A unique game that I feel told me a little bit about the story of ones past. It has it’s own feel, and it’s a bit dark in terms of lighting. Throughout the game I kept asking myself who the hell is this guy talking about but you find out by the end.
In the beginning of the game I walked through the sliding door, only to be forced to walk out the other door because of some invisible wall. I then walked outwards into the snow until I hit an invisible wall because I thought that, that was what the game wanted me to do. I’m glad that the game didn’t let me walk too far but why are those doors even accessible? And to make matters a little worse, there’s another window/door that you can go into and actually walk around in the place that you tried to walk in before. Like what was the point of that? Anyways, it’s not actually a bit deal so whatever. What you were supposed though was open the front door which gives a cool effect but I feel like being able to walk into those other doors before weren’t needed.
You collect a bunch of things that look like florescent lights in this game. I remember being in his room and going into more rooms which lead to nothing but a sink and toilet. I kinda expected to find a florescent light in there but it’s a waste of time to even explore his room in general.
The text in the game disappears too fast. Hard to read the text when some last way longer than others like the first bit of dialogue that you read.
I think this game is one of the best looking games with a unique style. It has music that reminds me of the something that sounds like it could have been from the 90’s and it works well with the game. I thought the amount of story in the game was pretty cool but still hard for me to know what I really liked about it other than it being strange.
The animations remind me of cboyardee or pilotredsun type of animations and style. I don’t like walking up to a door to only have the door above me on the next level level. It makes it difficult for me to stop running since all I was trying to do when walking through the door was go up. So basically what happens is I go up into the door, in the next screen there is a door above me, I then exit the door that I tried to enter which is annoying. This happens when walking “right” into doors as well. I don’t like it.
The art was really good with the characters and stuff and how they moved. The animations and everything were neat.
Anyways, I felt that the game was pretty cool and the story about the substance was alright. Nice game!
Day 7 played. Really, this is interesting. On same vibe of some PS1 bizarre and obscure games and a little curious plot about reality distortion. I liked that.
I feel like there's more to this that I'm missing.
So the first time playing, I struggled to catch any fish, but I read all the dialog and waited out my demise. I liked the story, and how ominous whatever the event was. Somehow this frozen landscape is warmer than where ever the researchers are.
Having the screen get whiter as I get closer to death, making it harder to fish was a nice effect. I want to know more about who this person is.
I am a little confused about who they are, that they are part of the research team but apparently hated all the research.
That's also a really weird eating sound, but I liked the weirdness.
My second time playing, I paid attention to the title. "Six and Six" Six minutes to live, maybe I need six fish?
On my third playthrough I finally got the fishing mechanic. It's just time, and if you just cast the pole right on top of a fish they bite it, and you just wait for the bob to go down to reel it in. It's a really hard effect to see, and there's no sound effects for it.
I cook a fish, and see that the whiteness went down. Cool! I can eat fish and survive longer! Maybe there's more dialog.
So I keep catching fish, and get 6. Nothing happens. Okay, I just keep fishing and it seems like it just delays the dialog.
My next play through, I try walking away from everything. There's an invisible wall, and I die quickly.
Then I look at the title and now I can't tell if it's actually Six 8 Six or Six & Six, Now I'm just more confused and I feel like there's more to it!!!
So this was a neat little experience, and knowing the original prompt I wouldn't be surprised if there was nothing more, but it just *feels* like something is there.
HWAJILGUJI
I really liked the art direction in this game! It was so unique, the glitchiness and weird carboard cutouts with mismatched textures. I also love the surrealist, Zelda CDI esque cutscenes, they were super entertaining to watch.
I don't know if English is the creator's first language, because a lot of the dialog has odd word choice and grammar that doesn't feel intentional. Like, obviously "A magazine exists in your vision" is on purpose, but idk if "They doesn't know how they get here" doesn't. But it didn't bother me, I feel like it kinda adds to the odd nature of everything.
I thought the "The the the the the times" newspaper was funny. And the dialog kept me entertained, especially the oscillating guy, and Isabella telling me she manages all the supplies in a completely barren room.
I think the story is a *little* generic. Scientists makes chemicals that causes problems, I feel like there could have been a more interesting backstory to all of this. But I really do like the surrealist and complete destruction of the world it had.
Is there anything I can do for the guy looking to go home, or is that it?
I just wanna stress again that I really like the art direction. This felt like an actual PS1 game, especially the neon flashing arrows.
I also appreciate the sound design. Creepy, surreal, and most of all gives me feedback on what I am doing! Sound is so important! I was confused by the world, but not by the game mechanics themselves!
Six & Six dev here, a lil late but better than never I guess. There isn't more in the game, it's got a six-wheeled offroader stuck in the snow, it's on the sixth day and you can survive a maximum 6 minutes(unless you are a fish god).
Who the main character is is currently up to interpretation, which was done on purpose, it's meant to be a chill game where you can relax and fish(and yes, die).
Nice game and I am starting all the way back at #1 But I shall catch up. Took a bit of understanding the first game I played RIP but I got it and I think I am the only one to reach the ending? Anyway The stylish one and the prime time crew are going to spread the word of this awesome game keep it coming peeps at haunted ps1
The sixth game was very interesting... Enjoying the last minutes of life before dying from hypothermia is a very weird way of face the imminent end of the world...
You are in some winter landscape in front of a pool with fishes in them and you have a fishing pole. Trying to fish is hard and trying to read the dialogue that’s going on in the bottom of the screen while fishing is hard. Let alone with fishing being hard, I couldn’t catch anything. I don’t know if it’s because the fishing mechanic wasn’t actually implemented but it just doesn’t seem to work cause once it looks like a fish is caught and you try to reel it in, the fish unhooks itself. With no controls, it’s hard to know how to play.
And I had no idea if I was supposed to fish to continue the story and get the true ending. I saw a campfire and I kinda expected to fish to survive to get the true ending but it seems like the fishing was just there to be there and all you really had to do was stand and read the text, wait like 8 minutes and watch the screen go white and let the game end. I get it and to be honest, I prefer the game be that way. It’s just I was juggling fishing with trying to read the story and missing out on it.
Day 5 Concluded (I think...). Yep, this is more strange than the last game. I confess that until now I can't understand this game, but it was fun nevertheless.
I’m not exactly sure what I just played and where the theme of Christmas takes part in. I’m not a fan of the huge warping of textures and something about the game feels modern. I would say that it has to do with the textures. Usually when I play old ps1 looking indie games, I want to feel nostalgic and imagine that the game could have been released back in the day. Also, I just love low poly looking games.
I would say that the sound design is really good and the way that they did the lighting was really good as well! It goes from dark to light and the use of many colours was really nice! I think the character art was nice as well and I liked the way that they talked.
I felt that a lot of the game felt cut off and it felt very limited but even though it stays true to what the story was about, I was kinda expecting to open doors and find keys. I would like to say that I’m thankful for being brought back to life after falling in the pit.
With the knowledge that the original prompt was to create a haunting scene, I am approaching these games with a different mindset that I am enjoying much more. I'm not necessarily looking for a fun, mechanically driven experience, more so just *an* interesting experience
December 3rd
I have now replayed this game, and I appreciate it a lot more.
I like the atmosphere, the first prompt I get to see being a way to commit suicide I still love, it perfectly sets the mood for the game.
I think the aimless wandering around the sea is the point, and it certainly had an effect on me, but I found handling the boat to be awkward. It was really hard to see out the window, the snow and it being night felt intended, but the personal light on the first person controller would glare and make it almost impossible to see out the window. The perspective was also completely different when standing up, that I'd see something in the distance, start driving, and get completely lost because now it's obscured.
I liked the story, I think circling back to the lighthouse is cool. Almost makes me feel like I'm just exploring the mind of this depressed person, clouded, disconnected thoughts with the one certain, clearest thing being a memory from childhood, that we always come back to. We can clearly remember everything before the incident, but the incident is foggy and we have to do searching to find it.
Or maybe I'm reading entirely too much into it. Death to the author I guess.
Artists of a Dead World
Oh I really like this one. I think this finally gave me that resolution that I was looking for. Of course, not everything was explained, but that's not really what I wanted, I wanted the interesting part of the experience to continue past the first drop.
At first I just explored every room I could, until I got caught by those guards and kicked out of the game. Then I go back in, intrigued, noticing areas I couldn't get into last time. I realize that I can jump really high, and make my way into that hidden room, with the girl who tells me that maybe I can get to other places.
This feels like a really subtle and hidden tutorial. I noticed that I probably *could* make it up there, and when I do the game tells me to do it some more.
I found the thing that speaks in that weird font, I took a screenshot, and continued on. I jump over the gate, get into the green room, do the parkour, and take a screenshot of the next font message.
I looked at the game credits, found the font, and decoded my screenshots. That part was so awesome. It really made an impact on me. I go back in the game and see its all corrupted.
Anyways, I won't just walk through my entire experience, but I am really happy that this game required multiple playthroughs, and the interesting parts kept going. I liked the idea behind this horribleness happening because of my own curiosity (very Undertaley). Even though I don't know what's going on with these districts and characters (maybe I missed something), I am still content with an experience that went beyond the very first interesting thing. Very well done!
And another thing, I think the art is really cute and I liked it a lot.
I will say, that my one issue is the parkour sequence in the room with the giant pit. Jumping on those lampposts is the most finnicky thing I've ever done, and it was really frustrating to miss a jump that I could barely tell I was making, or to make it and just slip off by a pixel.
When you walk into the room, on the left corner there is a little lip on the wall that you can stand on. If you run and jump from there, you'll get to the fence. If you just spam jump while on the fence, there's apparently some part you can jump on and it gets you over the fence.
wow! i really didn't expect people to find the secrets on their own and even go as far as to decode messages. so glad you liked it and found everything! 🖤
It felt like there were just enough clues hinting toward something else under the surface, and pretty clear signposts letting me know I was on the right track. It was really nice to know precisely when I'd seen everything, too. It's a really tight experience with great flow, and it comes together incredibly well despite being obtuse and cryptic.
Very intrigued by this collection so far and enjoy checking out a short game every day. RIP was really cool, once I figured out the mechanics of it. Screenplay in Autumn was a really cool concept, but it felt like could've been longer and felt disappointed that that was it. December 3 was an interesting concept, but I could hardly find anything to remember and since the graphics were making me a bit sick, I called it quits on that one.
Godforsaken Hole Called... was one that I, surprisingly, enjoyed. I don't usually enjoy mazes, but something about this one kept me going to see what was at the end. And Artists of a Dead World is my favourite one so far, I kept restarting that one to find out more about the world. I still haven't figured it all out yet, but I look forward to it.
I'm only two games into the Madvent Calendar, but it seems like a creative collab project so far. I like the tree we go around in the hub world and the background action when idle for a bit, as it all adds a lot to the experience. Rip, while the visuals were a bit sketchy to me, was pretty fun to wander my way through, and I enjoyed the mechanic of ripping through things. Never did see the monster, though, so I guess I lucked out? Screenplay was...short and straightforward, so I haven't much to say on it. I like how it felt like a real stage setup. Overall, an entertaining experience, and I'm eager to get to the rest.
I think that this is a brilliant idea, and I hope the Haunted PS1 community does this from here on out. My video covers the first three games, and I like them all for different reasons. Rip is not only a weird and cool play on tearing open gifts, I love the ripping mechanic itself, and the longer I played, the more nervous I got knowing that “it” was catching up to me. I fell in love with A Screenplay in Autumn’s presentation, and would like to see an expanded, full release done in that style. And December 3rd does a remarkable job of making the player feel like they are truly alone at sea in a storm. I especially appreciated the onscreen effects of the lights against the oncoming snow. The game is also well-written, though I’m convinced I missed something. Overall, Madvent Calendar is off to a great start!
Love the look of the game and how the smoke looks like it’s physically going around the ball. I also like the sound of the ball. I don’t like how the smoke feels like it’s fighting with the ball, like there is some kind of wind. Or maybe the ball is a bit slow or troubling to control? The game reminded me of how much I don’t like mazes and how that if I ever make a maze again, I will make it more linear and just plain easy.
Even though the game is short and easy, it’s a lot of banging into walls and searching. There was one area where there was this little door opening that lead me back to the start and I wasn’t sure what the point of that was. Instead, if you continued going left you would have made progress towards the end of the game, I think. I thought the door was a hidden thing like a shortcut to the end of the game but it wasn’t. The last part of the game was pretty cool and reminded me of that old apple commercial.
I loved the physics of this game and the story felt real. I loved how you can drive the boat and turn on it’s light and reverse. I found only one smoke thing with a story that also sat in my boat after reading it. It appeared to me that there were plenty more things to find but I just couldn’t. There’s just not enough time in the day for me for me to play games that aren’t linear anymore. I also just couldn’t continue to drive through snow that blocks your view on where to go. I tried though for over 10 minutes but I kept finding the light house. Even when using the compass to drive in a straight-line for like south and west, I couldn’t find anything. Not even the smoke thing again. I’m generally interested in what others who are better at the game and have more time on their hands would find.
They didn't say they couldn't find three things, they said "it appeared to me that there were plenty more things to find". Feeling like there might be many things is utterly different than "I can't find anything!" Learn to read; if you don't bother to listen to what people actually say, then you will create unnecessary problems every single time you (mis-)communicate with other humans.
The more I ponder on this collection, the more I come to appreciate and enjoy it.
When I first approached this collection, I had the wrong mind set. I was expecting 24, fun horror games. Tight little mechanically driven experiences with a horror theme.
Instead, so far with the four that are out at the time of writing this, are short, intriguing experiences that I am extremely happy that I played through.
I am enjoying this collection, and like coming back to it every day. I would like to offer my critique, however.
Sorry for the huge long comment, but I have a lot of thoughts about this. I hope it validates the work you guys put into it though, and that I am not offensive or anything.
First, I like the creepy Christmas tree, and the VHS aesthetics. The voices that murmur in the background if you just hang on the screen long enough, I like it.
RIP
This is the most gamey one so far, with an interesting mechanic to play around and figure out. I love the strange, paper mache world that's been created. I like exploring this amalgamation of apartments and rooms that are almost dream like, or as if they're created by a neural network. You can get the sense of what they are supposed to be, but it's struggling to represent it accurately. Weird texture warping. crumpled walls, rooms that are empty besides a single piece of furniture. I love it.
I also really like the shadow mechanic. Having my own self chasing me, with the only clues as to how close it is being the sounds of what I have done before is so cool, and really builds up a sense of dread as I try to get through it faster. My second playthrough was really fun with this dread.
I do have problems with this one though.
For one, I don't think the mechanics are well conveyed, and I think it really comes down to the ripping. If you left click on any surface, the hands come up and rip, and a ripping sfx is played. This utterly confused me. Keep in mind, I wanted a completely blind experience so I didn't look at the gifs on the page.
At first I just started left clicking on things. The hands would come up, rip SFX...nothing happened. Ok, I guess that mechanic doesn't really do anything. I just stopped trying. I was able to push the tarps out of the way, so I didn't think to rip them.
This led me to not understand why I was going back. I would walk around, a high pitched noise would play, and that was it. The hand banging on the walls was too subtle for me to hear, so I didn't notice it coming for me. And because every time I tried to rip, the same sfx would play, I didn't make the connection that those were echoing what I did in the past, I assumed that something else was doing some ripping. I think, if there was perhaps a sound for failing to rip, I would have noticed the rhythm and pattern much earlier.
And then, the ending is very abrupt. We go up some stairs, and it's over. When I first got through the game and didn't understand the mechanic, I was confused. When I played a second time, aware of what was going on, I was sad there wasn't more, or at the least, a satisfying ending to the experience.
Screenplay in Autumn
I loved the premise and environment of this game too. Finding this abandoned stone tomb, that somehow turns towards me, and is way bigger on the inside than outside sets up a really cool atmosphere.
I think the idea of having to perform in a play is really cool. Following the stage directions set by the script, performing for this empty tomb with only a cardboard cutout is really eerie but interesting. I like when I had to look at a certain place, and strike a pose, and when I first figured out that *I* needed to interact to get my lines to play, I was excited.
Unfortunately, what I feel is the best part about the game kind of petered out, and I was left wishing there was more. Maybe that was the point, paralleling a story about a soldier who expects to be valorous and receive awards, only for their life to end abruptly, alone.
- But the acting part stopped. And instead I'm waiting for the mother's line to finish, so I can press some buttons till my line finishes. Then I walk off stage, and the end. It ended so abruptly, and I didn't find the play itself to be extremely investing, I was more interested in the mechanics that unfortunately were not expanded upon.
I understand that these were short games, I didn't want a huge experience, but maybe three acts, with a more satisfying ending, I would have liked it more. It seemed like just as it was going to get interesting, it's over.
December 3rd
I liked the remembering mechanic, and driving the boat around to learn more about this person's life. Having the very first interaction I see be "End it?" was very surprising and set the mood perfectly.
But jeez dude, the sensitivity on this was super high. It was really hard to just control my camera.
I didn't play through this one as much. The sensitivity made it hard to control and I had trouble finding things to remember.
A Godforsaken Hole...called...
So far, this has been my favorite game, this is the one that had given me the most unique and awesome experience.
At first, it seems kind of shallow. I'm a ball wandering around a maze, that's hard to see and kind of awkward to control. I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I see this guy sitting in a chair in a corner. Who is that? Why can't I get to them?
Eventually, I find the screen with the mouth. What the hell is she saying? I stay and listen, intrigued but unable to really discern what she is saying. The door opens, I wait till the monologue is finished, and I leave. The game closes. That's it? I was disappointed.
But I was really intrigued by that mouth. What the hell was that?
I look at the credits and find the performance for Not I, and read about it's writing. I watch the whole thing, and everything seems to come together.
I'm aimlessly wandering, in a field (which would explain the green mist), with the buzzing! Yes, the buzzing that never stopped, and I can barely hold on to this grasps of reality, the mist keeps weaving in and out making everything hard to see and discern. The lights keep going to various intensities.
The man in the corner, well, that had to be the Auditor, correct?
This game seems like both an interpretation and performance of "Not I" by Samuel Beckett, and I thoroughly enjoyed pondering it and researching this play. So thank you for that.
But nah, can't all be positive here.
Again, I feel like it ended so abruptly. Maybe that was the point, but I had the same feeling I did in Screenplay in Autumn. I explored this maze for however long, kind of confused, not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. Then finally something interesting happens. A screen with a mouth that's just going crazy. And as soon as it got interesting it was over...
Again, sorry for the long comment, and I hope I haven't offended anyone with my critiques. I just had these opinions so far and I really wanted to share them.
Thanks for taking the time to write all that! It would be cool if you continued these write-ups! Lots of games to come and lots of devs looking for reactions and feedback!
Don't worry about being critical, the devs might read here but we realize that that is part of it and we aren't perfect. We want to hear your opinions!
Several of the games are short and have abrupt endings because the original prompt was "make a haunted scene." So some are all about exploring an interesting space and that's all there is to it.
Hey everyone, thanks for making this collection. I've been playing the games and uploading each to youtube, and failing mostly. Is there any documentation for these games like controls or objectives? I'm having a hard time and some issues with some or maybe I'm just getting old, LOL. Here's the playlist if you want to make fun of what I'm doing:
Thanks for playing and making a video! We may have frontloaded a couple of the harder games. Most the games' controls should be easy to figure out, even if you aren't prompted: WASD to move, try both mouse buttons, and E to interact. But typically the games have prompts in them!
Episode 3 was interesting. The simulator aspect only served to make the experience still heavier. Being under a depressive, suicidal skin is not easy as I could see here.
I thought this was an interesting game with amazing music. The set and the way it was shot was really cool. I loved the unique way in how it told the story. It was very scifi. I liked the story and how it touched on the paranormal, really cool.
I would say that I wish the controls were a little bit clearer cause I was confused on what I was supposed to do at first but I guess that’s how it is for most games where they don’t tell you how to play. Maybe having the handle pop out and be it’s own little model would have been nice so I would have known that it was interactable. (I don’t like how spellcheck says that interactable isn’t a real word)
I appreciate not being able to type with just clicking as clicking that many words for it to appear once for each letter is kind of annoying. Using the spacebar and enter felt better and easier to do. I guess it being that way kinda makes you feel like you’re the one writing the screenplay and the slowness of it builds tense but I would have preferred to just see the whole dialogue.
The first two games were interesting at least. I partially wish this was on steam. But beyond that, interesting idea to have a horror game per day til chrismas.
Nope! It's PC! Some of the games are emulating PS1 graphics, but the Haunted PS1 community at large has become more about being inspired by a retro aesthetic across a wider spectrum than just PS1.
All you do is walk around and get teleported back to where you started when the noise/sound hurts your actual ears. Got bored and stopped. Felt like maybe this game was inspired by PT but I wasn’t interested in staying in the game any longer to find out. I don’t particularly like the texture warping. Things are also pretty hard to see with the filter. I did feel a little tense walking through the cloth, though. I’m hoping that even though I didn’t beat the game, that it’ll still allow me to play the other games on their specific day.
I think this advent calendar of games is a wonderful thing and the people who contributed to it are pretty cool.
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Another Day, another Madvent Episode. That was good but a little bit confusing.
195 Hours in the Cold
Game 8
A unique game that I feel told me a little bit about the story of ones past. It has it’s own feel, and it’s a bit dark in terms of lighting. Throughout the game I kept asking myself who the hell is this guy talking about but you find out by the end.
In the beginning of the game I walked through the sliding door, only to be forced to walk out the other door because of some invisible wall. I then walked outwards into the snow until I hit an invisible wall because I thought that, that was what the game wanted me to do. I’m glad that the game didn’t let me walk too far but why are those doors even accessible? And to make matters a little worse, there’s another window/door that you can go into and actually walk around in the place that you tried to walk in before. Like what was the point of that? Anyways, it’s not actually a bit deal so whatever. What you were supposed though was open the front door which gives a cool effect but I feel like being able to walk into those other doors before weren’t needed.
You collect a bunch of things that look like florescent lights in this game. I remember being in his room and going into more rooms which lead to nothing but a sink and toilet. I kinda expected to find a florescent light in there but it’s a waste of time to even explore his room in general.
The text in the game disappears too fast. Hard to read the text when some last way longer than others like the first bit of dialogue that you read.
I dunno, this game was alright.
i love it so much 😍
HWAJILGUIJI
Game 7
I think this game is one of the best looking games with a unique style. It has music that reminds me of the something that sounds like it could have been from the 90’s and it works well with the game. I thought the amount of story in the game was pretty cool but still hard for me to know what I really liked about it other than it being strange.
The animations remind me of cboyardee or pilotredsun type of animations and style.
I don’t like walking up to a door to only have the door above me on the next level level. It makes it difficult for me to stop running since all I was trying to do when walking through the door was go up. So basically what happens is I go up into the door, in the next screen there is a door above me, I then exit the door that I tried to enter which is annoying. This happens when walking “right” into doors as well. I don’t like it.
The art was really good with the characters and stuff and how they moved. The animations and everything were neat.
Anyways, I felt that the game was pretty cool and the story about the substance was alright. Nice game!
Day 7 played. Really, this is interesting. On same vibe of some PS1 bizarre and obscure games and a little curious plot about reality distortion. I liked that.
Started playing this and I have to say its quite weird and I love it
Six 8 Six
I feel like there's more to this that I'm missing.
So the first time playing, I struggled to catch any fish, but I read all the dialog and waited out my demise. I liked the story, and how ominous whatever the event was. Somehow this frozen landscape is warmer than where ever the researchers are.
Having the screen get whiter as I get closer to death, making it harder to fish was a nice effect. I want to know more about who this person is.
I am a little confused about who they are, that they are part of the research team but apparently hated all the research.
That's also a really weird eating sound, but I liked the weirdness.
My second time playing, I paid attention to the title. "Six and Six" Six minutes to live, maybe I need six fish?
On my third playthrough I finally got the fishing mechanic. It's just time, and if you just cast the pole right on top of a fish they bite it, and you just wait for the bob to go down to reel it in. It's a really hard effect to see, and there's no sound effects for it.
I cook a fish, and see that the whiteness went down. Cool! I can eat fish and survive longer! Maybe there's more dialog.
So I keep catching fish, and get 6. Nothing happens. Okay, I just keep fishing and it seems like it just delays the dialog.
My next play through, I try walking away from everything. There's an invisible wall, and I die quickly.
Then I look at the title and now I can't tell if it's actually Six 8 Six or Six & Six, Now I'm just more confused and I feel like there's more to it!!!
So this was a neat little experience, and knowing the original prompt I wouldn't be surprised if there was nothing more, but it just *feels* like something is there.
HWAJILGUJI
I really liked the art direction in this game! It was so unique, the glitchiness and weird carboard cutouts with mismatched textures. I also love the surrealist, Zelda CDI esque cutscenes, they were super entertaining to watch.
I don't know if English is the creator's first language, because a lot of the dialog has odd word choice and grammar that doesn't feel intentional. Like, obviously "A magazine exists in your vision" is on purpose, but idk if "They doesn't know how they get here" doesn't. But it didn't bother me, I feel like it kinda adds to the odd nature of everything.
I thought the "The the the the the times" newspaper was funny. And the dialog kept me entertained, especially the oscillating guy, and Isabella telling me she manages all the supplies in a completely barren room.
I think the story is a *little* generic. Scientists makes chemicals that causes problems, I feel like there could have been a more interesting backstory to all of this. But I really do like the surrealist and complete destruction of the world it had.
Is there anything I can do for the guy looking to go home, or is that it?
I just wanna stress again that I really like the art direction. This felt like an actual PS1 game, especially the neon flashing arrows.
I also appreciate the sound design. Creepy, surreal, and most of all gives me feedback on what I am doing! Sound is so important! I was confused by the world, but not by the game mechanics themselves!
I didn't know you could actually catch the fish! Now I gotta go back and do that.
Six & Six dev here, a lil late but better than never I guess. There isn't more in the game, it's got a six-wheeled offroader stuck in the snow, it's on the sixth day and you can survive a maximum 6 minutes(unless you are a fish god).
Who the main character is is currently up to interpretation, which was done on purpose, it's meant to be a chill game where you can relax and fish(and yes, die).
Nice game and I am starting all the way back at #1 But I shall catch up. Took a bit of understanding the first game I played RIP but I got it and I think I am the only one to reach the ending? Anyway The stylish one and the prime time crew are going to spread the word of this awesome game keep it coming peeps at haunted ps1
my next part 😁
day 6 was oddly soothing...
dev here, glad to read this!
What a great idea! I'm so excited to play through as many of these as I can, here's the first three!
The sixth game was very interesting... Enjoying the last minutes of life before dying from hypothermia is a very weird way of face the imminent end of the world...
Six & Six
Game 6
You are in some winter landscape in front of a pool with fishes in them and you have a fishing pole. Trying to fish is hard and trying to read the dialogue that’s going on in the bottom of the screen while fishing is hard. Let alone with fishing being hard, I couldn’t catch anything. I don’t know if it’s because the fishing mechanic wasn’t actually implemented but it just doesn’t seem to work cause once it looks like a fish is caught and you try to reel it in, the fish unhooks itself. With no controls, it’s hard to know how to play.
And I had no idea if I was supposed to fish to continue the story and get the true ending. I saw a campfire and I kinda expected to fish to survive to get the true ending but it seems like the fishing was just there to be there and all you really had to do was stand and read the text, wait like 8 minutes and watch the screen go white and let the game end. I get it and to be honest, I prefer the game be that way. It’s just I was juggling fishing with trying to read the story and missing out on it.
you can actually catch and eat fish. but you die anyways.
Always happy to see new stuff from the haunted PS1!
hi, big thx for the great game. greetings from rosti 😍
Day 5 Concluded (I think...). Yep, this is more strange than the last game. I confess that until now I can't understand this game, but it was fun nevertheless.
Artist of a dead world
Game 5
I’m not exactly sure what I just played and where the theme of Christmas takes part in. I’m not a fan of the huge warping of textures and something about the game feels modern. I would say that it has to do with the textures. Usually when I play old ps1 looking indie games, I want to feel nostalgic and imagine that the game could have been released back in the day. Also, I just love low poly looking games.
I would say that the sound design is really good and the way that they did the lighting was really good as well! It goes from dark to light and the use of many colours was really nice! I think the character art was nice as well and I liked the way that they talked.
I felt that a lot of the game felt cut off and it felt very limited but even though it stays true to what the story was about, I was kinda expecting to open doors and find keys.
I would like to say that I’m thankful for being brought back to life after falling in the pit.
Neat little game.
With the knowledge that the original prompt was to create a haunting scene, I am approaching these games with a different mindset that I am enjoying much more. I'm not necessarily looking for a fun, mechanically driven experience, more so just *an* interesting experience
December 3rd
I have now replayed this game, and I appreciate it a lot more.
I like the atmosphere, the first prompt I get to see being a way to commit suicide I still love, it perfectly sets the mood for the game.
I think the aimless wandering around the sea is the point, and it certainly had an effect on me, but I found handling the boat to be awkward. It was really hard to see out the window, the snow and it being night felt intended, but the personal light on the first person controller would glare and make it almost impossible to see out the window. The perspective was also completely different when standing up, that I'd see something in the distance, start driving, and get completely lost because now it's obscured.
I liked the story, I think circling back to the lighthouse is cool. Almost makes me feel like I'm just exploring the mind of this depressed person, clouded, disconnected thoughts with the one certain, clearest thing being a memory from childhood, that we always come back to. We can clearly remember everything before the incident, but the incident is foggy and we have to do searching to find it.
Or maybe I'm reading entirely too much into it. Death to the author I guess.
Artists of a Dead World
Oh I really like this one. I think this finally gave me that resolution that I was looking for. Of course, not everything was explained, but that's not really what I wanted, I wanted the interesting part of the experience to continue past the first drop.
At first I just explored every room I could, until I got caught by those guards and kicked out of the game. Then I go back in, intrigued, noticing areas I couldn't get into last time. I realize that I can jump really high, and make my way into that hidden room, with the girl who tells me that maybe I can get to other places.
This feels like a really subtle and hidden tutorial. I noticed that I probably *could* make it up there, and when I do the game tells me to do it some more.
I found the thing that speaks in that weird font, I took a screenshot, and continued on. I jump over the gate, get into the green room, do the parkour, and take a screenshot of the next font message.
I looked at the game credits, found the font, and decoded my screenshots. That part was so awesome. It really made an impact on me. I go back in the game and see its all corrupted.
Anyways, I won't just walk through my entire experience, but I am really happy that this game required multiple playthroughs, and the interesting parts kept going. I liked the idea behind this horribleness happening because of my own curiosity (very Undertaley). Even though I don't know what's going on with these districts and characters (maybe I missed something), I am still content with an experience that went beyond the very first interesting thing. Very well done!
And another thing, I think the art is really cute and I liked it a lot.
I will say, that my one issue is the parkour sequence in the room with the giant pit. Jumping on those lampposts is the most finnicky thing I've ever done, and it was really frustrating to miss a jump that I could barely tell I was making, or to make it and just slip off by a pixel.
You got over the fence in the room with the computer? Please share how, I've been trying for minutes now.
How do you get over the gate!? I've been trying for a while but no luck so far.
When you walk into the room, on the left corner there is a little lip on the wall that you can stand on. If you run and jump from there, you'll get to the fence. If you just spam jump while on the fence, there's apparently some part you can jump on and it gets you over the fence.
Thanks! I'll try again.
I did it like he said, but I would recommend that you should try to hug the wall
wow! i really didn't expect people to find the secrets on their own and even go as far as to decode messages. so glad you liked it and found everything! 🖤
it has a cool style and feels spooky, keep it up!
Really enjoyed the art style and how the world changed. Amazing work! I will have to keep an eye for any new releases from you.
I absolutely loved it! Just to make sure I didnt miss anything: is the 4th restart the end of the game?
yes, there are a total of 4 endings where the game quits
Really enjoyed the game, thanks for making! You like croutons?
they r fun
It felt like there were just enough clues hinting toward something else under the surface, and pretty clear signposts letting me know I was on the right track. It was really nice to know precisely when I'd seen everything, too. It's a really tight experience with great flow, and it comes together incredibly well despite being obtuse and cryptic.
Very intrigued by this collection so far and enjoy checking out a short game every day. RIP was really cool, once I figured out the mechanics of it. Screenplay in Autumn was a really cool concept, but it felt like could've been longer and felt disappointed that that was it. December 3 was an interesting concept, but I could hardly find anything to remember and since the graphics were making me a bit sick, I called it quits on that one.
Godforsaken Hole Called... was one that I, surprisingly, enjoyed. I don't usually enjoy mazes, but something about this one kept me going to see what was at the end. And Artists of a Dead World is my favourite one so far, I kept restarting that one to find out more about the world. I still haven't figured it all out yet, but I look forward to it.
I'm only two games into the Madvent Calendar, but it seems like a creative collab project so far. I like the tree we go around in the hub world and the background action when idle for a bit, as it all adds a lot to the experience. Rip, while the visuals were a bit sketchy to me, was pretty fun to wander my way through, and I enjoyed the mechanic of ripping through things. Never did see the monster, though, so I guess I lucked out? Screenplay was...short and straightforward, so I haven't much to say on it. I like how it felt like a real stage setup. Overall, an entertaining experience, and I'm eager to get to the rest.
Good job, devs.I think that this is a brilliant idea, and I hope the Haunted PS1 community does this from here on out. My video covers the first three games, and I like them all for different reasons. Rip is not only a weird and cool play on tearing open gifts, I love the ripping mechanic itself, and the longer I played, the more nervous I got knowing that “it” was catching up to me. I fell in love with A Screenplay in Autumn’s presentation, and would like to see an expanded, full release done in that style. And December 3rd does a remarkable job of making the player feel like they are truly alone at sea in a storm. I especially appreciated the onscreen effects of the lights against the oncoming snow. The game is also well-written, though I’m convinced I missed something. Overall, Madvent Calendar is off to a great start!
Godforsaken hole called...
Game 4
Love the look of the game and how the smoke looks like it’s physically going around the ball. I also like the sound of the ball. I don’t like how the smoke feels like it’s fighting with the ball, like there is some kind of wind. Or maybe the ball is a bit slow or troubling to control? The game reminded me of how much I don’t like mazes and how that if I ever make a maze again, I will make it more linear and just plain easy.
Even though the game is short and easy, it’s a lot of banging into walls and searching. There was one area where there was this little door opening that lead me back to the start and I wasn’t sure what the point of that was. Instead, if you continued going left you would have made progress towards the end of the game, I think. I thought the door was a hidden thing like a shortcut to the end of the game but it wasn’t. The last part of the game was pretty cool and reminded me of that old apple commercial.
well at least we ( not I ) can play games while waiting for godot !
Until now, the most werid episode I ever played. But the visuals and sound are amazing. You guys have built an horror feeling here.
December 3rd
Game 3
I loved the physics of this game and the story felt real. I loved how you can drive the boat and turn on it’s light and reverse. I found only one smoke thing with a story that also sat in my boat after reading it. It appeared to me that there were plenty more things to find but I just couldn’t. There’s just not enough time in the day for me for me to play games that aren’t linear anymore. I also just couldn’t continue to drive through snow that blocks your view on where to go. I tried though for over 10 minutes but I kept finding the light house. Even when using the compass to drive in a straight-line for like south and west, I couldn’t find anything. Not even the smoke thing again. I’m generally interested in what others who are better at the game and have more time on their hands would find.
Great game.
There are three things to find. I don't understand how you had difficulties finding them. Just drive around the lighthouse with your lights out.
They didn't say they couldn't find three things, they said "it appeared to me that there were plenty more things to find". Feeling like there might be many things is utterly different than "I can't find anything!" Learn to read; if you don't bother to listen to what people actually say, then you will create unnecessary problems every single time you (mis-)communicate with other humans.
The more I ponder on this collection, the more I come to appreciate and enjoy it.
When I first approached this collection, I had the wrong mind set. I was expecting 24, fun horror games. Tight little mechanically driven experiences with a horror theme.
Instead, so far with the four that are out at the time of writing this, are short, intriguing experiences that I am extremely happy that I played through.
I am enjoying this collection, and like coming back to it every day. I would like to offer my critique, however.
Sorry for the huge long comment, but I have a lot of thoughts about this. I hope it validates the work you guys put into it though, and that I am not offensive or anything.
First, I like the creepy Christmas tree, and the VHS aesthetics. The voices that murmur in the background if you just hang on the screen long enough, I like it.
RIP
This is the most gamey one so far, with an interesting mechanic to play around and figure out. I love the strange, paper mache world that's been created. I like exploring this amalgamation of apartments and rooms that are almost dream like, or as if they're created by a neural network. You can get the sense of what they are supposed to be, but it's struggling to represent it accurately. Weird texture warping. crumpled walls, rooms that are empty besides a single piece of furniture. I love it.
I also really like the shadow mechanic. Having my own self chasing me, with the only clues as to how close it is being the sounds of what I have done before is so cool, and really builds up a sense of dread as I try to get through it faster. My second playthrough was really fun with this dread.
I do have problems with this one though.
For one, I don't think the mechanics are well conveyed, and I think it really comes down to the ripping. If you left click on any surface, the hands come up and rip, and a ripping sfx is played. This utterly confused me. Keep in mind, I wanted a completely blind experience so I didn't look at the gifs on the page.
At first I just started left clicking on things. The hands would come up, rip SFX...nothing happened. Ok, I guess that mechanic doesn't really do anything. I just stopped trying. I was able to push the tarps out of the way, so I didn't think to rip them.
This led me to not understand why I was going back. I would walk around, a high pitched noise would play, and that was it. The hand banging on the walls was too subtle for me to hear, so I didn't notice it coming for me. And because every time I tried to rip, the same sfx would play, I didn't make the connection that those were echoing what I did in the past, I assumed that something else was doing some ripping. I think, if there was perhaps a sound for failing to rip, I would have noticed the rhythm and pattern much earlier.
And then, the ending is very abrupt. We go up some stairs, and it's over. When I first got through the game and didn't understand the mechanic, I was confused. When I played a second time, aware of what was going on, I was sad there wasn't more, or at the least, a satisfying ending to the experience.
Screenplay in Autumn
I loved the premise and environment of this game too. Finding this abandoned stone tomb, that somehow turns towards me, and is way bigger on the inside than outside sets up a really cool atmosphere.
I think the idea of having to perform in a play is really cool. Following the stage directions set by the script, performing for this empty tomb with only a cardboard cutout is really eerie but interesting. I like when I had to look at a certain place, and strike a pose, and when I first figured out that *I* needed to interact to get my lines to play, I was excited.
Unfortunately, what I feel is the best part about the game kind of petered out, and I was left wishing there was more. Maybe that was the point, paralleling a story about a soldier who expects to be valorous and receive awards, only for their life to end abruptly, alone.
- But the acting part stopped. And instead I'm waiting for the mother's line to finish, so I can press some buttons till my line finishes. Then I walk off stage, and the end. It ended so abruptly, and I didn't find the play itself to be extremely investing, I was more interested in the mechanics that unfortunately were not expanded upon.
I understand that these were short games, I didn't want a huge experience, but maybe three acts, with a more satisfying ending, I would have liked it more. It seemed like just as it was going to get interesting, it's over.
December 3rd
I liked the remembering mechanic, and driving the boat around to learn more about this person's life. Having the very first interaction I see be "End it?" was very surprising and set the mood perfectly.
But jeez dude, the sensitivity on this was super high. It was really hard to just control my camera.
I didn't play through this one as much. The sensitivity made it hard to control and I had trouble finding things to remember.
A Godforsaken Hole...called...
So far, this has been my favorite game, this is the one that had given me the most unique and awesome experience.
At first, it seems kind of shallow. I'm a ball wandering around a maze, that's hard to see and kind of awkward to control. I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I see this guy sitting in a chair in a corner. Who is that? Why can't I get to them?
Eventually, I find the screen with the mouth. What the hell is she saying? I stay and listen, intrigued but unable to really discern what she is saying. The door opens, I wait till the monologue is finished, and I leave. The game closes. That's it? I was disappointed.
But I was really intrigued by that mouth. What the hell was that?
I look at the credits and find the performance for Not I, and read about it's writing. I watch the whole thing, and everything seems to come together.
I'm aimlessly wandering, in a field (which would explain the green mist), with the buzzing! Yes, the buzzing that never stopped, and I can barely hold on to this grasps of reality, the mist keeps weaving in and out making everything hard to see and discern. The lights keep going to various intensities.
The man in the corner, well, that had to be the Auditor, correct?
This game seems like both an interpretation and performance of "Not I" by Samuel Beckett, and I thoroughly enjoyed pondering it and researching this play. So thank you for that.
But nah, can't all be positive here.
Again, I feel like it ended so abruptly. Maybe that was the point, but I had the same feeling I did in Screenplay in Autumn. I explored this maze for however long, kind of confused, not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. Then finally something interesting happens. A screen with a mouth that's just going crazy. And as soon as it got interesting it was over...
Again, sorry for the long comment, and I hope I haven't offended anyone with my critiques. I just had these opinions so far and I really wanted to share them.
Thanks for taking the time to write all that! It would be cool if you continued these write-ups! Lots of games to come and lots of devs looking for reactions and feedback!
Don't worry about being critical, the devs might read here but we realize that that is part of it and we aren't perfect. We want to hear your opinions!
Several of the games are short and have abrupt endings because the original prompt was "make a haunted scene." So some are all about exploring an interesting space and that's all there is to it.
Stick around! Some amazing stuff coming!
Hey everyone, thanks for making this collection. I've been playing the games and uploading each to youtube, and failing mostly. Is there any documentation for these games like controls or objectives? I'm having a hard time and some issues with some or maybe I'm just getting old, LOL. Here's the playlist if you want to make fun of what I'm doing:
Thanks for playing and making a video! We may have frontloaded a couple of the harder games. Most the games' controls should be easy to figure out, even if you aren't prompted: WASD to move, try both mouse buttons, and E to interact. But typically the games have prompts in them!
No worries, definitely going to go back and do some more playthroughs, maybe even speedruns!
A lot of awesome games in this collection. Very festive. Well worth the download.
Episode 3 was interesting. The simulator aspect only served to make the experience still heavier. Being under a depressive, suicidal skin is not easy as I could see here.
1st game: wow so fun to keep restarting every 30 secs what a NICE mechanic
now only if you could make the walking speed slower i coulnd't enjoy the game long enough
wait till you play the 8th game if you think walking is slow... (I skipped ahead, sorry)
it's avoidable, it doesn't just reset arbitrarily, gotta figure it out (:
please explain my guy im so confused
pay attention to the sounds, that's all i'll say
im still just wandering around trying to rip every wall open :|
I have managed to escape a few times when I started to hear the buzz, I moved away & it went away.
It didn't work all times so there is more to it.
Screenplay in Autumn
Game 2
I thought this was an interesting game with amazing music. The set and the way it was shot was really cool. I loved the unique way in how it told the story. It was very scifi. I liked the story and how it touched on the paranormal, really cool.
I would say that I wish the controls were a little bit clearer cause I was confused on what I was supposed to do at first but I guess that’s how it is for most games where they don’t tell you how to play. Maybe having the handle pop out and be it’s own little model would have been nice so I would have known that it was interactable. (I don’t like how spellcheck says that interactable isn’t a real word)
I appreciate not being able to type with just clicking as clicking that many words for it to appear once for each letter is kind of annoying. Using the spacebar and enter felt better and easier to do. I guess it being that way kinda makes you feel like you’re the one writing the screenplay and the slowness of it builds tense but I would have preferred to just see the whole dialogue.
Cool short game.
The first two games were interesting at least. I partially wish this was on steam. But beyond that, interesting idea to have a horror game per day til chrismas.
Here's my channel for other games I have played. http://www.youtube.com/c/Levont
is that work on real ps1
Nope! It's PC! Some of the games are emulating PS1 graphics, but the Haunted PS1 community at large has become more about being inspired by a retro aesthetic across a wider spectrum than just PS1.
ok good luck
gracias
Game 1
All you do is walk around and get teleported back to where you started when the noise/sound hurts your actual ears. Got bored and stopped. Felt like maybe this game was inspired by PT but I wasn’t interested in staying in the game any longer to find out. I don’t particularly like the texture warping. Things are also pretty hard to see with the filter. I did feel a little tense walking through the cloth, though. I’m hoping that even though I didn’t beat the game, that it’ll still allow me to play the other games on their specific day.
I think this advent calendar of games is a wonderful thing and the people who contributed to it are pretty cool.
[ ＭＡＳＳＩＶＥ ＳＰＯＩＬＥＲ ＷＡＲＮＩＮＧ ]
Kids, remember to stop watching after gameID(int(DateTime.Today()))!
Episode 02: another great mini-game.