- Gripping, compelling story with excellent voice acting
- Logical, satisfying puzzles in a modern P&C
- Stunning pixel art visuals and immersive atmosphere
- Overall exceptional game experience, highly recommended
- Lack of animations and 'fade to black' issues
- Short length and limited content
Emotions
Players felt satisfied due to the game's high overall quality, particularly praising its engaging story, well-designed and logical puzzles, excellent voice acting, and captivating art style and music. The game's pacing, value, and effective controller support also contributed to a positive and fulfilling experience.
Excitement stemmed from the game's engaging and thrilling story, often highlighted by compelling plot twists and strong voice acting. The innovative approach and high overall quality of the game, along with anticipation for future content from the developer, fueled this emotion.
Joy was primarily driven by the overall positive and fun experience of playing the game, often exceeding high expectations. Players expressed a deep love for the game, considering it a new favorite in the adventure genre, and appreciated finally getting to play it after a long wait.
Enjoyment was consistently linked to the game's immersive atmosphere, compelling story, and appealing visuals. The overall experience, including the chapter structure and character development, contributed to a pleasant and engaging gameplay session.
Admiration was directed towards the developer's craftsmanship, particularly the unique and high-quality pixel art, innovative gameplay elements, and the game's overall contribution to the point-and-click genre. Players appreciated the attention to detail, pacing, and the blend of classic and modern aesthetics.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 96% · Negative 4%. Score: 4 / 100
Positives:
- The game's story is consistently lauded for being gripping, compelling, and full of surprising twists and turns. Players were deeply hooked from beginning to end, appreciating its unique blend of sci-fi, thriller, and horror elements, and its masterful storytelling.
- Players overwhelmingly praise the game as an exceptional and highly enjoyable experience, often calling it a masterpiece within the point-and-click genre. Many consider it one of the best adventure games they've played in years, or even decades, highlighting its overall quality and engaging nature.
- The puzzles are well-received for striking a perfect balance between challenge and accessibility. They are logical, intuitive, and rarely frustrating, often providing in-game hints to keep the story's momentum, making them satisfying to solve.
- The voice acting is consistently highlighted as top-notch, with many reviewers praising the performances of both the main and supporting characters. This, combined with strong writing, creates well-fleshed-out and likable characters that enhance the narrative and immersion.
- The game's pixel art style is widely praised for being stunning, gorgeous, and incredibly detailed. Reviewers appreciate the vibrant animations, dynamic lighting, and overall artistic direction, noting how it elevates the game's atmosphere and visual appeal.
Negatives:
- Many players noted the frequent use of black screens with narration instead of actual animations for actions and narrative moments. This design choice significantly detracts from immersion and the overall visual experience, making exciting moments feel anticlimactic.
- Players felt the game was too short for its price, lacking replayability due to a complete absence of choices, advancements, or multiple endings. There's a desire for more optional quests, secrets, and deeper interaction with NPCs and environments.
- The inventory system suffers from poor legibility. Small, monochrome pixel art icons make it difficult to distinguish between items, leading to frustration when trying to manage inventory.
- Chapter 4 specifically suffers from excessive backtracking during detective portions, which shifts the focus from uncovering secrets to aimless searching, significantly killing the game's momentum.
- The implementation of limited-time-window action mechanics and timed elements is inconsistent and annoying, leading to frustration and instant death scenarios that feel unfair.
Gameplay:
- Player feedback on game length varies significantly, ranging from 4-5 hours to 13-15 hours, with many citing 6-10 hours for completion. This suggests replayability or differing playstyles, but a consistent average is hard to pinpoint.
- Puzzle difficulty is generally considered moderate, with some being straightforward and others more challenging. A few puzzles are made harder by time constraints, adding an element of pressure.
- The game incorporates a unique time-loop mechanic where players retain knowledge after failing timed scenarios or dying, which is a core part of the game's design. This allows for learning from mistakes without full progress loss, reminiscent of old Sierra adventure game deaths.
- Core gameplay involves picking up and combining items, as well as interacting with the environment by using items on specific objects or inspecting them. Players can also drop items to examine other things.
- Certain actions and sequences within the game are time-sensitive, and making incorrect decisions during these moments can lead to the player's death, adding tension and consequence.
Performance:
- Players consistently report excellent performance and compatibility on the Steam Deck and Linux, indicating a well-optimized experience for these platforms. This suggests strong technical stability and a good user experience for portable and alternative OS users.
- A significant number of players experienced a completely bug-free game, highlighting strong quality assurance and a polished release. This contributes positively to overall player satisfaction and game stability.
Recommendations:
- The game is overwhelmingly recommended by players, often cited as a must-play for fans of point-and-click adventures and even those new to the genre. Many consider it a top-tier game, worth its full price, and a new classic in the genre.
- Players are extremely impressed with the developer, Powerhoof, and express strong desire for future games from them. Many state they would 'insta-buy' any new release from the studio.
- Some players recommend using a guide or walkthrough for certain parts of the game, particularly for timed elements or when encountering logic gaps in puzzles.
- Players appreciate that high-quality point-and-click adventure games are still being developed, congratulating the creators for their work.
- The availability of a demo is highlighted as a good way for potential players to try the game before committing to a purchase.
Miscellaneous:
- Players desire improved visual fidelity, specifically better animations for cutscenes, and official localization for languages like Korean. This suggests a need for enhanced presentation and accessibility.
- The game is highly praised for its strong Australian identity, including its language and setting. It successfully blends a modern Australian feel with influences from classic adventure games.
- The game contains mature themes, strong language, and animated violence. Reviewers suggest it is suitable for players aged 13 and above, indicating its content is not for younger audiences.
- The developers have provided an official, interactive, and spoiler-free hint guide. This resource is highly appreciated by players who might get stuck on puzzles, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- The game features numerous missable achievements, including one particularly obscure one requiring a specific, prolonged action. This suggests a design choice that encourages multiple playthroughs or external guides for completionists.
