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Review.
Introduction
Please Follow is a Walking Simulator with light Puzzles. You are a presumed soldier patrolling the trenches. While patrolling, you came across a tunnel. Fearing this may be dug by the Enemy, you set your mind to explore it.
Presentation
Please Follow is a simple game that is about following. Jokes aside, there isn't much to elaborate on the gameplay. You start following the tunnel down into Earth. Coming across what looks like growths on the walls of the tunnel. Interacting with it gives you the only bit of narrative, consists of two sentences, phrase differently from one or another. And there is more than one. Unfortunately, it's shaky and can't be paused. After that, puzzles become the main focus.
Puzzles are mainly of "bring X to Y" nature. What are X? Worms. Please Follow used worms as a form of an offering to an undisclosed God or entity. It doesn't go far with it, and I'm speaking (mostly) conjecturally on my part in the following.
I see a fair bit of similarities between Please Follow and the unlikely story, the Terror from the Depths {pub. 1976} by Fritz Leiber (which I recently finished reading a couple of weeks back. Check it out.) Both feature a worm-like entity. The worm, as a gravitational hypnotic effect on both characters. The most damnable parallel is the appearance of the Please Follow's worm, which has wings. Yet, both take the worm in different directions. If only Please Follow's narrative was less cryptic. Not saying a cryptic nature is wrong, but Cosmic Horror relies on subtleness and hints.
Visually, it's excellent, an PlayStation One era graphics. While I made the issue, with the narrative-on-a-screen, it works well with the war setting. For a short game {clocking in at twenty minutes long} there is a sense of scale, not just on the surface, but underneath in chthonic depths. The final extension of the chamber opens into space with stars sparkling with light. It could be minerals reflecting, who knows. It gets psychedelic at times, and annoyingly, a spinning pyramid for meme sake. The sound design is atmospheric. It has moments of shock and grotesque, and the perspective of the soldier, we do hear them crying in one scene inconclusive what it may represent.
- It represents the traumas of war.
- They saw something beyond their comprehension and proceed to have a mental breakdown.
Likely number two, as collective scenes are going. Or I could be ignoring the underlining meaning it is nudging at. PTSD. Admittedly, this isn't my area of expertise. I'll leave it to someone else in the field.
Collapsing Cosmoes
Please Follow is a cryptic journey of the depths, aren't much like it. The world is captivating as it's store description. While it is very little to analysis, a spelunker will find a mystery to unravel. National Intelligence requires your help to solve the Terror from the Depths... 
My review of the Black Iris:
Introduction
The Black Iris is a Cosmic Horror with explorative elements. The year is 1983, in Scotland. You are an Engineer, send into an abandoned research facility to decommissioned equipment and collected research material from scientists, as further, you go into the crypt of science. Unforeseen and unexplained events happen. Not even the man of science can't explain.
Presentation
Feature a PlayStation One era graphics gives it a grainy look, with a dominant vibrant hue of magenta, a colour not found in the spectrum or view by our eyes. The game consists of four areas, each open with a title screen of a movie prompt. Black Iris does an exceptional job of visually describing Cosmic Horror.
Notes found regular, lore dive into the backstory of Black Rock. There are even cassette tapes, much the same as the notes. The story takes inspiration from Roadside Picnic, taking place in a zone in North East of Scotland. Focus around an oil-mining operation unearthed anomalies that affect the miners—forming a religious sect, the Order of the Void worshipping the Black Iris. The rest is explained whether well by the game.
The ambience is fantastic, casting a menacing aura. The pouring rain is rebellious, compounded by the breathing like there is a sense of struggle. The credit music was superb.
The gameplay inspired by Resident Evil, inventory for items to equipped for puzzle solving. The fixed-camera angles. The whole ten yards. The game does give you a compass and a map from a terminal to guide you to each location. Up to you to figure out the directions. Thankfully, navigation isn't complicated. Game-map is cross-shaped. If you get lost, I don't know what to tell you. Your main objective is simple; decommissioned equipment in each area and collecting research material.
Black Iris is short 30-40 minutes. It does help the fact Black Iris is free.
Collapsing Cosmoses
Black Iris is a stunning game that understands what is Cosmic Horror, visually with a fantastic ambience. A captivating story to match. Black Iris gets a heavy recommendation.
Review
Introduction
You Are the Rats in the Walls is Adventure game made with the RPGMaker game engine, a reiteration of The Rats in the Walls by Lovecraft. You are the Rats, the madness of Delapore and his ancestry, task to "convinced" Delapore to accepted his fate.
Presentation
A great deal of the writing has modernized and rewritten. The introduction was the strongest and taken from Lovecraft. The dialogue between Delapore and Norrys comes off as two frat boys, going about their day. Surprise they weren't talking with their cellphones with all the lazy grammar. There are moments of reading two different styles, incorporation of Lovecraft's and the developer. Lazy indeed.
Unexpectedly, unlike other RPGMaker games, usually a galore of turn-based RPGs and Adventures. You herd Delapore to three separate essential areas to decrease his sanity so he can devour his friend. Inventive. The layout is simple, easy for navigating Delapore.
There is a tip system spoken by H. P. Tipcraft. Because, why not. They do not tip half are reminders. One of them is a proverbial dead horse that comes off passive-aggressive.
It is short. A play session is five to ten minutes long, not a lot of meat on the bones. In fairness, the game takes place near the end of the story.
I won't be addressing the graphics and sounds as they commonly use asset packs use by the RPGMaker community. That said, the music is annoying, and it repeats on a loop.
Credits included characters not presented in the game. That is:
Is there a reasonable excuse? Probably not. But Avatar what about Nyarlathotep, he is in the story? Well, not in the game. The plot changed so much that there are skips and the paragraph mentioned Nyarlathotep is skipped. Funny thing is Rats in the Walls isn't a narrative-focused story.
Collapsing Cosmoses
The game drive home of not including racism in stories. Fair, we all agree. Yet, that racism context removed from Rats in the Walls, you don't accept a problem existing, more or less, running away from it. Now before, attacking me with shrieks and shouts. I shall provide a context of the cat. In Lovecraft's day, it was used to describe a pitch-black cat, an, unfortunately, syntax, wasn't Lovecraft intention as far it's been collected. The name of the cat, unfortunately as may be. There are no records of Lovecraft ever naming the cat. Most reiterations change the name, like Blackie or Black Tom. While leaving the plot and writing alone. Do you know why the cat is there in the story? Because of Lovecraft, it was a memento to his lost friend.
In short, a lazy attempt at addressing Lovecraft's racism, making self-aware jokes at itself. Devoid of Lovecraftian themeology and a soul into a herding game only a sheepdog would appreciate.
I can't recommend this game, despite how inventive the gameplay is not enough to save this from the rats.
(Copy & paste for others to read)
To Do List is a small-scale experimental game, you are a nameless man doing chores from a single white sheet of paper.
There isn't much to describe the gameplay you are doing chores, from day-to-day the program becomes different. Thankfully, the chores continue diversified per day, no queries concerning repetition. Now, it isn't problem-free: You can still move with the tasks opened, and there are some punctuation errors.
The visuals are sharp and well-done. Don't be fool by the cute pixels on display there is a sinister side. The environment is almost empty; a house, a shed, a garden and compost and near infinity emptiness of the cosmos.
The music is excellent, beautifully rhythmic of chiptunes and synthwaves and unbelievably catchy. Cleverly cheerful to hide the loneliness of the character's predicament.
To the boys and girls, yes, it is a Cosmic Horror. The whole goal (in my opinion) is: We are living mundane lives, cogs in a mechanical way of living, the to-do list is the anchor keeping our sanity from going critical furthermore, taking our control of our being away from us, stuck in a perpetual loop of tasks and facilities.
To Do List as an innovative Cosmic Horror formula of simplicity, while maintaining a self-contained environment and a fine example of the genre's ability to adopted the ordinary, dull objectives of a seamlessly harmless of "keeping busy."
Review
Roguelegends: Dark Realms is an ASCII Rogue-Like set in a Dark Fantasy/Cosmic Horror world, where in one year. Life will cease to exist... Your job is to prevent that from happening (or dying) while uncovering the shocking origin of the elemental magic of the world...
We have our normal array of fantasy races. A nice variety of classes to choose from—some are original. Like the Librarian. Each with different stats and starting runes. Depending on your class there will be a sub-plot. Why am I here in this horrible nightmare?
Potions to drink (don't drink flame or poison) and throw. Said throwing potions (and other items as well) at an enemy caused an area of effect. RLDR is encouraging players to exploit the weakness of the denizens in the Dark Realm. Frontal assault usually ends in death, as I learned the hard way. Combat isn't necessary as there is no level system in place to become stronger—only through equipment.
There are, however, some minor issues; like the clarity of the text—purple on black is hard to see and some grammatical errors (nothing mind blowing). When I spoke with (well he was talking and I listened) the developer about his mythos. He has mentioned possible fixes to blaring areas.
There is a Rune (or magic) System for abilities at the cost of hunger or blood [X (Y + distance {per square})]. Insomuch nothing is entirely unique about the system. However, since there is no leveling system in place, most runes are found from inspecting runes on an equipment. But it isn't guaranteed to get a new rune-spell. It is an imaginative take on the old trope.
No two play sessions are the same, thanks to the procedurally generated nature of the game. Although, I got screwed over with the beating heart and a dungeon with no flame potions anywhere. It happens in a game like RLDR. Just weren't in the cards.
The mythos, Dark Realms has attracted my attention throughout this hostile land. As I dive deeper into the game and witness the monstrosities that any sane mortal would die from their appearances, you gain misery. On the subject: Misery is the game, the sanity mechanic, the effects, the random chance of a hostile swift in the area, either that is the summoning realmlings (bastards), the shadows and fleshy maws or worse singers... and the dancers...
While the game is not finished, there is plenty of content to look forward to, as I still find surprises at every corner in these blackened halls, or shadowy woods. The developer demonstrated some original ideas in the old vein of Rogue-Likes and to me, a birth of a new mythos. As they continue to develop more games in this startup mythos looking for eager cultists.
~For others to see.~
Edit: Fix some grammar issues.
Review:
The Commodore 64 (C64) emulator, VICE is used in this review. The game is a commercial product for sale. No legal loops to deal with, if anyone is concerned.
A cold dark night.
Critical Points
- Appealing pixelated graphics of the C64 era, with reds and blues colour tones. With some minor graphical glitches.
- There isn't much in terms of music, they're more ambient-style. There are sound effects; gunfire and interaction with items and puzzles and the storm and rain.
- There is a plot: you hear of bad things happening in Hawkshill: the cult kidnapped the villagers and used them as sacrifice for the Old One namely Cthulhu. I found the plot forgettable (ironically I forgot about it).
- Gameplay is mostly shooting at enemies with some puzzle solving, in the form of finding pieces or keys to a door to progress.
- There are three types of guns; pistol, shotgun and machine gun. Just stick with a shotgun after finding it. The machine gun is wasted, just a rapid firing pistol.
- The game is very generous with ammo pouches, specifically the 999 pouch, you don't need it, 500 is more than enough.
- Enemies respawn after moving away from a scene (I believe it's space apart from 2 or 3 scenes) can leave you in a tight spot with low ammunition.
- The boss battle was ok. It's more of a puzzle and very easy, in my opinion.
- Strange controls as someone who haven't played on a C64 it was a bit of a learning curve. Would like to point out C64 controller is a joystick with single button. Switching held-item is by pressing down and the fire button.
- Shooting is weird, just being off is a hit and you can angle it as well.
Conclusion
While finding this game very good, there isn't much drive for it (there is a hidden secret after collecting ten statues). The plot is forgettable, there is too much backtracking (see the same scene more than three times). It is one of those games you are going to play once start-to-finish and let it collect dust.
3/5
Thank you for reading!