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 :)
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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 :)