I NEED A NAME

[i]I Need A Name[/i] is a short but sweet abstract horror game inspired by classic RPG Maker horror games such as Ao Oni, Witch's House, Misou, Mad Father and the like and the Analog Horror genre. It uses a combination of surreal yet still faintly recognisable imagery, distorted ambience and recurring strange enemies to create a continual feeling of unease. Coupled with the need to keep track of things to solve various puzzles, this leaves the player prey to being startled by the random events that can occur over the course of the game. This happened to me. Twice. By the same event. It can be easy to forget about events when you're being chased by enemies and it actually made me jump as a result. Speaking of the puzzles, they're generally pretty simplistic but still contain enough variance to keep things from getting stale: from mazes, to memory puzzles, to even a spot the difference and math puzzle. A couple of them might seem tricky at first but there's enough clues and hints to figure out both how to solve the puzzles and what to do next. An extra layer of challenge comes in by the fact that enemies can spawn while you're doing the puzzles, which helps add some extra tension to the whole thing and keeps you on your toes to prevent things from getting dull. As for the enemies, there's three different kinds. Each one is visually and mechanically different: you have the alien-looking one that slowly hovers towards you, the demonic rabbit thing that hops quickly towards you and the one that looks a bit like a chess piece that not only speeds towards you but also blinks in and out of existence, making it hard to keep track of. Each type is gradually introduced over the course of the game, increasing the difficulty in avoiding them as a result. Another thing to note is that they are not stopped by solid objects, they just phase right through them; so avoiding them can be tricky. Only one of a certain type will spawn at a time, but multiple types can spawn at once. If you're unlucky enough to have all three spawn at once, it'll get hectic. Fortunately, due to the timings of the enemy spawns that I've observed, the chances of that happening seem to be incredibly slim. The events are one of the neater parts of the game. Not only are they random in nature, but what particular events occur on any given playthrough is dependant on the name entered at the start of the game. This means that every person's playthrough is different from each other; whether subtly or overtly depends on which events become activated. They can range from messages and creepy faces to all-out jumpscares. Which ones you'll get depends on the name that you give. Finally, there is the story. True to the nature of such an abstract game, the bits of story that there are must be pieced together by note fragments scattered throughout the game (and which fragments are available apparently [i]also[/i] depend on which name you've entered), pieces of dialogue and other text, plus the secret rooms that are hidden in out of the way places. I won't spoil what the story pieces are, since part of the fun of this kind of game is trying to piece the story together and I also want to avoid biasing other people's interpretations; plus I'm curious to see what others come up with. Now, the game isn't perfect. I did encounter a few bugs and a few times the visuals and sounds that occur when I got caught by the enemies were a little out of sync; but for only £2.89, it's a fun little experience nonetheless.

Leider überraschend wenig Horror, Surrealismus, oder interessante Story-segmente um dir eine gute Geschichte zusammenzureimen - Es gibt definitiv einige Tipps in welche Richtung die Metaphern gedeutet werden sollen, aber lässt dich sehr unbefriedigt mit vielen nervigen Puzzlesegmenten zurück, die eher ein "was zum fick willst du denn von mir?" erwecken, auch wenn einige Ideen nett sind. Ist im Endeffekt sehr viel hin und hergerenne um irgendwo ein Passwort/Key-item zu finden und damit wieder über die gesamte Map zu rennen. Sehr schade, der Trailer ist ENORM atmosphärisch und wirkt eher das Feeling hier starken surrealen ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Horror zu finden, während das wirkliche Game leider ziemlich weit davon entfernt ist Nicht trash, aber einfach etwas öde und besonders für RPG-maker standards ziemlich zurückhaltend Full Game + Analyse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr2Z84GqPlA&t=242s

It's a good game, the puzzles are a tad complex at times and your gonna ask yourself "what the **** am i supposed to do now?" But fear not, this game revolves around you literally having to Look at your surroundings. I know you're gonna get confused, But trust me not everything is gonna be solved in the same room it starts in. If you rely on that the entire game you will get lost. So what i suggest is checking every explorable area.

This game gets what makes analog horror scary and turns it up to 11. No cheesy faces or retro cliches, just hell in a broken crt tv, the combination of unrecognizable shapes, distorted broken noises, and weird secrets i cant wait to unravel, as well as the hints of a disturbing story underneath the surface all make this an excellent experience.

~ DIFFICULTY ~ ▢ No Difficulty ▢ Easy ▢Normal 🟩Hard ▢ Impossible ~ PLAYER BASE ~ ▢ Everyone ▢ Kids ▢Mature 🟩 Casual Players ▢ Tryhards ▢ Pro Players ~ GRAPHICS ~ ▢ What Is This? 🟩 Acceptable ▢Good ▢Great ▢Beautiful ▢ Masterpiece ~ SOUND/MUSIC ~ (Using Headphones) ▢ Bad 🟩 Nothing Special ▢ Good ▢ Great ▢ Beautiful ▢ I´m Gonna Cry ~ STORY ~ 🟩I dont get it ▢ This Game Has No Story ▢ Like Playing "Candy Crush" For The Story ▢It´s Alright ▢ Well Written ▢Epic Story ▢Thinking About It, When I Sleep ~ PRICE ~ ▢ Free ▢ Underpriced 🟩 Perfect Price ▢ Could Be Cheaper ▢ Overpriced ~ LENGTH ~ 🟩Very Short (0-2 Hours) ▢ Short (2-20 Hours) ▢ Average (20-50 Hours) ▢ Long (50-200 Hours) ▢ VERY Long (200-... Hours) ▢ Multiplayer/Neverending ~ FUN ~ ▢ I´d Rather Watch Grass Grow ▢ Hard To Enjoy ▢ Repetitive ▢ It´s Okay 🟩 Fun To Be Had For Sure ▢ The Kind Of Fun You Will Remember ▢ Life Changing ~ WORTH BUYING ~ ▢ No ▢ Wait For A Sale 🟩 Yes ▢ I Can´t Recommend It Enough ~ FINAL SCORE ~ 6.7/10

This games visuals are quite unique. I did get a little stuck on where I was supposed to go (after brute forcing my through one of the puzzles), but after getting a little point in the right direction I was able to complete the game. I don't want to spoil too much but I would recommended this game as it was fun to play through as it was interesting.

RPG Maker strikes again! I NEED A NAME is one of hundreds of low effort retro-pixel RPG Maker asset/construction kit flips spamming the Steam catalog, made with the RPG Maker video game construction kit... in their own words, "Our easy to use tools are simple enough for a child." Unlike all RPG Maker "games", instead of being essentially a bunch of low quality/canned assets from RPG Maker coupled with a cringeworthy high school anime club fan fiction, it's a massively pretentious "art-not-game" installation with godawfully hand-made art and completely nonsensical, terrible writing. Notably the developer here couldn't work out how to use RPG Maker to make an RPG... and that's the only thing RPG Maker can do properly... except it's not even very good for making RPGs. Instead, we have an art exhibition that's been dumped on Steam, presumably because the local art galleries took out a restraining order on the "artists" who had no other choice but to pay Valve $100 to dump this on Steam, abusing Steam Direct and polluting the place. For those unfamiliar with what actually makes something a game, a "game loop" describes the interaction and feedback a gamer has when playing a game. Tetris, for example, has a game loop where a random block appears, the gamer interacts with the block to position it, and then the game decides if that finishes a row or not, increases the players score if any rows were completed, then gives the gamer another block to position. Counter-Strike has a game loop where a player seeks another player, tests their skill against that player by shooting them or being shot, the computer rewards the player if they win, and then if the player survives, they repeat that loop. There's no loop here, no true interactive feedback. As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer. The point can be made that the intention of RPG Maker is to make demos and small games to pass around friends, and shouldn't be used for "professional" game development. While it might be better if this had never been released on Steam under the guise of a professionally developed game, the developer is instead trying to get people to actually pay money for this tripe. If you really want a fun and interesting art experience, go visit a local art gallery. They'll be pleased to get some attendance and you'll see some art by artists talented enough they don't need to abuse Steam Direct to try get people to pay them for trash.

我玩了一会我觉得很有趣但是我还是被困了，因为没有中文我很难看懂剧情希望能出个中文补丁

After my first run through the game, I must say it was an enjoyable puzzle game. Rather short compared to other puzzle games I've played before, but the right length for the price it charges you. Most of the puzzles that appear are of median complexity, meaning they should be easy if you're already used to puzzle games (in my case, no puzzles got me stuck for more than 20 minutes), but harder if this game is your first puzzle. Now, some aspects of the game that I'd change are related to the non-puzzle elements of the game. Navigation is limited, considering it's an RPG Maker game, so the characters move rather slowly. This wouldn't be an issue per se, but combined with the enemy patterns, it makes navigating between puzzles a challenge on itself (but a more tedious challenge, since it requires time to actually dribble the enemies rather than just dodge them). Another limitation to navigation is how you can easily get lost on the map layout, forgetting which places you've been and how to reach certain places of the map. Maybe a simple color-coded minimap would help. Finally, each section of the map could have better indications of where the sections connect (arrows or doors, perhaps?). That would make navigation rely less on trial and error (that being a bit punitive considering how enemies follow you in game). A minor suggestion I'd do too is regarding the labyrinth sections. They aren't hard on their own, but something that would greatly improve them is adding some sort of audio cue, maybe using the background noise, coupled with volume and stereo balance manipulation, to make the solution less trial and error and use a bit more of the artistic resources this game has. Talking about artistic, this game definitely has that going for it. The distorted backgrounds being household elements, like a light switch, really add to the lore of the game [spoiler](yes, this game has lore and secrets scattered around the map, adding replay value to the game)[/spoiler]. Overall, a very interesting project that I do plan on revisiting on the near future. Score: 7.465/10

I NEED A NAME is a peculiar indie title from Gestmorph Games, who served as both developer and publisher, and it embraces the spirit of classic RPG Maker adventures with an unusual level of confidence. At first glance, the game appears to be another retro-inspired horror experience built around pixel art and cryptic storytelling, but it quickly reveals itself as something more playful and experimental. Its central idea is remarkably simple: the name you provide at the beginning of the game directly affects the events you encounter. It is an unconventional mechanic that turns a routine setup screen into one of the most important decisions players will make, adding an extra layer of curiosity before the journey even begins. The game presents players with an abstract narrative centered on escape and discovery. Rather than delivering a straightforward plot, it drops players into a strange world filled with surreal locations, mysterious figures, and fragmented storytelling. There is a deliberate sense of disorientation throughout the experience, reminiscent of the freeware RPG Maker titles that inspired it. Gestmorph Games clearly understands the appeal of those older projects, capturing their unsettling charm while adding enough originality to keep the adventure from feeling like a simple imitation. The result is a game that often feels like uncovering a forgotten relic from the internet's early indie scene. Exploration forms the core of the gameplay. There are no complex combat mechanics or sprawling progression systems competing for the player's attention. Instead, the focus remains on traversing unusual environments and seeing how the game reacts to your choices. The randomized encounters connected to the naming system encourage multiple playthroughs, as players may discover entirely different sequences of events simply by entering a different identity at the start. This feature gives the title a surprising amount of replay value despite its relatively short runtime. It also reinforces one of the game's strongest themes—that names, identities, and perception can shape an individual's experience in unexpected ways. Visually, I NEED A NAME succeeds through atmosphere rather than technical prowess. Its pixel-art presentation is intentionally modest, but that simplicity works in its favor. The environments are filled with odd details that linger in the mind long after they have been left behind, and the game's use of color and composition often creates a dreamlike quality. Accompanying the visuals is an understated soundtrack that knows when to remain quiet and when to heighten the tension. Together, these elements create an experience that is equal parts nostalgic and unsettling, drawing players deeper into its strange universe. Of course, the game's commitment to ambiguity will not appeal to everyone. Those looking for a clear narrative structure or traditional gameplay systems may find themselves frustrated by its abstract approach. Some of the randomized content can also make certain playthroughs feel stronger than others, and the overall scope remains fairly limited. Nevertheless, these shortcomings are balanced by the game's personality and willingness to experiment. It understands exactly what kind of experience it wants to provide and never strays from that vision. Ultimately, I NEED A NAME stands as an affectionate tribute to a niche era of indie gaming while carving out an identity of its own. It is a compact but memorable adventure that rewards curiosity and invites players to revisit its world more than once. Its clever naming mechanic, eerie atmosphere, and appreciation for RPG Maker history make it an easy recommendation for fans of experimental indie titles. While it may not have the depth or polish of larger productions, it succeeds where it matters most: leaving players with a lingering sense of mystery and a desire to see what other secrets a different name might uncover. Rating: 6/10