The concept is good and the soundtrack is Amazing. Unfortunately, my game registered a lot of false misses (mostly misses popping up on the same note that had already registered correctly.) Until those bugs are sorted out, it's incredibly frustrating to play. (I may also recommend darkening the darker grey keys to black, the color change btw them and the white keys is so subtle it was more confusing than helpful.)
Hope this game gets finished eventually, still has a lot of kinks that need to be ironed out and I'm not completely sure if the story is finished or not. But as someone with really bad anxiety that loves horror games and music I'm a big fan of this concept, and I had a good time with what's here.
TL:DR review for new bundle buyers: Game is unfinished, buggy (despite creator saying they were fixing these bugs 4+ years ago and still hasn't) and has no story. It's not a particularly well crafted rhythm game nor is it an actually scary horror game and contains no actual jumpscares scarier than what the UI does to you. It's just a rhythm game that hates you. There is no "horrific past trauma." Good for maybe five minutes of play if you bought it with the bundle. but not the $5 on it's own. Maybe 1 star.
More in depth review:
This concept is on solid ground. A horror game that is a rhythm game following the notes of anxiety and not knowing when things are going to be thrown in your face on top of the idea of a game breaking down like your own feeble sanity. It's cool! The art is beautiful and the music is also beautiful!
The aesthetic and idea are the clothespins holding together a house of cards unfortunately. I played this with my friend who knows rhythm games like the back of their hand and it's not... good. To repeat old complaints in these comments that we experienced: it doesn't pick up some of the notes that were DEFINITELY played, the last stage plays over and over without telling you that it finished the game, (going so far as accidentally rubbing it in because the voice acting says "no, that's not right" when you click on the menu button and just starts the level again), notes are dropped and sometimes you get failure effects despite doing well.
Beyond the unfinished bug aspects, the game has no story. All of the promised plot isn't there. None of the past trauma stuff and no cut scenes besides two or three lines of text with dialogue. I read up the comments and apparently this is going to stay that way. Development's over. It's done. Go home! And honestly? This just makes it... kinda sad? Where my friends were outraged at not being told this I'm just... disappointed. I love horror games (as a horror reviewer) because they delve into our psyche, they can be creative and emotionally fulfilling. I can see where this could have gone, from being a difficult, unclear, anxiety inducing game with proper jump scares, pacing, whispered voices going in one ear to the other only you can hear over the frantic keys of piano as she demands revenge, to one final piece after freeing yourself from the grasp of the spirit, played under blue skies and uninterrupted. Simple, beautiful music you make with your hands, without even a discordant note to reflect any mistakes, no knowledge of potential failure besides a percentage at the end of your score.
But that's not going to happen and it makes me really sad. Maybe one day they will finish the game. Maybe they won't. It's not up to us, nor will any of us know what happened to HANNAH or our player character, what's up with the dock at the lake, or quell the anxiety of it all in the end.
1 : Why there is no save in story mode? All tracks are unlocked and ready to play from other menu option! what is the point of the story mode then? only cutscenes or something?
2: You must be kidding me with that insane distortion effect at the end of second track: Audition. I expected jumpscares and other spooky things but that??? Also that random mistake events when You play perfectly well - it brokes the entire immersion of the song ( I know it is another scare)!
Difficulty is way to hard! Don't get me wrong - I am playing Your game along with Super Hexagon :) Then You should know what I mean - I am not even angry when I loose in SH because is fast paced, but here...It is confusing as hell!(Because I am screwing all the time because of image distortions and other...Not from lack of abilities)!
Other than that this game is great, but I have hope there will be save function, more tracks to play and other "Improvements"
There's no save because we essentially ran out of time. We originally planned for lots of tracks in the story, bigger cutscenes, and more effects in the levels themselves. That didn't pan out. As for the difficulty, I had wanted to make the experience unnerving/frustrating to replicate the feelings of being on a stage with anxiety. I probably overtuned it, though, and if I go back would balance it out a little better.
Moving forward we don't plan to heavily work on the game anymore. If something happens though, I will take your feedback and make those improvements. Thanks for playing :)
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The concept is good and the soundtrack is Amazing. Unfortunately, my game registered a lot of false misses (mostly misses popping up on the same note that had already registered correctly.) Until those bugs are sorted out, it's incredibly frustrating to play. (I may also recommend darkening the darker grey keys to black, the color change btw them and the white keys is so subtle it was more confusing than helpful.)
my stream of it here
Hope this game gets finished eventually, still has a lot of kinks that need to be ironed out and I'm not completely sure if the story is finished or not. But as someone with really bad anxiety that loves horror games and music I'm a big fan of this concept, and I had a good time with what's here.
TL:DR review for new bundle buyers: Game is unfinished, buggy (despite creator saying they were fixing these bugs 4+ years ago and still hasn't) and has no story. It's not a particularly well crafted rhythm game nor is it an actually scary horror game and contains no actual jumpscares scarier than what the UI does to you. It's just a rhythm game that hates you. There is no "horrific past trauma." Good for maybe five minutes of play if you bought it with the bundle. but not the $5 on it's own. Maybe 1 star.
More in depth review:
This concept is on solid ground. A horror game that is a rhythm game following the notes of anxiety and not knowing when things are going to be thrown in your face on top of the idea of a game breaking down like your own feeble sanity. It's cool! The art is beautiful and the music is also beautiful!
The aesthetic and idea are the clothespins holding together a house of cards unfortunately. I played this with my friend who knows rhythm games like the back of their hand and it's not... good. To repeat old complaints in these comments that we experienced: it doesn't pick up some of the notes that were DEFINITELY played, the last stage plays over and over without telling you that it finished the game, (going so far as accidentally rubbing it in because the voice acting says "no, that's not right" when you click on the menu button and just starts the level again), notes are dropped and sometimes you get failure effects despite doing well.
Beyond the unfinished bug aspects, the game has no story. All of the promised plot isn't there. None of the past trauma stuff and no cut scenes besides two or three lines of text with dialogue. I read up the comments and apparently this is going to stay that way. Development's over. It's done. Go home! And honestly? This just makes it... kinda sad? Where my friends were outraged at not being told this I'm just... disappointed. I love horror games (as a horror reviewer) because they delve into our psyche, they can be creative and emotionally fulfilling. I can see where this could have gone, from being a difficult, unclear, anxiety inducing game with proper jump scares, pacing, whispered voices going in one ear to the other only you can hear over the frantic keys of piano as she demands revenge, to one final piece after freeing yourself from the grasp of the spirit, played under blue skies and uninterrupted. Simple, beautiful music you make with your hands, without even a discordant note to reflect any mistakes, no knowledge of potential failure besides a percentage at the end of your score.
But that's not going to happen and it makes me really sad. Maybe one day they will finish the game. Maybe they won't. It's not up to us, nor will any of us know what happened to HANNAH or our player character, what's up with the dock at the lake, or quell the anxiety of it all in the end.
Game is wonderful but:
1 : Why there is no save in story mode? All tracks are unlocked and ready to play from other menu option! what is the point of the story mode then? only cutscenes or something?
2: You must be kidding me with that insane distortion effect at the end of second track: Audition.
I expected jumpscares and other spooky things but that??? Also that random mistake events when You play perfectly well - it brokes the entire immersion of the song ( I know it is another scare)!
Difficulty is way to hard! Don't get me wrong - I am playing Your game along with Super Hexagon :) Then You should know what I mean - I am not even angry when I loose in SH because is fast paced, but here...It is confusing as hell!(Because I am screwing all the time because of image distortions and other...Not from lack of abilities)!
Other than that this game is great, but I have hope there will be save function, more tracks to play and other "Improvements"
Thank You
Thanks for your feedback!
There's no save because we essentially ran out of time. We originally planned for lots of tracks in the story, bigger cutscenes, and more effects in the levels themselves. That didn't pan out. As for the difficulty, I had wanted to make the experience unnerving/frustrating to replicate the feelings of being on a stage with anxiety. I probably overtuned it, though, and if I go back would balance it out a little better.
Moving forward we don't plan to heavily work on the game anymore. If something happens though, I will take your feedback and make those improvements. Thanks for playing :)