Cassidy

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #78 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Sunday[/i][/code] [b]Cassidy (CSD)[/b] is solo developer [b]Joe Jobson's[/b] very first stab at a game! So I can understand when there are bugs, especially prior to launch. But there were like way many, excluding other issues- which begs the question did anyone play test it? So, you can already probably tell where I'm leaning towards in my review. I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but it was a good thing the dev is friendly, open and flexible in his DMs~ It's strangely similar to [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/1116230/]Story of Henry Bishop (SOHB)[/url] (which was my first ever -ve review btw), except there's no combat whatsoever but more on that later. Okay, I'm not gonna beat around the bush- I was very disappointed because the trailer (pfft) made it seem way more intense and less problematic than it was! And so, Cassidy... now there's a name that's never really been that memorable, but a name is just a name, right? WRONG~ [b]~Day 1 review #2~[/b] [h1]"Things Get Cold for A- Well, Reasons..."[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2435175835 [u]The Gist:[/u] As an investigative crime journalist major, you want to prove your mettle and crack the cold case to your course mates! What better way than to write about it as a thesis!? Starts off innocently enough, until you realize the "cold" meant corpses, ghosts and your own body heat fading away... [spoiler] ! The trailer was the best part...[/spoiler] [h1][+] PROS;[/h1] [b](a) The Things You Do to Graduate~[/b] For the sake of research, you arrive at the place of tragedy and set up your gear. There's a variety of elements to the game, starting first with buildup and getting a bearing on the area; taking polaroid pictures, reading outdated newspapers and having a dope, real-time blueprint for a map!! You really came prepared... to fail! Should've worked on those sprints- which last about 8 seconds. With stalkers that roam around, simple albeit nifty puzzles to solve. There's something for every horror fan~ [b](b) I Forgot to MANSION... She's A Beaut! [/b] I thought it was just stunning, with a lot of options to tweak the graphics. Sadly, I couldn't push it even prettier because poor student reasons... BUT, the decision to include a number of different sites; both in gameplay style and aesthetics was rather cool. There was the aged, dingy and grand mansion. Then the basement (my fave section) pitch black and tense af. The final area, a forested remote village which was serene but alarming altogether. I admit, the jumpscares could have been better orchestrated but they do keep you guessing! A ton of false scare moments where your brain attempts to fill in the blank, so I can't say it was all cheap shots~ [b](c) No Better Reference Than-[/b] I can't say much about the story, except list out other films which would be probably for the best. Reminding me a little bit of [b]The Hills Run Red[/b] (2009), [b]Madison County[/b](2011) and most apparently [b]American Horror Story (S1)[/b]. Which is a [spoiler] ghost story [/spoiler] first and foremost. As for game influences; SOBH like I said earlier, the decision to use a titular name, a tragic settlement, otherworldly beings and then [spoiler]satanic rituals[/spoiler]. But there's also traces of [b]RE7 and Outlast[/b] as well~ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2435218415 [b](d) Frozen. To Death..[/b] SCARY: One, an interesting purview of cold cases as they've always made me feel down. As great as it is to seek out answers and find closure, there must be an explanation as to why they've been left unresolved for decades, right? Two, it's also an outcry of historical records & media publications. How much of what's reported are true...? The credibility of those articles directly affects everyone when you think about it. Three, as someone who's also working on his thesis (speaking of, lol)- I could relate as to the amount of effort, "crazy" stunts expected of you. But it also makes the concerns of health, safety come undone as you attempt to impress your supervisors. [h1][-] CONS;[/h1] [b](i) Contradictions...[/b] I wasn't a fan of the pacing; the backstory (aka newspapers) was littered around and can be found within the first few minutes of starting. Would've loved for them to be spaced apart further. Also, the unevenness to the "objectives" tab which comes and goes, some being immensely helpful, justified and others a pain in the caboodle, leaving you lost after a single, brief mention of what to do next. The worst is the forest area and mansion intro tasks... In some ways, it was unfinished and indecisive. You could pick up many everyday, inconsequential items and open drawers at the beginning portion. Until... poof. [b](ii) Shh-Shi* [/b] A real puzzler of a stealth, mainly because your detection rests on you running, if you walk or "sneak", chances are enemies will miss you anyway! They don't react to light and so you're free to use all your noise-making, light shining devices in hiding areas to moon the enemy. Also, the description on the Steam store page over what to expect in each area was misleading because I went "this wasn't what was advertised..." at all. Already the first area has "stealth" aspects and the second is more psychological than the first~ The sound design also suffers; immersive one second and hollow the next. You have no footsteps, and apart from door opening sounds, the occasional creepy noise... that's all! AND Items you drop don't make noise or seem very tangible. [b](iii) G-got That on Camera!?[/b] [i]BUGS:[/i] - Enemies patrol routes are fixed and display clunky, restless behavior. - Object physics; phasing through floor, flying all over. - Some doors can be phased through (face and item) - Tutorials kept replaying over and over, overlapping. - Scares also repeated; lights turning off when already off, same noise on broken record. - Items get duplicated; some by mistake upon my respawn. Others intentional (newspapers) but head-scratching so...? - Ending triggered by pressing a key. [i]DEALBREAKER:[/i] The story has no discernible payoff. Like SOHB- but at least there was that wtf punch to that! With 90% exposition early on and the rest are just small, random-ish events... I think. Was the student's thesis ever completed? I don't know. But, I didn't even bother with an analysis so~ [i]NITPICKS:[/i] X Some vocabulary and grammar mistakes. No space between words... X Shadows not correct; holding camera but shadow is the outline of torch [h1]"…Best Served Cold? So, Leave It Be!"[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2435222903 On the one hand, CSD showed a lot of promise on paper. On the rotting other- left much to be desired; sound, technical, plot and etc. I can't ever forget CSD and that’s the scariest thing about it~ Of course, all the issues mentioned above could be fixed rather quickly but it no doubt has soured my first impression of the game. With not much thought into replayability; achievements, trading cards whatnot... the $11 tag is way too steep and that's not right unless you're senile! But I want to leave it at a positive note. The game is breathtaking for what it is- in terms of visuals, some interesting puzzles and varied gameplay. It wasn't lazily put together but that doesn't change the fact that it may have been rushed. I also loved the references of other horror media whether intentional or not... The biggest letdown was I really had high hopes to be scared and add another game to my top indie horror- alas it wasn't meant to be. It's the dev's first after all, remember that. I hope I wasn't too harsh~ [h1]4.5/10[/h1] [b] I'd still play the next one~ Godspeed!![/b] [i] Copy provided via [b]Curator Connect[/b], much obliged and I'm sorry...![/i]