heard that Mary Had A Lost Lamb was a spinoff to this, so i wanted to check it out. i liked it quite a bit!
it's so cool to see such an original world and characters. definitely can't say i've seen any game with a concept quite like this, and it made for a really engaging sense of discovery, as i was compelled to figure out what was the world i was playing in and what was the story behind every character. it truly feels like there's a whole universe on the other side of the screen, and a really dark and intriguing one at that!
i really like the art, which gives each character a unique identity and heightens the disturbing moments tenfold; and the puzzles, which aren't super complex but really feel like the kind of petitions these haunted spirits would make, and also feel like there's a horrible consequence if you don't get them right. but my favorite part of the game was, without a doubt, the tonal whiplash. obviously i expected horror elements because of the game's description and content warnings, but... (KINDA SPOILERS) instead of going all in at the start, or even hinting about any sort of horror, the game genuinely starts like a lighthearted and charming quest to help all the ghosts in a haunted library, and i love that! i love that the start makes you keep your guard down and think for a moment that it's going to be a happy and tension-free game, only to either get the first puzzle wrong or find the note the first ghost leaves behind, and the true nature of the game hits you in such a visceral and horrifying way. it's phenomenal!!
if you don't mind criticism, while the world is super creative and compelling, i feel like the game could've used a bit more explanations. i'm intrigued by the story, but by the end i don't think i understood much about the lore or how this universe works. in a way it feels like there was an entire other game before this one, or a presentation of the world that i missed. but to be fair i haven't seen all the endings yet so maybe i'll understand things more if i do. on the other hand, the information that *is* given is written in kind of a weird way. no spelling mistakes or anything, just general wording and phrasing of things (not trying to be mean about it, i for sure know that can be a hard thing to get right lol).
overall i left this game pretty satisfied, and even more intrigued to play the spinoff, so yeah good job!