First of all, thank you so much for your feedback – it’s truly appreciated! Every comment helps us improve the game, and I’m really glad you took the time to play it.
That said, we’re currently working on the next update, which will add more visual details to the map to help players avoid getting disoriented so easily. We also have several other features in the works, such as a checkpoint system, so players won’t have to start over from the beginning after dying.
As you probably noticed, Smiling Terror is heavily inspired by classic PS1 titles. We didn’t just aim for the visual style, but also tried to bring back the challenge of those games. Just think of Mickey’s Wild Adventure for PS1 – a “kids’ game” with brutal difficulty, where losing all your lives meant starting all over again. I want to keep some of that spirit alive, without making the game too easy.
(For example, I didn’t even want to include a third-person view at first – I developed it later on to help players who aren’t used to fixed-camera movement.)
As for the flashlight: after collecting the batteries and the flashlight, you need to combine them in the inventory to make it work. Press Tab to access the inventory :)
Keep playing and I promise you’ll eventually make progress! Stay tuned on my itch.io page – I’ll always post devlogs whenever a new update is released. And when you feel like giving it another try, we’ll be happy to have you back!
I invite you to see the gameplay of “Gaming with Zems” according to one of the best gameplay Gameplay video
Thanks again – your feedback is truly valuable. See you soon!