The atmosphere in this game is very well done as your surroundings get darker the worse Ella feels. The visuals are quite cute and well drawn, and the audio has good sound effect selection, which adds onto the atmosphere of the game. The music in the title screen also sounds nice and helps to set up the game's tone.

The gameplay is simple and easy to understand but could use additional depth like a potential break in happening to make gameplay even more intense as the atmosphere and tone is perfect for this kind of event occurring. (I genuinely thought someone was going to break in at some point when I was playing)

Still though, this is a solid game 👍

Pretty cool concept, the art was cool but wished there was a bit more gameplay since the game dragged on for a bit too long, maybe have events that make sanity drop a lot faster would be cool but overall great job :)

While the pixel art is adorable and the soundscape is decent, I found the gameplay lacking. The limited visibility from the blackout effect was really frustrating—I often bumped into things while trying to find interactable elements, only to realize the curtain was the only thing I could manipulate. It was also tedious that I couldn’t just stand and wait by the wall clock until midnight, which is the game’s goal. I actually found myself enjoying writing this comment more than playing the game itself. It would be great to see some improvements to enhance the overall experience!

Pretty cool, nice atmosphere. I wish the mechanics were explained better, but otherwise good

Really good art and level design!! Some minigames would make the game much more interesting and an end goal would give players a purpose to keep playing

Thanks for submission.. Kudos!!

I had this really awesome detailed review and then my Firefox crashed and deleted it and I am not retyping that so recap:

-Game is drawn out a little much, could double the pace and I think it would feel better
-Graphics are a 5-star, very well made
-Sounds were pretty decent
-I would add some stimulation activities (minigames) for Ella to play
-Fits the theme pretty decently

i like the cover, it's very preety

I love the main characters! The game really does capture the feeling of being home alone for the first time on a dark and stormy night. When the lights went out, my first thought was to go look for the breaker...then I remembered that my character wouldn't even know what a breaker was!

You have a really strong foundation to build off of here, and I hope you continue development. The art style, aesthetic, and concept are all really strong.

Some feedback:

• It'd be cool if weird things, like creaky floorboards, creepy shadows cast on the walls, or the phone ringing happened more and more frequently as Ella's sanity drops. I kept opening and closing the blinds, scared that there'd be someone or something in the back yard staring back in, so that's something to consider too (it could just be a deer, but turned into a "monster" by a child's imagination).
• Like someone else said, it'd be nice to get a sound effect or some indication when the player picks something up, as well as maybe an indicator that there is something that can be picked up.

Overall, I really liked it. I think it was a really strong narrative decision that the only real threat in the game is the one that the child comes up with in her mind, rather than a supernatural, paranormal, or physical threat.

The concept is nice and the art is cute! There's too much waiting though. I wished the time went faster, or that something would happen to drop Ella's sanity, like a lightning strike or the cellar door opening, or something. It's a nice base for a "RPG Maker Horror" type of game.

I have the same feedback with all the others lol

Very interesting idea! Would like to have some sort of indicator as to what can be interacted with though

Overall had a great time! Looking forward to your next game!

Alright the comment will be slightly shorter as itch decided to refresh my page so I'm just gonna do critical feedback:

*Interaction - The searching through the stuff lacks some crutial information for the player. A button popup or at least an indicator when inside the search area would go a long way to help with the problem of needing to go around clicking the search button, an sfx when you find something would also be great.

*Events - After grabing everything around the house the game lacked a short term objective for the player. Some sort of events like phone calls or the curtains being blown open by the wind with either a reward of additional bonuses to statistics or faster depletion of them when ignored would go a long way to make the player interact a little more with the world and make the wait a little less monotone as standing next to the clock chugging pills and starting match sticks.

*Some additional sfx - stuff like Michael being available for use and the matchstick ending could use some sfx especially Michael as it's often unclear when he comes back so the player will just spam the F key untill the animation fires

*A sudo Tutorial - I had no idea untill the end of the game that "sanity" and "state of mind" interacted even a line in the description would go a long way but a screen in the game or a full tutorial would be great.

But overall I enjoyed it. :D

great art style, cute character! was a little afraid of a jump scare moment haha

Hee-ho. Very beautiful game. Very nice. Thanks for good experience

Really great spritework. The sound for the game is well implemented as well with the local clock sound, the ambience, coverage on most everything. The one thing I think could've used a good sound is hugging Michael.

Other comments probably have already addressed wanting there to be more to do in the gameplay. Another thing that would've been cool is to make your sanity come into play via seeing things/telephone ringing/hearing noises in that back room that wasn't really used. Overall nice idea for the game.

Beautiful art and animations!

I didn't quite understand what to do other than hug the toy and press 'E' like a mad man near every object in the hope that something will happen.

Loved the art and feeling of the game, being both cute and creepy.

It just need more stuff to do. Maybe the phone rings at night and you find more pills in the ground, or a book falls and with it some matches. 

Overall a great concept and game!

Just barely managed to survive the night. I LOVE the ambience and the art of this game. Ella especially looks amazing, the animation of her hugging her teddy is perfect! I think maybe having an indicator on objects would help players know that they can interact with them, but it ultimately depends on how you feel the game should be played. Good job on your game!