Although the graphics were good, I wasn't too impressed with the setup and execution.
- The combat is ridiculous. You can't injure enemies with the club without them injuring you. It seems like enemies have a longer reach than the player, making it more likely you'll take more damage than they will in a fight. It'd be one thing if the club was supposed to be a last resort for people who wasted ammo or who didn't play the game effectively, but it's the first weapon you get so your setting a precedent for the rest of the game.
- Trying to run passed an enemy isn't really practical since the hallways are so narrow they can still hit you. I also didn't see too many alternate routes to get around enemies (except the area you enter after you get the gun) so I'm guessing you want players to fight them, not run from them.
- Early in the game, the player needs to enter a darkened room with a maze like set-up while an enemy is after you. This doesn't sit well with me since you need to stop and light candles all while an enemy is after you. Not only is it not practical, it's not something a person would do in this kind of situation; most people would grab the candle and use it as a light source. In Resident Evil, the passageways were lit up enough so you knew where you could go and, in knowing this, could avoid enemies and or take the least amount of damage. In this case, it comes down to trial and error.
- Why are enemies able to move through fences? I was pretty shocked when that happened. I'm guessing this is to avoid them getting stuck.
- The spawn location or the location the enemies are at is not always constant, which I don't think was your intent. For example, after getting the gun and going through the curtain, there was a zombie nurse right beside the door. How was I supposed to prepare for that when it takes the camera a good 2 seconds to catch up with my character?
- Trying to aim in narrow spaces is bad since any obstacles or walls near or behind your character will get in the way of aiming, which is a shame considering that a large amount of the game is comprised of narrow hallways.
- The saving mechanic may need some work. I saved after getting the frozen meat. When I loaded the game, the meat was gone and it wasn't in the freezer anymore so I needed to restart the game.
- For the weird alien looking lights that explode or secrete gas, maybe have something that teaches you this before it literally blows up in your face and the player thinks (how was I supposed to know that). For example, maybe have a corpse on the ground next to one of those exploded things.
tenchfroast62 made some good points (some really good ones). I wish you luck in developing this further.
Third person horror games are my all-time favourites (Resident Evil was the very first one I played way back when it came out and I don't like admitting that as it shows my age!), so whenever I see one creeping around I try to make sure I play it!
This one got me right from the start! The atmosphere is incredibly heavy, and I felt massively uncomfortable and nervous going through every single door and up every flight of stairs. There's always an ever-present sense of impending death! And when the game starts delivering upon that promise it really kicks it up a notch!
All in all a great demo, everything runs pretty darn smoothly, the story is set up to be a corker, the enemies are right up there on the ARGH-o-meter and the puzzles are testing but not so much so that they're irritating.
Keep up the awesome work, can't wait to see where this game goes from here =)
I really enjoyed this game! I've broken my playthrough up into a 7 part series and the first part went live today! So great that I was able to play a free alpha demo of this, sorry that almost all the YouTude videos (at least that I've seen) compare the character design to American McGee's Alice hahaha
Thanks for playing, and I'm glad you enjoyed ! That's not so bad to be compared to :) I didn't make the character similar on purpose, it's just the green eyes, black hair and dresses with stylized design :)
Eldervale seems pretty hard. It takes a bit to get used to the controls and, to piece together the lore of the game. The clock puzzle got me stumped and, I think you need it to progress in the game. Overall this game is quite good though and, worth checking out!
This is really promising! You did a good job trying to capture the general feel of older horror titles and the design of the estate is remnant of that period. I really enjoy the candles being strategic sources of light and the story is fine.
The inclusion of another "character" to interact with periodically is smart (if you use him well). Indie horror has moved away from that but experiences where it's just you and enemies aren't necessarily scarier.
Keeping in mind that you're just one person, there may be some things you don't have the resources to deal with yet, but my main issues with the demo were the combat, the low health filter over the screen, and the save mechanic not working properly.
Also, there's a serious lack of detail in the shadows, which I see in a lot of indie horror games. I don't know if it's a conscious choice or a technical limitation but I'd rather horror games be well lit so all details are visible except in areas that should be completely dark.
Try to rely on things like pacing, the shape of lighting, and sound design for atmosphere instead of everything just being hard to see. Dark games aren't scary. Selective use of darkness is scary and the darkness needs to make sense.
The pacing did drag in parts but you can capitalize a bit more on scripted events. The first appearance of the nurse was good. Wish you had zoomed in further so we could really get a good look at her.
Overall this has potential and you should be proud of what you've accomplished so far. I had fun playing it! Keep it up and good luck with the rest of the game!
Thanks for trying it out ! I completely understand your frustration, it was my mistake - but most stuff have been fixed at this point, you played the original version (0.8.5) which still had those issues. If you try the new version you can quickly continue from where you left off. I will work hard on making it better :)
REQUEST: Fix Saving lol! I thoroughly enjoyed the game, however I wanted to play fresh from the beginning for my stream and I couldn't and over all saving didn't work! BUT THE GAME IS DOPE!
My bad ! Meant to post this on here too : If you need to reset your progress, you can do it in the in-game settings with a button in the bottom right corner. Biggest regret is that you didn't find the handgun lying there :D. Glad you still had some fun, thanks for playing :)
Bravo, Solkitte, bravo. I thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to finish. The mechanics felt good and responsive, the UI was put together very well, and the art style is simple, functional, and great. I had no idea there was combat in the game until I came across a melee weapon and I'm so glad those mechanics are in the game, it took me back to the Silent Hill days.
I'm really looking forward to the next part(s) of the game being released!
I like what you've created here, it doesn't feel like an indie game nor a demo, it's plays like an atmospheric horror which I enjoy and with the addition of puzzles you had me hooked.
The occasional jump scare kept me on edge and it helped to maintain a scary atmosphere, never sure is I'm being played or an actual scare is coming.
I didn't realise until after playing but you created a pretty wicked HUD too.
All in all your game was a pleasure to play and it made me sweat more than the average gym session.
A great demo I enjoyed it a lot. I really love the resident evil gameplay style. A few thing I notice tho. Such as enemies taking like 10 body shots with the the hand gun or 5 headshots. Mabey consider reducing that number by half perhaps? Also needs more sounds when it comes to monsters and zombies just to add to the atmosphere. Also I thing there is a problem withe the digital clock puzzle. I don't think its working as intended. You can watch the video to see what im talking about. I dont't want to post spoilers. But all issues aside I loved the gameplay and I can't wait for the full game to come out. Amazing work so far keep going.
Hey there, thanks for the feedback :) Enemies can take less shots but then you should have less ammo. The puzzle is working as intended though ! It even has 2 ways you can figure it out (more details on your video). Have a great one.
For a very recent project the game isn't to bad, but I did find myself wandering around quite a bit and getting lost. Maybe the sounds could be worked on a bit and setting as well. You wanna build atmosphere and put the player on edge then maybe bring out some creature to chase you or something like that. Either way it's not a bad start, and I'd say keep it going and I hope these are decent suggestions. Video:
Really interesting story and graphics! Loved the style of play between the puzzles and the sneaking. Combat is a cool idea but changes the mood of the game a bit so I'm looking forward to see how it plays out in the other chapters! The games got great atmosphere so I hope it keeps up with that in the other chapters!
Unfortunately I played the preupdate version, so it was a little too dark, but like I said on the trailer on YT I love the aesthetic of American McGee's Alice meets Resident Evil, and the nurse and monsters add in a bit of Silent Hill to the mix.
Looking forward to the full game, it seems like this will be a unique one to enjoy.
Hi there! I really enjoyed what I played of the demo (I had to cut it a little short) BUT.. I did have a few things to suggest! The font you're using for text is really horrible to read against the dark background, and the text doesn't stay on screen long enough when you're looking around. Also, it'd be nice if there were a way to see where you are on the map when you pull it up. And the flashlight is pretty much totally useless because it doesn't point forward, it just points to the ground. Overall, I enjoyed the demo! Thanks!!!
Hey ! I'm glad you had some enjoyment from the demo and thank you for the feedback ! Fair point about the text, not having player marker on the map is deliberate, since it's not that huge and you can track your progress anyway (maybe it will change later). I'm sad that a lot of people had trouble with the flashlight, you can aim it with Mouse Right Click. The controls are in the main menu and in-game too, but I will add button prompts in next patch. Cheers.
This game has a strange feeling to it, I'm pulled in with the story line of her being sick and someone taking over the institution it makes me believe theres something going on within herself that she may not be aware of, I think the third person style is just fine, but there were some parts where turning the camera angle felt absolutely crazy like I was spinning, and I almost has a motion sickness feeling, thankfully it didn't get to that point. I didn't finish the game so I don't know what else you have to offer but I will be making a second episode, what I did see is the creepy "dog" and some interesting creatures, I like the way they look and I got super excited because they gave me silent hill vibes! I think it would have been more fun and challenging if we couldn't just circle them and be gone, I felt like they were a little slow so there was no threat, even in the room with multiple of them, but of course you don't want them going so fast you feel like it's spam, but i'm sure you could find a happy medium. I wish I could have seen some of the controls pop up on the screen instead of me having to pull up the pause screen everytime to see what controls I need for the actions i'm trying to do. I did have a small thing that frustrated me was right at the end of my video before I do my outro, I did die (AND NO SAVES ;-;) but I was pressing the attack/melee button and she didn't attack the girl until I died and that was pretty upsetting, but the only other issue I have is the game became quite dark at times and I felt like the flashlight bobbing everywhere with her motion was irritating. But you have so much opportunity and cool things to do here, I loved the balls of poison gas or fog, I love the fact that there's arms and tokens every where, I didn't get to use the vending machine but I'm excited to try it! I think you've made some really cool environments and there's just something I like about this game as a whole, I think you have a lot of potential here and I hope there's more to this game that is not wrapped up in the demo!
Finished it off after the first episode. The atmosphere was still fantastic but the whole game feel really took a diappointing turn when the combat was introduced. It changed from a suspenseful game of cat and mouse into a generic and dissatisfying click until dead shooter parody. The amount of feedback the player gets in terms of sound design, visuals and animations makes it so that the only real thing letting you know what's going on is the death ragdoll after emptying whole clips into each enemy. Overall, the game really succeeds in creating a tense and stressful thriller with a somewhat compelling story and unique visuals until it tries to be a sub-par third person shooter.
I LOVED the feel of this game! it has alot of Resident evil and Silent hill feels which i love! it doesnt go for the easy jumpscares more just general fear itself ! Cant wait to play the full game!
It's like a mix between the old Silent Hill and Resident Evil games. I really enjoying playing this. The puzzles were great and I really felt a sense of accomplishment as I progressed. I can't wait to see more of this game and more of the story unfold. Check out my full demo playthrough below!
Thank you so much for all the comments and feedback ! It really means a lot :) To all the fun and entertaining people who made videos about the game : Maybe you'll remember the game, but the game will remember you in the full release, with a unique tribute :)
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Great looking environment and fun gameplay. really enjoy what kind of start going on just hope things improve regarding the story.
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cool game :D
Although the graphics were good, I wasn't too impressed with the setup and execution.
- The combat is ridiculous. You can't injure enemies with the club without them injuring you. It seems like enemies have a longer reach than the player, making it more likely you'll take more damage than they will in a fight. It'd be one thing if the club was supposed to be a last resort for people who wasted ammo or who didn't play the game effectively, but it's the first weapon you get so your setting a precedent for the rest of the game.
- Trying to run passed an enemy isn't really practical since the hallways are so narrow they can still hit you. I also didn't see too many alternate routes to get around enemies (except the area you enter after you get the gun) so I'm guessing you want players to fight them, not run from them.
- Early in the game, the player needs to enter a darkened room with a maze like set-up while an enemy is after you. This doesn't sit well with me since you need to stop and light candles all while an enemy is after you. Not only is it not practical, it's not something a person would do in this kind of situation; most people would grab the candle and use it as a light source. In Resident Evil, the passageways were lit up enough so you knew where you could go and, in knowing this, could avoid enemies and or take the least amount of damage. In this case, it comes down to trial and error.
- Why are enemies able to move through fences? I was pretty shocked when that happened. I'm guessing this is to avoid them getting stuck.
- The spawn location or the location the enemies are at is not always constant, which I don't think was your intent. For example, after getting the gun and going through the curtain, there was a zombie nurse right beside the door. How was I supposed to prepare for that when it takes the camera a good 2 seconds to catch up with my character?
- Trying to aim in narrow spaces is bad since any obstacles or walls near or behind your character will get in the way of aiming, which is a shame considering that a large amount of the game is comprised of narrow hallways.
- The saving mechanic may need some work. I saved after getting the frozen meat. When I loaded the game, the meat was gone and it wasn't in the freezer anymore so I needed to restart the game.
- For the weird alien looking lights that explode or secrete gas, maybe have something that teaches you this before it literally blows up in your face and the player thinks (how was I supposed to know that). For example, maybe have a corpse on the ground next to one of those exploded things.
tenchfroast62 made some good points (some really good ones). I wish you luck in developing this further.
Third person horror games are my all-time favourites (Resident Evil was the very first one I played way back when it came out and I don't like admitting that as it shows my age!), so whenever I see one creeping around I try to make sure I play it!
This one got me right from the start! The atmosphere is incredibly heavy, and I felt massively uncomfortable and nervous going through every single door and up every flight of stairs. There's always an ever-present sense of impending death! And when the game starts delivering upon that promise it really kicks it up a notch!
All in all a great demo, everything runs pretty darn smoothly, the story is set up to be a corker, the enemies are right up there on the ARGH-o-meter and the puzzles are testing but not so much so that they're irritating.
Keep up the awesome work, can't wait to see where this game goes from here =)
I really enjoyed this game! I've broken my playthrough up into a 7 part series and the first part went live today! So great that I was able to play a free alpha demo of this, sorry that almost all the YouTude videos (at least that I've seen) compare the character design to American McGee's Alice hahaha
Thanks for playing, and I'm glad you enjoyed ! That's not so bad to be compared to :) I didn't make the character similar on purpose, it's just the green eyes, black hair and dresses with stylized design :)
I haven't gone to far into the game, but so far it's very intriguing! I'm looking forward to diving deeper into this!
This game has some good potential! I look forward to the full game!
THIS DEMO IS VEARY AMAZING! :D
I'm very curious how the story goes on ^^ Good work! :D
This is really promising! You did a good job trying to capture the general feel of older horror titles and the design of the estate is remnant of that period. I really enjoy the candles being strategic sources of light and the story is fine.
The inclusion of another "character" to interact with periodically is smart (if you use him well). Indie horror has moved away from that but experiences where it's just you and enemies aren't necessarily scarier.
Keeping in mind that you're just one person, there may be some things you don't have the resources to deal with yet, but my main issues with the demo were the combat, the low health filter over the screen, and the save mechanic not working properly.
Also, there's a serious lack of detail in the shadows, which I see in a lot of indie horror games. I don't know if it's a conscious choice or a technical limitation but I'd rather horror games be well lit so all details are visible except in areas that should be completely dark.
Try to rely on things like pacing, the shape of lighting, and sound design for atmosphere instead of everything just being hard to see. Dark games aren't scary. Selective use of darkness is scary and the darkness needs to make sense.
The pacing did drag in parts but you can capitalize a bit more on scripted events. The first appearance of the nurse was good. Wish you had zoomed in further so we could really get a good look at her.
Overall this has potential and you should be proud of what you've accomplished so far. I had fun playing it! Keep it up and good luck with the rest of the game!
Thank you for the detailed feedback, I'm happy you had fun ! Will work hard to improve the things you mentioned. :)
Gave it a go...
Thanks for trying it out ! I completely understand your frustration, it was my mistake - but most stuff have been fixed at this point, you played the original version (0.8.5) which still had those issues. If you try the new version you can quickly continue from where you left off. I will work hard on making it better :)
REQUEST: Fix Saving lol! I thoroughly enjoyed the game, however I wanted to play fresh from the beginning for my stream and I couldn't and over all saving didn't work! BUT THE GAME IS DOPE!
My bad ! Meant to post this on here too : If you need to reset your progress, you can do it in the in-game settings with a button in the bottom right corner. Biggest regret is that you didn't find the handgun lying there :D. Glad you still had some fun, thanks for playing :)
Nice game but figth versus monsters is not the best i think fear is more creapy ! But really nice game !
Very cool demo! Love the oldschool horror style :D Excited to see what this game becomes :)
Apologies for my earlier report the "Glitch", turns out you have to press ZERO to access your melee weapon.
I really loved this demo and I'm excited to see the full release.
Bravo, Solkitte, bravo. I thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to finish. The mechanics felt good and responsive, the UI was put together very well, and the art style is simple, functional, and great. I had no idea there was combat in the game until I came across a melee weapon and I'm so glad those mechanics are in the game, it took me back to the Silent Hill days.
I'm really looking forward to the next part(s) of the game being released!
I like what you've created here, it doesn't feel like an indie game nor a demo, it's plays like an atmospheric horror which I enjoy and with the addition of puzzles you had me hooked.
The occasional jump scare kept me on edge and it helped to maintain a scary atmosphere, never sure is I'm being played or an actual scare is coming.
I didn't realise until after playing but you created a pretty wicked HUD too.
All in all your game was a pleasure to play and it made me sweat more than the average gym session.
A great demo I enjoyed it a lot. I really love the resident evil gameplay style. A few thing I notice tho. Such as enemies taking like 10 body shots with the the hand gun or 5 headshots. Mabey consider reducing that number by half perhaps? Also needs more sounds when it comes to monsters and zombies just to add to the atmosphere. Also I thing there is a problem withe the digital clock puzzle. I don't think its working as intended. You can watch the video to see what im talking about. I dont't want to post spoilers. But all issues aside I loved the gameplay and I can't wait for the full game to come out. Amazing work so far keep going.
Hey there, thanks for the feedback :) Enemies can take less shots but then you should have less ammo. The puzzle is working as intended though ! It even has 2 ways you can figure it out (more details on your video). Have a great one.
For a very recent project the game isn't to bad, but I did find myself wandering around quite a bit and getting lost. Maybe the sounds could be worked on a bit and setting as well. You wanna build atmosphere and put the player on edge then maybe bring out some creature to chase you or something like that. Either way it's not a bad start, and I'd say keep it going and I hope these are decent suggestions.
Video:
Really interesting story and graphics! Loved the style of play between the puzzles and the sneaking. Combat is a cool idea but changes the mood of the game a bit so I'm looking forward to see how it plays out in the other chapters! The games got great atmosphere so I hope it keeps up with that in the other chapters!
I took a big pooooooooooooooooop
Unfortunately I played the preupdate version, so it was a little too dark, but like I said on the trailer on YT I love the aesthetic of American McGee's Alice meets Resident Evil, and the nurse and monsters add in a bit of Silent Hill to the mix.
Looking forward to the full game, it seems like this will be a unique one to enjoy.
Hi there! I really enjoyed what I played of the demo (I had to cut it a little short) BUT.. I did have a few things to suggest! The font you're using for text is really horrible to read against the dark background, and the text doesn't stay on screen long enough when you're looking around. Also, it'd be nice if there were a way to see where you are on the map when you pull it up. And the flashlight is pretty much totally useless because it doesn't point forward, it just points to the ground. Overall, I enjoyed the demo! Thanks!!!
Hey ! I'm glad you had some enjoyment from the demo and thank you for the feedback ! Fair point about the text, not having player marker on the map is deliberate, since it's not that huge and you can track your progress anyway (maybe it will change later). I'm sad that a lot of people had trouble with the flashlight, you can aim it with Mouse Right Click. The controls are in the main menu and in-game too, but I will add button prompts in next patch. Cheers.
This game has a strange feeling to it, I'm pulled in with the story line of her being sick and someone taking over the institution it makes me believe theres something going on within herself that she may not be aware of, I think the third person style is just fine, but there were some parts where turning the camera angle felt absolutely crazy like I was spinning, and I almost has a motion sickness feeling, thankfully it didn't get to that point. I didn't finish the game so I don't know what else you have to offer but I will be making a second episode, what I did see is the creepy "dog" and some interesting creatures, I like the way they look and I got super excited because they gave me silent hill vibes! I think it would have been more fun and challenging if we couldn't just circle them and be gone, I felt like they were a little slow so there was no threat, even in the room with multiple of them, but of course you don't want them going so fast you feel like it's spam, but i'm sure you could find a happy medium. I wish I could have seen some of the controls pop up on the screen instead of me having to pull up the pause screen everytime to see what controls I need for the actions i'm trying to do. I did have a small thing that frustrated me was right at the end of my video before I do my outro, I did die (AND NO SAVES ;-;) but I was pressing the attack/melee button and she didn't attack the girl until I died and that was pretty upsetting, but the only other issue I have is the game became quite dark at times and I felt like the flashlight bobbing everywhere with her motion was irritating. But you have so much opportunity and cool things to do here, I loved the balls of poison gas or fog, I love the fact that there's arms and tokens every where, I didn't get to use the vending machine but I'm excited to try it! I think you've made some really cool environments and there's just something I like about this game as a whole, I think you have a lot of potential here and I hope there's more to this game that is not wrapped up in the demo!
Finished it off after the first episode. The atmosphere was still fantastic but the whole game feel really took a diappointing turn when the combat was introduced. It changed from a suspenseful game of cat and mouse into a generic and dissatisfying click until dead shooter parody. The amount of feedback the player gets in terms of sound design, visuals and animations makes it so that the only real thing letting you know what's going on is the death ragdoll after emptying whole clips into each enemy. Overall, the game really succeeds in creating a tense and stressful thriller with a somewhat compelling story and unique visuals until it tries to be a sub-par third person shooter.
I was a bit more scared when there was no weapons... then = i saw the mace i am like okay... then i saw the gun... it just turn into a FPS game xd
Old-school horror? Check.
Tank controls? Check.
Scary? Double-check.
Wrote a review. Nice game.
https://peachscastle.com/games/horror/eldvervale/
I LOVED the feel of this game! it has alot of Resident evil and Silent hill feels which i love! it doesnt go for the easy jumpscares more just general fear itself ! Cant wait to play the full game!
very amazing game love the graphics and character models the story seems very interesting and cant wait to see more and play the full game!!
Made a video
Really enjoyed this, thanks!
that's great game! i enjoyed really fun! 재밌게 플레이 했어요!
Will the full version be available DRM free on itch.io as well ?
I just can't get enough of it.
It's like a mix between the old Silent Hill and Resident Evil games. I really enjoying playing this. The puzzles were great and I really felt a sense of accomplishment as I progressed. I can't wait to see more of this game and more of the story unfold. Check out my full demo playthrough below!
Thank you so much for all the comments and feedback ! It really means a lot :) To all the fun and entertaining people who made videos about the game : Maybe you'll remember the game, but the game will remember you in the full release, with a unique tribute :)
I'm really bad at horror games :P
Super fun game with great graphics!!!!
That's Great Game! I Plyaed Really Fun!
재밌게 플레이 했어요!