Well, let's start with some facts. At the moment there are 872'928 games on itch.io and 45'683 are tagged "horror". This is your competition on itch.io; did you have a look at them? The name "Suitor" (title of your game) is already present 8 times ! (all non horror games). Now to subjective opinions: your trailer didn't scare me in the least (and I scare very easy). You promise "A horror experience truly unlike any other" and then show a cute cartoony beast that does nothing special, only chasing me. Your screenshots tell me nothing and are like every 8/15 screenshot in a "alone in a dark house" game. In what is your game different from a normal chase /flee from an enemy game? What is special in your game that differentiates it from other horror games? From your game page I cannot guess. Another point: the appearance of your monster is not scary, so don't show it or change it. What we fear most is the unknown and everyone has a special monster-image in mind: showing the monster is always dangerous, so, if you have to, show it as late in the game as possible, not in the trailer. It is possible that your game is indeed a indie-horror pearl, but your game page doesn't entice me to play your game. Hawkzombie is a youtuber that plays and comments indie horror games: have a look at his videos, there is a lot to learn there! https://www.youtube.com/@HawkZombie
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I genuinely appreciate the blunt feedback. I will admit, the appearance of our star is NOT what I had in mind, but we lost contact with our modeler and do not have the funds to get a better one, so this is what we got stuck with. We're doing the best with what we have.
What is supposed to set us apart is how intelligent the AI is, and how it interacts with the environment to slowly remove your options of escape as you carry on, forcing you to change up your plans on the fly. I suppose I didn't do a great job at conveying that.
"Unusually clever AI"; yes, that's interesting, but ... If your game were a cake, the clever AI would be the taste, and I cannot taste the cake if I don't eat it. So, what makes me eat the cake? The appearance, probably. The frosting, the cream, the decorations. I remember how much I like this kind of cake, and I bite. So what is "appearance" in your game? It may be interesting and intriguing screenshots or gameplay videos, but mostly it is motivation conveyed, for instance, by an interesting story. As Redonihunter said before me.
The story tells me why I should enter this house and brave the horrors in it.
Is there a treasure? Rich great aunt Marbella, the old witch, died and left me nothing in her testament but I know the money must be somewhere. She didn't trust banks, so it must be hidden in her house. And she was more than a bit mad, so her keeping a strange house pet wouldn't be surprising either.
Persons in distress? I received a strange letter from an old friend; he/she urgently needs my help. I'm no hero and have other worries right now, but he/she once saved my life, so how can I deny him/her my help? And it's not much he/she is asking: just retrieve an old picture from an abandoned house.
A stupid bet with a peer? Yes, I was drunk and Jack knows exactly what buttons to push when I'm in that state. I could forget the whole thing if not for my pride. I'll show the little bastard that I'm not afraid of entering that accursed house if it's the last thing I do.
And so on. As Redonihunter already said, it must not be complicated, but it must convey a motivation for our player to enter that house.
About the model. In the first story, it would fit as it is: great ant Marbella's cute little pet. Otherwise, there are a lot of free characters you can choose from in the Unity asset store.
I hope you keep on working on your game: make it interesting and scary as hell!
Did not play the game, but my guess would be, it is the often seen setting of player waking up in a strange environment and there come the creepers. Oh wait, did I talk about Minecraft?
Could be a hidden observer setting. Kidnapping people and making them get eaten by your pet monster. Or the usual horror setting of a lab experiment gone wrong.
But yeah, it needs some incentive to even try the game. Could be eye candy. Could be story. Boasting a unique enemy AI might not be the best option. Who is gonna believe that?
I do have a love of scaring people, and I have PLENTY of projects planned that will be straight up scary as all hell.
However, I guess Suitor falls more under slasher horror, it isn't really targeted at being directly scary at face value. The fear comes from the atmosphere, the feeling of relentless pursuit by a towering beast that's tearing the place apart to get to you, not slowing down for anything. The feeling of the inescapable and the thrill of the chase, that's the goal anyway.
It's hard to scare people nowadays, myself included. I've been invested in the horror genre so long I'm numb to pretty much everything, except for good atmosphere and a sense of danger quickly approaching despite what you try to escape it. And I kind of knew right away my creature designs weren't going to be overly scary to seasoned vets like myself, so the feeling overall is more towards threatening and powerful, which I thought would still be good enough motivation to run the other direction.
That's more what we're leaning on with this one. But if you want traditional nightmare fuel and jumpscares, stay tuned. I've got some ideas I think you'd love.