For a free game, Smile More gives far more than you would initially expect.
This is a bit of a long review... but stick with me. It's worth it.
Firstly, let me start by saying that the art style is absolutely gorgeous. It's a little "No, I'm Not A Human"-like; high contrast, distorted proportions, and every element has its own monochrome colour pallet.
The environment is dark and everything looks a little washed out, making your surgical instruments feel unsanitary. The characters have exaggerated features, making them seem almost inhuman which only adds to the unsettling atmosphere. The close-ups when you perform surgeries are highly detailed, almost grotesque, with matching sound design for every little procedure you perform. It's even fully voice acted, which I didn't expect. Every element of the design feels painstakingly crafted to fully immerse you in the horror of what you're being made to do.
The game can be completed in just a few minutes, but as soon as I got my first ending I was hooked. You're thrown straight into the setting, with a voice on an announcer briefing you on your job and the procedures you must perform. Only when you start, and find an object that you weren't meant to see, do you realise that there's far more lore and a deeper story to this than there first appears.
It then becomes your choice; either you comply with your duties, or keep snooping to unveil something bigger. There are 3 endings all dependent on how far you're willing to go. Even then, there are more secrets hidden in logs and even by interacting with the main menu, that build the story out even further. I loved every second of it.
This is a really impressive experience that I recommend any horror fan to try for themselves. Even though my first run took around 15 minutes, I ended up spending over 1.5 hours in total replaying and collecting the achievements. I'm definitely keeping my eye on what else the developer brings out and would love to see more short gems like this. They really prove that a game doesn't have to have a 5+ hour playtime to be great. A well-crafted plot, design, and mechanics, make for a really solid game, no matter how long you spend on it.
Hats off to you, dev. You've done something great here.
If you want to see each ending and how to get them, I have a video (with time stamps, feel free to skip spoilers) that tells you how to get them here: