Hi! I loved the game. I loved the mystery-unknown-trapped vibe that it gave me. And I'm glad you are committed to make this a bigger and better experience. Because this game is not so much mechanical, but more about the story, the events, and things happening in the game, my thoughts are more focussed on that as well. So, here are my thoughts:
- I wonder if I never break rule 1, what would happen? That's the first thought that came to my mind after breaking rule 1.
- The game visuals were really good. I love psychological horror stuff, and it has a good creepy vibe to it.
- Certain elements felt bizarre. The ghosts appearing didn't make sense to me. It wish that part was introduced slower, maybe with one ghost, and then more appearing one after the other. Perhaps, you find something on the right most side of the platform, and then a ghost just swiftly rushes through the character, decreasing the sanity. Then perhaps a follow up dialogue: What was that?
- This is just a suggestion, a part of me wants the character to have a handicap, like a broken arm, or something like that. This adds depth, to perhaps some event that happened. The reason I am suggesting that is because, there's a ton of 2D characters I've seen that looks like an average office worker. Because you are so committed to the game, it would be great if the character has some traits that stand out. And handicaps work well, as it resonates immediately with the person playing the game. Perhaps the character is walking on crutches, and the whole situation makes it feels like he is helpless. I don't know. I feel like the protagonist is "missing" something. It's just my opinion.
- When it comes to the story, I feel like a you need to give a faint introduction to the player, for them to figure it out on their own. If you look at games like Five Nights at Freddy's, there's a phone guy who talks with you about the pizzeria, animatronics.. What I'm trying to say is, it lacks the first push, for me to figure out what exactly happened. The paintings on the wall, are great puzzle pieces, but somebody, or something has to put the puzzle box in front of me first, to solve the puzzle. Does that make sense?
- I don't know if I got a proper ending or not, but I got quickly returned to the main menu after the train arrived. Hopefully, everything about the endings will be sorted out.
When it comes to the game,
- It lacked sound effects. Like footsteps were there in the beginning (I think), but it went away after a while.
- I would love to hear sounds of windchimes, or maybe a child crying in the distance, reverbed and reversed so that it doesn't make sense.
- Also, I feel like the Main menu could have been better. Perhaps the menu is just the protagonist and the old guy sitting on the bench, and the protagonist is sleeping. When we hit play, the character wakes up and we are right into the game. Something like that. It's up to you.
Man I'm excited about where this could go. All the best!
By the way, here is the silly little game I made, and I would love for you to play it, and share feedback! Thanks!