The Victim

Considering the fact that this is thirdmuses’ first game, I’m going to try to be less strict while reviewing this short piece of work. I hope the review won’t come off like discouraging. I look forward to the next version and I hope it’s going to be a lot better.

Storyline

A young girl is alone at home and gets abducted by a maniac. It is quite a classic horror setting and has been explored many times. I can notice that you want to make a twist and lead the game to a new dimension, but you are leaving a lot of plot holes behind.

First off, the story development. I like the intro lines; they are mysterious and they don’t reveal anything. The start of the game is pretty normal, everything goes well. Elise does some ordinary house chores, which makes the beginning more realistic.

The story is okay until now, not really anything special, but also not anything bad. But the problems with the plot are ensuing. After Elise goes to bed, she gets kidnapped and wakes up in a dungeon full of girls.

The characters are weird and none of them explain some stuff, for example, who is the kidnapper? Who are they? I see that you want some parts to remain a mystery, but too many mysteries create confusion rather than making a good effect. The plot began like something completely non-fictional and then the player is suddenly faced with the invisible walls, without any explanation. Then there is a very rushed ending. One of the girls is a ghost who kills the maniac. I understand you want such an ending, I have nothing to say against it, but you should try to make it more realistic. Also, if you want the game to be really survival-based, then put in some things that will make the game more challenging.

The overall idea is good, but has a lot of things which need polishing, the explanation for a lot of things, mainly the kidnappers motives.

Graphics

The maps are quite okay, nothing fancy, but I think they are suitable for this game. I quite like the game title and the character’s faces. Yeah, the faces are horrible looking, creepy, and they would look awful in an ordinary RPG, but they are a very good choice for this game since it should be creepy.

Atmosphere

The game itself wasn’t so creepy to me and I played it without twitching and jumping but that is not entirely your fault. I have just seen the similar plots too many times. The only thing which made me twitch is the mention of rape, because I find it disgusting. Also, the fact you decided to keep the maps slightly darkened is a very good thing.

Characters

There are a lot of flaws here. They all have different personalities, but their backstories weren’t explained. We know a part of the ghost girl’s story and that is everything. Along with the storyline, it’s something that needs to be greatly improved.

There are some things about Elise, for example, her willingness to clean the home, make the dinner, and sleep in her parents bed, show the player that she is a good, obedient girl who loves her parents. Also, she is not a coward, considering the fact she tries to argue with the kidnapper. Work a while on her backstory and give the players more information about her and she is going to turn into a very decent character.

Endings

I like the multiple endings as they encourage replaying the game. Actions which trigger them are realistic, but I feel like both endings are rushed and not challenging to get at all.

Random things I disliked –

The “X” and “Y” options are not working. I think they are needless, since the player gets to save often. Either replace them with an ordinary menu, or completely remove them.
Whenever I examine the flower, I get stuck.
Lack of information about some characters.
Lack of information about the villain’s motives.
Obviously rushed endings.
Why the choices in the beginning if they have no impact? But they can be great if you decide to develop them.
Some minor spelling errors. It’s nothing terrible in my opinion, but I know it can irk a great number of players.

Random things I liked –

The riddle, despite it wasn’t really challenging. I really want to see more of them.
Lines after the interaction with almost every object.
The notes. If you put more of them, they can fill some of the plot holes in an interesting way.

Overall thoughts –

The short game with some good ideas, but it still needs a lot of improving.