Skip to main content

Browse GamesGame JamsUpload GameDeveloper LogsCommunity
Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
HANGOVER SUNSHINE2 days ago(+1)

By god, when you messaged me a_kimb0 and asked me to play the game, I was not expecting a horror game >.< I went ahead and powered through as much as I could, but I need you to understand that I'm the biggest wimp when it comes to horror games. The first-person perspective messes me up.

With that in mind, this game is incredibly well done at capturing the tone of terrifying me. I think the worst part for me was when I was just on the computer, I opened a file, and it just said "Turn around." Literally, nothing was behind me, and it was the part that almost made me cry.

The little minigames you have to make the deleting not repetitive was a good touch. I'm bad at Flappy Bird, but think with practice and maybe someone to hold my hand, I could figure it out. Could even see other retro computer games on there to iterate upon (e.g., Minesweeper, Snake, Solitaire). Just "Windows 98 WarioWare" it.

For feedback, I only really have a couple of notes:

  • The sticky note with controls was off-camera a bit. Not sure if that was intentional, but it made memorizing the controls at the beginning a lil' challenging. Accidentally hit ESC, and the web build did not like that.
  • Something about being able to tell which file is active or not was challenging for me. I swear I would have two files that looked to me like the exact same, but I'd open it and it would just say invalid. Not sure if there was another layer of a mimic file that I missed, so that could've been on me.
  • Flappy Bird is a hard game. I know I said I could figure it out, but I remember back in the day that game being known as the "rage game." If I could project, I'd imagine it might be too difficult for some users to complete and they may drop the game. Now thinking about it, it does feel a bit out of place narratively since you're on an old computer (this is a nitpick btw, nothing really wrong with having it).

Again, I want to say this game is super polished and do hope many more that did the jam get to play it (even if they are not horror-game fanatics). Would be cool to see if y'all continue working on it post-jam!

- S.

Reply
a_kimb02 days ago

I am so appreciative for you taking the time to write up a detailed review of my game. It was a labor of love and keeping my sanity while I navigate a difficult time in my life so your comment really sent me over the moon :)


Thank you for being a trooper and playing my game despite not being super into horror! I definitely wanted to see if  I could maximize atmosphere this time around and I'm incredibly happy that was your impression. Also, the "LOOK BEHIND YOU" prompt is totally random and I'm so sorry you had the misfortune of having that. Call it bad timing. Or is it great timing? 

Totally agree on adding in more games! I programmed the entire game myself and would definitely put in more games for more variation if I had the time. Flappy Frog was actually basically ripped from an unlisted game on my itch page because it saved me time (shhhh)!

For the sticky note, the intention was for you to zoom while in desk camera mode to remind yourself of the controls. I purposely put the note on the side of the computer so that if users didn't know how to leave the computer view, the relevant information would just be "right click to exit computer". I did consider the note placement as potentially weird to some but I did want to experiment with having the "tutorial" be in-world. Definitely valid criticism though! I grappled with this decision for a while.

Could you describe in more detail to me what you mean about the 2 programs being invalid? The mimic programs are the ones that aren't explicitly "flappy_frog.exe" or "typing_wizard.exe" so what you experienced might've been an unforeseen bug. I'll be doing bug fixes so do let me know! 

I'll definitely be adjusting the collision on flappy frog. I was definitely trying to keep it in the style of OG flappy bird but now I realize that might not be a good idea for trying to progress in a horror game. Thank you for the input! Also as mentioned I would've loved to do minesweeper or something but flappy frog was just basically drag and drop haha.

I'm excited to play your game, and once again thank you for your kind words!

Reply
HANGOVER SUNSHINE2 days ago

Honestly, it could've been more of an issue with my ability to tell the difference between them. I noticed sometimes, I'd miss like a single character or I think maybe a space in the name. Really don't think it's a bug, I just had a personal challenge. I'd then go back to delete it and just wasn't sure which one the invalid one was again. Talk about memory issues am I right?

If it's not already in, something you could do is highlight why that file was a mimic. Show which part of it was incorrect when it says it's invalid, and then replace it with another file, just keep that guy you got wrong and put it at the bottom of some list you have going on with all the other ones. That way, the player gets trained on spotting typical mimic traits. I'm spitballin' and nitpicking tho, so do keep that in mind : P

Reply
AboutFAQBlogContact us
Copyright © 2025 itch corp · Directory · Terms · Privacy · Cookies