Recent reviews by Meeka Nomicon

Length 30min

Short Visual Novel multiple endings, and a lot of exploration around the house, a really interesting experience as a small mystery as you work out the history of our character. While at the same time it really creates a unique experience having this serial killer entity character and the portrayal of a Michael Myers-esque killer.

Perfect balance between the Macabre and Supernatural to make for an interesting Visual Novel to play.

More Horror games check out my curator page:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/

Length 10min

Honestly as a game I would not recommend it, while I did find it funny and loved the visuals it felt somewhere between a ‘Twilight Zone’ episode and an April Fools take on indie horror. A short fun romp that is charming in its amusing story and honestly has a visual style that I would love to explore in a longer game.

Problem is there is not much here, I had no trouble working out what to do and the game was already over for me before I fully got into it. Definitely a Developer I would love to see more from, it will just be up to you if the price is worth the experience as I feel in a few months it will be forgotten against the other hundred horror games I play.

Want more horror games check into my curator page, lot’s of horror games worth the spotlight:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/

I find it hard to review ‘1995’ as a game. It feels like it is so close to being a good horror game, and proudly wears its nostalgia for early fixed camera horror. The only problem is the developer seems to want to create a game reminiscent of such game play styles, without fully making a horror game.

The problem comes from the vague story beats, which at first feels like it is alluding to a deeper narrative within the game. Really travelling the road of games like ‘Silent Hill’ but is quickly brought to an abrupt ending with the story closing out as between a developers nostalgia trip, and the fixation of someone whose life revolved around the early horror games.

Combat is really reminiscent of early horror games, the tank controls and the awkward lining up so that you can attack the monster. While items and ammo need to be scavenged and the player needs to be careful on when to save ammo. Combat was well balanced and at times it did take a few attempts to get through battle as you had to learn how monsters attack you.

While the game feels like Silent Hill with the tank controls and monsters, most of the game boils down to exploring areas as you try to work out the password to get through hex lock. Simple item finding through rooms, though some of the environments are breathtaking in their PSX style and truly shows a level of care when crafting the locations.

The main problem I had though is the game suffers from severe loading times, each only lasting six seconds but it happens so often. You might get four loading screens just trying to walk from one place to another, it really drags down the gameplay when most of the time it is waiting as you explore a room just to wait to get out, then again and again and again.

The ending really breaks the game, and brings the feeling of an experience without a destination, that the entire point of ‘Back in 1995’ is to share the developer's love for old horror games. It’s just that in the end, the meta breaking feel to the end of the game just leaves a foul taste in your mouth for what the game could have been. In a way it devalues the experience by not resolving the game's narrative but instead trying to make the player see the game in a different light.

Back in 1995 is worth the play just for the enjoyable nostalgia, but at the same time I would not recommend the game as it is just unsatisfying. It is a great feeling returning to early horror games, but if you are looking for a story you might want to try a different game. The narrative is there, it just does not have a solid end, and an interesting exploration of its story.

To those who want to see some gameplay before buying check out below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hYWzsBFPvw

Looking for more horror games check out my curator list might be something you have not seen before:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/

Length 40min - 1hr

A Lovecraftian Puzzle game in which the player has to save their wife from an eldritch being after an exploration into the texts of eldritch beings. Most of the game revolves around reading a book as you piece together the ancient language to perform a ritual. Multiple endings and a bit of harassment by an eldritch monster that you need to watch out for. A lot of the text is on different eldritch beings and is interesting as an opening into some of Lovecraft.

Not much horror here, and a lot of reading but still had fun working out the eldritch language as you flip through pages of the Eldritch Tome. Recommendation to those who seek a simple puzzle game with some dark eldritch themes, but to those looking for scares or a deeper story might want to look somewhere else.

My words not a good explanation? Well gameplay video below, take a glance but don’t spoil the puzzles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIpJ_suUkRg

Wanting more horror games check out my curator page:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/

Length 5 - 15 Min

Really short escape room horror game, in which the player finds themselves in a coffin buried underground. The entire coffin is a tiny escape room, in which the player has limited light in order to work out how to escape. The puzzles are relatively easy, though will take a little scanning around.

There are a few horror moments within the game which occur should the player spend too long attempting to escape. Visually nice and creepy, though I would not really call them scary moments. Well designed especially when it sneaks into your face in the darkness. It’s just a shame I did not notice this in my first playthrough and only found it when exploring the game on a later play.

I found the game fun, but you are not going to be distracted for long, if you are used to escaping room puzzles, I doubt the game will last more than five minutes. Still a short fun horror game that I enjoyed playing.

Looking for more horrors to play check out my curator page below:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/

Length 20min - 1hr

Never been so paranoid walking down a corridor, as I’m scanning all of my surroundings looking for those small out of place distortions to my reality. Literally I have never been so focused in any horror game for something to happen. Shifting eyes, to just utter bizarre anomalies. While the game is effectively a looping walking simulator, the attention needed to escape the corridor, really made me see the game as a spot the difference under time constraints. You have till you turn the corner to notice if you are still trapped within the Level.

Honestly, a lot of fun for a short experience in such a small environment, gave me feelings like being trapped with an SCP, that the corridor was actually messing with me. Especially when you are missing those little distortions to the environment that seemed so obvious when I watched back my video.

Definitely an experience worth playing through if you like these little strange and peculiar games. Left my video beneath, but if you have the intention of buying the game ignore it and don't spoil all the bizarre events:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ9ybJB_v_c

Looking for horror indie games, buried in the depths of Steam check out my curator page to see all of the games I have unearthed:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/

Length 30min

Short Horror game which sees the player driving their car as they are haunted by multiple ghosts. The game effectively changes from an exploratory escape game where the player is driving though highways and desolate cities, to avoiding obstacles and hauntings as the player creepily delves into a hellish world that draws visuals from a ‘Hellraiser’ twisted world.

Main gameplay is the driving which has tight controls, if not at times rapidly responsive (Especially the Breaks). The controls made it relatively easy to avoid obstacles and worked well for adapting to the changing roads. Only problem I had was one moment where a monster came towards you. It took me a lot of time to realise what to do, and I did a lot of stupid things trying to get past it.

Reminiscent of some of the great free to play games on itch.io and a low price tag, the game is a fun short experience. While I did not find the game relatively scary, there were some good visual hauntings and the appearance of the ghosts was done well, if not a little funny on occasion.

If my review is not enough below you will find my gameplay video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA4UfgfUpgY

Looking for more horror games, check out my curator page you may find something that you have missed:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/

Length 40min+

How is it that the Free to play game from ‘Just Sauce Studio’ is so good? A Tight experience with minor jump scares, yet is a story of both self discovery and survival, trapping the player in a limited environment of a Cottage and garden, and is able to create a feeling of unease as you are toyed with by a psycho director who just wants to punish and torment you.

The entire perfection of the game is the narrative self discovery, as you piece together who you are playing as and what you have done. It creates a separation between you and the character, and feels like you are also judging the character for his actions, as if you are taking the directors role of forcing penance upon the character. It is hard to explain without spoiling it, it’s like watching the first ‘Saw’ movie - once you know it changes the movie experience.

The game feels like a separation of siding with the character for survival, or going against the character in cathartic punishment. Honestly a great narrative that is only possible in the short period of gameplay and would be ruined if the game was much longer.

At the same time you have this feeling of unease as your safety is challenged by the director seemingly able to enter your home at will unbeknownst to you. Toying as he leaves his smiley face mark. The bumps in the night become unnerving. This only escalates with the Director’s tormenting actions of playing with the player in mild choice based acts.

It is worth playing through the game multiple times as the different endings really put into light the characters desire for survival and give you fairly diverging outcomes.

The only problem I have is that I both want more of a game like this, and at the same time do not want to spoil such a tight and perfect experience. Rarely do you find a horror game that is not trying to pad itself out.

Below is my gameplay, honestly play the game don’t spoil the experience:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDjVL-a6Fqg

For more horror games check out my curator page, see what you can find:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/

Length <1hr 10min

Chilla’s Art is back with another supernatural horror game, in which the player is investigating an abandoned house to record footage of the paranormal.

Gameplay is mostly restrictive exploration through the house in which you are trying to find the next item / location to develop the story. The house is small and items are not hard to find, making the game linear with little chance of getting lost for long. While there are no outright jumpscares, I found myself in a state of unease of not being alone, and something was there with me. Repeatedly seeing someone out of the corner of my eye, or the sounds of movement and unearthly life inside the house really disturbs you.

The story is pieced together through the collection of tapes which will show you what brought the homestead into ruin. Each tape delves more into the actions of the tenant of the property and what made him kill.

While I would not place the game in the best of Chilla’s Art, it is an intriguing supernatural horror game which raises so much curiosity in what happened in the house. Definitely worth the play if you are a fan of Chilla’s Art. The game really brought me back to playing the Caregiver with the location and some of the gameplay.

Video below to people who want a visual look at the game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLtrvaCtB7w

Check my curator page for more horrors hidden in the depths of Steam:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/

Length 40min+ (Exploration / Other Routes)

Honestly I have to say this was an amazing and intriguing Analogue Horror Experience, and with the limited visuals in the game really made for an amazing horror story. Think of the game as a Visual Novel in the narrative vein of Twilight Zone, with a first person story placing you into the central events of the horror.

The game, while limited on visuals, really does a good job in setting dark scenes which feel out of place and creepy. To the point that there is an uncanny feeling in the exploration and talking to the wife. The staging on the shots are well done, and really flow together in the visual novel keeping a macabre depth to the apartment. While the effects feel great when triggered and work so perfectly as a narrative tool and a visual change to your actions. (Hard to explain without spoiling)

Narratively I adore bite size horror games, especially when the horror is unique and has a story I would likely find in a Anthology. Yet when the visual medium actually improves the way the story is delivered it is truly a delight, just like with ‘I Live Under Your House’. (I Just realised I can’t explain to you what I like without spoiling the game.)

I have played through the game so many times to try to find all of the information, and while the game does an amazing job of foreshadowing possibilities, it leaves the answers to interpretation. The horror moments of the tape are visually intriguing and just make you want to know what is going on. Can’t say more without spoiling the fun.

Really hope that ‘Drowned Lake’ is the trailer for the next game, as I adored the use of imagery and mystery and the game did the perfect job of making a ‘Concise’ intriguing horror Visual Novel, and I really wish to play more.

Now download the game and give it a play it’s free and that is the best way to understand why it’s so intriguing.

Below is my video, not really worth the watch, download the game it’s free and deeply intriguing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95g-J5C5rDc

Might be a little behind on the Curator page but you can find a lot of interesting horror games there:

https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41770172/