• Add Review
  • Subscribe
  • Nominate
  • Submit Media
  • RSS

Maybe it's just me...

(editing this because apparently I wasn't clear before; hopefully this helps and sorry if I suddenly seem overly critical, but again this is just my personal feelings and not what I'd actually like to see changed. In the end, this is another person's game and they're the one making it, that's why I held back before)
Now, before I get into all the details, it's probably best to know that I'm only just starting to get into horror games (my main reason for being so reluctant towards the genre being that I'm epileptic so there really aren't that many good ones out there I can easily play)

I thought I'd try this one because I played two others by SnowOwl (Skinwalker and The Visitor) and they weren't that bad. This one, on the other hand, plays a bit more like the horror games I'd prefer to avoid.

~ Story ~
The story's pretty simple, a kid who's afraid of sleeping in his new room (or at least that's all we're given so far)
The only thing that threw me off story-wise ingame was two lines that seemed to switch to second-person after the second dream (only because I wasn't really expecting it to reference "you" after being in first person; though I can understand the usage)
As for the rest of the story (I'm going to hold back a bit here since this is about a game and not a regular story) I found it a little weird that the boy just kind of gave in after a few nights and already resigned himself to living with this nightmare dreamworld. I realize different people handle fear in different ways, but this just felt like it was forced for the storytelling purposes and not actually the way a kid would act (Actually, in many ways it comes off as being stiff, which is why it feels forced for the purposes of gameplay)

~ Visuals and Gameplay ~
I'm combining these into one because I feel like these play into each other. The gameplay is fairly simple and straightforward; there were only a few places where I was confused (the second and third dreams; mostly due to the size of the maps and the lighting) I felt there wasn't really a clear indication of what to do, so most of the time I was just running around these huge dimly lit maps trying to figure out where I was supposed to go to do something. (It actually took me awhile to get used to the map both times because many places the walls and floor were of a similar color and the light felt extremely small for the size of the screen)(Bolded because I feel it must have been missed before, since I was told I only focused on the "flashing image" although I found this to be just as big of a problem.)

Though really, my biggest problem with both the visuals and gameplay was the flashing jump scares (or at least that's what I consider the huge images that would flash onto the screen, because that's definitely what they acted like) that covered the screen while you were still expected to play (this was especially annoying during the third dream, because it's where it lasted the longest) I know these were meant to be unsettling, but for me they were more of an annoyance (and really just made me want to stop playing) This doesn't mean they have to be removed, just that this obviously wasn't actually the right choice of game for me, and I probably shouldn't play the full game at all.

I'd also like to add that the first dream map seemed a whole lot lighter (in general) than the second and third. I don't mean horror-wise (though that is kind of true, I guess, in a way) I guess the colors just make it a lot easier to see in than the other two (which was nice; I kept having to shift around to try and get a better view of what was going on with the other two maps, but it wouldn't work. I don't really understand why things have to be extremely almost unseeable dark to be considered "creepy" or "horror")

There's not really much else to say about the gameplay (it's pretty much just like any other horror adventure-style game, except without game overs everywhere, which can be nice)
Obviously, the visuals are similar to SnowOwl's other games, which seem to work well with horror (they have a very dark and gritty feel)

~ Music ~
Truthfully, even though I had headphones on I didn't really notice the music and sounds much… I think it was only in the second dream and third where I actually noticed sounds (because they were either important or annoying me)
This isn't to say they were bad before then; I probably just was tuning them out for some reason…
(a note: just because I didn't notice the music or sounds doesn't mean I didn't like them, it just means for whatever reason I didn't pay attention to them. I have no idea how to fix it since usually I do pay attention to things like music and sounds since they add to the environmental feel. It may very well just be that I didn't find them as memorable on their own, which doesn't mean they need to be fixed; it means they did what they were supposed to, unless you weren't intending on using subtle ambiance)

As for the sounds I found annoying, I'm not going to pinpoint the exact sounds (I'm afraid I already deleted it from my computer and don't really feel like playing again) but it more goes under the same reason why I couldn't stand the flashing visual images. (I think it was mostly the sounds with the flashing images that really made it more frustrating than creepy; I know there were others, but they don't really jump to mind as fast)

To pull it all together, I actually nearly didn't finish due to the sound and effects more getting on my nerves (and not in the “this is really creepy” way they were supposed to) but thankfully after taking a moment away I did manage to get through. Still, that's probably just because of my own issues; I'm sure due to the popularity of this style of horror there’s really no need to change it (and I'll even leave off my personal rating so as not to drag it down, but it’s always good to have alternate opinions)
I'm not really too glad I tried it, but I'm not going to say anyone else shouldn't; horror games have a very clear niche and it's just been hard for me to find a good amount that I can play. I just found this isn't one of them, and that's fine.
(Sorry if the additions didn't actually help, but I'm not really sure what else to say... I've already gone over everything without nitpicking details too much)

Posts

Pages: 1
CashmereCat
Self-proclaimed Puzzle Snob
11638
Hmm... I never thought of the consideration of epileptics in horror games. Flashing images must be really distressing to them, and not in the good kind of way.

Edit: You might like to try Ib as an option. That doesn't have many flashing scares as far as I remember.
Too bad you didn't like it. I've actually put some thought on epileptics while making my games, granted the amount of thought I put into it is just to not have flashing images of varying color. Is it also just flashing images that causes epileptic attacks? Am I misinformed here?
It really doesn't have to do with just varying color; really, it doesn't even have to do with images. Epilepsy is more caused by over-stimulation to the brain (thus why many connect it with just flashing images, but it can be caused by any number of things)

That's why I said it's okay not to change it; I've kind of gotten used to not playing/watching things that may cause too many problems.
Although your experience playing the game is valid, this doesn't really read like an official review to me. It just seems like a long drawn out "it wasn't for me." I don't see anything that's really constructive. I feel like it all could have been condensed into a single paragraph, and posted as a comment instead of a review. But it was accepted as a review submission, so I guess I'm wrong.

A little disappointing as well that there weren't any positives mentioned. Even if it wasn't your cup of tea, you should still be able to recognize things that are well done. I don't think you were harsh at all, I just think it could have been balanced better.

I do hope you can find some horror games you're able to enjoy though. I understand how it would be difficult in your position. It's hard to think of many without sudden scares. Good luck though!
Let me use my favourite RMN quote: "People put a lot of effort in their games, and they expect them to be played correctly and reviewed correctly."

Anyway, so that perhaps I can better myself in the future, I got some things I'd like you to clarify:
It's really too bad you didn't like the music and sound, I probably put more time on those than the average RPGMaker horror game. Why didn't you notice those? What was annoying about it?

There really isn't anything about the visuals either, except that you didn't like the flashing picture, I would have liked some more thoughts on those.
Um... I did have thoughts on other visuals (I'll bold it since it seems it's being missed due to the other paragraph) and I'll expand a bit, if that helps.
author=SnowOwl
Let me use my favourite RMN quote: "People put a lot of effort in their games, and they expect them to be played correctly and reviewed correctly."


Told ya!
Pages: 1