The Subject

You spend 95% of the time running down long corridors trying to find something to do. The game artificially prolonging its gameplay by making you run in circles without a clue. Absolutely terrible game/level design. Basically a walking simulator.

This is basically a horror/puzzle hybrid and as is the case with such attempts, it's quite difficult to 100% hit both marks. It's a tentative recommendation from me, not because the game overall isn't good -it is really good actually-, but because of two main reasons I will mention below. Overall, a few details could have made this a great game. Even as it is, it can get you hooked and thirsty for more. [h3]PROS[/h3] + Easy controls + Solid graphics, I especially liked the lighting in some corridors + Great audio + The combination of sound, claustrophobic environment, dark areas and dystopian theme, make for great atmosphere throughout the game. And all that in casual mode + Casual Mode, which is what saves the game for me. I wouldn't touch it if there wasn't a no-monster mode + You can get the vast majority of the achievements in casual mode. Very few involve the monster and even for those you don't have to beat the game or even progress much. [h3]MEH[/h3] ? The need to use the bio-data terminals every few minutes so that you don't die. I understand that it adds to the sense of urgency, but it does hinder the puzzling aspect of the game ? Almost zero hand-holding (direction-wise…

Length 1hr + Getting lost and confused (2 hours for me) Of the Darkstone Digital games, the Subject is the first released and there are many positives and negatives to the game. This is the perfect example of how a developer refined the game design into future games. While I have a lot of praises for ‘The Subject’, with how my gameplay went I just cannot recommend the Subject. The Subject is effectively a giant puzzle exploration game set of an orbiting space prison, through the game the player will be looking for buttons, switches and passcodes as they complete puzzles rooms, and further explore the vessel. The further they explore opens new areas, gives tools to access further so they can reach the end of the test chambers. Only they are not alone, awakening a monster which will hunt the player, you will need to make use of hiding location to escape. Exploration is actually really fun, while there are variations in the hallways of the prison, the seeking for buttons and the multitude of them means you will always stumble across something. Early on this is great, as nowhere feels like a wasted trip and when you discover more tools new places become open to you. I can’t tell yo…

Let me start by saying I love Darkstone Digital and this is just the first game that was made. While you may want to skip this one, I certainly recommend some of the newer titles such as Our Secret Below and The Mortuary's Assistant. As some others have said, this game is a good example of a new game developer who has taken negative reviews very well. It seems like every game after this release has gradually improved on the things people did not like about this one. While Kohate is essentially an improved version of this game, games after that changed it up completely. While I can't recommend this game I will be looking forward to future releases from Darkstone Digital.

If you like running around in a literal maze for a couple of hours figuring what to do, figuring out obscure puzzles with barely any directions and have 300 IQ, then this game might be for you. The blue orb intended to bring you back to the central hub doesn't work well since it doesn't fully lead you back. Then the red buttons. I assume they're not purely for decorations, but they're just about as useful as them. [strike]I also assume they're supposed to be hit in a certain order[/strike], but even then it's obscure as hell and confusing to figure out since they're all over the maze with no real order. EDIT: Buttons are called "placebo buttons" internally. They don't do anything but waste your time and if you press all of them, you get an achievement. I finished the 4 puzzles, got the 5 items and couldn't figure out where to go next even after stumbling through the mazes for a few hours while being chased by the stupid monster. Then my save nuked itself after being caught by the monster (checked the log file and it was erroring out saying the autosave couldn't be found.) Needless to say, this leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Runs well even on ultra high settings whilst streamin…

I enjoyed this horror game! The very last puzzle was a bit too "wtf" for me to figure out, so I had to look it up. Otherwise, I had fun trying to figure this game out. There is ZERO hand holding and you need to use your brain. I enjoyed the mystery and the puzzles. There's some weirdness to the game. Like how the monster's foot stomping sound effects just cut out completely. Otherwise, I enjoyed the graphics--lighting and quality of the 3D assets, sound design, and overall difficulty of the game. The "safe" mode with no monster was nice so that I could at least familiarize myself with the basics of the game without too much frustration. I like games where even though you know everything about them, it's still a challenge to beat and feels really rewarding when you do.