Mirror Forge

[i][b]Скучно не страшно и не особо интересно, кривые монстры которые тут не к месту, местами бывают баги застревания в текстурах... По ощущениям будто был хоррор на час, а в итоге растянули на 4 часа...[/b][/i]

Mirror Forge — это хоррор-игра, которая черпает вдохновение из почтенной серии Silent Hill в плане графики, атмосферы и дизайна головоломок. Центральный сюжет имеет много общего с «Очень странными делами» и параллельной вселенной. Хотя игре и не хватает технической отточенности, её основная суть ощущается не просто как пустые отсылки и подражание. Главный сюжет Mirror Forge вращается вокруг Томаса Джексона, опального врача, находящегося в глубокой депрессии. Получив известие о пропаже своей бывшей девушки Джилл после расследования таинственного явления в районе, называемом «Дьявольское лоно», он садится в машину, чтобы найти её. Но события принимают мрачный оборот, когда способность Томаса воспринимать реальность оказывается под вопросом. Он постоянно перемещается между тревожными промышленными помещениями, сделанными из ржавого железа и искалеченной плоти, и слышит шепот темного бога. Прошлое и настоящее начинают смешиваться и переплетаться, рассказывая фрагментарную историю трагедии Томаса и последствий некоего обреченного научного эксперимента, связанного с параллельными вселенными. Мои первые впечатления от Mirror Forge были довольно прохладными. Игра начинается с того, что Томаса бросают в адское измерение кошмаров из ржавого железа и искалеченной плоти… пока он осматривает свою квартиру. Я опасался, что это задаст тон всей игре: набор знакомых хоррор-штампов и клише с очень небольшим объяснением. Но как только этот небольшой эпизод закончился, начала проявляться большая часть индивидуальности игры, рассказывающей мрачную историю о древних богах и человеческих амбициях. Однако вступление дает понять, что Mirror Forge относится к старой школе survival horror. Большую часть времени вы будете перемещаться с места на место, собирать ключи, разгадывать числовые коды и продвигаться к следующей области, избегая монстров. В игре есть нечто, что больше напоминает боевую систему: особый артефакт, позволяющий временно оглушать монстров. Кроме того, карты небольшие, но легко проходимые, что исключает необходимость возвращаться назад или терять темп. Каждая из этих локаций наполнена достаточной зловещей атмосферой благодаря нескольким различным сценарным пугающим моментам: как тонким, так и явным. Mirror Forge умеет удерживать внимание игрока, когда нужно вести его за руку, а когда позволить ему заблудиться. Если и есть в чем-то слабый геймплей Mirror Forge, так это в попытках сделать что-то, кроме медленно развивающихся головоломок и нарастающих хоррор-сцен. Есть несколько погонь, которые скорее раздражают, чем пугают, потому что у вас есть всего полсекунды на реакцию. В этих эпизодах вы будете часто умирать, и если вам удастся добиться успеха, это произойдёт только методом проб и ошибок. Вторая половина игры также изобилует стелс-эпизодами, которые довольно рискованны из-за непоследовательных маршрутов патрулирования и сомнительных линий обзора. К счастью, эти эпизоды короткие и используются экономно. Хороший игровой дизайн не может скрыть множество скрытых недостатков. Хотя мрачное путешествие Томаса по «Чреву Дьявола» избегает банальных клише, связанных с психическими заболеваниями, немногочисленные второстепенные персонажи совершенно незапоминающиеся. Несмотря на мастерство в создании головоломок и пугающих моментов, это не скрывает того факта, что враги, с которыми вы имеете дело, — это крайне типичные вытянутые гуманоиды. Есть несколько более креативных существ, связанных со стелс-эпизодами и погонями, но даже они едва ли запоминаются мне с точки зрения визуального дизайна. Кроме того, Mirror Forge изобилует техническими проблемами. Они варьируются от незначительных и раздражающих, таких как неуклюжая физика предметов, застревание игрока или врагов в текстурах, до нескольких серьезных сбоев и вылета на рабочий стол. Представленная история — это мрачная повесть о сожалении, саморазрушении и преодолении трудностей. Даже несмотря на невыразительные, упрощенные дизайны криптидов, я все равно подпрыгивал, убегая от них, благодаря отличному темпу, кадрированию и звуковому оформлению. Другими словами, этот опыт можно считать определением небрежного инди-хоррора. Он создан с небольшим бюджетом, использует легкодоступные материалы и ресурсы, но фокусируется на главном. Вывод: несмотря на технические проблемы, шаблонный дизайн врагов и знакомую завязку, Mirror Forge обладает некоторыми достоинствами жанра survival horror. Если вы жаждете игр в стиле классического Silent Hill или с нетерпением ждали следующего сезона «Очень странных дел», обязательно попробуйте эту игру. Просто будьте готовы к некоторым шероховатостям на протяжении вашего путешествия по аду.

I will always have a lot of time and respect for games that are the product of a single developer, but while Mirror Forge is an impressive feat of effort, with varied environments (regardless of whether they used store-bought assets or not), and a decent run-time of just under 7 hours, it unfortunately makes so many gameplay blunders that its difficult to recommend to anyone unless they are really into indie curios and willing to forgive/put up with a whole lot. Potential Spoilers ahead: Firstly the story is.... well it's not incomprehensible, but it mashes so many things together (trauma, multiple dimensions, secret research facilities, Aztec gods) that it just comes across as a bit stupid, and the more the plot reveals itself, the stupider it gets. By the time things are getting towards their conclusion, you arent gasping at the next big reveal, but rolling your eyes at the next dopey trope the game is going to throw at you. Secondly the gameplay. When the game leaves you alone to figure out its puzzles its fine. Nothing outstanding, but fine. Things fall apart when it chucks monsters at you. Some come in groups that move far too quickly meaning you have to constantly run while using a device that temporarily pins them in place, which just isnt scary. Some are the 'searchlight puzzle' type, which are fine I suppose, there is an invisible monster that probably works the best, but isnt well introduced, which was frustrating for the first couple times I died to it. Worst of all though are the chase sequences. Several simply activate while you are walking down a corridor: The music changes, and if you do anything other than run forward (there is nothing to dodge BTW), you get caught and die...... by a monster that was never hinted at or shown to you - Great huh. Oh and there is one major chase sequence that -does- introduce the monster, but did so in such a way as to make me think the game had just trolled me with an unavoidable death - because while it forced the camera view to show me the monster, it didnt then show me an exit route had opened up behind me. For a while I thought I was just being locked in a room to get stomped! So yea. Admirable solo effort, but the game was just aggravating to play towards the end. Even at a sub-7 hour run-time, It felt like it was dragging, and I was desperate for it to be over and done with.

Why is this rated mostly positive? Assets look fine. Mechanics are...fine, if basic. But what is this story? What is this writing?

最重要的写在前面：暂停键是p。 本作在制作上的粗糙程度和港诡实录不相上下，建模和材质都惨不忍睹，在独立恐游也要疯狂卷画质的今天已经不够看了。由制作上的低劣造成诸多尴尬。举例，最终BOSS战就是将同一段无趣的机制重复三遍。再比如，开阔空间经常塞一堆怪物拦路，零设计感地堆数量，除了恶心玩家毫无意义。 本作的优势在于，较为扎实的关卡设计能力。与起联通作用的开阔空间不同，凡是在室内部分，解谜、寻物、地图和路线规划是非常优秀的——玩家靠手持物品能很容易推算出下步行动路线。其展现出的此种媲美“清晰指引”的设计感，是很难出自新人之手的。玩法除了轻度解谜，还穿插有不错惊吓效果的JS、追逐战和潜行等。而且场景丰富多样，从最开始的主角家、到抵达小镇、工业区、医院、记忆转场、墓地、研究设施和异世界等，基本都在走一次性过场，作为流程长达6h+的线性游戏玩得“很值”。 不是那么好的好评，除了要包容低制作力，还得明确预期。带着对恐游的期待而来，前期深入未知恐惧的氛围和精巧规整的地图设计能提供不少好感。但越往后走，越像Conarium/Moons of Madness那些纯粹的克系步模，而这个剧情放在克系里又是很常规的。熟悉套路后恐怖感已荡然无存，重复度也将前期好感消磨掉了，有那么点不合预期。

Um dos jogos mais caros que peguei na sale de natal. Com dor no coração apostei errado, jogo bugado pra cacete e confuso. Ele tenta mesclar: Sillents hill ( colocando colecionáveis do game) Quantum breack e Stranger things. Ai temos um jogo sem alma, pois ela não sabe que lado seguir. Umas perseguições do nada em corredores de laboratórios, ai entra num espelho e esta numa cidade devastada e depois um cientista explicando sobre buraco de minhocas. Começa o jogo estamos acordando em nossa casa. Sem saber nada, jogados as traças o "Foda-se". Ai descobrimos que estamos lidando cim um trauma, investigação da morte da Jill. E ai vem entrar no espelho e o jogo desanda nos primeiros 10 minutos .-. Ai tem umas runas de deuses e pegamos um lampiao, ele cria uma bola no chão e prende os inimigos, somos zero no combate, Apanhamos mais que mendigo na cracolandia. Super brochante o final e a forma que somos conduzidos até lá. De boa o terror é tenta pular nas coisas e acionar botões. Pegar objetos é terrível, colocar no lugar pior ainda. Acho que se quer experimentar, espera ficar uns 10 conto. Deizão é razoável. da menos de 3 horas a campanha. Misturar 3 coisas não colo, jogo muito terror. Sei que esse passou longe de ser bom ou funcionável.

I think I would recommend this game to people who are interested in horror games, but haven't yet played very many. I would also recommend this game to people who really want to like Silent Hill, but thought the games were either too hard or too scary. There is a lot of good ideas in this game. There is real talent you can see and feel. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of jank, the story is very thin, and for experienced horror gamers, you won't find this to be a very scary game. Much of the horror relies on jump scares, which aren't bad in and of themselves, and in fact many of the jump scares are done very well! ...However, I couldn't find myself immersed enough in the game to *feel* the jump scare, even when I could recognize that it should have worked. I think a lot of that is because the game guides the player almost exactly where they need to be at all times. It will be very hard to get stuck in this game because you won't hardly be allowed to explore or interact with objects until you're supposed to. It often feels like following a guided tour. The best thing I can say about Mirror Forge is that the audio is exceptionally good. The atmospheric sounds, the ambient noises and certain triggers are excellent. The most important thing I think I can say about the worst of Mirror Forge is the jank. There is a lot of it. Things such as: text being hard to read because white text is over white background, keypads that are at just the right distance to be hard to use by either standing or crouching, picking up objects that appear upside down or in the wrong direction, the menu button being opened with 'P' instead of 'Esc', the awkward item select screen that uses the scroll wheel instead of buttons or the mouse cursor, repeated object assets that get recycled as both interactive and non-interactive objects, objects being slightly mislabeled in the item screen, the journal not always tracking what the next proper objective is... On their own, these are forgivable, but there are a lot. It becomes impossible to ignore, to the point where you'll start to wonder if certain events were scripted or bugged. I was frustrated because there is still clear evidence of true talent within the game! Mirror Forge feels somewhere between a college level "proof of concept" project and a full release game. I do hope MystiveDev keeps making games, because I can imagine with more experience and polish, they'll come out with something truly outstanding one day. This isn't there yet.

An enjoyable horror game, with nods to Silent Hill and some good scares. I was very surprised and impressed to hear that the game was created by just one dev. There controls do tend to be a little janky, but otherwise I have no real complaints.

This game is so underrated. It has everything what Silent Hill fan want it. World switching into different dimension, which is one of the best interpretation of other world from Silent Hill. Puzzle are pretty cool. The fight is difficult. Monsters are weird and creepy. Story is really good. Only one thing I don't like. Is ending of the game. In my opinion it was made in rush by game developer. Still I recommended it, because it's Dread XP underrated game.

Mirror Forge, developed by MystiveDev and published by DreadXP, is a first-person psychological horror game that leans into surrealism and emotional storytelling while drawing clear inspiration from genre classics. It follows Thomas Jackson, a man searching for his missing ex-wife, but what begins as a grounded investigation quickly spirals into a fragmented journey through distorted realities. The game positions itself firmly within the tradition of introspective horror, where the external world reflects the inner turmoil of its protagonist, and much of the experience is built around unraveling that connection. Gameplay centers on exploration and puzzle-solving, with a structure that moves players through a series of interconnected locations that gradually become more abstract and unsettling. Early environments feel relatively grounded—apartments, streets, and industrial spaces—but these areas shift over time, becoming warped versions of themselves filled with strange imagery and disorienting layouts. Progression is tied to interacting with objects, uncovering clues, and solving environmental puzzles that are generally straightforward but serve to maintain momentum. There is no direct combat, and encounters with hostile entities are handled through avoidance or limited defensive mechanics, reinforcing a sense of vulnerability. One of the more notable aspects of the gameplay is a device that allows players to manipulate their surroundings or briefly repel threats. While this adds a layer of interaction beyond simple exploration, it is used sparingly and does not significantly expand the core mechanics. As a result, the overall loop remains fairly consistent throughout the game, which can lead to repetition over longer sessions. The lack of mechanical variety is noticeable, especially when compared to the ambition of the game’s narrative and visual design. Atmosphere is where Mirror Forge stands out most. The game excels at creating environments that feel both familiar and deeply unsettling, using subtle distortions and shifting perspectives to keep players off balance. Lighting and sound design play a crucial role in this, with dimly lit spaces and ambient audio cues building tension even when nothing immediate is happening. The world feels unstable, as if it could change at any moment, and this unpredictability becomes a key part of the experience. Rather than relying heavily on jump scares, the game often builds unease through anticipation and environmental storytelling. The narrative is presented in a fragmented manner, requiring players to piece together events through scattered clues and observations. Themes of personal trauma, addiction, and mental instability are woven into the story, giving it an emotional weight that goes beyond surface-level horror. While the premise is compelling, the execution is somewhat uneven. The story occasionally leans on familiar tropes, and its abstract delivery can make it difficult to fully grasp without careful attention. For some players, this ambiguity adds depth; for others, it may feel underdeveloped or lacking in clarity. Pacing varies throughout the experience. Certain sections are effective at building slow, creeping tension, while others shift more abruptly into direct encounters or chase sequences. These moments can provide contrast, but they do not always integrate smoothly with the rest of the game. Enemy interactions, while functional, often feel secondary to the overall atmosphere and do not add significant depth to the gameplay. From a technical standpoint, the game shows the limitations of its scope. Occasional performance issues, minor bugs, and inconsistencies in mechanics can interrupt immersion. These problems are not constant, but they are noticeable enough to affect the overall polish. Combined with some uneven level design, they contribute to a sense that the game is reaching for something more ambitious than it fully achieves. Despite these shortcomings, Mirror Forge remains an engaging experience for fans of psychological horror. Its strength lies in its atmosphere and its commitment to creating a world that feels like an extension of the protagonist’s psyche. The environments are memorable, and the tone is consistently unsettling, even when the gameplay itself becomes repetitive. Ultimately, Mirror Forge is a game driven more by mood and concept than by innovation in mechanics. It delivers a solid, atmospheric journey through a distorted reality, supported by strong visual and audio design. While it does not fully realize all of its ideas, it offers enough depth and intrigue to leave a lasting impression, particularly for players who appreciate narrative-focused horror. Rating: 7/10