This is a surprisingly dark game in a way that was more complex than I expected coming in! The core concept of the player acting as a prion that spreads neurodegeneration through memory loss is certainly one of the most unique interpretations of a horror game I've seen in a while.
The execution of the idea works fairly well. I like the use of narrative through the collection of soundbites that build a progressively clearer story as the player continues the game. The use of different characters to tell this story and have memories form over time gave it more depth. I think the voice acting was as good as you could hope for for an indie game at short notice too!
The gameplay is interesting and I like the implications of the player's role as destroying the memories of the character. I think it could have been more subtle to approach it this way rather than to 'destroy Michael's soul' at the ending. Also, it may have been a little more gamelike to have some form of progression to scaffold the story i.e. by having areas open up after destroying certain memories.
The visuals are RPG-Maker lite but supplement the scrambled psyche and weird neural environment of the character's brain. The birthday motifs and music, and the colourful visuals seemed suited to more of a child character - it would have been interesting to know how old Michael was!
All in all this is a very sombre game idea that is executed pretty well. Its strength lies in the originality of its story and interpretation of the theme, and its open-ended and ambiguous use of storytelling. I encourage you to keep on creating these weird and wonderful experiences in the future!
Thanks for submitting Michael's Birthday to the SCREAM MACHINE jam!
- SCREAM CATALOGUE