Playing in the dark is gameplay-wise broken. The enemy is completely “silent” until it is noticed and starts chasing the player, which removes any chance to react or plan ahead. Avoiding such a character is practically impossible because there are no clear warning cues. There should be clear indicators – sound-based (footsteps, breathing, environmental reactions to the enemy’s presence) and visual cues such as visible footsteps or movement markers – so the player can realistically assess the threat instead of dying randomly.
I agree with you. It was an experimental design process which has its flaws.
SPOILERS:
>!The original idea was to have two states. A listen for enemy state (turn flashlight off before she appears) and a jump scare state when she camps outside a room (go into any room then turn your flashlight off which requires lightning reflexes to avoid her). It was a bit dry with just the footstep sound effects indicator and wanted to mix it up a little. Watching how people played the game I'll be more wary of the frustration this particular section of the game caused for future projects.!<
Thank you so much for your feedback and your attention to the gameplay. (Sorry if Spoiler text not working)