Alyssa

Warning: May have spoilers.

Introduction

I tend to like these gothic horror games with cute girl protagonists. But I also know that some of these games do fall below expectations, such as Misao and many others. This genre of RPG horror is starting to get saturated with works, which is a good thing, but as the number of games increase, so does the number of poorly made ones. Would Alyssa be a satisfying ride, or a disappointment like many others?

Story and Execution
Alyssa is a simple game with a simple story, but for a simple story it does its job relatively well. From the beginning I suspected Alyssa was a spirit or a demon from the books in her bookshelf, which kind of lessens the impact of the reveal, but I could be kind of jaded when it comes to horror game twists (sometimes you can see them from a mile away), so it really depends.

Admittedly, I have only gotten one ending because I'm still waiting for the new version that fixes the bugs in one of the other endings, so I'll withhold my ending opinions for now.

Characters
For a short RPG horror game, the characters were decent. Nothing extraordinary, and nobody that really stands out, but they are alright. The characters generally just all fit the "typical nice guy/girl" label, and Alyssa herself is also a typical loli protagonist, though she does have a secret.

Atmosphere and Presentation
There is not so much horror in Alyssa as much as just general darkness and some spooky music. It didn't scare me, but it did leave a lingering sense of mystery to the game, which was good.

The art is sweet - a little anatomically incorrect, but I don't judge a game much by its art alone, and it does its job decently well.

All in all, I don't have much to say about a short game, but I do like short games and this one was decently entertaining.

Verdict
7/10: Was a fun game, and enjoyable as well. Points are pulled down due to major bugs, which definitely hurt the game. Might re-review when the new version comes out.

(My personal judging meter)
0.5-2: Below average
2.5: Average
3-5: Above average