SHIATH

This game sure makes you feel like something horrible is about to happen

[i]Shiath[/i] is less scary as it is meant to disturb, but it didn't stick as well for me. For all of it's allusion to something horrible happening, I felt a bit let down when it inevitably happened. It was a bit of a "that's it?" moment for me, followed by [spoiler]"You didn't let the dog die, that makes you at least a kind of good person!" Which... really didn't land for me because even Hitler loved his dogs[/spoiler], it felt like an unearned effort to redeem the MC because it really didn't cost anything to do. Then to come to the store page and see there's an AI disclosure I didn't see until after I completed it really sours it for me because it feels antithetical to the implicit themes within the game itself, at least from what I understand of them. I don't hate it, but I don't feel like this game really fully reached what it was trying to do and it fell a bit flat for me. Granted, it's $2 and beatable in less than an hour so YMMV especially if you're easily spooked. Imo, it's giving [i]Squirrel Stapler[/i] without enough oomph to make the thematic threads all tie together.

A fun very short horror game that is very abstract and symbolic. Has a sense of dread about something horrible that will happen. A few small bugs like interacting with stuff can be weird and sometimes you may slip off of the chair. Can be beaten in less than an hour but I recommend trying out this game if your into abstract and vague horror games.

can't get a better game for $2

It's not much more than the demo I played originally but its alright. This lives and dies on atmosphere, mechanically the game is pretty weak, the platforming is extremely jank but you don't really need to go anywhere more than once to my understanding. The fishing is novel but awkward, it took a while to fish for what I needed once or twice (ludonarrative harmony I suppose), and I threw myself into the water way more often than could be attributed to reasonable error. I suspect this alludes to a strong statement more than it actually has one, its a little juvenile in that regard but it does have a unique charm. The way the game loads when you press start and the sun sets in front of you is genuinely great. Also, obligatory AI disclaimer, using AI generated 3d models seems like the worst possible return on value with (legitimate) built in pushback. I'm more confused than anything, frankly. Its a soft recommend but I did enjoy my time with the demo and I looked forward to completing the whole thing even if it was extremely brief.

pretty good