Pretty good game! It didn't take very long to complete, maybe about an hour (with distractions).
Some parts were confusing, though I'm pretty sure they were meant to be. The 'rage-quit' part was definitely annoying, but I didn't rage quit! Lol
The part with the alarm sound effect, I wish there was a noise warning in the description. I was definitely not expecting any noise and nearly jumped out of my chair when I heard the siren!
The ending... I think the ending/explanation was a little bit of a cop-out. I'm not sure what I expected, but with how good the rest of the scenarios were, I was definitely expecting 'more'.
Also, the combination of the dark grey text colour on top of the black background and font choice could make this game hard to read for some. I would recommend changing the text colour to something a little more visible.
Well, it took me 4 play throughs, but I think I finally got the best ending. My last round, I managed to get Kayden and Michelle to the house on the island, and find the info in the cellar. It came down to me and Kayden, (both infected) and I managed to get her out the window before the zombies completely invaded.
It was a very touching ending, and perfectly fit for a zombie adventure game! I had actually teared up when I decided to help Kayden make a run for it. (So she could share the information we'd learned)
That said, all four play throughs, I got the same hint on the end screen about friends being important. I know it probably would've been too complicated from a game maker's stand point, but I felt like it kind of cheapened the ending to get the same hint no matter what choices were made.
Also, as I said in my comment, in a few of the play-throughs, certain sections seemed to be copy/pasted from an alone plot rather than incorporating the friends I had made. Again, from a game maker's perspective, I can understand it would seem quite tedious to re-write every scene only slightly differently to incorporate the companions, but I feel like as a player, some scenarios could've worked had that happened.
For example, at the mall when I went in search of Kayden and had to lead the zombies away from Victoria Secret, the best scenario I thought, would've been to lead them away into the Best Buy, and then lock them in using the gate to the store, to keep them trapped. However, when I tried this tactic, I ended up getting bitten. It also said 'you weren't strong enough alone to close the gate'. That - coupled with the hint about needing friends on the end screen, made me think if I'd brought a friend with me, two people would be able to slam the gate.
However, when I brought a friend with me to check on Kayden, the scenes played out exactly the same way as they had when I was alone. It was as if I didn't actually bring anyone with me - there was no interjected dialogue, and certainly no help from the friend when I tried leading the zombies away.
That was probably my most frustrated part of the game, aside from having to start over at the very beginning each time. If you're going to make a specific note of 'you weren't strong enough ALONE' and give a hint about needing friends, you'd think there would be a way to get out of the situation, if you brought a friend along. But no, there wasn't. I also tried playing the scene as both genders, just in case that was the issue - it wasn't.
Aside from that, I think the game makers did a great job! The scenes were very descriptive, and I found most of the choices realistic things I would do in those scenarios. All in all, I would definitely recommend this game! Though, be warned: it may take you a few play throughs to get it 'right'.
Pretty good game, although it was pretty short. (I made it to a The End page)
The black background and choice of font made it a bit hard to read, though.
The ending was lack-luster. I made it out of the apartment to 'see the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The End' ? A one sentence ending, really? I understand wanting to leave whatever the beautiful thing is up to the reader (or if you're supposed to assume the beautiful thing is freedom because you made it out of the apartment) but it felt like a weird place to end things.
I made it out of the apartment... now what? I think you could've continued the adventure a little longer, or heck, a lot longer, to make the game more interesting. Especially because you have even less supplies now that you've made it out (2 bullets instead of 4, loose-handled knife, etc.) so the stakes are higher/it's going to be harder to survive. At the beginning, you said there was a lot of 'zeds' circling the outside of the apartment building - shouldn't we at least of had to fight through them to truly get freedom? Or, was the 'beautiful thing' at the end supposed to be we were over-run and eaten by zombies? It's a very vague ending, and that unfortunately made it disappointing.
Also, the option to blow your brains out instead of fight - while I found it added an element of reality (it's assumed at the beginning you've been in this post apocalyptic world a while) - it seemed like a cop-out. Why would you make a game for someone to play, and then give them the option not to play it?
For games (especially survival games) to be enjoyable, there has to be some sort of stakes, some sort of hope, that makes you want to survive/get to the end. It's assumed you'd be fighting for your life in a zombie survival, but there should've been something more.
Great game! (Even though I had to re-start)
The ending was kind of lame, though! It felt like the game was building toward something bigger, and when that didn't happen, it left me disappointed. But as said in the description, it's part of a larger project, so I'm assuming that's why?
The story was engaging, and I loved the narrator's voice and the changing scenery! I also liked that while exploring certain parts, there was an object that 'didn't make sense' to take at the moment - just like real life! You wouldn't randomly pick something up (especially if it's heavy) without a reason. While I did think it was kind of annoying when I had to double-back, I liked how that added an element of realism to the game.
Overall a great play! I can't wait to play the longer/larger game this is a part of! :D
Not scary. This could maybe scare a little kid (maybe 8 and under), but definitely does not need the Teens+ rating.
The story was repetitive and lacked a good flow and voice. It wasn't compelling to play, and although it is described as 'never ending' it didn't take that long to play through. (I'd say maaaybe 5min) I could kind of see what they were going for (torturer becomes torturee) but the execution wasn't very good, and because the game was so quick, there wasn't really time to develop the proper confusion/slowly losing your mind that's needed to make the concept work well. I think they should work on their story telling/writing skills before trying again.
This game definitely has potential to become a good horror game (especially if they fix all the errors), but as it stands now, I'd say don't bother.
This was a very short game, maybe 5 minutes, and it appeared as if it was written in as much time.
I wouldn't call this a horror game at all.
It reads like something a child would write for elementary school for Halloween. No description, or world-building details - nothing immersive about the writing at all. It actually kind of reads like a Tumblr text-post more than a good game/story.
And that's not even mentioning the bold, italic-ed and underlined parts of the story, that would've been distracting had their been an engaging plot to follow. The plot of the haunted house has been done to death (no pun intended), but I still find some of those types of games/stories fun/creepy. This... wasn't that. There was absolutely nothing engaging at all, and there was no reason to root for the character. I actually found the character annoying, and while I wouldn't say I was rooting for the 'demens' to get him, I WAS happy it was over so quickly.
I DID like the idea of reading the victims' journal, sort of like a 'found footage' movie - which can be good, and scary, because you can only read the updates from the victims' perspective. If done correctly, it can add a great layer of apprehension. However, it was pretty apparent this person is not a good story teller (sorry), and I'd recommend they invest some time developing their story telling skills (and proper formatting skills), so they can do better next time.
If you're looking for a truly gripping, scary game, this is not the right one for you.
This was SUCH an awesome game!
The pacing, writing and story-line/plot were awesome. Going from waking up not knowing anything, to having the pleasure of uncovering all the horrors around you was great. Captivating for sure! I especially love that the plot to this could very easily happen in today's world (if it isn't already).
I'd call it more unnerving than horror, though. While it didn't outright scare me, I was definitely apprehensive/anxious for most of it. I also kept half expecting jump scares or random loud noises to startle me, and I'm happy to report that didn't happen!
This game is definitely worth playing, especially if you're new to interactive fiction games. I love the clicking on options option, instead of typing in commands - I think this style lends itself better to keeping you in the game, instead of being pulled out by multiple 'you can't go that way' messages.
I thought it was going to be shorter than it was (I thought 'oh, I'll just play this quickly before bed'), though I didn't time it, I think it took me about 1hr. Finished around 1am, but definitely started sometime when the clock said 12. I also found some spelling mistakes ('glass' was often spelled with only 1 's'), but it wasn't anything too distracting.
All in all, I definitely liked it, and would love to see/play more games like this!
It was a pretty good game, though it was really short. Only took me about 9min to finish. Though I'm not sure if I actually finished the game or not. (Was there more than just completing the ritual? Either the game froze, or ended on the 'Hello, Child' screen w/o options to move, continue, etc.)
I also like the style of the game - the white background and black writing made it much easier on the eyes than some other horror games that have it opposite. (White writing on black) The clicking on words/objects to further the story I liked as well, instead of having to type a command x number of different ways w/o making progress.
All in all, it was a nice, fun game. I was disappointed that it didn't scare me, though. I also would've loved if it had been longer, as I feel there could've been some awesome creepy/horror moments after having the friend arrive.
