ill start off by saying i really really really like this game so far. i have no idea why games based off liminal spaces havent really been done before. there are games that HAVE liminal spaces, but arent really made AS liminal spaces. (portal for example, plays off this concept, with having spaces with implications of humanity but a lack of actual people. but its a science facility, so most aspects of liminality, such as nostalgia, wont come into play often)
as someone who adores liminal spaces, the application of them to a walking sim video game is something i really enjoy. looking at pictures is one thing, but actually exploring them in first person is something else, and is what i look forward to most about this game. really the closest ive seen before is some specific gmod maps, but even that has limitations which this game exceeds. this game is just a very excellent way to experience liminal spaces and really enjoy them. i often see liminal space images and just have a desire to explore them, which, unless theres a random gmod map made about it, is usually impossible. which is why i enjoy this game taking inspiration from commonly seen liminal spaces.
about the environments within the game, i really enjoy the textures and rendering, they really give the place a clean sort of atmosphere, which really lends to the feel of the setting. theres no mold or decay, all the lights and electrical equipment are still running, but who is taking responsibility of actually cleaning this place? who is making sure everything is still running? the fact that it feels like people SHOULD be here, every area SHOULD be occupied, but it isnt, is such a big part of how i enjoy this game. you truly are alone here, or at least it seems like it. (the removal of the random body after the locker room is very much appreciated because it did throw this feel off for me) the mystery lover in my brain kind of wants to know, but also the absolute mystique of this empty underground city thats still clean and running is so fascinating to me.
for some things that i hope for in the future, i hope the store area is a bit more expanded. i was fine with what there was in the first beta, since the pool section wasnt super long, and ofc the part after it wasnt done. but with the pool section becoming expanded to be like 3-4(-5?) times bigger, i hope the shops become bigger as well. maybe even a food court of some kind down the line. another thing id like is more interactions with the places you go. in particular, i was disappointed i wasnt able to slide down the slides. although there is a slide that you do have to WALK up in order to proceed, so i understand not doing it for that reason. there is also a small tunnel in a childrens play place i thought for sure i could crouch and go through, but as far as im aware, i couldnt. perhaps adding a crouch button, and making it so crouching on slides lets you slide down them? this is honestly just personal preference and i do understand that thats dev time that could go to something else, but i just thought id say my thoughts about it anyways. its such a minor grievance it doesnt take away from my experience for more than like 5 seconds.
im honestly still not a super big fan of the locker room maze, but im not really sure how youd change it besides making it shorter somehow. it did feel shorter than it was in the first beta but maybe i got lucky, im not sure. the more backrooms-like maze seems promising, i just hope that the REAL exit is more easily visible than it is in the locker room one.
another comment i have is that, i did notice the shadow thing for like a split second in a couple of places, and it did end up making me a bit paranoid about where it was, and where it could come from, which is something i enjoyed. altho i did check that one room in the shops area, where, in the first beta, the shadow thing would float above the corpse. it still floats there here, and i honestly feel a bit mixed about it. cuz before now you could completely miss it (im not even sure if its still in the locker room maze, because you can go through that without ever seeing it) so having it just straight up be shown for a few seconds in an optional area can be weird. i think that maybe if theres a point where you cant NOT see it, it might lend some more strength to this. my first time in the first beta, i saw the shadow thing in the locker room, so it appearing here made it feel like it was chasing me, which i liked. but i think i prefer the subtler appearances, and they dont super mesh well together unless theres something really establishing earlier on. im not really sure, just some food for thought i suppose.
overall i really loves this game, and im always looking forward to any more content this game receives. its very excellent for a lot of reasons and is a very unique and enjoyable experience, for liminal space lovers, and for those who hardly know about the concept. i hope that this games eventual release brings forth a new wave of liminal space based games. i for one am very excited about it.
this went on way longer than i thought it would LMAO i hope this just goes to show how excited i am