Carnival Massacre

The art direction and feel of the game are definitely on point. The game still needs to be fleshed out further with some more time spent on enemies and puzzles though. I also felt like there were some things set up that weren't executed on. Ultimately a good first project The nitty gritty (Light Spoilers): Enemies are too predictable to be challenging yet there are also some cheap shots that annoyed me and showed the need for a little more TLC. Such as the first boss pretty much always getting a free hit if you don't know to sprint immediately following the cutscene, the Jack in the Box pretty consistently getting at least 1 hit on me (even ignoring my shot after it popped out just before it shot so it's not a matter of reflexes), the bunny girls spam attacking after death. You can just tell that with these small issues and the easily avoided and predictable AI that they just needed some more work done. Final boss was a major let down on that point and a lot of people noticed that particularly. I think that could be fixed better with just some AI improvements, not even requiring a rework of the whole fight like people suggested. The puzzles are incredibly simple, I've got a lot of puzzle experience both in horror and strictly puzzle games so I might be a little jaded but still. A healthy middle ground between the hardest part being waiting for dialogue to play (this game) and learning morse code and realizing an ambient set piece is giving the answer in morse. The story was also a little too light and I thought there was going to be more to the game just because it felt like they set things up to have further narrative expansion and didn't give too much resolution by the time I hit the end scene. Like when it's hinted there is a bigger bad behind a gate, or the ferris wheel only having a note and nothing else. I thought those were odd. Those 3 things were the major flaws that stood out to me but the game still plays well enough and I see a lot of talent for a first showing. If Norbert updates this one or puts out another game that addresses these issues I will be there to see it

Gameplay wise? This game has very light mechanics, and honestly falls behind most RE clones we have already (shout-out Alisa and Tormented Souls, amazing RE clones right there), but I gotta say, the visuals and the overall mood this game conveys is unmatched. Staying at that carnival was a complete joy from beginning to end. I wish it had some minigames and side stuff to do there, but it is understandable this was a practically a single man project, but running around, hopping on top of the wheel or simply staying on top of the haunted castle to do some sightseeing was simply the best. This game is really pretty and I couldn't stop taking screenshots. The plot is minimal, the gameplay is simple, but it doesn't overstay its welcome, and it is pretty enjoyable for what it is. It's basically taking a trip to a carnival to enjoy the show and then coming back home.

I really enjoyed my time with this short but sweet horror game. I can't wait for Norbert's next project!

I've only played for 20 minutes and I was very impressed by this game. They clearly have a passion for the old school genre of horror, many inspirations from games by Capcom and Konami. The story is very interesting and it has an eerie theme to it being in a carnival like theme park with a bunch of Alice in Wonderland like murderous girls. Hoping more games are made that are similar to this one, because low key it's kind of fun to just be packin and dusting off all the bunny villains with whatever sharp object they're holding, haha.

It's like 60% Classic Resident Evil, 35% Silent Hill, and 5% Fatal Frame. Honestly really good for the price! I especially like the enemy designs, feeling very much Silent Hill inspired imo. Charming with fun gameplay, but I do have some criticisms. First, the game is way too easy. Particularly the bosses and especially the final boss. Now to be fair, this is kind of true of the classic RE games as well (until 3) so I can't hold it against this game too much. I would like the ability to play again with a harder mode where the normal enemies are a bit faster and tougher and I feel that would add a lot of replay value. Second, I wish you could rebind controls so you could use left control for aiming and F for shooting like in RE2+3. Lastly I also would have loved to see a little bonus mode when you finish the game, like a randomizer mode or something like the dungeon or horde mode in Nightmare Of Decay. Other than those few things (with the difficulty being the only real complaint) I think it is great for the price.

The game is fun and well worth its price. It took me less than 2 hours to beat, but I enjoyed my time with it and it didn't overstay its welcome. My character died a few times, but overall the game is easy and savepoints aren't that far. I recommend it for those who enjoy survival horror games, and want a short and a somewhat easy game.

For the price of a small coffee or a movie on discount day, Carnival massacre is most def worthy of your 5 hard earned dollarbucks. Im already looking forward to the next game!