I enjoyed this short but interesting point and click horror game! If you're a fan of shows like The Twilight Zone, this is definitely the game for you.
Pros:
- Pixel art - The monotone color scheme used fits well with the game's atmosphere, as well as selling the creepy environment. It's pleasant to look at and cleanly drawn. Additionally, I admire that the artist was able to use black and white colors well. It can be a bit challenging to balance between high and low contrast, but I think the artist does this very well and in a way that makes clear and visually appealing graphics.
- Aesthetic - From the sound of the tv turning on in the very beginning, to the style of narration, this games sells the aesthetic of old 60s horror and mystery shows very well.
- Storytelling - While this game is mostly without text, it still manages to get a story across through the use of pictures and scene composition. Subtle environment details do a great job of communicating the story, allowing the player to piece together what happened without ever saying a word.
- Gameplay - This is a game that's accessible to those new and familiar with the point and click genre. The puzzles aren't too hard to solve, but still feel satisfying to figure out. Additionally, I think the game does a really good job of nudging the player in the right direction. Claire's reactions to the player's actions help communicate what they should do next. This is a place where I see a lot of point and clicks fall short - some people get turned away from the genre because of little guidance from the game or the trope of " try each object with everything you can interact with." This game doesn't suffer from this at all.
Cons:
- Length - While I think that the game does a good job of storytelling, I feel like having a bit more to the game would support the story and the creepy atmosphere. The puzzles that are there are fun, but I wish there were some more to do.
- Story - While the storytelling itself is really good and well-polished, the story felt a little lack luster to me. I think the game does a good job of establishing the relationships of those relating to the story, but the ending seemed a little abrupt and didn't have enough build up to make it impactful (this is just my opinion). I think a bit more time into the story and some development of the story in between the beginning and the end would sell the reveal more.
- Controls - This is moreso of a nitpick than anything else, but I do wish that the character could continuously move across the screen (maybe by holding down the mouse button?) rather than having to keep clicking to move Claire from one end of a scene to another. Since the clicking makes her movements a little broken up, I feel like this would help with the pacing a bit. Again, this is just a nitpick and it doesn't take away from the game at all, I just thought I'd write it down.
Overall:
I'd recommend checking this game out! It's a short, fun, and creepy experience that I think many will enjoy. If you're into this game, why not check out more of the developers games or support them on patreon? I think it's well worth it.