Oh, my gosh, this was so intense??? DANG. I'm just sitting here now... reeling slightly... I felt like during the 10 or so minutes the game lasted, I was just... thoroughly entranced, sucked in like a super intense scene in a movie that you've walked in on and despite not knowing the full context of what's going on, you can't look away, you can't stop watching. It was just so incredibly gripping from start to finish.
First the music??? Wonderfully unnerving and foreboding. At the beginning before the Intruder comes in, it gets you in a mood where you just know something's about to happen but you don't know what, and so you're on edge the whole time. Then when it continues with its subtly eerie repetitive tones once the violent descriptions start happening, it makes for this incredibly uneasy juxtaposition. Still eerie, but now also continuing on, the same as it had been except that horrible things are happening in the meanwhile, which creates this fantastic dissonance that makes the violent descriptions sting even harder.
ALSO THE USE OF THAT SOUND EFFECT.
MY GOD.
I jumped in my chair every single time??? Especially the first time I might have even gave a slightly audible eep LMAO. It was incredibly effective. And it made it feel even more immersive, like, the descriptions of what the Intruder is doing to us mixed with this guttural slam just really clenches it and makes us feel every horrible description down in our bones. And also, like, sitting there wondering when the next one will come makes us feel as on edge as the MC waiting for the next hit.
AND OF COURSE THE ART. The art is gorgeous??? That BG my god. And the Intruder's sprite, as well. Everything is fantastic. And I LOVE the use of the color wash over everything that also matches the color wash of this page?? It's ridiculously lovely and really ties everything together. Particularly the use of colors that normally appear rather bright and cheery but now evoking a sort of visceral fear because of the music and repeated slamming sound effect that already has our nerves dancing.
GUH.
Just.
An absolutely excellent example of how to hook someone from start to finish and keep them on edge the whole time. And I'm so intrigued now?? About this world??? And what's going on???? And are we actually this horrible person????????? I'm left with so many questions and also what is the Intruder going to do with our clone now HELP. AND WHO IS HE ANYWAY.
OK one last comment but god did some of those descriptions really get under my skin LOL
Anyway. I'm done rambling now. This was just such a ride and experience. Really fantastic job!!!