this was SO well made!! can't believe at how many points i was actually terrified while playing haha.
(SPOILERS)
the visuals are absolutely on point. knew from the moment at the start when you get teleported to this weird red room and immediately go back with a terrifying sound that this game would kill it with its presentation :> it's a really effective showing of how good default assets can look when used cleverly; the lighting all around looks GORGEOUS and gives ungodly huge amounts of atmosphere to every scene. from the warm orange hue of the church's inside when you arrive, to the hellish red of the scarce lights when you're trapped inside your mind... it made the tileset and overall presentation incredibly memorable. and that's without mentioning the original art, which is amazing as well! (those chunks of meat and skinned bodies are gonna show up in my nightmares lol) the designs of the original characters are great, and their character busts are super expressive. love how we don't see the mc's until the end, even when they talk to the demon in their mind; in a way it's like they've been silent for so long and, when the demon is defeated, now we can actually listen to them and what they feel without the demonic presence blinding us from them? that's the way i interpreted it at least haha. oh, and whenever a giant monster started chasing me i audibly yelped, so good job on the scare factor! XD overall the visuals are AMAZING, and the sound design is just as good! that laugh that plays sometimes is legit nightmarish haha, and the use of audio in general made me tense the whole way through. awesome stuff!
the plot was so gripping!! here and in mermaid's cove you've proven your ability to make me feel incredibly sad for the protagonist haha. the cutscene at the beginning with all the blurred faces was FANTASTIC, such a brilliant way to tell so much backstory with just a few lines and pictures. i wanted the mc to feel loved sooo bad, and felt heartbroken every time someone told them there was something wrong with them... the way they're trapped inside their mind as the devil takes a hold of them was a super clever interpretation of the exorcism theme, and how bits of their life seeped into each section was really creative (special shoutout to the kitchen part; the mother's clear disgust of her child while making them feel guilty for it, when you read her diary and learn how she thinks of you as a monster, when you enter the room she's at and it's empty and stained with blood, when the room turns dark and the fruit turns rotten, all of it with absolutely no music or ambience... that entire section was flawless!!). i also loved the characters! sister isabel's timidness and worry & father charles' determination made them really charming, and i just really liked how genuinely kind and focused on helping you they were. the mc's mother was written in an uncomfortably realistic way, and while you can understand that raising you on her own must've been hard, it doesn't excuse how much she seemingly manipulated her child into feeling horrible literally just for existing (if it wasn't clear already i kinda wanna punch her in the face-) even if they didn't get many lines of dialogue, i liked how "done with this bs" the mc looked haha. "i've lived with this goddamn demon all my life, f*ck it i can handle a few more years of suppresing my emotions" lmao. hope they at least smoked a blunt to destress or something. and i really liked the demon you talk to! love when an evil cosmic entity speaks super casually haha, and the way it gave you exposition about your situation was super well written, so many pieces of its dialogue got stuck in my head ("whatever you say, you monster" or "i love you" were especially creepy) also sidenote i really like its human design from the bad ending lol. the characters & plot are absolutely top notch, and kept me at the edge of my seat till the end!!
i really liked the gameplay too! really love how each section and each room had a different way of beating it, and they were all fun! from dodging flying spike balls, to going through a maze, to following instructions to avoid spikes... (i was SO sure there'd be a jumpscare in the mirror lol) if i had to complain about anything of these parts, sometimes the lighting was too dark and i couldn't really see where to go, especially in the maze section, and there could've been a few more light sources. nothing adjusting the screen brightness can't solve though lol. and at the part where you get chased by your shadow mom, when i got to the exit i couldn't leave. not sure if it was just a glitch with rpg maker tho, my games have had my fair share of complications with chase sequences haha.
overall this was a top tier game, and one of my favorites from the rpg maker horror game jam!! so many parts absolutely blew me away, and i can't wait to see what you make next! :D
wao thank you so much for yet another awesome review!! I'm glad I was able to convey certain aspects of the MC's life situation- I spoke in length about it in the server but; I took inspiration in some ways, from forms of isolation one can feel, especially being ostracized for seeming to appear or speak "differently" than people anticipate (autism for me), so I felt I could have some nuance to the MC's role while changing her situation to that of a curse or devils work.
The assets weren't rtp but purchased from other distributors, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same! I struggle with making things look more...*more*? Because I rely on them heavily, so with lighting, I'm glad I could show off different feelings or real "mood for the moment" during her struggle internally, and definitely took inspiration from horror films for the green room in particular (:
The parts with her mother are also something I'm pleased with being able to show in a manipulative way- the painful feelings that can come from being the one who has to raise a child on her own, only to have no idea what or how to navigate a child that doesn't act or behave how you want them to- making her anxious and ashamed, even at times.
That's not to say MC deserved it, of course, she just was dealt a shitty hand from the get go- and maybe, if she were handled with compassion, things could've ended up differently, too. I think I wanted to show a bleak outlook on a sad person who just wanted help. Only to find out, she was pretty much screwed from the start.
In the part where you first run from the mom (in the meat room), you have to interact with the door to leave, and that was intentional to make things more stress-enducing, but I can see how that can also be a design flaw haha
As for the other time she chases you, being locked in the room (the kitchen) was on purpose. Also, there technically is a little surprise in the mirror if you look at it again after getting the gem (:
I think I really wanted the ending part to be the heaviest for her- coupled with her almost acceptance yet disgust for death and rotting, along with the helplessness her mother made her feel- like what can feel like an almost inescapable barrier due to being a child with no other resource or help.
I knew from the inception of this story, that I'd want to write her to be already having a difficult time in life- made to feel like this is the last thing she can try (going to a church outside of town), for answers. Like she was already dangling on the edge of despair and needed some other kind of help, as she already tried seeking asylum in mental institutions and so on, obviously not getting results she'd like.
I'm glad you also liked her portrait being saved till the end- it was something I liked showing too ^w^ I feel her being silent in her own mind was a way of feeling...bitter and already split apart, figuratively, re: the gems, in that...she felt empty.
I'm also glad the demon with casual banter was well received- I'm a fan of that kind of trope too- deities or otherworldly creatures just talking like you're pals or whatever- it's almost comical-and then feels a bit sad when the player is moved to an area where that casualness is just taken away- alone in her mind again when you have to take care of that demon.
Just all the little things- I'm also glad you liked the nun and priest- I was nervous about how to write them, but I'm glad people seemed to like their approach- I imagine it felt strange for the MC to be so well taken care of by people who don't know her- almost like the people in her community at home are the ones to blame for her feeling outcast and shunned-yet accepted openly, even after the exorcism. That's why she leaves in an awkward fashion like ..."I'm not used to this. If I'm too happy about it, it'll be taken from me or I'll end up tainting this experience further." And just ...go.
Idk I'm just really happy I was able to make something people could see a bit deeper in, especially because ppl tend to like to speed run these things without soaking in some of the story aaa so, thank you thank you again so so much!!!
Also also; abra rules 😎
Edit: also, sorry for the dim lighting, it seemed fine on my PC but I forgot to anticipate other monitors 😭
Egg this was so beautiful!!! It felt so polished and well thought out from top to bottom. I felt too nervous to play it on discord so I recorded it instead and did this lol welcome to me cussing and screaming for an hour haha
I said a lot of my thoughts at the end but to reiterate, this felt really special in terms of that like, choice to keep fighting. Keep trying. Keep pushing back the "evil". Really wonderful.
Thank you sm for playing!! I wish I could've seen how you'd feel abt the other ending, since there's two haha And thank you sm for your kind words ;w; <3 I loved watching you play, and I laughed a lot with each little quip you had! It was fun and I enjoyed it- also, I feel very very similarly to the ending where you said you didnt think you'd make it to this age- I also didn't plan on making it past my 30th bday, but here I am 3 years after that fact- A lot of my games are allegories for mental illnesses and different ways I struggle with things- a part of me is "in" each thing I create and all haha..
But, I'm really thankful for all your thoughts at the end. I hope you're well, and thanks again for playing!
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this was SO well made!! can't believe at how many points i was actually terrified while playing haha.
(SPOILERS)
the visuals are absolutely on point. knew from the moment at the start when you get teleported to this weird red room and immediately go back with a terrifying sound that this game would kill it with its presentation :> it's a really effective showing of how good default assets can look when used cleverly; the lighting all around looks GORGEOUS and gives ungodly huge amounts of atmosphere to every scene. from the warm orange hue of the church's inside when you arrive, to the hellish red of the scarce lights when you're trapped inside your mind... it made the tileset and overall presentation incredibly memorable. and that's without mentioning the original art, which is amazing as well! (those chunks of meat and skinned bodies are gonna show up in my nightmares lol) the designs of the original characters are great, and their character busts are super expressive. love how we don't see the mc's until the end, even when they talk to the demon in their mind; in a way it's like they've been silent for so long and, when the demon is defeated, now we can actually listen to them and what they feel without the demonic presence blinding us from them? that's the way i interpreted it at least haha. oh, and whenever a giant monster started chasing me i audibly yelped, so good job on the scare factor! XD overall the visuals are AMAZING, and the sound design is just as good! that laugh that plays sometimes is legit nightmarish haha, and the use of audio in general made me tense the whole way through. awesome stuff!
the plot was so gripping!! here and in mermaid's cove you've proven your ability to make me feel incredibly sad for the protagonist haha. the cutscene at the beginning with all the blurred faces was FANTASTIC, such a brilliant way to tell so much backstory with just a few lines and pictures. i wanted the mc to feel loved sooo bad, and felt heartbroken every time someone told them there was something wrong with them... the way they're trapped inside their mind as the devil takes a hold of them was a super clever interpretation of the exorcism theme, and how bits of their life seeped into each section was really creative (special shoutout to the kitchen part; the mother's clear disgust of her child while making them feel guilty for it, when you read her diary and learn how she thinks of you as a monster, when you enter the room she's at and it's empty and stained with blood, when the room turns dark and the fruit turns rotten, all of it with absolutely no music or ambience... that entire section was flawless!!). i also loved the characters! sister isabel's timidness and worry & father charles' determination made them really charming, and i just really liked how genuinely kind and focused on helping you they were. the mc's mother was written in an uncomfortably realistic way, and while you can understand that raising you on her own must've been hard, it doesn't excuse how much she seemingly manipulated her child into feeling horrible literally just for existing (if it wasn't clear already i kinda wanna punch her in the face-) even if they didn't get many lines of dialogue, i liked how "done with this bs" the mc looked haha. "i've lived with this goddamn demon all my life, f*ck it i can handle a few more years of suppresing my emotions" lmao. hope they at least smoked a blunt to destress or something. and i really liked the demon you talk to! love when an evil cosmic entity speaks super casually haha, and the way it gave you exposition about your situation was super well written, so many pieces of its dialogue got stuck in my head ("whatever you say, you monster" or "i love you" were especially creepy) also sidenote i really like its human design from the bad ending lol. the characters & plot are absolutely top notch, and kept me at the edge of my seat till the end!!
i really liked the gameplay too! really love how each section and each room had a different way of beating it, and they were all fun! from dodging flying spike balls, to going through a maze, to following instructions to avoid spikes... (i was SO sure there'd be a jumpscare in the mirror lol) if i had to complain about anything of these parts, sometimes the lighting was too dark and i couldn't really see where to go, especially in the maze section, and there could've been a few more light sources. nothing adjusting the screen brightness can't solve though lol. and at the part where you get chased by your shadow mom, when i got to the exit i couldn't leave. not sure if it was just a glitch with rpg maker tho, my games have had my fair share of complications with chase sequences haha.
overall this was a top tier game, and one of my favorites from the rpg maker horror game jam!! so many parts absolutely blew me away, and i can't wait to see what you make next! :D
tldr: i liked the abra cameo.
wao thank you so much for yet another awesome review!! I'm glad I was able to convey certain aspects of the MC's life situation- I spoke in length about it in the server but; I took inspiration in some ways, from forms of isolation one can feel, especially being ostracized for seeming to appear or speak "differently" than people anticipate (autism for me), so I felt I could have some nuance to the MC's role while changing her situation to that of a curse or devils work.
The assets weren't rtp but purchased from other distributors, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same! I struggle with making things look more...*more*? Because I rely on them heavily, so with lighting, I'm glad I could show off different feelings or real "mood for the moment" during her struggle internally, and definitely took inspiration from horror films for the green room in particular (:
The parts with her mother are also something I'm pleased with being able to show in a manipulative way- the painful feelings that can come from being the one who has to raise a child on her own, only to have no idea what or how to navigate a child that doesn't act or behave how you want them to- making her anxious and ashamed, even at times.
That's not to say MC deserved it, of course, she just was dealt a shitty hand from the get go- and maybe, if she were handled with compassion, things could've ended up differently, too. I think I wanted to show a bleak outlook on a sad person who just wanted help. Only to find out, she was pretty much screwed from the start.
In the part where you first run from the mom (in the meat room), you have to interact with the door to leave, and that was intentional to make things more stress-enducing, but I can see how that can also be a design flaw haha
As for the other time she chases you, being locked in the room (the kitchen) was on purpose. Also, there technically is a little surprise in the mirror if you look at it again after getting the gem (:
I think I really wanted the ending part to be the heaviest for her- coupled with her almost acceptance yet disgust for death and rotting, along with the helplessness her mother made her feel- like what can feel like an almost inescapable barrier due to being a child with no other resource or help.
I knew from the inception of this story, that I'd want to write her to be already having a difficult time in life- made to feel like this is the last thing she can try (going to a church outside of town), for answers. Like she was already dangling on the edge of despair and needed some other kind of help, as she already tried seeking asylum in mental institutions and so on, obviously not getting results she'd like.
I'm glad you also liked her portrait being saved till the end- it was something I liked showing too ^w^ I feel her being silent in her own mind was a way of feeling...bitter and already split apart, figuratively, re: the gems, in that...she felt empty.
I'm also glad the demon with casual banter was well received- I'm a fan of that kind of trope too- deities or otherworldly creatures just talking like you're pals or whatever- it's almost comical-and then feels a bit sad when the player is moved to an area where that casualness is just taken away- alone in her mind again when you have to take care of that demon.
Just all the little things- I'm also glad you liked the nun and priest- I was nervous about how to write them, but I'm glad people seemed to like their approach- I imagine it felt strange for the MC to be so well taken care of by people who don't know her- almost like the people in her community at home are the ones to blame for her feeling outcast and shunned-yet accepted openly, even after the exorcism. That's why she leaves in an awkward fashion like ..."I'm not used to this. If I'm too happy about it, it'll be taken from me or I'll end up tainting this experience further." And just ...go.
Idk I'm just really happy I was able to make something people could see a bit deeper in, especially because ppl tend to like to speed run these things without soaking in some of the story aaa so, thank you thank you again so so much!!!
Also also; abra rules 😎
Edit: also, sorry for the dim lighting, it seemed fine on my PC but I forgot to anticipate other monitors 😭
这真的很棒，我喜欢它！这个作品简直很出色，谢谢作者能让我玩到这样完美的小游戏:D
thank you so much!! ❤️
Egg this was so beautiful!!! It felt so polished and well thought out from top to bottom. I felt too nervous to play it on discord so I recorded it instead and did this lol welcome to me cussing and screaming for an hour haha
I said a lot of my thoughts at the end but to reiterate, this felt really special in terms of that like, choice to keep fighting. Keep trying. Keep pushing back the "evil". Really wonderful.
Thank you sm for playing!! I wish I could've seen how you'd feel abt the other ending, since there's two haha And thank you sm for your kind words ;w; <3 I loved watching you play, and I laughed a lot with each little quip you had! It was fun and I enjoyed it- also, I feel very very similarly to the ending where you said you didnt think you'd make it to this age- I also didn't plan on making it past my 30th bday, but here I am 3 years after that fact- A lot of my games are allegories for mental illnesses and different ways I struggle with things- a part of me is "in" each thing I create and all haha..
But, I'm really thankful for all your thoughts at the end. I hope you're well, and thanks again for playing!
Loved it! Egg never disappointsssss!
aww thank you sm!
good game :)
special welcome ❤
For a special fwiend :3