Info about Saturnalia:

Official game description:
A third-person horror adventure where you play as four characters, experiencing an intergenerational storyline tied to the haunting traditions of an ancient village in Sardinia, Italy, a region rich with unique folklore…  
The village itself is an elaborate maze with no two iterations being precisely the same—you will have to explore and solve the mysteries of the game largely unguided.  
Die, and watch the village reconfigure itself into a new form. Solve puzzles and open shortcuts to new areas with tools and items you find along the way, unlocking every piece of the story with different characters, each with its own power and suited for another aspect of exploration and investigation.  
Game Features
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*   The village structure changes each time all your characters die  
*   Discover characters' special abilities, use tools and consumables to open shortcuts  
*   Keep narrative and puzzle progress across game-overs (roguelite)  
*   Manage your supply of matches to help your sight and solve puzzles  
*   Non-linear progression, dynamic and adaptive narrative  
*   Investigate the ritual at the heart of the game and use what you find to stop it  
*   Puzzles deeply integrated with the game world and narrative (not abstract)  
*   Artwork and animations inspired by stop-motion and rotoscoping film techniques
Info
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A playthrough takes approximately 10 hours, leading to one of several potential endings.

Release date: Nov 8, 2023

Categories: Third-Person Perspective, Survival Horror, Puzzle Solving, Roguelite, Non-linear Progression, Exploration, Investigative Gameplay, Atmospheric Horror


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $15.00 - $20.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game worthwhile at a discounted price, implying that the base price of $29.99 may be considered high by the community. The mention of the game being cheap compared to other current prices in a specific region also supports the idea that a lower price point is more favorable.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 10.0h
  - Story completion: 10.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes several direct statements about the playtime required to complete the game. Multiple reviews mention that the game can be completed in less than 10 hours, with one review specifically stating a playthrough time of about 5 hours. Another review mentions the game length as being about 10-15 hours long. These statements provide a clear indication of the typical total time to finish the game and the main story/campaign. However, there is limited evidence regarding typical single-session length and endgame hours, leading to null values for those metrics.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game has a steep initial learning curve and lacks explicit guidance, but once players overcome these challenges, they find the experience enjoyable and engaging.
  - Stance: Fun after learning curve
  - Anchor: Overcoming the initial learning curve
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Lack of explicit guidance; Steep learning curve; Disorienting map and narrative
  - Unlock drivers: Getting familiar with the game mechanics; Understanding the game's unique pacing
  - Conditions: Patience to overcome initial challenges; Appreciation for non-linear storytelling; Enjoyment of unique and beautiful art styles
- Player Archetypes:
  - Challenge-Seeking Horror Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: Seeking intense and challenging horror experiences.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys difficult and tense gameplay, appreciates intricate mechanics but can be frustrated by overly confusing or handicapping elements.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: horror fan; challenge seeker
    - Reference games: Silent Hill; Amnesia
  - Detective-Solver (buy)
    - Motivation: Solving mysteries and uncovering clues.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys investigative gameplay, appreciates non-linear storytelling and detective mechanics.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: detective fan; mystery solver
    - Reference games: Sherlock Holmes; L.A. Noire
  - Story-Driven Horror Aficionado (buy)
    - Motivation: Experiencing compelling and atmospheric storytelling.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys immersive and emotionally engaging gameplay, values narrative depth and atmospheric tension.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: story lover; horror aficionado
    - Reference games: Resident Evil; The Evil Within


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Unique horror and suspense experience (weight 0.95): The game offers a unique and interesting horror experience with engaging mysteries, survival elements, and a slow-burning tension that keeps players on edge.
- Unique and beautiful art style (weight 0.78): The game's art style is highly praised for its uniqueness and beauty, with a stylish and pretty graphical presentation that captures a specific giallo movie vibe.
- Compelling and engaging story (weight 0.68): The game features a captivating and well-developed storyline with interesting characters and good twists, making it a great story-driven experience.
- Interesting and original gameplay (weight 0.62): Players enjoy the gameplay for its originality, high replayability, and well-paced mechanics, providing an enjoyable and fascinating experience.
- Excellent sound and music design (weight 0.49): The sound design is cinematic and well done, complemented by very atmospheric and immersive music that enhances the overall experience.
- Marvelously atmospheric (weight 0.48): The game is praised for its thrilling and immersive atmosphere, which is enhanced by its unique setting and tone inspired by Sardinian folklore.
- Reactive and satisfying interactions (weight 0.14): Players appreciate the game's reactive and satisfying interactions, which contribute to the overall engaging experience.
- Engaging and rewarding puzzles (weight 0.14): The game features engaging puzzles that are tough but rewarding and realistic, adding to the gameplay experience.
- First-person camera mode (weight 0.14): The first-person camera mode adds to the fear factor and immersion in the game.

Common complaints:
- Buggy gameplay (weight 0.78): The game is noted to be buggy, with various issues such as characters getting stuck, movement problems, and other glitches that affect the overall experience.
- Visual and technical issues (weight 0.61): The game has several visual and technical issues, including extremely dark visuals, jerky character movement, and problems with the camera, which can cause motion sickness and discomfort.
- Unclear and confusing gameplay (weight 0.46): The gameplay is often described as unclear and confusing, with poorly explained mechanics and a lack of explicit guidance, making it difficult for players to understand and enjoy.
- Frustrating mechanics (weight 0.36): Some game mechanics are poorly explained and can be frustrating to use. Additionally, some mechanics are considered practically useless.
- Excessive difficulty (weight 0.33): The game's difficulty is frequently mentioned as being too high, with players finding it brutal and rampant. This high difficulty can make the game more frustrating than enjoyable.
- Monster chase issues (weight 0.32): The monster chase mechanic is criticized for feeling like a chore and losing its appeal quickly. The monster can also appear too frequently, making exploration tedious.
- Navigation difficulties (weight 0.32): Players find the map hard to use and navigate, leading to confusion and frustration. The changing city layout adds to the disorientation.
- Horror elements ineffective (weight 0.3): The horror elements in the game are not well-received, with players finding them not scary and the atmosphere lacking in fear.
- Lack of modern features (weight 0.25): The game lacks modern tools and features such as music and the ability to pause during dialogues, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Monster behavior issues (weight 0.25): The monster in the game can have various behavior issues, such as getting stuck in loops, ignoring stealth, and hunting for too long, which can be frustrating and unfair.
- Motion sickness and discomfort (weight 0.2): The game's camera and field of view (FOV) issues can cause motion sickness and discomfort, with no options to change the FOV.
- High pressure and stress (weight 0.2): The game is noted for inducing high pressure and stress, with players rarely feeling safe and experiencing anxiety.
- Excessive backtracking (weight 0.15): Players have noted that there is excessive backtracking at the beginning of the game, which can be tedious and frustrating.
- Inadequate hiding mechanics (weight 0.15): Players feel that there are not enough hiding places, especially on higher difficulties, and the indicators for enemy proximity are insufficient.
- Confusing and non-linear story (weight 0.15): The game's non-linear story and shifting map can be confusing and frustrating for players, making it difficult to get into the game.
- Unrealistic and absurd conditions (weight 0.14): The game has some unrealistic and absurd conditions, which can be frustrating and detract from the overall experience.
- Small light radius (weight 0.14): The small light radius in the game can make it difficult to see, even with matches lit, which can be excessive and frustrating.
- Insufficient film for clues (weight 0.14): There is not enough film in one run to fully fill the clue board, which can be frustrating and limit the overall experience.
- Encourages skipping text (weight 0.14): The game encourages skipping text and inattentiveness, which can detract from the overall experience and immersion.
- Initial confusion and learning curve (weight 0.14): The game has an initial confusion and a cumbersome learning curve, which can be frustrating and limit the overall experience.
- Lack of character depth (weight 0.09): The game lacks deeper background for characters, making the story and characters feel superficial and confusing.
- Limited exploration time (weight 0.09): Players feel that there is not enough time to explore during the day, which can be frustrating and limit the overall experience.
- Autosave issues (weight 0.09): The game's autosave indicators do not guarantee that the game is actually saving, which can lead to progress being lost and frustration.
- Lack of engagement with mechanics (weight 0.09): Players find some mechanics, such as the call-up-your-mates mechanic, lacking in engagement and not fully utilized.
- Progression problems (weight 0.09): Players have reported problems with progression in the game, which can be frustrating and limit the overall experience.
- Sound and cue problems (weight 0.08): There are issues with sound cues in the game, which can affect the overall experience and immersion.
- Puzzle difficulties (weight 0.08): Players have reported getting stuck on puzzles, which can be frustrating and limit the overall experience.
- Skill loss limits options (weight 0.08): The loss of skills in the game limits the options available to players, which can be frustrating and limit the overall experience.
- Unsatisfying ending (weight 0.08): The ending of the game does not explain anything, which can be disappointing and limit the overall experience.
- Refund due to confusion (weight 0.08): Some players had to refund the game due to getting lost in the prologue/tutorial, indicating significant confusion and frustration.
- Uncomfortable main menu (weight 0.08): The main menu of the game is described as uncomfortable, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Edgy topics barely touched (weight 0.08): The game touches on edgy topics but does not fully explore them, which can be disappointing and limit the overall experience.
- Inconvenient confrontations (weight 0.08): The confrontations in the game are described as inconvenient and irritating, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Peculiar rhythm (weight 0.08): The game has a peculiar rhythm, which can be confusing and limit the overall experience.
- Pulls some punches (weight 0.08): The game is noted for pulling some punches, which can be disappointing and limit the overall experience.
- Questionable gameplay decisions (weight 0.08): The game has some questionable gameplay decisions, which can be frustrating and limit the overall experience.
- Demands patience (weight 0.08): The game demands a lot of patience from players, which can be frustrating and limit the overall experience.
- Prompt issues (weight 0.08): Prompts in the game did not show up for some items, tools, or dialogues, which can be frustrating and limit the overall experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Survival horror with investigative elements (weight 0.72): The game blends survival horror with investigative and detective mechanics, creating a unique mystery-solving experience. Players engage in horror elements while solving puzzles and uncovering clues.
- Exploration and puzzle-solving (weight 0.66): Players explore the game world to find clues and solve puzzles, which are integral to progressing the story and uncovering mysteries. The puzzles are challenging but rewarding.
- Roguelite mechanics (weight 0.58): The game features roguelite elements, including a reset mechanic upon death and map rearrangement. This adds a layer of challenge and variety to each playthrough.
- High tension and challenging gameplay (weight 0.55): The game is designed to be high tension and challenging, with mechanics that require players to stay alert and strategic. This includes chase mechanics and the need for constant hiding.
- Procedural village generation (weight 0.51): The village in the game is procedurally generated, reshaping and changing with each playthrough or death. This mechanic adds replayability and unpredictability to the game world.
- Monster mechanics and issues (weight 0.42): The game includes monster chase mechanics and encounters, but some players have reported issues with monsters getting stuck, ignoring stealth, or hunting for too long.
- Unique gameplay mechanics (weight 0.3): The game features unique gameplay mechanics inspired by other games, including a clue board for discoveries, a mind-map for story reconstruction, and various other innovative systems.
- Interconnected stories and character perspectives (weight 0.29): The game offers interconnected stories with interesting characters, providing multiple character perspectives and personal quests that enrich the narrative.
- Non-linear, story-driven gameplay (weight 0.27): The game offers a non-linear story with multiple endings, driven by the player's choices and discoveries. This creates a rich, story-driven experience with high replay value.
- Difficulty and accessibility settings (weight 0.26): The game features customizable difficulty settings, including a difficulty slider for hints and various gameplay modes. This allows players to tailor the experience to their preferences.
- Psychological and folk horror elements (weight 0.24): The game incorporates psychological horror elements and folk horror genre themes, creating a unique and immersive horror experience.
- Camera and navigation issues (weight 0.23): Some players have reported issues with the camera movement and navigation challenges. This includes difficulties with the first-person camera mode and navigating the confusing city layout.
- Character-specific abilities (weight 0.22): Characters in the game have unique skills and backgrounds, providing different gameplay experiences and strategies. This enhances replayability and personalization.
- Initial learning curve (weight 0.14): The game has an initial learning curve that players need to overcome. This includes understanding the game mechanics, controls, and strategies for survival.
- Replay value and meta-progression (weight 0.14): The game offers high replay value due to its meta-progression system, multiple endings, and the ability to toggle the experience at the beginning of each playthrough.
- Resource management and consumables (weight 0.14): Players need to manage resources and consumables, such as film and key items, to progress in the game. This adds a layer of strategy and challenge to the gameplay.
- Game does not pause during dialogues (weight 0.13): The game does not pause during dialogues and item examination, which can add to the tension but may also cause accessibility issues for some players.
- Limited resources in one run (weight 0.13): Players may find that there are not enough resources, such as film, in one run to fully complete their objectives. This adds a layer of challenge and resource management to the gameplay.
- No hand-holding (weight 0.13): The game features a Detective Mode without objective markers, requiring players to rely on their investigative skills and knowledge without guidance.
- Character control issues (weight 0.11): Some players have reported that characters are weird to control and can get stuck in textures, which may affect the gameplay experience.

Performance notes:
- Game is buggy (weight 0.27): Multiple reports indicate that the game is still experiencing various bugs, including general bugginess and specific issues like glitching into walls.
- Autosave indicators unreliable (weight 0.09): The autosave indicators do not always guarantee that the game has saved, leading to potential loss of progress.
- Motion sickness settings needed (weight 0.09): Players are requesting settings to help with motion sickness, indicating that the current options may be insufficient.
- FOV change in buildings (weight 0.09): The field of view changes when entering buildings, which can be disorienting for players.
- Character movement settings (weight 0.09): There is a need for more customizable character movement settings to improve gameplay experience.
- Engine-related bugs (weight 0.08): There are bugs related to the game engine that need to be addressed.
- FPS limited to 120 (weight 0.08): The game has a maximum frame rate limit of 120 FPS, which may be a limitation for some players.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for horror game fans (weight 0.43): The game is highly recommended for fans of horror games, especially those who enjoy challenging gameplay with detective elements and puzzle-solving.
- Highly recommended overall (weight 0.22): The game comes with a strong recommendation from players, suggesting it is worth trying, especially when available at a discounted price.
- Atmospheric and non-combat horror (weight 0.21): This game is suggested for players who enjoy deep, atmospheric horror experiences and prefer non-combat, slow-burn horror games.
- Detective mode enhances experience (weight 0.09): Players highly recommend trying the game in Detective mode for an enhanced gaming experience.

Other player notes:
- Players acquired the game through various means (weight 0.2): Some players obtained the game for free through Epic Games, while others purchased it on Steam to support the developers. Additionally, there are players who are glad to have the deluxe version of the game.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.22): Players are frustrated primarily due to technical issues such as bugs, glitches, and motion sickness caused by camera and movement problems. Additionally, high difficulty, excessive backtracking, and navigation issues contribute to the frustration, making the game feel unbalanced and poorly optimized.
- Excitement (weight 0.18): The game's unique setting, engaging story, and atmospheric design generate excitement among players. The investigation mechanics, puzzles, and overall artistic style, including graphics and sound design, are particularly praised for creating a captivating and immersive experience.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.11): Players enjoy the game for its unique style, captivating story, and well-designed gameplay. The art style, sound design, and overall atmosphere contribute to a positive and engaging experience, especially when played on easier settings.
- Disappointment (weight 0.08): Disappointment stems from the game's lack of deeper character backgrounds and underwhelming horror elements. Some players also express dissatisfaction with the graphics, learning curve, and certain gameplay mechanics that did not meet their expectations.
- Appreciation (weight 0.07): Players appreciate the game's unique style, tension, and the town's spooky vibe. The game's fairness, respect for the player's time, and positive aspects of the ambiance and music are also highlighted as reasons for appreciation.
- Fear (weight 0.05): The game's terrifying audio cues, oppressive atmosphere, and the sound of creatures create a sense of fear. The chase mechanics and the need to outrun creatures further enhance the frightening experience.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Players experience joy due to the positive overall experience with the game and its high replayability. The game's features and pricing also contribute to a joyful experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Satisfaction comes from the game's balance between horror and casual modes, as well as the well-connected narrative and unique art style. The overall story and experience are also noted as sources of satisfaction.
- Interest (weight 0.03): The game's interesting story, unique art style, and atmospheric gameplay piques players' interest. The combination of these elements creates a compelling experience that holds players' attention.
- Anxiety (weight 0.02): The chase mechanics and psychological terror in the game induce feelings of anxiety. The tension and fear created by these elements contribute to an anxious gaming experience.
- Intrigue (weight 0.02): Players are intrigued by the game's narrative and engaging story. The unique gameplay experience also adds to the sense of intrigue, making players curious to explore more.
- Disappointment (weight 0.01): Déception est causée par le fait que le jeu n'a pas satisfait les attentes des joueurs. Les joueurs se sentent déçus par l'expérience globale du jeu.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Os jogadores admiraram a narrativa e a construção de personagens do jogo. A profundidade da história e o desenvolvimento dos personagens são destacados como pontos positivos.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the game's unique atmosphere and artistic intent. The game's distinct style and creative vision are appreciated for their originality and impact.
- Fascination (weight 0.01): Despite the bugs, players are fascinated by the game's unique and interesting experience. The game's innovative elements and engaging mechanics captivate players' interest.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Players feel happy due to the positive experience with the game's features and pricing. The overall enjoyment and value for money contribute to a happy gaming experience.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Players are curious about the game's unique mechanics and exploration opportunities. The desire to discover more about the game's innovative features drives their curiosity.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): The game's unique design and narrative elements surprise players. The unexpected and innovative aspects of the game create a sense of surprise and wonder.
- Stress (weight 0.01): The gameplay tension induces feelings of stress. The challenging and intense moments in the game contribute to a stressful experience.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Players are engaged by the game's story and gameplay. The combination of narrative and interactive elements keeps players involved and interested.}