Contra Spem Spero

Not sure if it's an insult or a complement, but I thought the art in the game was so photo realistic, I thought it was generated, but doing a bit of research, it seems that is just how the dev finishes his drawings, doing realistic shading, and then putting a distorted pixel filter at the end (I left a link below if you want to check it yourself). Not something I see a lot done manually outside of AI games, so very impressive skills, almost uncanny how good it is, like actually looks so good, I thought it was fake. [b] Discord link to dev's drawing process, if you need some evidence in the defense of the art: [/b] https://discord.com/channels/1304083463577800714/1304219945235910688/1338196592553099364 So it's a "text adventure", and yet it feels like the most complex text game you will ever play, there is constant backtracking, resource management, optional and hidden events, cryptic puzzles, just overall packed with content and odd ideas. The narrative is pretty decently made, it can get over the head sometimes just because it's a bit complex and you have to pay attention to a lot of things, but you get that sense of being lost in a strange world, meeting odd characters and slowly learning more about them, it's pretty neat. The presentation and design for UI is very very cool. You look at the journal the entire time, but you will have like changing backgrounds, monsters grabbing you in the middle of the reading, rain dropping on the pages, solving puzzles inside the notes, and things of that nature. The game also does not really hold your hand that much which can be a good or a bad thing. You can save the game manually at the camp but it seems it might be attached to the time, or maybe doing a certain amount of tasks, I haven't figured it out completely. A single path could take around 4+ hours, depending on how many optional achievements and secrets you find. It seems I could have aligned myself with different characters so I assume that is something I could have done differently. In the end I got the bad ending and the game reset the save file, so for now that is it for me. Even though I found the lovecraftian forest theme a bit generic at first, there is more nuance and mystery to the story, so overall I thought it was a good experience with some depth to it. [h1] Pros: [/h1] (+) Really nice presentation for a text game, so many creative visual effects, you will see weather changes behind notebook, rain drops, different panels for notes and puzzles, it's very unusual. (+) Interesting lore and world building, feels like you are lost and slowly uncovering the mystery minute by minute (+) Actually a bit challenging if you into that, it does not help you that much, some tricky puzzles that you have to pay attention to (+) There is a ton of content, secrets, optional achievements and things to discover [h1] Feedback: [/h1] [u] Personal narrative nitpicks [/u] - I liked the story overall, the only immersion breaking thing for me was the dialogue with LD, I didn't mind his mischief, but the constant cursing made him feel like 4th wall meta character, and it took me out of the game a bit sometimes. Also it was not always clear why I would find new dialogue, seemingly without doing anything new, despite already checking it, not sure if anything in the game was timed perhaps. [u] Some gameplay features [/u] - that mechanic in the game where I have to press 'leave' first before traveling is really grinding me the entire time because you can view the map even though you are still locked to that location, I always forget to do it and it's not always clear that you have. You might want to make that "page turn" easier to see. You should have a sound effect for completing any puzzle. - the game can be a bit too cryptic, you kinda have to brute force it sometimes - I think if you didn't apply that pixel effect the game would look more organic, otherwise people might not see that human touch you put into it [b] Overall Thoughts: 8/10 [/b] It's very much unlike any text game I ever played, there is so much to it beyond just reading, but it can be a little hard to figure out what you have to do and how it works. The world is a lot more complex than I initially anticipated, and there are a lot of things to experiment with. So yea pretty solid text adventure, actually a bit impressed, especially with the visual presentation and Ui design. [code]Niche, obscure and underrated games: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/ [/code]

Офигенная игра. Очень необычное оформление новеллы дневником и фотографиями - очень понравился такой "геймплей". Атмосфера просто супер. Миллион всяческих отсылок - даже на мемы (во многих моментах смеялась в голос, но затем возвращась к той самой атмосфере..), да и не только на смешное отсылки есть... множество разнообразных головоломок, несколько разных концовок и сюжетных веток (рекомендую пройти все, чтобы ещё больше разобраться, что же всё таки за лес и что происходит). Я редко "охочусь" за ачивками в играх - в этой захотелось получить их все! Рекомендую игру! P.S. Мотылёчек лапотька <3

Машина главного героя ломается в лесной глуши. В надежде найти помощь мы продолжаем путь пешком. Кругом непроглядная тьма, впереди видим множество светящихся глаз. У нас есть только блокнот и фотоаппарат, конечно же мы решаем сделать снимок, чтобы вспышкой осветить мрак вокруг нас. Лучше бы мы этого не делали. Текстовая адвенчура с возможностью делать выборы с последствиями. Игра подаётся в виде записей и иллюстраций в блокноте главного героя. Иллюстрации локаций опциональная штука, чтобы они появились в блокноте, необходимо сделать снимок, но придётся потратить на это дело плёнку. Перемещаясь от одной локации к другой, игрок будет встречать различных персонажей, которые могут навредить, дать подсказку, попросить о помощи. Но стоит ли им доверять? В целом неплохой проект по невысокой цене. Из минусов могу отметить мемы, которые портят мрачную атмосферу.

An impressive debut! Strong visuals and decent writing, a great fit once the spooky season arrives. It's not as much scarry, as it is uncomfortable and, for the most part, oppressive, and as the game oozes with style, you can easily figure out if it's something you'd enjoy. My main issue is tied to to somewhat misguided bits of immersive UI. The "travel" button is more of an annoying leftover of an older design, than a method of convenient communication, especially when the cutscenes oftentimes don't use it, and it's not always clear when you reach an end of a cutscene, or a moment you are meant to flip the page. The last third of the game gets a bit grindy, weirdly enough for a horror tale, pushing you to keep flipping between the areas with exclamation marks to see if you missed anything, to gather resources, and to complete rather jarring puzzles inspired by the hidden object genre. But it does work well with the oneiric vibe of the main story. Very cool to experience it.

Open your journal and write down what you see, as you see it. Unlike other games, the attention to detail is refreshing. Everything you do, say, decide, are all counted toward your story. The sound design, character development, and overall replay-ability is Immense, even when completing one ending, you come back with numerous amounts of different routes and outcomes. The sound design played heavily in illustrating the forest, whenever I'm pulled into a scene, or explaining the sourroundings that is written in the journal. That added sense of audible attachement kept me drawn in to continue the adventure. In addition, the visuals, even minor, enhanced the dark nature of the forest, and the beings that inhabit it. ESPECIALLY THROUGH POLAROIDS, which not only develop the world building, but also give us as the player a grounded feeling as if we are the protaganoist seeing through the eyes of pictures, rather then in person. This adds flavor to the journalism part of the game, along with the text adventure. The art styled of the game is special, it doesn't attempt to be like anything else, it sticks with the genre and defines the game's horror, creepy, eery, feeling you get while playing. The game play mechanics, even though they were simple; health, spiritism (sanity), and inventory/resource management. The game also had plenty of extra objectives to complete; inner-mixing riddles, puzzles, and mini games with each specific location you encounter. Some are done outside of the journal, while others are categorized in their own section of the journal's UI. When you solve a riddle or puzzle, personally, I felt more accomplished, especially when knowing it unlocks endings. Though sometimes, I had to brute force through the puzzle due to there not being any hints to assist. Furthermore, sometimes the answer to the puzzle/riddle will be for a situation later down the map. So I ended up returning to a lot of the puzzle's origin locations, when I did not really need to. Resource Management, Definitely a step up from the Demo! It's always nice to have to pay attention to your health or sanity, knowing when it's time to stop and take a break (Save the game). Though the further along I was in the story, I realized I didn't really need 20 apples and 20 vials. This made me skip the resource locations more frequently once I knew I did not need to return. When it came to poloroids however, the idea of having to sacrifice items and spiritism really made the game more fun, especially when not knowing whether the next location/encounter will end my run. (Back to last checkpoint). Saving, it's a bit weird when it comes to saving... it all depends on time of day, whether it's apart of the objective, or how injured you are. I've had to go long distances without saving my progress because the game would not let me due to the time of day being too early. This lead to me having to shift back and forth between a couple locations until I could save again. Even though the game is a, 'complete one save, move to a new one where your last affected that save' works for this game. It would've been nice to know that I only have 1 save file per ending, so that I didn't waste most of my time on multiple objectives at once (even though it's a nice achievement to gain). Otherwise, all in all, this was an AMAZING EXPERIENCE that I will never get to experience from another game! WELL DONE🌹 ~Spoilers Ahead~ [spoiler]This is more personalized, but it has to do with the story. When getting further along the map, you encounter trinkets, notes, dates, and names. After doing some research, I noticed that a lot of the things found within the game relate to real instances. Found at Dead Flood: There were train tickets... "Benoit's & Farley's" - 1992 "Kerze's & Dunn" - 1990 It seemed like these all correlated to a 1993 music video titled, "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum. Underlining real life person's/kid's who went missing. This video originally assisted in rescuing a ton of missing kids. Found at Ship Valley: There was an entry log with the dates listed: January 25th - May 21st, 1968. During that year, and in between the months listed, there were four major military ships/submarines that went missing... - INS Dakar (Israel), January - Minerve (France), January - K-129 (Soviet Union), March - USS Scorpion (US), May 21, 1968. Found at the Cliff: There was two interlocked carabiner with '1989' inscribed on it. I speculate that this incident revolved around the 1989 incident involving an 'S.O.S.' found on the side of Mount Sahi in Japan. Where bones of presumably, but not confirmed, Kenji Iwamura, was found stuffed inside a tree's stump. Furthermore, when Moth speaks of the forest, it is never written as a thing, but as a person, "Forest", never "The Forest". I believe this may be due to the forest being Limbo, where souls tread through the forest until they find their home, it being whatever "Forest" deems it. Then the soul becomes an Entity or Creature (Maybe reincarnation? or just moving on from death). We notice a ton of different lost souls around the forest, maybe they are still roaming, in the hopes to find their own homes? (Moving on) THIS IS ALL SPECULATION! I could just be crazy and mearly overthinking the story, but I believe that MOTH is the ferryman, guiding lost souls, and everyone else is just residents of the forest, finding their homes and moving on. The forest could also just be HELL. Who knows...[/spoiler] VERY WELL DONE GAME! — Thank you DADZINGO, for giving me the opportunity to play this game, and an enjoyable, Journalism experience!🌹 — THE FULL YOUTUBE WALKTHROUGH PLAYLIST WITH THE DEMO INCLUDED: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcQMq-EKBW7pVArNSAPQqXcqP2E1NdVo&si=30953KcGVK9-cosN

Первый раз самостоятельно прохожу игру подобного жанра, и хочется сказать, что ожидания были оправданы на все 100%. Я получил полноценное погружение в интересную историю. Мрачную, мистическую, наполненную до отказа отсылками и головоломками, некоторые до сих пор ждут, когда их обнаружат и решат, а это значит, что возвращаться на уже знакомые, казалось бы, тропинки я буду еще не раз. Игра приятна не только своим смысловым и интерактивным составляющим, визуальная часть выше всяких похвал! Желаю ребятам удачи, неиссякаемого вдохновения и очень надеюсь, что мы еще встретимся на игровых просторах!

The devs weren’t kidding—it’s different. It’s not a typical text game or visual novel, you never really know what you’re playing, but I liked it. The [b]atmosphere[/b], forest ambience and nature sounds are amazing. The [b]visuals[/b] surprised me too, there are way more than I expected for a text-heavy game. And the characters all share that inhuman stare straight into your soul—love the style. Talking about the [b]characters[/b]: none feel like clear good or bad types, they’re actually hard to choose between. Slim’s probably my favorite just for the mystery (well, aside from Moth). [b]Writing[/b] balances dialogue and exploration without drowning you in communication like some VNs. The story's packed with references (to literally anything), hidden meanings, lore hints, and mixes horror and humor really well. Sentences can run long, but overall it’s very easy to read. [b]Puzzles[/b] are a fun change of pace, and mostly optional, which I appreciated. The small [b]details[/b] really shine: journal layouts, hand-drawn items, shaking hand, weather, changes on replay. Clearly a lot of thought went in. I’d say the game is more interesting than scary, but the atmosphere is heavy, sometimes desperate even, and at the same time weirdly comforting. Like it’s teaching you to accept whatever absurd or painful thing comes your way and to do exactly that—to hope without hope. With four endings, the game doesn’t want to let you go, and I didn’t want to leave either. [i]If I could change one thing,[/i] I’d like less environmental description and more dialogue. There are still lots of unanswered questions, especially about the characters (including the side ones and the protagonist himself). It almost feels like an intro to something bigger. Maybe too soon to ask for a sequel... but I’d love one! Some achievements can get a bit grindy too, though nothing unbearable. [h3]In short:[/h3] Finally a narrative game that actually cares about narrative. Surreal setting, memorable characters, puzzles that fit, tons of references, great mix of horror and humor. Would love to see more from this world. Here’s hoping the devs keep making more meaningful games like this.

Прошёл\дочитал игру на хорошую концовку. Буду и на другие проходить

Хорошо.

[h1] Had a bad day? [/h1] Did your car break down in the middle of a road, did you lose your personal things, and get lost in a strange forest? Oh wait, that's exactly what happened to the protagonist! Oh no... I noticed the demo on Steam Next Fest. It was an unusual format for me, but the demo intrigued me very much, so I waited impatiently for the release of the full version and was very pleased with the result! It exceeded my expectations! In a nutshell, I decided to... Recommend this game to all my friends!✍️ I strongly advise you to read this story, but you will especially like it if a really cool plot and a very lively text are important to you; and if you're a fan of horror, philosophical themes and [i] yo mom jokes. [/i] As the developers claim, it’s a mix of various storytelling styles: drama, horror, comedy, but despite everything it still remains a very atmospheric and creepy game. Along the way, we're accompanied by very vivid characters. They all have their own unique traits and behavioral patterns, and even their speech and fonts used for their lines characterize them. The characters' interactions with the MC or with each other make the world look alive, even if some of them haven't met each other. Cool photos, personalities and crazy designs! You can find a friend for every taste! Introvert and don't like small talks or talking at all? Well, even then, you can find a buddy! The game stands out among modern hits by fully immersing you in its world, rewarding you with a [b] truly compelling plot. [/b] Getting endings is more than an adventure, it's a real philosophy that allows you to see a complete picture of this story, or look at familiar things from a new perspective, and notice details you might have previously overlooked. Of course, at first glance, the amount of text may be intimidating, especially in the era of fast content, but give it a chance and it will surprise you! I think even the protagonist is very distinctive and lively, not impersonal, despite the fact we don't see his face. It was very interesting for me to look at the world through his eyes and see how he reacts to the things happening to him. Through his notes, we can draw clear conclusions about him as a person 😏 Each sentence and individual word here has a multi-layered meaning. The text is executed at a high artistic level. Lively text even about the dead forest! You can make different choices, and this will definitely affect the mood of the text you see. Before every important decision, the game will warn you about this serious step. Great attention to detail! Out of interest, I made different choices when getting different endings, and believe me, it wasn't in vain. [b] Is this a BOOK? [/b] The text is not only easy to read and interesting, [u] but also carries a certain philosophical message. [/u] You would hardly expect this, but the game is not afraid to raise serious topics that require in-depth analysis. I think this is a highlight of the authors' vision, and in their future works we will see the same philosophical elements. About surprises. Locations can be visited repeatedly, and it is possible to interact with the environment. I should note that even in seemingly plain locations there is a surprise effect. [b] Sleep more, friends!! [/b] Despite the fact that it's a horror, one of its strengths is humor. Good jokes and comical situations perfectly fit into the overall tone of the narrative and allow you to reduce the tension that has accumulated during the playthrough. Think you’ve just found an easter egg? There is a high probability that this is actually an easter egg. At some point, I lost count and just started enjoying the competent integration of pop culture into a modern work. Don’t be afraid that the game will tire you with its intellectual pressure; references to legendary memes do a good job of reducing the tension in the game. If you didn’t grow up in a cave, then you will definitely recognize them. Were the developers on the internet since its very invention? [spoiler] (Are there actually references to real cases of missing people? A creepy reminder of what a terrible place we are unlucky to be in 💀) [/spoiler] About that... Do you think a text-based horror won’t be able to scare you? [b] Stephen King [/b] can go take a walk in the woods, because in addition to a high-quality narrative this game has things that capture your soul. The creepy, oppressive atmosphere, the feeling of being lost and hopeless, the soundtrack, and of course, the jumpscares. But the expressive text plays the main role in the horror. What a cool OST! Where can I add it to my playlist? I want to listen to it not only in the game 😭😭 The sound design as a whole is a strong point of the game. It perfectly immerses in the world of the forest, and also has well-placed accents, serves as an excellent addition to the already spectacular text. Picking mushrooms is a real thrill, guys 🤤 The atmosphere is mainly reinforced by the vivid art style. It doesn’t comfort you; instead, it scares and creates anxiety. Such cool illustrations! I like that it’s not just a straightforward realism, but the authors' unique vision. Spectacular, give me 14 of them right now! This is true horror, and the genre’s influence can be seen in literally every aspect of the game. Brrrrr!😱😱 By the way, are you still alive after communicating with the Moth? Then you have to solve a huge number of puzzles if you want to get all the endings. They can be solved if you [strike] haven't dropped out of school [/strike] show a little wit and care. Sometimes I had to brute force, which can be a little confusing, but this way I feel even more connected to the main character, who found himself in a strange and frightening place. [i] At some point in our lives, we all have to brute force..... [/i] Interface design! A great move for a text adventure to stylize it all as a diary in which the protagonist notes things so quickly. Where did he learn this?? It's cool that we can go back to past notes! While I was playing, I didn't notice any bugs! There are a lot of things in the game that depend on each other, and at the same time everything works pretty well. In my opinion, this is a very high-level work for an indie game in general and for a debut project in particular. Technically, this game is just perfect! [i] I'm not sure that a game of this level could be found even in flight... [/i] I can’t say the game has any real cons, but I do have a couple of wishes, but it's really very subjective! It was often unclear to me what exactly needed to be solved and for what purpose. If you hurry up and solve everything at once, then you will have to do it again. Don't rush to do extra work! Most of the puzzles are solved logically, but sometimes you need to brute force, it confused me a little bit. You also run the risk of doing a lot of unnecessary actions if you haven't decided on one route and are trying to get two at the same time, for example. In my opinion, it is worth making the choice of a particular route more distinct. [spoiler] Developers, please add the option to marry LD🙏🙏 [/spoiler] I'm very glad that I noticed this game! I think I can call it my favorite now! I wish there were more such thoughtful works on Steam! A very large space for theories and interpretations of the plot! I think this game has the potential to be a hit. I really hope that in the future the studio will keep its bright individual style and we will see many more exciting stories! [spoiler] I wish... I wish it had a sequel or smth like that! [/spoiler]