itch.io

To get straight to the point, the base form of IT is the creepiest. No doubt. And while I know IT takes the form of others as this is just the movie, 'IT FOLLOWS', in indie game form, the other forms are just more goofy than creepy to me. IT should just stay in its base form the entire time so I have no reason to crack up at its goofy 'mimic' appearance again. 

Also, the 'creepy SFX' that plays when you have a direct line of sight of IT NEEDS to go in my opinion. ITs already a pretty tall entity, making IT easy to point out, so the SFX is just unnecessary to me. But that's not what bothers me. It's the realization that this game can be a whole lot scarier without it. Combine that with how tall IT is, you're guaranteed to not get caught by IT unless you get stuck in the crowd or run out of stamina. Also, consider making him the same height as everyone else. Force the player to actually have some situational awareness and look around for IT.

Finally, maybe add a tiny story that can answer unanswered questions. Like the point of the briefcase and why it is so important. Unless that's something that is answered when you're caught, but I didn't get caught.

Anyway, that's it. I just wanted to add some constructive criticism as I do think the concept is scary and could make for a great horror game. Good luck in your future game developer endeavors!

Much love!

P.S. Just read that this is your first attempt at making a horror game. Sorry if I came off as an a-hole. I hope you decide to return to this at some point!

Calm and composed! Mainly because of the pistol, but whatever. 

N4bA knows what they're doing when it comes to creating horror games. The atmosphere. Solid. The scares. Not as bad as 'From the Darkness', but they're still pretty good. Overall, the game was pretty good!

I genuinely like the movement and 'look-around' animation. A little repetitious with the jumpscares, tho, not gonna lie. However, for a game made in two weeks by a 13 year-old, it's not bad at all.

When this sucka took 19 rounds to the head, I just knew I was playing that bull.

What a goofy ahh game. This game is so goofy ahh.

This is one of the better indie horror games that I’ve played in a while. It t’a rare that I try to get more than just one ending for these games.

Buddy boy summoned a Demon in his house and proceeded to send me over to clean it. 

You WOULD NOT catch me doing this job… Unless I get $50.

An ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE violation of personal space, my guy.

This little goofy ahh game… I laughed more than I got scared, lmao.

Not too scary of a game. Well, that is until you're being actively pursued in that slide-like tunnel system. Yeah, I wasn't messing with that in the slightest. Anyway, it was a pretty good game that kept me intrigued all throughout its entirety.

  The game didn't scare me all that much save for one instance. However, it certainly gave me chills due to the atmosphere, so props to ya'll for nailing that. Either way, the game wasn't a bad play. Took me a little over an hour to beat it, and some of the tasks were a bit of a pain to get done, but this is a demo. It's to be expected. Anyway, a great start to a nice indie horror that carries plenty of potential. Hope you guys continue to stay motivated and push to make this game as good as it could be. Cheers!

Okay, this one has me stumped. Almost like how He Keeps Me Here had me stumped. 

Regardless of where I'm currently at mentally with the story of this game, it pulled the same punches as Two Lines, and to some extent, He Keeps Me Here. What I mean by that is how it appears to be nothing special at first until you reach the end of the game. It is at that point that the key ingredient to understanding the game, the main message, is delivered, although cryptic as heck. 

Now, as for my interpretation of the game, I have one that I find to be pretty solid. In my recording of this game, I mention near the end how the somber dialogue of the father to his daughter almost sounded like the father was heading off to war. This theory only became a solid one whenever I took a second closer look at the painting that the daughter made following my recording. If you look closely, it appears as if the father is wearing a Great War uniform or something else of that matter, and has his ACH, Army Combat Helmet, resting under his right arm.

With this, it makes sense how the father has a sad yet comforting tone with his daughter. He knows he probably won't make it back, yet he doesn't want his daughter to know that. He leaves a coin with his daughter as a sort of memento before his parting. Something to remember him by just in case he doesn't return. 

Now, with the coin and strange day/night cycle, I can see that as symbolical of life and death. On one side of the coin, you have the possibility of the father returning: Day. On the other side, you have the unfortunate possibility that the father has perished and will not be returning: Night, with the night side of the coin being shown at the end of the game in what seems to be a warped side profile of the people roaming the small village. At least I think. 

And finally, the painting with the father looking out and the daughter looking in gives me the feeling that the father failed the coin toss. I get this vibe because the daughter had made this painting with her father in it via her imagination as the father said. You play as the father in this painting, which I see as a way of saying that he is not in the real world anymore. He is now just a part of his daughter's imagination. He travels in this painting to where he can look over his daughter, almost like an angel. This part of my theory seems to be a massive stretch, but it's what I got from it, haha.

Anyway, another really good game that was also done in a week. Relax, bruh. You can't be putting out games like this in one week. Nah, I'm kidding. But regardless of how much time you put into the game, it was pulled off very well. Great job!

Ok, I'ma try and keep this as brief long as possible.

This is the second horror game that I've played from you, and while it falls short in some aspects, it more than makes up for it with the story that is told via symbolism and the game's atmosphere and map design. So, first things first, what does this game fall short on? For me, it's just how long it took to complete the game due to map design. (Ironic, huh? Given how I just said that the map design was one of the game's good things, too. Don't worry. I'll explain.) While for the most part, it is my fault it took me so long to beat it, the city is quite literally a maze in some sense. However, I'd like to think it is designed in such a way for a reason, although I fail to understand why.

Now, while the map design is not desirable for those who want a quick 10-minute horror experience, (Unless some random Joe wings it and makes it to the end on his initial path of travel. Couldn't be me. I was running around like a chicken with his head cut off.) it is absolutely elevated when you see what the stairway, the one that initially appears to be The Stairway to Heaven, really leads to. It was just a cool sight to see and felt absolutely surreal. Definitely added to the unsettling atmosphere in its own unique way.

Now, I want to talk about the riddle and the conclusion that I came to/tried to come to. Spoiler alert, I most likely need another explanation for this game, haha.

'Two tender lines, carefully drawn.

Two for life.

Two for death.'

Of course, this is something that cannot be solved if you fail to make it to the end, so unless you want to watch me run around for a good amount of time, dodging homeboy who is trying to ask me how my days been, then I suggest you watch my YouTube video. (I'm not gonna post it here, I don't want to self-promote myself TO THAT EXTENT until I post content that I believe to be my best. I bolded the words above because, technically, I'm still self-promoting, just not to that extent, haha.) Anyway, I found the line: 'Two for life.' to be the most obvious if you actually 'LOOK FOR PINK.' Pregnancy = Life. Pretty self-explanatory, but still told in a symbolic way which is what I like about these games of yours, Matt. However, 'Two for death.' is giving me some trouble. Now, I'm gonna try and put out a few ideas on what I think it means, and you can tell me how close to the bullseye I got. 

Obviously, I believe that the flipped city in the sky is there for a very good reason. While I don't know the reason, I can say that the apartment room that houses your own dead body is one line. And you wondering the city aimlessly is another. The body in the tub is quite simply death in its literal physical form, and you wondering the city aimlessly, lost, and empty is death in its metaphorical sense. (To be honest, I don't 100% understand how to utilize the word 'metaphorical', so if I used it incorrectly, that's why. So, chill. I'm an idiot who can actually think... Yeah.) This theory is a bit dodgy, but I wanted to put it out there.

Second, the two cities themselves. I can't really think of a reasonable theory, but I also can't help but think about how they may tie into the line of the riddle considerably.

Third, the "psycho" that follows you. At the very end of the game, he seemingly kills you twice, as you are obviously already dead at the very start proven by your dead body in the tub. He is a walking symbol of death that haunts and unrelentingly chases you as punishment for what you did. (Hinted by the lines, 'YOU KNOW THAT YOU DESERVE THIS.') You may have tried to run from your mistakes and find an escape through what you thought to be a quick death, but even DEATH won't let you go. Again, a bit of a stretch with this one, too, but whatever.

And that's all I've got. I recorded my gameplay of this, so if you want to see it, do what you will. Like I typed up earlier, I will self-promote to a certain extent, but not so much that I put the video up here. I don't believe my videos are at my best yet. Anyway, another great game, Matt! And like 'He Keeps Me Here', it is a game that doesn't seem too special until you grasp its purpose through the story that is told in a unique and creative fashion. I love it! Big-ups!

This game is a unique one, and honestly, before I even talk about the game, I just want to talk about the soundtrack. Now, I don't know why, but I absolutely love the music in this game, and how it gives off the impression that you are playing a game that is everything but a horror game. Of course, I'm not stupid, I've played the game. There are aspects of horror in this game that stray away from your typical 'jumpscares are the only horror in this horror game' horror game. Such as loneliness, which can give birth to fear. Or the feeling of being trapped. However, I feel like it isn't the horror that makes this game stand out to me, but the music. Initially, I found this game completely by chance as I wanted to have a game to record and put up on my tiny YouTube channel. Upon my first impressions of playing the game, I feel like I really missed the point and it is made fairly evident in my video. The music to me not only sounds appealing and had me vibing multiple times while playing, but is composed in a manner that perfectly fits, compliments, and emphasizes the little short story that is being told here. Of course, I won't spoil anything major, but in The Mirrored World, it became clear to me why the music is seemingly reversed and why there is such a bittersweet and lonely tone (Mostly lonely for me) in the tune. This is made even more evident when exposed to the tune in The Real Room, which seems to actually move forward and has a more uplifting and hopeful tune that is surrounded by this feeling of newfound freedom despite sounding very similar to the tune in The Mirrored World. To the story, this is obviously important for reasons I won't delve into as I don't want to spoil the majority game on the official game page. That'd be foul, LMFAO. But of course, this is a game that is rather vague in its story and is up for multiple theories and speculations upon what it could REALLY be about. However, I can be wrong. Anyway, one last theory I found to be quite interesting was why the guy is smiling in his reflection despite being kept 'there' by 'him'? And the answer is quite simple. That is not his reflection. It is him, but it is NOT his reflection... Take that as you will. 

Finally, I'm done with my little ten-minute essay. Sorry for that. Anyway, I want to give a round of applause to Matt Reeves for creating such a great, thought-provoking game. I didn't think much about the game when I recorded it and honestly, I'm quite upset with how bad I misconstrued the story in my video. But to be fair, I was vibing to the music too often anyway. That's what you get for making such a great, yet simple soundtrack, Matt. It's your fault!