First, I’d like to note that I wasn’t able to complete this game, so please take this into consideration with this feedback.
The things I liked about this game: Exploring a map in the dark with an enemy constantly stalking you is a fun idea. The way the Entity’s eyes light up in the dark and fade away constantly is a nice effect. It feels and is threatening. Being able to counter and knock back the Entity feels great thanks to some clean sound and visual effects. As you progress the Entity becomes more and more aggressive adding to the tension of the situation. The fact that this is all happening while you’re navigating a pitch black environment helps create a truly intense experience at times.
Feedback:
I did not understand the objective of the game. I have a clue what it is but there definitely needs to be much more clear communication about what the player is trying to accomplish. The hints given after you die can point the player in the right direction but they seem to be randomized and are only shown after the player has failed. I’m not saying that the game can’t be mysterious or vague to help elevate the game’s world, but it’s hard to connect with that world if the player is constantly lost on what their objective is in it. Although, there is a part of me that kinda thinks the constant dying and vague clues might be tied into the world building, but if so, it is still a frustrating experience for me.
While I adore the exploration while under a constant threat, the map design needs some work. I understand that I’m supposed to be practically blind and balance lighting the way while fending off my attacker. This is a great challenge but the map still feels vague and disjointed. While some glow flowers do make for some landmarks, much of the map looks the same and it often felt like I was wandering around some of the more repetitive dream world maps in Yume Nikki. Again, that might be the point, but from a player’s gameplay perspective, it still makes for a frustrating experience.
I’m torn because I like the concept a lot but there’s definitely a lot of design decisions that could have been reconsidered and improved. I don’t want to be too harsh either because this was made for a Game Jam so I’m sure there were time constraints and cut ideas. I definitely think that this game is worth playing if you’re up for a challenge. I hope you guys continue to work on more games because, despite its shortcomings, this was definitely compelling in many ways.