The Crooked Man
Despite the graphics (which personally I find charming and nostalgic), JRPGs like Uri’s “The Crooked Man” tend to be very story driven and puzzle oriented with multiple endings. It also deals with some sensitive subjects such as anxiety/depression, suicide and death of a family member. If you don’t like those kinds of games, this probably isn’t the one for you. However if you don’t mind those elements, I would sincerely recommend this game. It takes around an hour to complete each chapter (minus the prologue), giving it a total runtime of around 3-4 hours. It is well worth the money and has good replayability due to the multiple endings, great atmosphere and an emotionally gripping storyline.
– Real player with 18.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Horror Multiple Endings Games.
The Crooked Man is one of my favorite games of all time, often because of the simple visual RPG Maker games (and other platforms) people stop playing because they think it will not be so cool. You are severely deceived! Uri is amazing in the games she produces and I think this is her best game!
Exploring dark elements in an extremely psychological plot with a unique sensitivity, Uri builds memorable characters intertwined with each other by constant internal conflicts in a way that makes it impossible for the player to identify with any of them - or perhaps even everyone. Link this to a dynamic narrative and to the possibility of the player deciding which direction David will take you will have in his hands the proposal of The Crooked Man.
– Real player with 10.8 hrs in game
ALONE
I normally don’t leave reviews, but I just finished making a let’s play of this game, and I enjoyed it so much I had to leave a like. Nice Job DrakeCraft! The game can be both funny and suspenseful and creepy and is just an enjoyable treat. 7/5 pineapples!
– Real player with 5.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Horror Top-Down Games.
alone’s a sweet one with a nice pacing & concept.
however it’s really short in length, which is kinda sad. would’ve loved to play more of it.
still, a solid indie game that was not lacking in overall quality.
just that kevin macleod song I’ve heared too much in my life kinda disrupted my immersion, complete silence would’ve been more fitting in my opinion.
– Real player with 2.6 hrs in game
Dust to Dusk
A well-written short horror story!
The actual main plot was quite unexpected for me and I had a lot of fun with the puzzles.
A lot of effort was put into it with a lot of CGs and plenty character portraits! I was very happy about the game having a gallery!
I think it’s a well-spent few hours, especially considering the low price.
If you would still rather have a look into the game before buying then you can watch a part of my playthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9qJFgAqXiE
– Real player with 4.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Horror Top-Down Games.
I wasn’t too sure what to think about the overall plot until I got everything in the gallery and unlocked one last side story. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I would highly recommend that you make the effort to do so as well. Otherwise, you’ll really be missing out. If you enjoy horror-themed adventure games with heart behind them, you’ll love this. I had a great time, and it was packed with way more content than I expected given the one dollar asking price.
– Real player with 4.4 hrs in game
Ms.Director
Ms. Director is a game I can’t give justice to in just words. Either by my terrible writing skills or by repeating what others have said. Yet I can say that Ms. Director is one of the best RPGmaker-style games I have played in a very long time. It succeeds with the good ol’ cliche 2D horror game formula, but feels like a refreshing new experience in the RPGmaker-style genre. Either by well-written characters, fantastic links to LGBTQ+ Hollywood history, or fantastic music.
My final words about this game being a wonderful and beautiful small indie game that has been clearly made with passion and creativity. True love, research and time went into making this and it shines with it. It’s got the typical growing pains and teething problems of being a first major RPGmaker project, but those will eventually go away when the developer learns more and grows from mistakes. Ms. Director is a game I can’t recommend enough. Just writing this review isn’t even doing it justice.
– Real player with 11.8 hrs in game
I found this game through a friend on twitter, and saw that it was an indie horror title. I went and played it, not knowing what to expect, and fell in love with the characters, art style, puns, and presentation. It’s a really solid title, with a lot of thought put into it. It is a bit short, and there are a few text errors, but it’s pretty easy to miss when you are focused on all the weird stuff happening in the mansion. I’m looking forward to seeing what sketchy nonsense puts out next.
– Real player with 8.3 hrs in game
The Witch’s House MV
As a self-proclaimed RPGMaker enthusiast, I can assure you this is one of the classics. This remake posesses a dramatic visual upgrade to the original. This is a title that will keep you second-guessing at every turn.
– Real player with 15.7 hrs in game
Loved this game when I first played it in 2012. Glad to see it finally got a spot on steam.
– Real player with 5.1 hrs in game
Detective Story: Reporter
game is garbage
– Real player with 1.2 hrs in game
interesting 2D for your money
– Real player with 0.7 hrs in game
Don’t Chat With Strangers
I don’t think it deserve a 40% review, more like a 60% one, but it’s so lazily done I just can’t give it a positive, no way.
It’s kind of a shame because I really think with a bit more content and refinement via updates and tweakings the game would easily be excellent, but it seem the devs don’t care enough to put more effort into it.
The game is bugy, flawed by design (Mech vs Fruits spawns are TERRIBLE and sometimes you will do exactly what you have to do and die anyway…) and the way you have to win is so specific you will need to look up a guide to know what to do.
– Real player with 12.3 hrs in game
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers. I also made a guide, check it here!
Don’t Chat with Strangers successfully creates a creepy atmosphere and although most of the choices given seem either arbitrary or useless, there is a purpose, and there is a hidden pattern.This is a pixelated horror point-click puzzle adventure game with an excellent soundtrack, interesting lore, a permadeath mechanic and the best in-game arcade game since Galaga (ha!). This game pursues an interesting philosophy where the method by which the player explores or uncovers certain information that propels the game forwards is death. You click, you die, you learn something new about the puzzle (be it the about the stranger, the room or the story in general) and you start over until you know exactly what to do. That, or, you’re an incredibly experienced gamer who mainly focuses on puzzle games and deduces exactly what to do from one or two attempts.
– Real player with 8.5 hrs in game
Revenis Prologue 01
Welcome.
Witness the ordinary lives of two normal(?) human beings. 
“Revenis Prologue 01” is a interactable visual novel like game. Take control of Seven and Six in the confinement of their room to uncover the secrets of their “home”.
Features / Things to do:
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Help Seven and Six uncover the truth(?)
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Interact with the objects around you.
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Encounter events to progress the story.
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Facepalm at enemy actions.
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Experience slight horror elements.
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Made by one person.
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Listen to some original music compositions.
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Observe betrayal.
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Witness shattered dreams.
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Experience depression.
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ESCAPE!
This is just a prologue of what is to come. The beginning of a new series.
Prologue 01 Status: COMPLETE!
Prologue 02 Status: …
The Haunted House of Doom
Fantastic narrative and puzzles. Kind of the dark souls of horror games, you will die and struggle. Great speedrun category PB is 30 seconds flat
– Real player with 8.8 hrs in game
It is that time of the year again. Not even a full year after the last release, ‘The Amazing Shrinking Giraffe’, master-developer Paul Bird drops yet another AAA title to compete with the likes of ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ for the GOTY Awards 2020. Altough the aforementioned Shrinking Giraffe was almost guaranteed to win, with the sudden release of ‘The Haunted House of Doom’, finally a real contestant has arrived.
We all know the roots of Paul Bird. He started not as the hero we want but the hero we so desperately needed, releasing well thought out educational content, teaching our kids how to race safely in this scary, dangerous world. This however, advanced to very complex sport programs rapidly, ultimately reaching the point of defending ourselves againt mighty aliens and defending the multiverse against gigantic flying dragons. I think the message the prophet is sending us now seems to be clearer than ever. The action taking place in present time is a sign, this game has to be the most important social criticism i have ever stumbled upon.
– Real player with 2.7 hrs in game
Ann
My man RongRong, I was already a fan of your animations since the Payday 2 one, long ago.
When I heard you made a game, let alone a 2D horror, holy crap I came running.
I loved what you did here. Even if i didn’t know you beforehand, i’d have appreciated the effort you put on everything. The animated cutscenes, the art, everything.
The undertale-like music at the end too haha.
The only things I didn’t exactly like was, first, the escape moments. I think they were too harsh at some point, took me two days to finish the game because i was tired after so many constant restarts.
– Real player with 16.0 hrs in game
I see, where the inspiration comes from, and this game is a good attempt towards that direction.
So, this is a horror RPG on paper, but it’s very light for that. (Also a short one, compared to others.) It has some chase scenes and a few jumpscares, but it doesn’t have the (dark) atmosphere to call it horror. (The music is sometimes interesting for a horror game.)
It’s an escape story, so don’t expect a deep story or lore now! But it’s probably an early attempt, so it’s okay. That is also the reason, why the goal of the story doesn’t feel strong or deep.
– Real player with 4.4 hrs in game