Descent of the Hunted

Unending grief, panic attacks, hearing voices, drowning in the trash, not having a reason to keep going, I mean... enough about myself. I like how you combined mellow moments and sudden terror, thematically pretty different from other psychological VNs that I played, the ending with Mat was super depressing, I think the game does a good job whaling on the character, and the plot feels too close to the heart. I was a bit confused on my first playthrough, but during my second run I started to pay more attention to the dialogue from "YOU" and what he actually meant for the character, I think there are some interesting details that become more apparent once you have the context from any of the endings. Even though I enjoyed pretty much all of the conclusions, I am a little disappointed that his identity was not left ambiguous, I feel like you made it very clear what it represents for the character. Essentially the whole premise of this game is that you share your head with someone, and as a player, it's up to you to figure out if it's just her thoughts or perhaps something else. There are 4 endings that can be completed in 60 to 90 minutes, so the game is only about 20 minutes without skipping. I assume the OST is not original, but I still liked the music and the sound effect choices, I thought the immersion was mostly perfect, although the song was looping a bit poorly, and I had to raise the volume from 5 to 7 because it was a bit too low by default. I like that the VN panels were presented in a unique way, even though the animation was simple, it still worked for the experience. Aside from the endings, the routes were mostly the same, but I do like the detail where the shape of the monster adapts to the path. The writing was pretty enjoyable I would say, it's not too complicated but it feels like there are many layers and small details that can be missed, I thought the interactions between the characters felt genuine, aside from a little bit of cursing which I felt didn't belong there, overall I think the story has a good weight and impact for the character. [h1] Pros: [/h1] (+) I think the game has an interesting combination of mellow tones and sudden terror, with impactful conclusions for the character. For the most part, I liked the writing and the characters, as well as the dialogue between YOU and his victim. (+) Even though the art was simple, I liked the overall presentation with how the panels would appear, the perspective changes in the images, and just the simple but effective visual storytelling. (+) I don't know if the music is made for the game (I assume not?), but I do think the choice was perfect. Very moody. [h1] Feedback: [/h1] The only nitpick I have is that, you had 4 endings, but I feel like between them you very much answered the question that I don't know that I wanted to be answered, I wish it was less apparent who YOU was, I think that should have been left to my imagination. Not a huge fan of cursing in VNs, personally it just distracts me, I think the writing in this game had good attention to detail and it would be more effective if you kept it subtle. I had a glitch where when I loaded the game the images stopped appearing, but I could not reproduce it. The song loops poorly, there is a big pause, and the volume by default was too low, had to raise it to 7. [b] Overall Thoughts: 7/10 [/b] I kinda got exactly what I wanted from it, this moody experience with different tones and a bit of mystery, certainly could have been a little more ambitious with the endings, but I still liked the simple delivery and I still felt the emotional impact, especially with the call ending, I think it has a very realistic and relatable plot. Small game with a unique vibe, not super special but I am glad I played it. [code]Niche, obscure and underrated games: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/ [/code]

A really interesting game, covering some dark topics (such as mental illness, miscarriage, and an terminally ill parent). I enjoyed playing through it, and I intend to play through other paths as well. It really makes you think about mental illness, and how the thoughts you might have during those times are not your own, but brought on by "the monster". There are people out there that care and want to help you. In this game you can see how hard it is for the person suffering to see that, again because of "the monster" inside, whispering.

This is my first review on a game so please bear with me. I really enjoyed Descent of the Hunted. I think the art style is pretty interesting and cool! It adds to the eerie theme throughout the VN. The answers you can pick from honestly felt like something I've told myself at some point, I found myself tearing up lol. :') There are dark topics covered. Many players can relate to the character being followed. Especially women. I'll be playing again for the other endings and achievements.

Megan is deeply depressed. Her life has been going in a downward spiral. There are people that care and try to help her but it can be so hard to see and accept it. Because of the monster in her head. Whispering. Clouding her mind. Trying to weaken and feed on her. As the monster, make choices on how will you accomplish your task. 3 endings. 15-20 minutes long visual novel. Touches on pretty dark themes, such as miscarriage, grief, abandonment, depression. Tense, dull, crushing.

A nice contrast of thoughtful, slow moments, with moments of creeping terror. Loved the writing and the dialogue. Personally liked the short duration because I could get through the game with limited free time, but multiple endings also means replayability

Man, this game caught my eye browsing a strangers steam reviews and I feel so lucky that I found this gem. One of the best horror experiences I have played this year. You play as the voice in the head of a woman whose life has gone on a downward spiral and you get to choose how you will influence her fear and depression. It’s eight dollars in steam and I finished it in an hour. It really reminded me of my favourite horror where the protagonist slowly loses their grasp on their sanity. If you like psychological horror then you really should give this game a try.

Discover how to isolate and wound your prey in this quietly beautiful & deeply melancholic visual novel. Poor Megan just can't catch a break. I liked this visual novel for some of the same reasons I liked A Little Life or Birdman: all are descents into madness and pain executed with technical mastery. The illustrations are simple and evocative, with clean character designs jumping out from the sinister, scratchy background. The dialogue flows naturally and feels familiar. Sparse audio is used to great effect. Information about the protagonist's life emerge naturally, and I feel like I know her despite really knowing only a few key details. This is a satisfying story and a nuanced character study.

I liked this visual novel a lot! Of course, I like being creeped out by the inner workings of human psychology. The art is really sparse and beautiful and lends to this over arching eerie feeling. The writing captures the way depression and grief blanket an individual and how one is acted upon. I would recommend this to anyone whose been through some ♥♥♥♥, which is all of us I'm guessing.

Haunting. Well-illustrated. Multiple outcomes. You can tell a lot of hard work and love went into this game. Recommend.

Para los indies que navegan en las oscuras aguas a las cuales sólo unos pocos aventurados pueden llegar, sumar una reseña puede hacer una enorme diferencia, así que me sumo añadiendo un granito de arena -y el primero en español parece- a una obra que, para mí, realmente se merece mucho más alcance que el que tiene. Descent of the Hunted es una novela visual psicológica hecha con mucho cariño que realmente sabe dónde se está metiendo. Tomamos el rol de un monstruo -que equivaldría a las famosas "voces" mentales- que se va formando según las opciones que vayamos eligiendo en el transcurso de la partida... un monstruo que vive en el interior de la protagonista, Megan -o el nombre que elijas-, a quien, básicamente, se le vino el mundo abajo por varias cosas que le pasaron casi en simultáneo, dando como resultado profundas heridas emocionales. Como es de esperarse, de nosotros dependerá que pueda salvarse o que termine de la peor manera. Los diálogos son increíblemente sensibles, realistas e inmersivos, al punto de que no pude evitar lagrimear varias veces, cosa que no me pasaba hacía rato. Los personajes, a pesar del desarrollo limitado por la corta extensión del juego, son fantásticos, todos tienen un "sentido", una razón de ser. Lamentablemente, una partida no durará más que hora y media -aunque extrañamente su extensión se siente relativamente satisfactoria a pesar de querer más-, pero tiene cuatro finales y varios logros que obligarán múltiples partidas. Me gustó mucho que, aunque haya tres tipos de monstruos, se pueden entremezclar y las opciones no son necesariamente claras sobre los efectos de cada una, en particular en la primera partida. Es más, la primera partida diría que es la mejor porque ofrece cierta desorientación que lo hace aún más inmersivo, además de que las elecciones en el diálogo se sientan más "genuinas" por parte del jugador. Por su parte, el artwork artesanal es excelente: es super funcional a trama y, al mismo tiempo, es sorprendentemente expresivo y evocador. La música es más que nada un loop de un tema de ambiente. Es un poco bajo el volumen, pero creo que cumple con creces a la ambientación del juego. Por otro lado, tuve un crasheo pero no lo pude replicar, así que no debería haber mayor drama. El juego está sólo en inglés, pero recomendaría un buen manejo de él porque, como los diálogos tienen varias capas de significado y las opciones no son necesariamente explícitas en sus efectos, requieren de especial atención. En definitiva, Descent of the Hunted me parece un juego fantástico que, lamentablemente, está escondido entre los miles de títulos que andan dando vuelta. Obviamente hay un alto componente de subjetividad en torno a mi experiencia con este juego por su fuerte óptica introspectiva, así que puede que a otros no les impacte o les llegue tanto como a mí. Sin embargo, creo que merece muchísimo darle una oportunidad, así que espero a que esta reseña contribuya un poco a exponerlo.