I included this game in my third Indie Game Contest. For the first time the contest ended up coming down to a close 3 way tie and I had to figure out which game would receive a donation. Fortunately in the end I really couldn't decide on some fronts so I decided to split the prize in a tiered way for the 3 winners. Your game ended up winning a donation!
As for the game itself, what a joy this was to play. The only way I could really describe this game to others is that it's a labour of love and a true passion project. As someone who has fond memories of Resident Evil 1 and other classic survival horror games I had a smile on my face the entire time. It is clear the game is heavily inspired by some of the all time classics but it has such a unique feel to it that no one could ever call it a clone or copy in good faith.
• The cinematics were absolute cinema and really added to the retro feel of the game. I can only imagine the amount of work you put in to ensure they felt just right.
• The controls for the most part worked really well and on more than one occasion I already knew impulsively what button on the controller did what. The only annoyance I did run into was when using the analog controls and encountering a camera angle change as it often caused me to run back to the previous screen and be attacked. In the end I opted to use the tank controls which really just felt like the right thing to do anyways. I mean, it just served to remind me more of the classics.
• The music and sound design was both well done and incredibly nostalgic. The sound effects for the menus, weapons, and zombies were all fantastic. There is nothing I could suggest to improve on this aspect.
• On one occasion a viewer of the stream asked "Wait, this isn't an old game?" and really I think that highlights exactly what I loved and celebrated the game for. It really feels and looks like something that could have come out alongside the classics.
• The level design felt natural and didn't seem low effort. The tight corridors and dark atmosphere of the tunnels felt claustrophobic and tense while the jungle environments gave me, although very slight, room to breath. The variety of enemies in the game was also a pleasant surprise, especially when the enemies fit the environment like the piranhas.
I just can't express enough how much I enjoyed this short look at your project. Thank you for all the hard work and all the time you have poured into it so far. I genuinely believe this game could turn out to be one of the best games to try and do classic survival horror.
Lastly, congrats on your win in the contest!