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Fatal... GOODTIME!

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INTRO: THE VIRUS... IS SPREADING!

Fatal Runtime is a short game made for the 2020 Quarantine Game Jam.
This is a short game, and it took me about 20-25 minutes to complete, anyway for several reasons it is a work of art. Mix Earthbound, psychological horror and a cyberpunk world, to have a vague idea about what it this game. And still, I think this is a game that must be experienced, from the cool and creepy audio to some very stylish visuals.
As usual I will take in account that this game was developed in a very short time for the jam, so it's not a project that lasted years or months.

Ok, without spoiling everything let's explain the plot: in this game we play as a head nurse that is specializing in virtual care. A man is infected by a virus, a mysterious disease that might be beyond his abilities to treat. The priority is saving the other three nearby patients and then cure the infected man before it is too late...


YEAH! GOOD QUESTION...

This game is divided into five segments or worlds: we start with a prologue at the hospital, then we have three different worlds linked to the other patients, that are a museum, a mall and a sort of train station. These can be visited in any order. Finally there is the last level that will be unlocked after the other three are finished, and this is the hospital revisited.

But if this is the plot, what is the gameplay about?
Well first thing you have to walk around, and you will walk a lot (moving with Arrows / WASD, remember that you can run holding Shift), but you will also have to examine and interact with places of interest and items (using SPACE, Z or ENTER).
Really simple, isn't it?
Apparently yes, but this is still a horror game, so prepare to flee from various kind of hostiles (from strange humanoids to living masks and shirts) that will try to harm you. The monsters have different appearance, one of the most common is the fast pink humanoid that can eat your head if he just touches the nurse, and he's clearly the most dangerous opponent, since the others will normally just wound you with a single touch (but get too many wounds and you are dead, of course!).

No, there are no weapons or combat in this game, fleeing is the only option. Luckily in the various scenarios visited there are the hospital medical bots that can heal our lone protagonist, but just once! The good thing is that the head nurse is also healed after each world and, if this is not enough, you have the possibility to save anytime and anywhere.


THERE ARE NO ZOMBIES IN THIS MALL. BUT SOMETHING WORSE!

The game isn't too difficult (you just have to avoid enemies, collect items and interact with some spots to proceed) but mind that you need to have quick reflexs and also avoid a particular location that will lead to an istant death (just one place but avoiding it is just a matter of luck, so... SAVE!).

What I absolutely liked of this game is the story, but also the incredible aestetic that will create an immersive and dreamlike colorful setting (the portraits of the main characters but also the pictures and effects that are witnessed during the adventure are amazing). It's really surreal in some location and there are also some curscenes and screens that with simple images will deliver powerful sensations, paired with an eerie background music.
Oh and the graphics are no rtp at all so kudos to that!

The only problem I found is a map error in the first room of the final chase scene, where you can walk over a screen/wall, but that's the only issue I found with the game (there is also the room on the far left of the mall that should not be revisitable after the three eyes quest, ince it lets you do that again, but hey it's not a terrible issue).


NO! I DID NOT... PROBABLY THEY WENT TO READ THE...

VERDICT
I admit liking game where you explore strange landscape and interact with items that show weird pics and cutscenes, but the added chase scenes also enrich the simple gameplay, that is perfect for a short adventure. Yeah, simple concept and great package, I really liked this adventure, it's ok even if short, I also am pretty sure that there is just one ending, but I do not mind, because it's pretty cool and original. What else? I like the interface (that just indicates the health condition), the animation used and the game itself, there were really few things I did not appreciate, like the istant kill room, but uhm, this is part of the experience, I guess!

So it's good. 4/5, and no less! 20 minutes of condensed surreal horror cyberpunk adventure. Awesome!

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Posts

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I'm so glad you liked it! I'm only a 1/3rd of the team but I speak for the entire crew when I say thank you for playing!
author=Feldschlacht IV
I'm so glad you liked it! I'm only a 1/3rd of the team but I speak for the entire crew when I say thank you for playing!


Thanks! You three did a great job this is an original game I can surely recommend!
Pages: 1