore !!!! please !!!!
The doctor is equally unremarkable. Unsure why he crawls on the ceiling, but of all characters to have that unique gimmick, it really doesn't fit the doctor. Also again, his model is just simple, uninteresting, and poorly lit. He isn't unique, and none of his actions are unique within the LN universe or in any sense of an evil doctor. I truly think a lot of the grotesque body horror of LN1 was lost in this game bc of the lighting, like I couldn't have any sort of reaction other than "oh okay" when I saw him... bc I couldn't fully see him. He was just a fat, crawling man. That's not particularly scary lol.
I'll take this moment to say that ch. 3 OVERALL in many many ways was absolutely dreadful, and if I were to ever replay this game I would skip that chapter entirely lol. Flashlight controls have been spotty since the LN1 dlc, and yeah... still not great! And just an uninteresting, dull looking area. It doesn't feel particularly unique in the horror genre, and almost feels like a different (worse) game than LN. It's also difficult in a way that makes me think it shouldn't have been difficult lol, again bc of the controls, lighting, and camera. And this makes the whole thing feel a bit boring and annoying. I think ch. 2 has its issues too, esp with the needless combat (COMBAT DOESN'T WORK IN THIS GAME, STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.) but those issues definitely are worse in ch. 3.
Tall man amazing villain for the same reason as kabuki woman. The contrast of it all. Plus the sound + music + effect work with his segments TRULY made his sections scary and interesting. He's not a particularly unique character design, but the contrast works so well in this setting. The first time he comes out of the tv was truly terrifying, which doesn't happen very often for me anymore lol. Ch. 4 overall felt VERY fresh and fun after the slog of the previous two chapters, and with that villain made it the strongest chapter in the game I think. The tv gimmick works so well too, very fun and engaging puzzle mechanic.
I have no thoughts on ch. 5. LOL. Final boss was interesting, I'll give that to them, but I feel like ppl probably like it more bc of who the final boss is. Rather than the actual content.
Enemy a.i. also seemed a lot buggier than the first game, which wasn't terribly annoying but just added to my list of annoyances lol.
I'm over talking abt this game tbh. I probably have more thoughts but I'm tired. I think my issues are aggravated bc I fucking love this game, I was so enamored by this + the first. The potentials for this horror universe are insane, and LN1 was so graphically unique and the body horror in this style was insanely memorable and interesting. This was a let down, and yet when it was good it was so good it made me obsessed with playing more and wanting more. I want more so badly! Clearly I'm rating this decently high, so I have to have enjoyed it lol. I critique from a place of love <333
overall, a downgrade from the base game but still objectively fun and good. just way clunkier with puzzles that varied from amazing to confusing and dreadful.
also i dont understand why the dlc was so INSANELY DARK compared to the base game. even if it was for atmospheric purposes, it genuinely bordered on unplayable at times. i had to turn the game brightness all the way up, turn my monitor brightness up, and make my room dark. like. that actively made my play experience worse lol
pt. 1 was the strongest imo as it had a clear and concise theme, enemy, and mechanic. felt like a continuation of the base game, but this time with water lol. a bit clunky at times but i could overlook it.
pt. 2 was definitely the most interesting in theory, and i loved the emphasis on the little sack friends. gameplay wise this part was abysmal and beyond clunky though. so unfun to play.
pt. 3 was also pretty strong, and stylistically the strongest. love the "combat" mechanic, as it added a different sense of fear/ challenge to the overall game. loved the ending as well, as morbid as that was.
also i dont understand why the dlc was so INSANELY DARK compared to the base game. even if it was for atmospheric purposes, it genuinely bordered on unplayable at times. i had to turn the game brightness all the way up, turn my monitor brightness up, and make my room dark. like. that actively made my play experience worse lol
pt. 1 was the strongest imo as it had a clear and concise theme, enemy, and mechanic. felt like a continuation of the base game, but this time with water lol. a bit clunky at times but i could overlook it.
pt. 2 was definitely the most interesting in theory, and i loved the emphasis on the little sack friends. gameplay wise this part was abysmal and beyond clunky though. so unfun to play.
pt. 3 was also pretty strong, and stylistically the strongest. love the "combat" mechanic, as it added a different sense of fear/ challenge to the overall game. loved the ending as well, as morbid as that was.
2022
the perfect example of doing a lot with only a little. this game is so effective at creating a tense and disturbing atmosphere, and truly kept me on the edge of my seat. the lore is also strangely so extensive and thought out??? which really added to the experience. the gameplay was genuinely so fun as well, as navigating with such strict limitations really added to the tense atmosphere.
genuinely would recommend to any indie horror fans. short but succinct experience.
genuinely would recommend to any indie horror fans. short but succinct experience.
2017
holds up for sure, this game is a classic in this genre of puzzle platforming horror.
also nobody every talks abt how INSANE the ost is. SO GOOD, one of the best game osts ever methinks??? the sound direction in general is peak fr
also nobody every talks abt how INSANE the ost is. SO GOOD, one of the best game osts ever methinks??? the sound direction in general is peak fr
2022
I have conflicting feelings about this one. Before I give my thoughts, I absolutely recommend this game despite any negative feelings I have, and I genuinely enjoyed playing this. I would say its more fun to play than Downfall, but objectively probably tied with Downfall for their "worst" game. Worst in quotes bc this studio hasn't really made a bad game lol.
Artistically their best game for sure, I am obsessed with how burnhouse lane is depicted, almost in this silent hill/ evil within alternate-realm horror. The burned cat is a fantastically designed character, the backdrops to this game are beautiful and filled with amazing art, and I also think the tumor imagery works incredibly well.
Overall, the characters themselves are very compelling even if flawed. But the story was an absolute flop and a disjointed mess. The tasks given seemed disjointed, and didn't have meaningful payoff in the end. They were fun to go through in the moment, but looking back feel a bit random, and I keep trying to search for the point of them existing (to no avail). Some characters motivations seemed weird as well. I understand the MC being bland was the point of her character, but for the first half of the game, that really made it hard to become attached to her. I also think some of the burnhouse lane is this really happening or not sections worked to the detriment of the actual story and characters. I found myself wanting to go back to reality to figure things out rather than go through another arbitrary burnhouse lane section. This was more an issue in the late game, as the stakes were getting higher.
In terms of gameplay, this was their most confusing game by far. Never has a game made me feel more stupid for not understanding the solution to a puzzle. Yes, this is embarrassing for me lol. But it also genuinely feels like an issue of fitting different sized pegs all in a square hole. And it happened multiple times. I also think some of the non-puzzle gameplay was lacking, specifically the cat platforming was pretty janky and rough.
I know this studio's games are a lil janky, but for a game that came out in 2022 it was kinda jarring at some points. Interact with stairs to then painfully slowly go up or down, for example. Or the mess of the UI, where you can't hold left or right on the controller in the menus to move more than one item down. Or the fact that you couldn't hit left to go to the right-most item. Or that you couldn't sort your inventory in any way so you had to mash right to get to the most recent (and often most relevant) item you're holding. Just some very odd UI choices that I can definitely look past, but also did negatively influence my experience.
Anyways if anybody actually reads this, I would recommend to anyone who's a fan of this studio or this genre of point and click puzzle horror. Just know this one isn't perfect. Which is fine! I see the growth from their previous works, even if they weren't able to surpass games like Lorelai or The Cat Lady.
(Also loved the Mitsi cameo yes yes yes ty for that one)
Artistically their best game for sure, I am obsessed with how burnhouse lane is depicted, almost in this silent hill/ evil within alternate-realm horror. The burned cat is a fantastically designed character, the backdrops to this game are beautiful and filled with amazing art, and I also think the tumor imagery works incredibly well.
Overall, the characters themselves are very compelling even if flawed. But the story was an absolute flop and a disjointed mess. The tasks given seemed disjointed, and didn't have meaningful payoff in the end. They were fun to go through in the moment, but looking back feel a bit random, and I keep trying to search for the point of them existing (to no avail). Some characters motivations seemed weird as well. I understand the MC being bland was the point of her character, but for the first half of the game, that really made it hard to become attached to her. I also think some of the burnhouse lane is this really happening or not sections worked to the detriment of the actual story and characters. I found myself wanting to go back to reality to figure things out rather than go through another arbitrary burnhouse lane section. This was more an issue in the late game, as the stakes were getting higher.
In terms of gameplay, this was their most confusing game by far. Never has a game made me feel more stupid for not understanding the solution to a puzzle. Yes, this is embarrassing for me lol. But it also genuinely feels like an issue of fitting different sized pegs all in a square hole. And it happened multiple times. I also think some of the non-puzzle gameplay was lacking, specifically the cat platforming was pretty janky and rough.
I know this studio's games are a lil janky, but for a game that came out in 2022 it was kinda jarring at some points. Interact with stairs to then painfully slowly go up or down, for example. Or the mess of the UI, where you can't hold left or right on the controller in the menus to move more than one item down. Or the fact that you couldn't hit left to go to the right-most item. Or that you couldn't sort your inventory in any way so you had to mash right to get to the most recent (and often most relevant) item you're holding. Just some very odd UI choices that I can definitely look past, but also did negatively influence my experience.
Anyways if anybody actually reads this, I would recommend to anyone who's a fan of this studio or this genre of point and click puzzle horror. Just know this one isn't perfect. Which is fine! I see the growth from their previous works, even if they weren't able to surpass games like Lorelai or The Cat Lady.
(Also loved the Mitsi cameo yes yes yes ty for that one)
2016
ǟռɖ ȶɦɛռ ֆɦɛ ɢօȶ ǟʟʟ աɛɨʀɖ...
Oops I played them out of order! Oh well!
This is by far the clear weakest of the trilogy for me. Kinda wild to me that people prefer this over Lorelai or even Cat Lady. The story was insanely weak and felt poorly written in comparison to the others in the trilogy. I think the writing does a bad job of getting you to care about any characters or anything thats happening to them... besides Agnes. Agnes is my queen, I love her sm. I also don't really understand why we're telling the story of the mental turmoil of a woman (Ivy) through the eyes of a man (John) like, idk if its just the writing but it doesn't really work for me. It feels repetitive and like they have to smack John in the head with the same information over and over, never getting anywhere. And the reason's why John needs to take the actions that he does in the game feels so contrived and a bit cliche, just everything was so odd and not always in a cute way.
Idk, it was just so hard to feel attached to anybody in this one. Not bad by far, and the gameplay was still really fun for the point and click genre. But overall this game just doesn't work for me.
I will say though, I love the upped gore factor of this one, compared to the other ones in the trilogy??? Downfall was BRUTAL. And I loved it lol.
Also it would be irresponsible of me to not mention the VA in this game.... its not great. It's not great at all, even by the standards of their other games. I'm so sorry yall it was just so comically bad, I burst into laughter FREQUENTLY bc of the weird delivery of specifically John's lines.
Oops I played them out of order! Oh well!
This is by far the clear weakest of the trilogy for me. Kinda wild to me that people prefer this over Lorelai or even Cat Lady. The story was insanely weak and felt poorly written in comparison to the others in the trilogy. I think the writing does a bad job of getting you to care about any characters or anything thats happening to them... besides Agnes. Agnes is my queen, I love her sm. I also don't really understand why we're telling the story of the mental turmoil of a woman (Ivy) through the eyes of a man (John) like, idk if its just the writing but it doesn't really work for me. It feels repetitive and like they have to smack John in the head with the same information over and over, never getting anywhere. And the reason's why John needs to take the actions that he does in the game feels so contrived and a bit cliche, just everything was so odd and not always in a cute way.
Idk, it was just so hard to feel attached to anybody in this one. Not bad by far, and the gameplay was still really fun for the point and click genre. But overall this game just doesn't work for me.
I will say though, I love the upped gore factor of this one, compared to the other ones in the trilogy??? Downfall was BRUTAL. And I loved it lol.
Also it would be irresponsible of me to not mention the VA in this game.... its not great. It's not great at all, even by the standards of their other games. I'm so sorry yall it was just so comically bad, I burst into laughter FREQUENTLY bc of the weird delivery of specifically John's lines.
2019
It's so interesting to me how this game follows the same point and click formula, general artstyle, emo characters, and dark themes of The Cat Lady... and yet this game feels like a totally different genre. It's weird! But not bad. Where TCL feels abstract and dream-like, this game feels grounded and methodical. This is the telling of a very specific story, a story looking at a week in the life of a girl, a story looking at the real world through the perspective of the god of death, and how those characters interact. And I think all of that really works. I like it just as much, if not more, than that of TCL. My one critique is that there is NO reason for Zach to be THAT invested in his random ass neighbor like... the game does nothing to develop their history so that romance feels a bit random and unrealistic. I know men are depraved and will do anything to get some, but like... damn lmao. I do like that the devs humanize and build on side characters more than TCL, it helps to show the real world of Lorelai. And the dark themes, gore, and existential motifs work well in this context. Love the golden ending, its a very satisfying conclusion to this trilogy of games.
Overall, I get why this one might not resonate w ppl as much as TCL, but I think it really works. And is really good!
Also I NEED to mention just how much this game reminds me of Life is Strange, like Lorelai is basically Max and Chloe combined. And her inner thoughts were VIOLENTLY giving the same vibe as that game lmaoooo. It's giving adults not knowing how to write teenagers. But it still works! It just kept taking me out, hitting me with psychic damage lmao
Overall, I get why this one might not resonate w ppl as much as TCL, but I think it really works. And is really good!
Also I NEED to mention just how much this game reminds me of Life is Strange, like Lorelai is basically Max and Chloe combined. And her inner thoughts were VIOLENTLY giving the same vibe as that game lmaoooo. It's giving adults not knowing how to write teenagers. But it still works! It just kept taking me out, hitting me with psychic damage lmao
2024
this game is actually kinda funny??? ik its supposed to be, but I really didn't think it would be lmaoooo. and the ambiance is amazing, so even tho its goofy in concept, this game is still pretty spooky. and i love concept of -your only light source is the muzzle flash of your gun- like, thats SUCH a cool concept that works really well here.
idk i think just think this whole thing weirdly works. combat is simple and kinda poo but does it really matter? enemy long-range attacks feel weird, but again... who cares lol. overall i had a good time playing this, and would absolutely recommend for a short, fun, unserious, and spooky experience (when its on sale)
idk i think just think this whole thing weirdly works. combat is simple and kinda poo but does it really matter? enemy long-range attacks feel weird, but again... who cares lol. overall i had a good time playing this, and would absolutely recommend for a short, fun, unserious, and spooky experience (when its on sale)
2012
I really enjoyed this game overall, even though I think it started stronger than it finished. It does both surreal themes and more grounded point and click puzzle gameplay really well. Ch 6 is a big highlight, as exploring the whole apt building with this mystery as the motive was very fun and interesting. Early chapters like 1/2/3 feel a lot different, less grounded and more avant-garde. You don't really know what's going on, you're trying to understand who you are and what is actually real. I think both of these styles of storytelling work well, and mesh well for the most part too. Some parts of the dialogue do tend to drag, and the ending felt a bit... disappointing? Not for the reasons why the game tells you it should be, but just that overall it feels a bit rushed and contrived. There is a lot of build up and then the ending happens, and then there's a time skip and some exposition that feels necessary... but it also leaves you with the feeling that you missed out on something more emotionally impactful.
I will also say this game would have definitely appealed to me more as a teen, just bc the themes are a bit early-2010s edgy lmao. It gets mildly cringe at moments because of this, its... just a bit too earnestly emo lmaoooo. But so am I, so 🤪 it was giving "fuck the world" teen vibes for sureeee
Also I have to note that there was a long, drawn out moment of ableism, which was very uncomfortable but also tracks with the release year and also the edgy teen humor vibes. Very unexpected and icky, although I understand the context of when this game was made. Mayyybe doesn't track with modern sentiments tho
Overall this is a fantastic game that I enjoyed playing, even with all the jank. I will say though it feels very of its time (or even earlier than its time) and was hard for my modern computer to run. The biggest issue was that alt-tabbing caused crashes. But that was my only annoyance.
I will also say this game would have definitely appealed to me more as a teen, just bc the themes are a bit early-2010s edgy lmao. It gets mildly cringe at moments because of this, its... just a bit too earnestly emo lmaoooo. But so am I, so 🤪 it was giving "fuck the world" teen vibes for sureeee
Also I have to note that there was a long, drawn out moment of ableism, which was very uncomfortable but also tracks with the release year and also the edgy teen humor vibes. Very unexpected and icky, although I understand the context of when this game was made. Mayyybe doesn't track with modern sentiments tho
Overall this is a fantastic game that I enjoyed playing, even with all the jank. I will say though it feels very of its time (or even earlier than its time) and was hard for my modern computer to run. The biggest issue was that alt-tabbing caused crashes. But that was my only annoyance.
This game is genuinely so close to being perfect, just absolutely amazing. Easiest recommend ever for anybody that likes story-driven puzzle games that are campy, cute, and a bit morbid.
Meticulously crafted story, phenomenal writing and localization. Go into this with no knowledge of the story for the best experience, it truly is a fun ride.
Amazing characters with that signature campy capcom/ ace attorney goofiness. They all have a schtick and stick to it, but the main characters in particularly are pretty fleshed out beyond that too. Peak character design too, even for random background characters like that one bartender who has hair shaped like a martini glass. Like thats iconic.
Not a particularly stand-out ost, but still the music fits the game really well, and is quite fun to listen to.
Now the ART DIRECTION FOR THIS GAME??? So beyond sick, I wish more games had this sort of punky and sharp art style. However, very noticeable with this remaster, I do think that the lil in-game models look a bit blah in comparison to the stunning 2D art of the character portraits, but it works for what it is. The characters themselves really sell it.
On that note, I do want to compare this game to the original, which I played back when it was released. I truly do think this game lost some of its flavour artistically with the upgrade to HD, like the pixels and poor quality really added to the ghosty + murder mystery experience of playing this game on the DS. The 2D art holds up insanely well, it's the 3D assets in particular that suffer. The crust added to the experience! Other than that, I do think they did a decent enough job of making a two-screen experience fit onto one screen.
Now that I got all the compliments out of the way, I want to elaborate on this games flaws. First and most prevalent, is that this game is way too hand-holdy. I think offering players help with the puzzles is important if they need it, that's not what I mean. I needed help sometimes! I'm talking about the unskippable repetitive dialogue and instructions that plagued the entire experience, but esp at the start of every "trick time" section. It got very annoying I cannot lie, and it just kept happening lol. Mashing "a" to try and skip the dialogue we had JUST heard got tiring. I will also say that when you make mistakes, it takes a very long time to get back to where you were. You can speed through dialogue but not through any actions, which is interesting bc VNs are usually good abt having skip options. So overall the gameplay can feel sluggish, esp when you're stuck and restarting a lot.
Final thoughts are really just that playing this game as a baby on the ds changed me as a person, was fundamental to my development, to my tastes in art and music and media in general. I genuinely believe that. This game has influenced my entire life. And the remake holds up! I would say its better in some ways, but the og also holds up imo.
Play this game, I beg of thee.......
Meticulously crafted story, phenomenal writing and localization. Go into this with no knowledge of the story for the best experience, it truly is a fun ride.
Amazing characters with that signature campy capcom/ ace attorney goofiness. They all have a schtick and stick to it, but the main characters in particularly are pretty fleshed out beyond that too. Peak character design too, even for random background characters like that one bartender who has hair shaped like a martini glass. Like thats iconic.
Not a particularly stand-out ost, but still the music fits the game really well, and is quite fun to listen to.
Now the ART DIRECTION FOR THIS GAME??? So beyond sick, I wish more games had this sort of punky and sharp art style. However, very noticeable with this remaster, I do think that the lil in-game models look a bit blah in comparison to the stunning 2D art of the character portraits, but it works for what it is. The characters themselves really sell it.
On that note, I do want to compare this game to the original, which I played back when it was released. I truly do think this game lost some of its flavour artistically with the upgrade to HD, like the pixels and poor quality really added to the ghosty + murder mystery experience of playing this game on the DS. The 2D art holds up insanely well, it's the 3D assets in particular that suffer. The crust added to the experience! Other than that, I do think they did a decent enough job of making a two-screen experience fit onto one screen.
Now that I got all the compliments out of the way, I want to elaborate on this games flaws. First and most prevalent, is that this game is way too hand-holdy. I think offering players help with the puzzles is important if they need it, that's not what I mean. I needed help sometimes! I'm talking about the unskippable repetitive dialogue and instructions that plagued the entire experience, but esp at the start of every "trick time" section. It got very annoying I cannot lie, and it just kept happening lol. Mashing "a" to try and skip the dialogue we had JUST heard got tiring. I will also say that when you make mistakes, it takes a very long time to get back to where you were. You can speed through dialogue but not through any actions, which is interesting bc VNs are usually good abt having skip options. So overall the gameplay can feel sluggish, esp when you're stuck and restarting a lot.
Final thoughts are really just that playing this game as a baby on the ds changed me as a person, was fundamental to my development, to my tastes in art and music and media in general. I genuinely believe that. This game has influenced my entire life. And the remake holds up! I would say its better in some ways, but the og also holds up imo.
Play this game, I beg of thee.......
2022
This review contains spoilers
First playthrough; promise ending, 7 deaths, 60 saves (lol)
A flawed yet beautiful game. Love what felt like homages to silent hill and alien franchises, truly an amazing combo. Love some good robot space lesbians. Just a really visually beautiful game. Obsessed with games that set a rule, like Signalis' rule of 6, and then follow that everywhere they can. They did such a cool job following it in different ways.
I will say a little too much stopping the flow of gameplay to read notes, esp in the first half. Meanwhile the story was (purposefully) confusing which can be good or bad depending on what you want from a game. For me, it didn't do enough to immerse me fully into the story until 2/3rds through the game. I was just running around mildly confused, knowing the objective but not really absorbing the tertiary worldbuilding. It was a lot to take in! And none of it felt important until late game lol.
Some of the puzzles just being keys that unlock keys that unlock keys got old (only really one area in particular), but overall I reallyyyy enjoyed the puzzle gameplay. A lot. Environmental puzzles are so good, esp in a game style like this that built maps that were satisfying to backtrack through. Very satisfying.
Combat felt... alright. Purposefully clunky yk. I ended up running past as many enemies as possible, and never using the combat tools lol. I think combat was necessary for making this truly feel like a survival horror, but wasn't the shining achievement of this game for me personally.
My ending (promise) felt appropriate for what the game had set up. A story of sacrifice and pain? With an ending thats bittersweet, nihilistic, and depressing? Tonally appropriate for the game at large, even if a bit of a downer.
Overall, would recommend. Great game. Can't wait to see what this studio does in the future with the knowledge they gained from making this game.
A flawed yet beautiful game. Love what felt like homages to silent hill and alien franchises, truly an amazing combo. Love some good robot space lesbians. Just a really visually beautiful game. Obsessed with games that set a rule, like Signalis' rule of 6, and then follow that everywhere they can. They did such a cool job following it in different ways.
I will say a little too much stopping the flow of gameplay to read notes, esp in the first half. Meanwhile the story was (purposefully) confusing which can be good or bad depending on what you want from a game. For me, it didn't do enough to immerse me fully into the story until 2/3rds through the game. I was just running around mildly confused, knowing the objective but not really absorbing the tertiary worldbuilding. It was a lot to take in! And none of it felt important until late game lol.
Some of the puzzles just being keys that unlock keys that unlock keys got old (only really one area in particular), but overall I reallyyyy enjoyed the puzzle gameplay. A lot. Environmental puzzles are so good, esp in a game style like this that built maps that were satisfying to backtrack through. Very satisfying.
Combat felt... alright. Purposefully clunky yk. I ended up running past as many enemies as possible, and never using the combat tools lol. I think combat was necessary for making this truly feel like a survival horror, but wasn't the shining achievement of this game for me personally.
My ending (promise) felt appropriate for what the game had set up. A story of sacrifice and pain? With an ending thats bittersweet, nihilistic, and depressing? Tonally appropriate for the game at large, even if a bit of a downer.
Overall, would recommend. Great game. Can't wait to see what this studio does in the future with the knowledge they gained from making this game.
2020
Technically, I started this game in 2020. Played ~5.5hrs, got a little over half way, and stopped on 08 Nov 2020.
And I see why I stopped! God, I hate this game lmao. My least favorite of the amnesia games I've played. That being said, it isn't bad. There are puzzles I enjoyed and areas I liked exploring. But wow. Darkness in this game is oppressive, and the number of large, pitch black rooms they throw you into with zero direction.... evil. Also the sanity mechanic is annoying more than anything in this game, as well as the insanely limited light sources you are given. I appreciated that it added to the survival horror feelings, but it become cumbersome and annoying.
Also... what was even the point of laudanum? I don't think I ever used one or even picked one up after the start of the game. How did health even work? Why is button mashing what determines if you die or not if you get caught?
Just so many weird choices. I also didn't jive with the themes of this game. I just don't think it worked. At all.
Wish I had just watched a playthrough instead of picking this game back up three years later lol
And I see why I stopped! God, I hate this game lmao. My least favorite of the amnesia games I've played. That being said, it isn't bad. There are puzzles I enjoyed and areas I liked exploring. But wow. Darkness in this game is oppressive, and the number of large, pitch black rooms they throw you into with zero direction.... evil. Also the sanity mechanic is annoying more than anything in this game, as well as the insanely limited light sources you are given. I appreciated that it added to the survival horror feelings, but it become cumbersome and annoying.
Also... what was even the point of laudanum? I don't think I ever used one or even picked one up after the start of the game. How did health even work? Why is button mashing what determines if you die or not if you get caught?
Just so many weird choices. I also didn't jive with the themes of this game. I just don't think it worked. At all.
Wish I had just watched a playthrough instead of picking this game back up three years later lol