(Gameplay below) Coots will forever haunt my nightmares…
I enjoyed the game a lot! I do wish it was longer though as definitely has a lot of potential imo. There were a few things that I encountered that I couldn’t tell if they were intentional or not. Certain surfaces were a tad bit slippery even long after I’d landed on them. I also randomly got stuck a couple of times and my only option was to completely restart the game. Lastly, there were moments where I’d completely miss the pill that you had to get when flying on the paper plane, despite me spamming E like no tomorrow. Other than those things, I’d say it’s a pretty cool game!
I. LOVE. THIS. GAME! Though I’m still in the process of completing it, I’m absolutely enjoying it so far! I’m like a kid in a candy store when I enter every room and turn every corner! The game is so artistically pleasing and every room is so uniquely designed! I also appreciated the attention to detail as well as the nostalgic feel that the game gave off! In my opinion, the game does a great job of displaying liminal space horror without becoming a full-on Backrooms clone!
My only criticisms would be that I would like to see the shadow man a bit more as it is easy to forget that there’s someone else there with you. The few interactions that you do encounter, while slightly unsettling, aren’t really enough to really scare you. I had more of a “oh…that wasn’t there before” or “did I just see something?” type of reaction. I get that the focus is ultimately to be on the horror of liminal space but we see so little of this shadow figure that when you do finally encounter it, it’s almost somewhat random?
I feel like there could be more subtle hints thrown in to let you know that you truly are not alone such as hearing the wet footsteps of someone running behind you for a few seconds, the faint sound of someone laughing, seeing wet footprints on the carpets following behind you, etc. Regarding the ticket system, I didn’t mind this and actually thought it was a good idea, but perhaps something could be added to it like every time you find tickets, you find a note that reveals a tiny bit of lore.
Lastly, I feel like there were some areas that could’ve been done a little bit better. For example, the main area or center of the mall where all of the elevators are. I felt like that whole section was a tad bit out of place what with the bright colors and the fact that the entire space is totally pristine. I feel like for an abandoned mall, there could at least be some overturned chairs and tables or something. The lower section where the elevators are was entirely too white imo. Compared to the rest of the game, it just looked off and made the area look unfinished. I feel like the lighting could definitely be toned down to give it more of a slightly scary look, kind of like the area where the gumball machines and mannequins are. I felt like there were definitely some levels that could’ve been shortened or removed entirely. The lazy river was one of them. I loved it but I felt like I was slowly losing my mind as I could not tell if I was going in a circle or not. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not but after a few minutes of wandering, I started to consider looking online for help.
Other than those things, I’m in love with this game and definitely cannot wait to play more! Below is my first playthrough of it in case anyone is interested! Outstanding work Andrew!
