Hey magna, firstly, thanks for reviewing my game. Since you've asked me to review yours, here I am :)
I have made a bullet pointed list with issues that you NEED to address and in my opinion are all crucial if you want players to enjoy your game. Please dont take any of these personally, I'm just trying to help
- 1 - The game needs optimisation rlly rlly badly. My pc isnt a low level pc, it has generally good specs that are slightly lower (but similar) to what your page states are recommended. It took me about 4 tries to finally load it, and i have never heard my pc fans spin louder in my entire life. I'm under the impression that the entire map loads in 1 go when the player joins, so i was stuck for about 30 seconds waiting for the map to load. This CANNOT be the case, it simply needs optimising. I feel like calling the game "highly graphically intensive" and making the specs really high is just a lazy way of saying that" im not going to optimise my game". For many people, this game simply wont load (and even if it does, the lag and gameplay make the experience simply not worth playing)
- 2 - Theres nothing really to do. I understand thats its a demo but the entire game is literly walking around. There needs to be some sort of element that makes the player have an objective, somthing that builds tension and releases it at the end after the climax. For example you could have some sort of jumpscare where the heart is, or as i turn the corner before it locks me in a cutscene where some kind of monster kills somthing and "rips the heart out". You could have some sort of puzzle mechanic to solve which leads you to the next room or a room where you can pick 3 doors and only 1 of them leads to the correct path (would kinda fit with the name of the game icl). You could even have a note system as a bare minimum that the player collects that tells them a story. You know your game best so you know what needs to be added.
- 3 - The ending needs improvement. The little tension that was built up during the game completely died. There could have been at least a cut scene or a narrator saying somthing. You needed to plant a question in the players head of whats next to come from this demo, what will this game be about?
- 4 - Bugs and unpolished elements are almost everywhere. The flashlight not working (not sure if thats intended or not but I cannot switch it on or off). The walls glitching out and being able to see through them. The flashlight material looking distorted when walking over light sources and areas filled with blood. I know that a lot of love has been put in this but if your trying to make a game like this then cutting corners is somthing that absolutely cannot be done, no way! Players will simply ignore it and not give your game a chance. It needs to look well put together and polished to some degree.
- 5 - I will give you credit where credit is due. The movement (whilst still lacking) is generally pretty good. No complaints but of course things can be added and built upon and when the game fully comes out Id expect a rework done. I also liked the little section at the end where the log is turning. That could really be built upon perhaps adding a more "parkoury" element where maybe you have to escape "THROUGH THE CORRIRODS" (haha name reference) whilst somthing is chasing you and you have to do parkour like that, again just some ideas
- 6 - Your description is written by Ai and not a lot of whats said actually reflects the game. E.g. the labyrinth of corridors is pretty much a lie. The lore, i had no idea where the clues are (AND I CHECKED EVERYWHERE FOR THEM LOL). The immersive audio design is not immersive, the sound effects arnt bad tbf but definitely not on the level your trying to present them as.
I dont want to discourage you in the slightest. I am a huge believer in criticism and that things like games only get better with criticism. I know that a lot of love has gone into this project (and I would know since I'm making my own game and have updated it BASED on the criticism I get). Most people would simply laugh this off, but im willing to give you and this game a chance by giving you genuine feedback that you NEED to listen to to make the game better.
We both know the project needs a lot of work. I would recommend you to SCALE WAYYYYY DOWN on the scope of the game. Your not gonna make the next 3d AAA horror game. Theres an element to indie games that makes them so popular, so i would completely switch the direction your heading in. Make it smaller, more niche and focus on polishing / delivering a product thats actually good.
If you need me to playtest it again in the future im 110% willing to do so. Again dont get discouraged from my review because I believe that even this game has protentional. But lets be both honest here, I cannot lie to you, i dont want you to waste your time and i dont want to waste my time.
Best wishes on the project, im excited to see what a proper rendition of this game might actually look like. Keep in touch :)