I've loved this game studio since Decrypt, and this is another high quality horror game! Amazing atmosphere. Excellent story, that's emotional, gripping, entices your curiosity, and wraps up in a satisfying way.
I really like how this game is presented. The cinematics with high quality voice overs and the in-game lore is done wonderfully. My favourite part is Nik's desktop game. It's wild that you folks literally built a game within a game! And you tied it brilliantly with the overall story-the main theme of guilt is so well explored.
I really can't praise the atmosphere enough: it's heavy, brooding, tense. I didn't know what awaited me around each corner. It was definitely creepy with enough jumpscares to be scary. The scariest part was having to progress the story, which brings me to a factor all your games accomplish incredibly well:
I call it the "I don't wanna!" factor.
For me, the best horror games make me do things I don't want to do, because they have to be done in order to progress.
In this game, the gritty environmental detail, the troubled past of Nik and Maya, and the decrepit visuals of the game-within-this game all contribute to this factor. Within consistently makes me go down dark hallways, and through demonic corridors, to find out the truth.
The highlight of this game, and what exemplifies this factor perfectly, is at the end when Maya was descending the seemingly endless dark staircase.
Within is the latest example of what you hard working, talented, passionate, and dedicated folks at Crux Game Studios can do. I'm really glad you're continuing to make games because you've become my favourite indie horror game studio.
All the best for all your future projects, which I hope will be many. Keep up the fantastic work!