This was such an IMPECCABLE experience. From the very beginning there is an incredibly eerie atmosphere, with the BGM and the textured backgrounds and the WONDERFUL voice acting. The choice to narrate the narrator is an excellent one and creates such a fantastical, almost "fable"-like atmosphere (I really love the use of second-person present tense for this reason as well). It's incredibly immersive. The background effects are really neat and really created this sense of being "suffocated" by the darkness, and I enjoyed the design of the Creature - how he almost blends into the darkness. (The variant of his sprite where he was shrouded in darkness, with only his eyes and fangs visible - was absolutely spine-tingling!) The writing is wonderfully poetic, enhanced by the VA! The sound design is PERFECT, and I especially loved all of the different voice effects you used for the different characters (I would never have guessed there were only 2 VAs here without looking at the credits!)
===MINOR SPOILERS BELOW===
I came out of this with a few more questions than I had answers, but on the whole I was very intrigued...I think that the story does an excellent job of setting up a lot of different plot points while still giving the player a cohesive, "full" experience. I'm guessing that "The Creature" is the entity that haunts the box, while "The Man who isn't there" is the man whose body that the creature stole (at first I thought that he was the Crooked Man, but then the Crooked Man appeared later, so hm...maybe it's someone else?) The entire game put me on edge from the start as I navigated this encounter with this strange entity, evading his questions while also making sure not to anger him (it reminded me a bit of a Rumpelstiltskin-esque fairy tale, where the protagonist needs to outsmart a mystical creature in order to make it out alive). I found the Creature to be both scary and oddly charming...I think there's a lot more to this creature's backstory than what was revealed here, and I'm more than a bit curious to see how he relates to the Crooked Man...
In the "Freedom" end, I won't lie I was disappointed that the Crooked Man was kicking us out already - I JUST BECAME YOUR APPRENTICE IN THE LAST GAME, I didn't even learn anything yet!! Please take me back!!!
I'm looking forward to the continuation, fantastic job!! :)