Played games 5-8 in this video and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I feel like this collection is such a wonderful idea and look forward to playing through all the weird, interesting games it has to offer!
Day 14 Finished. The game, although keeping weird every day, this time it gained some points for referencing to N64 games. Who knows we can have a "Haunted N64" too... It would be coolest as Haunted PS1.
I loved the first part of this game. There was a lot to look at and the you can use the rc car which was a nice touch. I wonder what purpose going into the closet is for? I like the dust coming in from the window even though they are huge. I like the whole 90’s feel to it.
I was a little confused when you try to interact with the drawers and the character says that they shouldn’t open drawers cause it’s none of their business. Like why? Isn’t it their room? The games dialogue signifies that it is. Or maybe it’s a sleepover and the other friend went to the washroom and the two friends sleep together in that small bed? Highly unlikely, it’s the kids room. The dialogue was maybe written by different people or the writer forgot what they were writing.
This game kinda felt like a hidden object game at some point. I would say that the worst part was when the light came and things became really hard to look at and I wanted it to end. The question marks bothered me as well. I was really hoping to have been abducted and brought onto a ship. I’ve been really wanting an alien game and was thinking of making one myself. Also, the mouse cursor was always in the middle of the screen and that kind of bothered me too. I used a controller cause the game said it would be best played with it but the cursor was still there.
Overall, I’d only play this game for the first part. Feels like a glimpse into an old era.
These next two games are both really short, but I feel like one does it a lot better.
Eyes and Ears
Sorry to say, but I didn't like this one very much. It didn't fit the bill of a fun game, and it didn't fit the haunting scene aspect either for me. I was interested in looking around this place, and saw that it was Myst-like. I thought there would be some interactable things, maybe just a short puzzle.
But, it seems all there is is to just look at all the animations in this house, with no real clue as to what's going on. The house was interesting, I want to know more about all these things going on, and what does.
I went on to the creators twitter and found the Cornish Litany image that the scene is based on, and I thought that was cool! What a cool place for inspiration, and look at all the things that are going on! But all the game does is let us look at different angles of the scene, and not interact with it at all. Then we walk outside and die. I replayed the game multiple times, but there doesn't seem to be more than that.
It feels like there was more planned and it just didn't get finished. Also, one other gripe, those huge arrows are really annoying. If all I can do is explore the scene then it's annoying to have like have my view taken up by these giant flashing arrows. They could have been made a lot smaller and still do their job.
Please let me know if there's more to the game that I have missed.
You have reached the end.
This one was really short too, but fit the haunting scene aspect perfectly.
I like the digital, grainy VHS look of the game, hell it almost feels like a real recording just because of that. Walking to the end, expecting to find an outside, when all there is just nothing, and then turning around to find that the entire hallway has turned into nothing, that was really cool. And then the loud noise getting louder and louder, till I guess we die? I liked all of it.
This game reminded me of something I do. In my room, if it's a rainy or overcast day, I will sometimes open my curtains, and look out the window at such an angle that all I can see is the white sky, and imagine has if my room existed in some blank void. This is what this hallway feels like.
Hell, I could see the potential for metaphors here too. The light at the end of the tunnel, this is the end of my life, and no, I can't go back and do it again. It's gone, and I can barely see back there anymore.
I think this one did a better job than Eyes and Ears because everything seemed purposeful, it set out for a specific experience and did it. I can see the experience that this game wanted me to have, Eyes and Ears seems more confused and unsure.
There’s nothing that I have to say about his game but disappointed.
I did however play RIP again and actually got further than last time which is pretty cool. But in the 3rd level, I got stuck. I tried multiple times to try and do stuff in level 3 but I ended up giving up. The main reason why is because when I get to level 3, there is not enough time for me to explore and then he sneezes and I get thrown back to level 1. Don’t plan on playing it again.
The project can be added to your Itch library by rating and I believe by downloading, but itch does not support "claiming" projects. Moreover, this project will remain free rather than just staying free for a limited time, so there's no need to "claim" it.
So the main gameplay of this game is like dragons lair without anything actually happening and it's very myst-like, where you walk from screen to screen but this this is in 3d.
There are a some animations and lightning in the background that lights up the level randomly. The being outside the window just turns it’s static pose towards you when you look at the fairy glass. There's some kind of small being by the door rocking their legs I think. What I’m trying to say is that there is a little bit of animations and stuff in this game but it feels like an unfinished project. It’s so short, you can beat it in 10 secs and see everything that it has to offer.
Madvent Calendar is the perfect name for this collection. SMS has to be a recent favorite for me. So brief, and yet, so effective. I’ve always had a lot of respect for the Haunted PS1 community, and this collection is a great example why. Some of these ideas are proving to be scarier and more memorable than bigger-budget horror titles.
A really short walking simulator. It’s kind of an interesting game. What I really like most about this game is the visual effects. From the snow falling, the dithering, and the graphics, to how the light at the end of tunnel went further away. Really cool but really short.
Correction: That's cool if have a VR mode. I don't know if is possible to play by using the Trinus VR, but it's cool if we could play like that, since that many games of this compilation seems to be better player with this tech.
Day 11 was awesome. Wish we could see what lies beneath the ice longer though! It ends abruptly. Very cool game, awesome graphics and sound for immersion. Loved the sense of vertigo going into the ruins. Would be even crazier in VR.
Yeah we were really pressed for time so the main focus was the atmopshere and visuals. I do wish I had done more with the ending but I had to finish up and move on due to deadlines.
No worries, it's definitely in the top 5 for me, maybe even top 3. I have to play through them aagain but thanks for making this! I understand the deadlines and no worries. It was dope.
This game had an interesting premise with a rather disappointing ending.
I liked wandering through the forest, searching for these ruins and being tricked by trees and mirages. And finally finding the ruins was really cool.
When walking down the stairs I started getting really cool ideas for a horror game that *I* would want to make, and was hoping the game would do.
I was reminded of this story that I heard in a Jacob Geller video, where these scientists find a lighthouse with a stair way that just keeps going down. And down. With seemingly no end, a staircase that just tunnels deeper than the Earth could possibly be, that drives people to madness just thinking about it.
I thought that this game's ruins would be this never ending staircase, and my player would slowly go more insane, maybe my flash light batteries die, or as I try to run back up I find I'm stuck in some loop and cannot leave, hallucinations and mind tricks as I keep going down this endlessly deep staircase, with the entrance still visible, but a distant memory and never reachable.
But it wasn't that, I was excited when I got to the bottom and thought there was more to explore, but it was just a hallway that lead to a big monster. The monster itself wasn't that particularly scary, and I feel like this game had a great set up with a weak pay off.
Honestly we didn't have much time to spend on it so the main focus was the environment and mood. I do feel the ending could have been more and bigger but yeah I had to finish it an move on. That idea does sound good actually and now I am kinda kicking myself for not thinking of it first xD
I have a problem with how slow the parts are when talking to the glowing dog are. The animation looks laggy and the text boxes appear slow. The text within in it appear slow as well. It feels wrong.
Picking up those those things in the pool feels like a chore. Just a little of that would have been nice but not a lot like in the game. Just felt like a waste of the players time. The last part of this level with the glowing dog seemed interesting but went on for too long because of it also being laggy. The story in general still doesn’t make sense or has anything to stand on as of yet.
There’s a second area where I thought the game would pick up and certain characters from a big franchise are there. Not really sure why. This level is kind of frustrating until you figure it out but the stacking mechanic is actually a great thing. Text boxes do not reappear and that’s fine since none of their dialogue helps you. Also, the text boxes in this level are normal now and it’s clear that there was some kind of slow down in the last area for some reason.
Then there’s a third level. The dialogue here still doesn’t give us anything for the story except for the last one that talks about grandpa who was talked about before with the glowing dog. We are then shown an animation that lingers on for far too long and overstays it’s welcome. I had to turn it off. Don’t know if there’s more after that part but I wasn’t going to waste anymore time. You could hear laughing while it’s showing as well. Seemed like a joke but there’s a problem when the joke goes on for too long or doesn’t serve any purpose or have any hook, line, and sinker.
Even though the game appears to be experimental in nature, it's interesting and I would give it a go if it doesn't lagg.
After watching a bit of the 5mg playthrough, it appears that the slow down was just me but I couldn’t have possibly been the only to have experienced the game this way, could I? And if there are some people who have experienced it, would they comment about it? So yeah, I’m not sure what to feel about the game lagging anymore. I guess I just had a bad experience with the game.
It sounds like you had an issue with a shader I used for the glowing effect, considering it happened during the dog and grampa cutscenes. I'll be on the lookout to see if anyone else gets it!
I hope you stick around for the rest of Madvent even tho you didn't care for my entry!
Oh yes, the glowing effect is most likely the culprit.
I will and I do like your game. It was weird and strange and I like that and the stacking was a great mechanic to use. It's really the laggyness that turned me off though I can see my other points making the game seem worse than it is when it's really just critiques on the gameplay. I'm sorry if I sounded too harsh.
I appreciated the story the game was telling. I was reminded of the Winchester Mansion, a mansion that the owner just kept adding rooms and stories to until she died. It's like whatever trauma or grief the co-owner of the bar was experiencing he was processing through just adding on nonsense additions to the bar.
I also liked the beginning effect, where I walked into the bar, and it was empty and desolate, but somehow, like I blinked, and then the lights were on. I'm unsure if that's intentional.
This one felt like the least PS1y game. It didn't emulate the low texture resolution and it had lighting that would be way to advanced for a ps1. It made the bar a little more eerie, because there was less for my imagination to fill in so it's this, weirdly empty and oddly constructed bar.
I have to agree with another comment here. The walking is so slow. I got this sense that I'm going back to an old place and just taking it all in, so I'm taking my time. But I am not this character, I am not nostalgic for this place, and unless the character started saying something else, walking from place to place was rather boring.
The ending was intriguing. Really didn't expect the giant head and static walls and floors. It also sort of solidified that I probably had died out in the cold and just hallucinated exploring this bar that was once a memory. Maybe.
I thought this game was a mixed-bag.
SMS
This was a tight, short experience with not much room for any issues, and I really liked it.
At first I'm creeped out by how empty and dark the train is. Then I realize I'm in the middle of nowhere.
I've been on the other end of the phone with someone not answering my texts, and so I empathized with that worry that "they're probably okay but what if they died" dread you get. I was getting a little mad at my character, like even if you hate your mom you could have just texted "ok" so she wouldn't come looking for you.
Once the mom started coming to the train, I was filled with anxiety. Like I know this is a horror game there's no way this is going to end good, she's not coming to help me, where the hell even am I? How did she find me so fast? Why am I the only one on this train?
With each text saying she was coming closer I got more scared, and walked away from the doors. That little jump scare at the end was totally earned, and I liked the twist.
Good job!
Paralysis Penguins
Huh...
I have some thoughts and interpretations about this game, but I'm not as sure about them as I was with Godforsaken Hole.
Well, first, I actually like that the camera can't be turned in the beginning, the only way to discover new things was to walk into the unknown.
The delay that the dog has in speaking is really unnerving. Like I *really* did not like watching this dog stare at me waiting for his line.
This game feels like a fever dream. I could imagine someone calling RIP a fever dream, but that's not really what I mean. RIP has a consistent theme about it, paper and ripping.
This is where my interpretations come in, but unlike the 4th game where I was like 85 percent sure of them, here I'm only like 30 percent sure.
This game feels like the fever dreams of a child who had a traumatic experience with their grandpa, or at least, the fever dreams of someone who is remembering their childhood trauma.
There's this nonsense disconnected world filled with random characters that aren't linked in any way. The fever dream is filled with what the child has experienced and with media they consumed. Like, the TMNTs are in the library, and the blue dog looks like he's from a cartoon he could have watched.
The interpretation that I am least sure about is the grandpa. My mind immediately went to (Content Warning) : the grandpa molesting the child. My only evidence for it is that the grandpa is practically naked, I am powerless when he arrives, and when he comes down he starts eating me right at my pelvis. That scene also made me completely uncomfortable, I did not want to watch.
But I feel like I'm reading too much into it, and that kind of thing isn't in the content warning for the game, only body horror and suicide. So again I'm like, 20 percent sure about my interpretation.
But, whatever the traumatic event is, the rest of the game coincides with that for me. Suicidal thoughts, and people not being understanding of me and getting mad at me for being late to some stupid event. School trauma.
Like really, sorry if my interpretation is completely off base, but I don't know what else to make of the game. It's weird, disconnected, and off putting. So it fits the haunting scene aspect perfectly. As uncomfortable as it made me, I liked it.
I want to know how you came up with everything. Nothing seems connected through a theme but it feels purposeful.
Also, not sure if "Second conversation! This is a placeholder! Nothing important, just some monologuing" is intentional, lol.
I'll respond with more detail later, but Paralysis Penguin is a mashup of many of my dreams. Grampa is a manifestation of my sleep paralysis, a sleep disorder I have.
I really like the things you wrote, and no interpretation is invalid, so no reason to apologize or anything! Cheers!
Episode 9 finished. It seems to me that this game was more narrative-focused. But it was interesting seeing that you can understand much of the plot only by SMS sent by his Mother. Very interesting indeed.
I just stood in the corner and waited for texts to appear. I think the ringing is annoying but that’s how I feel about such things in real life as well. Same goes for alarm clock sounds.
Only thing that has any relatability with Christmas is that the place where the main character is staying is cold. I think having snow falling outside of the train would have been nice.
The tone of the game is overall kind of creepy and made me kind of scared of the mom. The music helped with this.
In the end I thought it was an original idea and it was great!
As more games unlock, it’s interesting to see each developer’s approach to the season, and how it’s wildly different from one to the next. I think one of my new favorite elements to this collection is just how downright weird some of these games are.
These are all standard unity, unreal, and game-maker projects, all from well known and reputable community members in hps1. That said, when you bundle multiple EXEs in nested folders, sometimes antiviral software gets spooked!
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How many times can I say the word "weird" in one series of videos? Apparently I can say it a lot and I love it!
Played games 5-8 in this video and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I feel like this collection is such a wonderful idea and look forward to playing through all the weird, interesting games it has to offer!
Day 14 Finished. The game, although keeping weird every day, this time it gained some points for referencing to N64 games. Who knows we can have a "Haunted N64" too... It would be coolest as Haunted PS1.
Evenfall
Game 14
I loved the first part of this game. There was a lot to look at and the you can use the rc car which was a nice touch. I wonder what purpose going into the closet is for? I like the dust coming in from the window even though they are huge. I like the whole 90’s feel to it.
I was a little confused when you try to interact with the drawers and the character says that they shouldn’t open drawers cause it’s none of their business. Like why? Isn’t it their room? The games dialogue signifies that it is. Or maybe it’s a sleepover and the other friend went to the washroom and the two friends sleep together in that small bed? Highly unlikely, it’s the kids room. The dialogue was maybe written by different people or the writer forgot what they were writing.
This game kinda felt like a hidden object game at some point. I would say that the worst part was when the light came and things became really hard to look at and I wanted it to end. The question marks bothered me as well. I was really hoping to have been abducted and brought onto a ship. I’ve been really wanting an alien game and was thinking of making one myself. Also, the mouse cursor was always in the middle of the screen and that kind of bothered me too. I used a controller cause the game said it would be best played with it but the cursor was still there.
Overall, I’d only play this game for the first part. Feels like a glimpse into an old era.
This collection is a shining light in the shitty year, thank y'all so much! SMS was amazing!!
These next two games are both really short, but I feel like one does it a lot better.
Eyes and Ears
Sorry to say, but I didn't like this one very much. It didn't fit the bill of a fun game, and it didn't fit the haunting scene aspect either for me. I was interested in looking around this place, and saw that it was Myst-like. I thought there would be some interactable things, maybe just a short puzzle.
But, it seems all there is is to just look at all the animations in this house, with no real clue as to what's going on. The house was interesting, I want to know more about all these things going on, and what does.
I went on to the creators twitter and found the Cornish Litany image that the scene is based on, and I thought that was cool! What a cool place for inspiration, and look at all the things that are going on! But all the game does is let us look at different angles of the scene, and not interact with it at all. Then we walk outside and die. I replayed the game multiple times, but there doesn't seem to be more than that.
It feels like there was more planned and it just didn't get finished. Also, one other gripe, those huge arrows are really annoying. If all I can do is explore the scene then it's annoying to have like have my view taken up by these giant flashing arrows. They could have been made a lot smaller and still do their job.
Please let me know if there's more to the game that I have missed.
You have reached the end.
This one was really short too, but fit the haunting scene aspect perfectly.
I like the digital, grainy VHS look of the game, hell it almost feels like a real recording just because of that. Walking to the end, expecting to find an outside, when all there is just nothing, and then turning around to find that the entire hallway has turned into nothing, that was really cool. And then the loud noise getting louder and louder, till I guess we die? I liked all of it.
This game reminded me of something I do. In my room, if it's a rainy or overcast day, I will sometimes open my curtains, and look out the window at such an angle that all I can see is the white sky, and imagine has if my room existed in some blank void. This is what this hallway feels like.
Hell, I could see the potential for metaphors here too. The light at the end of the tunnel, this is the end of my life, and no, I can't go back and do it again. It's gone, and I can barely see back there anymore.
I think this one did a better job than Eyes and Ears because everything seemed purposeful, it set out for a specific experience and did it. I can see the experience that this game wanted me to have, Eyes and Ears seems more confused and unsure.
You have reached the end
Game 13
There’s nothing that I have to say about his game but disappointed.
I did however play RIP again and actually got further than last time which is pretty cool. But in the 3rd level, I got stuck. I tried multiple times to try and do stuff in level 3 but I ended up giving up. The main reason why is because when I get to level 3, there is not enough time for me to explore and then he sneezes and I get thrown back to level 1. Don’t plan on playing it again.
Day 13 Finished: And so I thought that Day 12 was weird...
day 13 : WHAT ?!?
It's a good game
Three more games in and I'm enjoying the collection so far. Things are getting surreal and mildly existential, just as the holidays should be.
And who doesn't love marbles?!not claimable.....
The project can be added to your Itch library by rating and I believe by downloading, but itch does not support "claiming" projects. Moreover, this project will remain free rather than just staying free for a limited time, so there's no need to "claim" it.
Eyes & Ears
Game 12
So the main gameplay of this game is like dragons lair without anything actually happening and it's very myst-like, where you walk from screen to screen but this this is in 3d.
There are a some animations and lightning in the background that lights up the level randomly. The being outside the window just turns it’s static pose towards you when you look at the fairy glass. There's some kind of small being by the door rocking their legs I think. What I’m trying to say is that there is a little bit of animations and stuff in this game but it feels like an unfinished project. It’s so short, you can beat it in 10 secs and see everything that it has to offer.
Day 12 Finished. And The Madvent Calendar goes weirder every game I play...
Madvent Calendar is the perfect name for this collection. SMS has to be a recent favorite for me. So brief, and yet, so effective. I’ve always had a lot of respect for the Haunted PS1 community, and this collection is a great example why. Some of these ideas are proving to be scarier and more memorable than bigger-budget horror titles.
This has to be one of the weirdest indie collabs I've played but I'm really into it :)
day 11 : Very Lovecraftesque, but as the others said I wish we could see the ending a little longer. Othewise, very nice.
I absolutely love this take for the holidays lol only 1 day in and I'm freaked out and enjoying it! Can't wait to play the other days!
What Lies Within the Ice
Game 11
A really short walking simulator. It’s kind of an interesting game. What I really like most about this game is the visual effects. From the snow falling, the dithering, and the graphics, to how the light at the end of tunnel went further away. Really cool but really short.
Day 11 Concluded. In my opinion, the game had a good exploration, but a weak ending. That's cool playing in VR mode.
wait you could play it in VR?
Correction: That's cool if have a VR mode. I don't know if is possible to play by using the Trinus VR, but it's cool if we could play like that, since that many games of this compilation seems to be better player with this tech.
Thanks for your comment and video :D
Yeah we were really pressed for time so the main focus was the atmopshere and visuals. I do wish I had done more with the ending but I had to finish up and move on due to deadlines.
No worries, it's definitely in the top 5 for me, maybe even top 3. I have to play through them aagain but thanks for making this! I understand the deadlines and no worries. It was dope.
Thank you for the kind words! 🙏
What Lies In The Ice
This game had an interesting premise with a rather disappointing ending.
I liked wandering through the forest, searching for these ruins and being tricked by trees and mirages. And finally finding the ruins was really cool.
When walking down the stairs I started getting really cool ideas for a horror game that *I* would want to make, and was hoping the game would do.
I was reminded of this story that I heard in a Jacob Geller video, where these scientists find a lighthouse with a stair way that just keeps going down. And down. With seemingly no end, a staircase that just tunnels deeper than the Earth could possibly be, that drives people to madness just thinking about it.
I thought that this game's ruins would be this never ending staircase, and my player would slowly go more insane, maybe my flash light batteries die, or as I try to run back up I find I'm stuck in some loop and cannot leave, hallucinations and mind tricks as I keep going down this endlessly deep staircase, with the entrance still visible, but a distant memory and never reachable.
But it wasn't that, I was excited when I got to the bottom and thought there was more to explore, but it was just a hallway that lead to a big monster. The monster itself wasn't that particularly scary, and I feel like this game had a great set up with a weak pay off.
Thank you for the comment on our game :D
Honestly we didn't have much time to spend on it so the main focus was the environment and mood. I do feel the ending could have been more and bigger but yeah I had to finish it an move on. That idea does sound good actually and now I am kinda kicking myself for not thinking of it first xD
another part 😉
I also got drug trip vibes. Weird
Paralysis Penguin
Game 10
I have a problem with how slow the parts are when talking to the glowing dog are. The animation looks laggy and the text boxes appear slow. The text within in it appear slow as well. It feels wrong.
Picking up those those things in the pool feels like a chore. Just a little of that would have been nice but not a lot like in the game. Just felt like a waste of the players time. The last part of this level with the glowing dog seemed interesting but went on for too long because of it also being laggy. The story in general still doesn’t make sense or has anything to stand on as of yet.
There’s a second area where I thought the game would pick up and certain characters from a big franchise are there. Not really sure why. This level is kind of frustrating until you figure it out but the stacking mechanic is actually a great thing. Text boxes do not reappear and that’s fine since none of their dialogue helps you. Also, the text boxes in this level are normal now and it’s clear that there was some kind of slow down in the last area for some reason.
Then there’s a third level. The dialogue here still doesn’t give us anything for the story except for the last one that talks about grandpa who was talked about before with the glowing dog. We are then shown an animation that lingers on for far too long and overstays it’s welcome. I had to turn it off. Don’t know if there’s more after that part but I wasn’t going to waste anymore time. You could hear laughing while it’s showing as well. Seemed like a joke but there’s a problem when the joke goes on for too long or doesn’t serve any purpose or have any hook, line, and sinker.
Even though the game appears to be experimental in nature, it's interesting and I would give it a go if it doesn't lagg.
After watching a bit of the 5mg playthrough, it appears that the slow down was just me but I couldn’t have possibly been the only to have experienced the game this way, could I? And if there are some people who have experienced it, would they comment about it? So yeah, I’m not sure what to feel about the game lagging anymore. I guess I just had a bad experience with the game.
It sounds like you had an issue with a shader I used for the glowing effect, considering it happened during the dog and grampa cutscenes. I'll be on the lookout to see if anyone else gets it!
I hope you stick around for the rest of Madvent even tho you didn't care for my entry!
Oh yes, the glowing effect is most likely the culprit.
I will and I do like your game. It was weird and strange and I like that and the stacking was a great mechanic to use. It's really the laggyness that turned me off though I can see my other points making the game seem worse than it is when it's really just critiques on the gameplay. I'm sorry if I sounded too harsh.
all good!
Day 10 Concluded. Bizarre, but fun to passing time.
good game <3
195 Days in the Cold
I appreciated the story the game was telling. I was reminded of the Winchester Mansion, a mansion that the owner just kept adding rooms and stories to until she died. It's like whatever trauma or grief the co-owner of the bar was experiencing he was processing through just adding on nonsense additions to the bar.
I also liked the beginning effect, where I walked into the bar, and it was empty and desolate, but somehow, like I blinked, and then the lights were on. I'm unsure if that's intentional.
This one felt like the least PS1y game. It didn't emulate the low texture resolution and it had lighting that would be way to advanced for a ps1. It made the bar a little more eerie, because there was less for my imagination to fill in so it's this, weirdly empty and oddly constructed bar.
I have to agree with another comment here. The walking is so slow. I got this sense that I'm going back to an old place and just taking it all in, so I'm taking my time. But I am not this character, I am not nostalgic for this place, and unless the character started saying something else, walking from place to place was rather boring.
The ending was intriguing. Really didn't expect the giant head and static walls and floors. It also sort of solidified that I probably had died out in the cold and just hallucinated exploring this bar that was once a memory. Maybe.
I thought this game was a mixed-bag.
SMS
This was a tight, short experience with not much room for any issues, and I really liked it.
At first I'm creeped out by how empty and dark the train is. Then I realize I'm in the middle of nowhere.
I've been on the other end of the phone with someone not answering my texts, and so I empathized with that worry that "they're probably okay but what if they died" dread you get. I was getting a little mad at my character, like even if you hate your mom you could have just texted "ok" so she wouldn't come looking for you.
Once the mom started coming to the train, I was filled with anxiety. Like I know this is a horror game there's no way this is going to end good, she's not coming to help me, where the hell even am I? How did she find me so fast? Why am I the only one on this train?
With each text saying she was coming closer I got more scared, and walked away from the doors. That little jump scare at the end was totally earned, and I liked the twist.
Good job!
Paralysis Penguins
Huh...
I have some thoughts and interpretations about this game, but I'm not as sure about them as I was with Godforsaken Hole.
Well, first, I actually like that the camera can't be turned in the beginning, the only way to discover new things was to walk into the unknown.
The delay that the dog has in speaking is really unnerving. Like I *really* did not like watching this dog stare at me waiting for his line.
This game feels like a fever dream. I could imagine someone calling RIP a fever dream, but that's not really what I mean. RIP has a consistent theme about it, paper and ripping.
This is where my interpretations come in, but unlike the 4th game where I was like 85 percent sure of them, here I'm only like 30 percent sure.
This game feels like the fever dreams of a child who had a traumatic experience with their grandpa, or at least, the fever dreams of someone who is remembering their childhood trauma.
There's this nonsense disconnected world filled with random characters that aren't linked in any way. The fever dream is filled with what the child has experienced and with media they consumed. Like, the TMNTs are in the library, and the blue dog looks like he's from a cartoon he could have watched.
The interpretation that I am least sure about is the grandpa. My mind immediately went to (Content Warning) : the grandpa molesting the child. My only evidence for it is that the grandpa is practically naked, I am powerless when he arrives, and when he comes down he starts eating me right at my pelvis. That scene also made me completely uncomfortable, I did not want to watch.
But I feel like I'm reading too much into it, and that kind of thing isn't in the content warning for the game, only body horror and suicide. So again I'm like, 20 percent sure about my interpretation.
But, whatever the traumatic event is, the rest of the game coincides with that for me. Suicidal thoughts, and people not being understanding of me and getting mad at me for being late to some stupid event. School trauma.
Like really, sorry if my interpretation is completely off base, but I don't know what else to make of the game. It's weird, disconnected, and off putting. So it fits the haunting scene aspect perfectly. As uncomfortable as it made me, I liked it.
I want to know how you came up with everything. Nothing seems connected through a theme but it feels purposeful.
Also, not sure if "Second conversation! This is a placeholder! Nothing important, just some monologuing" is intentional, lol.
Thanks for continuing with these reviews!
I'll respond with more detail later, but Paralysis Penguin is a mashup of many of my dreams. Grampa is a manifestation of my sleep paralysis, a sleep disorder I have.
I really like the things you wrote, and no interpretation is invalid, so no reason to apologize or anything! Cheers!
day 9 : the "why don't you answer me what have I done wrong ?" is SOOOOOOO MY MOTHER ! how do you know her ? :D :D :D
Episode 9 finished. It seems to me that this game was more narrative-focused. But it was interesting seeing that you can understand much of the plot only by SMS sent by his Mother. Very interesting indeed.
SMS
Game 9
I just stood in the corner and waited for texts to appear. I think the ringing is annoying but that’s how I feel about such things in real life as well. Same goes for alarm clock sounds.
Only thing that has any relatability with Christmas is that the place where the main character is staying is cold. I think having snow falling outside of the train would have been nice.
The tone of the game is overall kind of creepy and made me kind of scared of the mom. The music helped with this.
In the end I thought it was an original idea and it was great!
I've become obsessed with this collection, it's SO GOOD! Here's my playthrough of games 4-6!
Simple yet slightly tense game on this day, very nice!
As more games unlock, it’s interesting to see each developer’s approach to the season, and how it’s wildly different from one to the next. I think one of my new favorite elements to this collection is just how downright weird some of these games are.
Is this safe? There is no virus? You guys checked every 24 game?
I mean some games feel like viruses for your brain
These are all standard unity, unreal, and game-maker projects, all from well known and reputable community members in hps1. That said, when you bundle multiple EXEs in nested folders, sometimes antiviral software gets spooked!