ASTRAL
You play a young boy with a large head who breaks out of some sort of research facility to explore a world which has gone to pieces. Shown mostly in black and white with odd splashes of colour, you venture across the city to an underground bunker where you discover your true destiny. Along the way you’ll encounter and be chased by horrifying enemies, solve the occasional jumping puzzle, and best of all, occasionally wear a mind-control helmet which lets you take control of other beings and make them do your whim in order to progress further. The environment flows naturally from one location to the next, with the joins being very smooth and gradual. The physics engine is top notch, and you never feel like you missed a jump because the game wasn’t reading your controls correctly. The camera is very dynamic, and your character moves in and out of the scenery following the curves of the land in a pleasant way, giving the world more depth rather than just “run right”. Everything is explained through “show don’t tell” and the lack of voice acting makes the game that much more atmospheric.
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Psychological Horror Short Games.
I just cannot recommend this game, it’s terrible; sometimes you’ll spend a minute walking on direction, sometimes you’ll spend five minutes getting past a certain bit then have to go all the way back when you die, you may decide to have a break and when you reload the game find you have to do the previous ten-fifteen minutes to get back to where you are because the chapter system is broken, this game is not enjoyable and for the price not even worth it, play black the fall, inside and limbo if you enjoy these types of games.
– Real player with 4.9 hrs in game
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 Psychological 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
DISTRAINT 2
Proof-read the English, tested the game, and wrote a fully comprehensive guide. Safe to say - I’ve got this game down to a T! TL;DR - buy the game, play it, and enjoy! Easy 100%er and very enjoyable.
Backstory:
When I played the first DISTRAINT, I honestly wasn’t expecting much more than an easy 100% achievement game to help knock my stats up for a very low price - my expectations were instead surpassed. The storyline was a little twee and fairly predictable, but clichés and linear / predictable stuff exists for a reason: it’s what humans like. I realised the entire game had been written, composed, drawn, really just everything’d by ONE guy, and consequently rose in my estimation. I followed Jesse on social media, and idly came across a post some months later about a sequel, and his new DISCORD server. I joined the server, and started getting hyped up for the sequel. Then he picked me to proof the English :O so I really have seen this game since its infancy!
– Real player with 24.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Psychological Horror Story Rich Games.
Curator page here-- [url] DaRevieweD #33 [/url] -- [i]New review every Sunday[/i]
After a three year gap, Jesse Makkonen’s back with Distraint 2! If you’ve read my first review, you’d know that I was so moved by the mature, depressing c’est la vie story of an ordinary person making one bad choice after another. It wasn’t lengthy but its message was profound. The ending may have bummed out and sparked some speechless responses.. But thankfully if you’ve kept your hopes up- Distraint 2 picks up immediately from what happens to Price after that screen cut to black. How much lower can Price sink into?
– Real player with 4.5 hrs in game
TealGrounds
TealGrounds is a short, third-person, puzzle, horror game with randomly generated world that takes place in an underground workshop of a scientist known as Dr Willis. After his death, this place began to collapse and fall apart along with all the robots within the workshop
Take on the role of the Vic-04, a robot that tries to escape the collapsing structure full of aggressive and malufunctioning machines that try to stop our protagonist from reaching its goal.
Solve puzzles, escape the undergrounds, survive the collapse.
The Telos Monument
The Telos Monument is a highly atmospheric 2D psychological horror adventure game set in a strange and mind-bending monument, standing at the center of the dystopian world.
The world as we know it no longer exists. Electricity, food, and medical supplies are sparse. People from all across collapsed society make their way to the monument in the hope of redemption.
CAN YOU REACH THE END OF THE MONUMENT?
The Telos Monument is a dark, mind-bending place where one can’t differentiate reality and fiction apart.
Survive your way through the sinister and cryptic monument, filled with intriguing twists and characters.
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A great emphasis on atmosphere and immersion
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Side-scrolling 2D with unique, hand-drawn graphics
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Embark on an incredible journey full of intriguing twists and characters
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Immensely atmospheric music and sound design
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Interact with nearby electronic devices with C.R.E.C
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Explore the unimaginable monument and uncover its secrets
Up All Night
I haven’t heard of Fiendish Fiction before but they sure have their fingers on the pulse of horror. This game is a horror lover’s dream. Amazing storytelling, beguiling visuals, and a haunting soundtrack give this game all it needs for a truly scary treat and all just in time for Halloween. Pick this one up if you’re looking for something that’s sure to keep you up all night.
– Real player with 6.8 hrs in game
An excellent horror story with well-written characters! Chilling atmosphere. Although there are many endings, none of them feel rushed - each path gives you more insight into the mystery and the characters' motivations. Also, unlocking the secret bonus scene is so worth it.
– Real player with 5.1 hrs in game
Exitium
Challenging game, should be good for speedrunning.
Has puzzles and stealth and beep bop music
– Real player with 6.5 hrs in game
As far as the story and visuals go, I enjoyed this experimental game, but the platforming was a bit clunky. For the most part, it’s a puzzle-platformer with a psychological twist. The narrative is told from the perspective of a girl that is having relationship problems with her boyfriend. After each platforming section, you get to play a stealth mini-game where you are trying to isolate your boyfriend from the crowd by creating distractions. I suspect that game has 2 endings depending on your actions, I am pretty sure I got the bad one. Even though I kinda knew where the story was going, it still got me, and I am considering replaying it just to see if I can get a better outcome. It takes around 2-3 hours to finish if you don’t skip any puzzles, although you do have that option if you keep getting stuck. Aside from that, the game has nice achievement support, assuming that you want to replay the game with no hits and so on. Overall, the game is very creative, but that creativity occasionally comes at the cost of intuitive gameplay.
– Real player with 6.0 hrs in game
MAMIYA
At the time I’m writing this review I have yet to experience MAMIYA fully and to completion. I’ve seen all its endings (and not endings, for that matter); however, there are still some stories and details to uncover in three more not-exactly-routes closely related to three more characters (whose existence is a bit spoilery). I will absolutely read everything that is there to read, and I mean everything, because each and every word of MAMIYA is a heavenly treasure I hold very close to my heart.
– Real player with 53.3 hrs in game
Target Audience: Those with a soul
Summary:
To say that Mamiya brings out the best in emotional writing that tugs at your heartstrings is like saying that EA brings the worst out of monetization strategies. Mamiya may have supernatural elements and interesting twists within its 15 hours of story. With strong characters who you connect with almost immediately, to dark themes that really dive into some interesting subjects without any fear, Mamiya is something that I really don’t want to spoil anything off: because even the most basic elements of the story should be experienced without any sort of spoilers. I mean, I could go in how the twists are realistic and yet really satisifying, that all the substories work in a variety of ways and hit a range of themes, and that the writing is down to earth and yet is a style that feels a little bit different then others out there. It’s all done with a mysterious story that makes those who pay attention to small details have it pay off for them.
– Real player with 51.4 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
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
Athanasy
GENRES: VN, Adventure, Sci-fi, Horror, Biohorror, Biopunk.
PLAYTIME: 2-10 hours
SUMMARY:
DESCRIPTION:
Deep under the surface of the dead Earth, the last haven of humanity — the City — is teeming with life. A combined effort of engineering genius and all mankind’s endeavors, a giant structure made of steel, concrete, and biopolymers, keeps the remnants of civilization one step away from complete extinction.
Josiah Kaviani, a young mathematician and statistician, starts his journey in an underground maze of cramped streets. He is talented and intelligent, but he has one terrible drawback — his unbearable loneliness.
But soon Josiah will have a fateful encounter that will turn his whole life, and his worldview, upside-down. A meeting with someone — or, perhaps, something — that is hidden in such depths that even the cyclopean City cannot reach them. Something so hidden that the very knowledge of it can be deadly. Something truly monstrous.
FEATURES:
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A well-written world with deep lore and terminology.
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Complex, adult characters, each with their own motives, aspirations, and skeletons in the closet.
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A variety of complex and difficult choices that might lead the story to an unexpected end at any time.
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A dark and frightening science fiction story based on real study.
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A variety of different routes and endings — realistic situations that end poorly or worse.
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An atmospheric soundtrack specially written for the game — each track is inextricably linked with the narrative.
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A lot of high-quality art.
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Special art gallery where the player can check their progress.
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Some of the author’s ideas were censored as to be found too dark and cruel…
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…but most of them remained.