Hope Deferred

This game although limited for the style and age of the engine does have a somewhat compelling story. Things dont mesh together how you think they do but have deeper meaning thats fun to figure out.

its really spooky and man those jump scare signs got me freaked me out its really hard to focus i keep thinking something is gonna jump scare me from the darkness that surrounds me

Hope Deferred is a psychological horror game that keeps you on edge. The eerie, retro-style dungeons create a strange but intriguing world to explore. Puzzles are challenging, and the slow combat makes sneaking past enemies feel tense. While the gameplay can get repetitive, the creepy atmosphere and unique nightmare setting make it an exciting experience for horror RPG fans.

This game is such an "Excruciatingly long-winded text that overshares personal information which fully elucidates the narrative motif without subtlety, paradoxically displayed on a small wooden sign" - and thats amazing.

Absolutely psychotic.

Fells like something that J. King-Spooner would cook if he was into esoteric 20-year-old Japanese game engines.

Good

Edit: For the love of beauty and kindness, don't play the pacifist route. Just pretend it doesn't exist. Seriously, you'll regret it. I've half a mind to remove the positive rating, but I'm doing the kind thing and giving the game way more leeway than it deserves by ignoring the pacifist route. This is certainly an interesting game. The store page does not really do it justice, in my opinion, because it does not establish that this is pretty much a King's Field game. It has secrets, the Sword of Moonlight (which is super OP), levels with lots of locked doors and shortcuts, boss fights, and NPCs with lots of depressing things to say. I like King's Field, so I readily found this game engaging. Those who do not enjoy the gameplay of King's Field would probably be turned away by the gameplay on offer. I am ambivalent on the story. On one hand, it is presented in a compelling way. On the other hand, the more I played, the more it felt like most of the text in the game was just the creator talking to me about their real life through the characters. I do not know anything about them, but the game seems pretty trans and very depressing. To be honest, having a random person oversharing to me about the awfulness of their upbringing is not really what I enjoy in horror game narratives, and the constant references and fourth-wall breaks lessened my immersion and investment in the story; the prevalence of post-modernism has done irreparable damage to authenticity and my ability to get invested in most narratives utilising its tropes. Overall, this game is a fun KF-style romp through some well-designed and imaginative environments, but I was a bit disappointed regarding its horror components and narrative. I honestly think Shadow Tower is a more effective, and probably more compelling, horror game.