I came back to this game and finished it. The issue I had before did not happen on the downloaded version, which is good.
This game is surprisingly good at getting into your head while playing. Sound is used sparingly, so when there is audio it feels sufficiently out of place. The writing and visuals aren't quite as effective, but they get the job done. The writing is peppered with grammatical issues and misspellings, but looking past that it still contributes to the off-kilter vibe of the game. The visuals being stock RPG Maker assets detracts from the atmosphere a little bit, but the most was made out of them and the pervasive darkness helps to carry the tone. The change in Allan's portrait to convey his insomnia was a nice touch.
The Argane Mansion itself feels like a string of anomalies. A room that swallows sound, a room that bellows sound, gusts of wind penetrate the walls and windows lead to nowhere. It is a building that does not feel like a single place in a world, it's as though it exists in isolation. The weirdness of the structure is probably the best part of the experience for me, I've always been fond of strange buildings like this.
Tension builds for the entire run time, and it never goes away. I began to feel a bit like Allan, running throughout the entire house hoping to find a way to progress. I have seen every ending to the game, yet it still feels like it holds more. Another room, another anomaly, answers to the many questions I had.
Just looking at this Itch page reinforces that feeling. There are three images, and yet two of them are of rooms that do not appear in the game. One looks sort of like the garden. It also looks sort of like the upside-down cross pattern seen at the crypt entrance. I like to imagine the other unexplained image is what is inside the crypt itself.
I have maybe written too much, but Halfway is an experience that asks for discussion.