Something Moving Under The Bed

This user has not published any games publicly yet.

Reviews by Something Moving Under The Bed

Review for Cannery Vale
27 Aug 2019
Incredibly detailed, with a huge numbers of options of things to do and great detail in how actions change little things as well as big. It makes a really original and immersive experience where you get really drawn into the setting; though some branches are bit surreal and unexplained. Indeed I found the ending a bit sudden and wasn't expecting it when it came, and wished it could have been foreshadowed/paced into a crescendo a bit more (particularly when I was so drawn into some of the mysteries/location).
One of the most memorable Horror text adventures I've played!
(5)

Review for Good Night
03 Dec 2017
A well put-together story, a good example of a simple idea developed really well...
(5)

03 Dec 2017
This one is a real shame - It has a lovely style & interface, including great sound & other effects enhancing the atmosphere (though sound volumes seem to differ a lot). The writing is good (despite some spelling errors) and the story seemed genuinely intriguing leaving me really keen to see what was going to happen...

I like the way the author doesn't feel it's necessary to describe *everything* in room descriptions, just the impression pertinent to the story. Although, it could do with more descriptions of objects that can be examined, to make immersion richer. They have attempted to get away from using n-e-s-w directions, though oddly only for indoor locations.

Sadly though it has several game-breaking errors. In some places the directions seem to break leaving you unable to progress. Some players couldn't even get past the car at the beginning; I tried the browser and downloaded versions, and from comments on several sites couldn't find anyone who had been able to progress further than the village garden.

Less seriously there are some errors where you can answer the same phonecall twice or 'open' doors already caved in; error messages appear for some unexpected commands and it reacts very badly to commands like 'look in'. It's also VERY picky about which verbs work- For a sheet over an object you cannot 'take' 'pick up' 'look under' 'move' or 'lift' the sheet - though you can 'remove' it! Other situations are the same.
Some room descriptions are different the second time you enter with different directions available, which the game doesn't respond to... whether this is intentional and part of the eventual storyline I can't tell.

A lot of time was put into what seems like a really engaging story; but as it stands it's sadly a tragic testament to the importance of error-testing afterwards... I hope someday a version comes out where it can be played fully!
(3)

Review for Urban Exploration
27 Nov 2017
It has a good atmosphere that builds up, and a good feeling of exploring the place...
The coding's no work of art & I'm sure the author could do even more advanced things in the future, but it still all works fine and I didnt have any bugs etc! The writing could also really do with being put through a spellchecker- But it's a pretty impressive first game!
(4)

26 Nov 2017
A strong setting, and a *huge* amount of detail has been put into the story and background...
Although overall it is a bit of a mixed bag. The game's actually very short, and I didn't think the experience was improved by the 'timed' sections (they're so quick there is no chance of completing them in time if you're actually reading through the text of what is happening- so not taking in the writing properly actually detracted from the atmosphere for me). It's also still bad at needing very specific phrasing, saying items can't be used unless you use the one correct phrase.

I was sorry it wasn't longer, developing more gradually, because lots of work has gone in and the atmosphere is really top-notch!
(4)

12 Mar 2017
I absolutely loved it - the tone and the feel of it!
So many awesome little touches & details.

It lacks a little polish in a couple of places towards the end, but nothing gamebreaking. (which is unsurprising since it's still being worked on)
(5)

A really interesting idea- a teenage party, which leads off into a number of completely different stories depending on which choices you make. Even in each story, there are lots of very different decisions you can make and directions the story can go in- seems like the author spent a lot of time on this!
It reminded me of the old anthology horrors, and children's spooky tv shows like Are you afraid of the dark?
(5)

Review for Sunrise
05 Jan 2017
Intriguing, an original-seeming premise, and well made. But v short, and just as you get interested frustrates your attempts to find out more!
(4)

Review for Night House
12 Dec 2016
Great story; a lot of work has been put into this. There are a few 'undefined' error messages, and it can be picky about verbs you can use.

(I found the suggestion of another hidden garage stash a little misleading... and never fully understood how the shed videotape or phantasmagoria concerto factored into it. But it's mostly a detailed, engaging story!)
(4)

Review for Sticks
26 Sep 2016
This deserves a better description than 'a project for school' -most aren't this good!
Great writing, really evocative, and paced well. It's a really original idea too, which few Lovecraftian-inspired stories are!
An interesting idea including a few 'directors commentary' type links along with the story (although it could tempt people to look and spoil the flow a bit the first time through). Good use of sound too, though they cut off a bit suddenly. Would benefit from a bit of proof-reading!
A really good tale that leaves you wanting more, and very polished. Look forward to more of your work, hopefully, in future!
(4)

18 Sep 2016
A really impressive experience!- Really thorough effort's been put into making sure this experience works as effectively as possible! The map & graphics help to give a clear view of the layout... Lots of graphics show what's happening clearly, with the actions listed beneath. The controls work great!

The whole game's really refreshing & novel -A very different experience to many of the stories going round, and you don't know what's going to happen next.
I liked the limited locations - It makes your home feel familiar, but trapping... I like how it gives you time to settle in & learn to navigate around, spookier because it all seems so normal to begin with. Sound, and views, are used creepily!

All makes logical sense and is well thought out -I only wish it was expanded a bit more, as it's such a compelling experience. It's a bit easy- especially at night -I thought you would have more to do and have to do things little by little each night, rather than being able to do everything in one go! And I wish a couple more things changed over the days. A bucket breaks? Ophelia gets loose ? But all in all, short though it is, a really well made experience, simple but unique&effective.
(5)

Review for Bad Juju
17 Sep 2016
Well written although more puzzle-based than story-based.
There are unfortunately some issues with puzzles- One where you need to make a potion doesn't say what form the ingredients need to be in, and doesnt give any feedback of what the problem is, just that you're not ready. Sometimes you can successfully 'use' one object on another, but not vice versa. A puzzle with a key has it hidden in a completely illogical place I only stumbled on by accident & couldnt see any hints to. And one key cant be used on the object that says it has the keyhole indentation on it, but must be used on a nearby one for it to be recognised...
Also ONLY use basic commands like 'use' or 'open' - Trying to use more advanced ones like 'hit' or 'put in' can confuse the game!
This all makes it a little confusing whether you're trying to do the correct thing and it's not working for some reason, or whether you're thinking down the wrong lines entirely...

The game does require you to refer to things that aren't listed in the room objects but are mentioned in descriptions.
(3)

Review for Secret Den
17 Sep 2016
A horrible subject, but I love how the sense of 'something being wrong' is handled, the way it creeps up and the game plays with it very cleverly!...
There are *so many* possible endings, I couldn't find the True End the author referred to - I'd be very interested to find out what it was; although one game doesn't take long, it would take quite some time to accomplish every ending!
(4)

17 Sep 2016
A very common start, waking up and not knowing how you got there.
The writing style is good and tense, and shows its creator imagined each situation clearly though!
(4)

Review for Annabelle
17 Sep 2016
Really random, no story, just lots of sudden choices that kill you without warning.
(1)

Review for Phil's Sister
16 Sep 2016
The way this is done is a really good idea- The video footage included is very well put together and believably filmed (though it's a little out of focus at times), with phone apps, tv reports etc helping to make it believable. You've chosen some really good & atmospheric locations too. The effect can be quite blair-witch-y at times, and it must've taken a lot of effort to make!
It's a shame you couldn't get rid of the youtube logos & timer etc and embed the videos directly in the page, as they take away from the immersion just a little bit.

It's the story where this is a bit weaker- There are lot of deaths, which can be quite random- It seems like it could have been a good idea to put some clues to the mystery in some of the videos perhaps, which would help if you notice them? And the story doesn't end up making much sense- what was going on isn't ever explained, and what happens in one video often contradicts what happens in others, eg what Katie was doing!

Still, I really hope you make another project some time!
(4)

16 Sep 2016
Packed full of details that really make the setting come alive. Everything is well explained, and all the puzzle choices have clues if you aren't too hasty! (Except one quirk where only one object in a storeroom can be interacted with to the exclusion of the other)
Does contains some fairly graphic horrible subjects - A simple story, but well told, with some replayability!...
(4)

Review for House of Horrors
15 Sep 2016
A short multiple choice game, with font and colours that make it hard to read...
Every decision has a 50/50 chance of randomly killing you with something bloody and having to restart...
(2)

Review for Detective Cosenza
15 Sep 2016
What starts out as a mysterious detective case, soon becomes something more.
This is actually surprisingly atmospheric despite a very minimal style.

However it's VERY picky with which verbs work - eg a music box can't be opened, operated, listened to, used, but has to be "play"ed to do anything - and many nouns described can't be interacted with. There are some minor bugs eg objects not disappearing properly.
It's not very interactive, with only a couple of real puzzles -and turns out to be only part 1 of the story.
(3)

Review for Transparent
15 Sep 2016
A really intriguing story, with real depth- only a somewhat abrupt ending!
(4)

Review for Alive
14 Sep 2016
It is short, but well-implemented and atmospheric!
(4)

Review for The Cardew House
10 Sep 2016
A short and minimalist game. It feels like it was originally going to much longer. The atmosphere is nicely written, but the constant random events lose their impact quickly. Very few objects can be interacted with, and those that can are picky about which verbs work with them. Many objects dont seem to do much. And when the game suddenly ends, no questions really get answered.
(2)

04 Sep 2016
A short horror/fantasy about war and being scarred- well written and unexpected!
(4)

Review for One Eye Open
15 Apr 2016
This is an in-depth game, which really works with its subject matter... I got really engrossed in the story, and there is a lot of detail to all the characters involved in the setting- For those who get really interested in all the snippets of information you can gather it's possible to learn a complicated picture of all the people involved, how they all related, and what happened to them. I loved the feeling of helplessness at points when seeing things from others' perspectives, and always wondered if I tried just a little harder whether things could be changed...!
It's well researched and so much effort has gone into the setting, and in many ways it's very unique, has some wonderfully realised sections and never goes in for cheap scares but builds up an atmosphere along with its story.
If anything it's this depth that I felt a little disappointed in at the end... You get to know (if you pay attention) so many details about so many people, and try so hard to help them - and then when the ending comes, it comes quite quickly and surreally and not much of the grander story seems involved, just very rich padding in the background; the format seemed set, even with all the endings. I guess that's a curse of very detailed storytelling- when you get interested in all the details, suddenly it has to end!

(Prizing originality in eerie storytelling - somethingmovingunderthebed.com)
(5)

Review for Blue Chairs
16 Mar 2016
I loved it - not at all what you'd expect from beginning, it builds and is actually an incredibly poignant tale by the end- I felt it dragged a little in the middle around the maze section as the story doesn't really develop there, and some might not even realise how far it goes, with some of the early possible endings.
But it has some really insightful and affecting writing- was surprised how young the author was when he wrote this, from the supporting documentation! Really beautiful, although much left very ambiguous.
(5)


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