Scary Shadow Spot - All In

Scary Shadow Spot – All In is a psychological horror game built around a looping “spot the anomaly” setup. You move through the same space repeatedly, watching for changes and interacting with systems meant to push the story forward. It mixes narrative elements and a lot of mechanics layered on top of each other in an attempt to build tension and meaning. Pros ✔️ It has voice - There is voiced content throughout, which at least shows an attempt to present something more than just text and jump scares. ✔️ The premise itself is okay - On paper, the idea works. A looping horror setup where you’re meant to notice changes and piece things together could be effective. ✔️ There’s a lot going on - Whether it’s systems, mechanics, or ideas, the game definitely doesn’t suffer from a lack of content. Cons ❌ Too much going on with no clear direction - Instead of feeling well thought out, it feels messy. Nothing really comes together in a way that feels intentional. ❌ Some parts feel like you’re training AI - There were moments where interactions felt repetitive and mechanical in a way that completely pulled me out of the experience to the point I was tell it which AI image I liked more. ❌ It lacks heart - Large parts of the game feel like assets or generated content stitched together without much care. Even the script feels unfocused, like it doesn’t quite know what it wants to say or deliver in the end. Conclusion This game could be so much better with more care and a clearer sense of direction. While I was playing, I kept feeling like the based idea was there, but the execution just wasn’t. The heavy reliance on mid-tier AI and the lack of a strong creative voice made it hard for me to stay engaged, and eventually it became unplayable for me. I wanted to see what it could be — but what’s here right now just isn’t it. Score 2/10 Scattered Shadows — A lot of pieces, but no real heart holding them together.

Thank you to Daniele Doesn't Matter for a copy of this game. I absolutely love and enjoy your games. I also love being a guinea pig for testing out your games with the brain-power of a garden worm. Thanks for hanging out in stream while I played! You play as Lisa, a woman who has a gambling addiction that caused a LOT of problems for her and the people around her. This game has multiple endings based on how you play and is a "spot the anomaly" game with the goal of reaching the 10th floor. There's a few game mechanics that are still in the works (as of December 19, 2025 when I played), specifically the device in the basement that measures 3 different reactions to how you are playing the game. I also think I found a few bugs while playing that I sent over to the Dev to review. Note that this was a fully playable game as of the date listed, but the Dev plans to make gameplay/mechanic updates in the future. Please read the mature content warning below from the developer. I'm going to expand a bit on the trigger warnings that I saw while playing. [b]Trigger Warnings:[/b] [spoiler] There is imagery and mentioning of suicide in the form of hangings and (one) slit wrists. [/spoiler] It is listed in the mature content warning below, but I thought I'd reiterate it. One of the devices used in the game that affects your ending asks moral choice questions in a YES/NO response style. [spoiler] Some of the questions can be triggering as they discuss topics such as murder/homicide, child abuse, spousal/relationship abuse, sexual assault, animal abuse, and other uncomfortable topics. [/spoiler] This device is fully skippable during the playthrough if the player finds it too discomforting. [b] Hiring Device Guidance with potential spoilers:[/b] I was happy that Daniele was hanging out while I was playing live as I had to ask questions about this mechanic, as I did not fully understand it, and I didn't see a place that it was explained in game. There is a device that asks you choose among three potential hiring candidates. [spoiler] Two of the candidates have anomalies (not affecting which elevator you choose) and one is "normal" and should be the one that is hired. These anomalies could be in the form of: (1)Special characters in their name that are not valid (though some actually are!). We figured out that Æ, Ø, umlauts not on (ä, ö, ü), some accents on letters/characters were all considered "anomalies". (2)Their previous job description made no sense (if it sounds funny, it's an anomaly). (3)Their description of their work ethic mentions something paranormal. (4)Their facial feature/picture looks distorted in some way.[/spoiler] [b]Trigger Warning:[/b] There was one hiring candidate that [spoiler]had a facial feature distortion where the lips were severely enlarged. Unfortunately, it was a black woman. I am not sure if it's randomly AI generated, but I expressed my EXTREME discomfort to the Dev that this was racist and wouldn't be seen as an anomaly initially and more as racial profiling.[/spoiler] I asked for this particular anomaly to be removed. There was another candidate that [spoiler] had cross eyes/eyes going in different directions, which is not medically unsound, but was considered by the game to be an anomaly. I requested that this one also be removed as it is ableist.[/spoiler] [b]PROS:[/b] * A very different approach to a "spot the anomaly" game which was very refreshing * There is an instruction board that you can reference throughout the game if you are confused on what is/isn't considered an anomaly * Even if you get thrown back to Floor One, it still remembers your choices from the previous cycles * Good story that unfolds with the cutscenes, flashbacks, and the record tape that is downstairs. * About half of the jump scares were delightful. The other half didn't get a reaction from me. Though I would have liked to see more in the game. * Ambient sounds added to the creepiness of the game * Collecting the Twitch/YouTube streamer pictures was cute and fun, but the AI modification on them looked a bit silly weird (see if you can find me!). * Multiple endings based on how you played * Completion screen that tells you how you played [b]CONS:[/b] * There needs to be a better explanation on how to play the "Hiring Game" and "Financial Investment Game" as I was a bit confused on what to do until I asked the Dev directly in my chat. * See my Trigger Warnings for a few things I found inappropriate in the game * There's a few items that show up as "black blobs" on the desk that I couldn't quite understand the point of them * This game is more trigger heavy than his previous games, so be warned when playing * It would be nice to have an indicator of what floor you're on (I kept forgetting) under your Debt Total * I don't see the point of the checklist??? And eventually stopped interacting with it. Also the woman telling you to use the checklist every rotation got a bit annoying. * The coin-cup game seemed to not affect the game ?? (unsure) * I would like to have had more atmospheric music [b]BUGS (maybe):[/b] * I wasn't able to find the 5th Flashback. Unsure if that was a bug or not. Reported to the Dev * I eventually ran out of pictures in the "Which One Do You Prefer" game and they came up as blank white images with me unable to choose. Reported to the Dev. * Coin-Cup game only can be triggered by going on the right side of the cubicle and not standing directly in front of the cubicle where the cups are. * The Fireplace/Chair/TV flashback only progresses/starts when you walk between the fireplace and the chair when first going into the room. Reported to the Dev (he told me how to trigger it). * My completion screen had a mix of Italian and English. I think certain sections were accidentally not translated to English. Reported to Dev. https://www.seravium.com https://twitch.tv/seravium

Gli Scary Shadow Spot li trovo uno più bello dell'altro! Ma questo... questo è unico! Io ci sto giocando e non riesco a smettere... è una sfida con te stesso! Piccola nota tecnica: I grossi studi di gaming dovrebbero imparare da queste piccole perle! Se la grafica non ha alla base un bel concept e una bella storia, poco conta fare i giochi iper realistici che durano 300 ore! Se invece una storia viene raccontata bene, la grafica passa in secondo piano e il gioco è longevo e appassionante!!!

è un gioco stupendo, mi piacciono i giochi dove devi fare delle scelte, e ogni scelta che fai il gioco va avanti, anche se devi stare attento, non devi saltare nulla, al minimo errore torni al primo piano, e ne ho fatti tanti di errori, però fin ora mi sta piacendo sicuramente lo continuerò

In meinen Augen eigentlich Daumen runter weil es nicht das ist was man erwarten würde. Ich habe die beiden Teile davor gespielt und habe sie gefeiert. Megastarke und packende Gruselgeschichten und da ist mein Problem. Für ein Anomaly Spiel ist es das beste was ich bisher gesehen habe. Schönes großes Gebiet mit vielen Sonderregeln was als Anomalie zählt (was das Spiel herausfordernder macht), viele zusätzliche Minispiele (bei den das mit den Unterstützungen völlig verwirrend sind. Für was gibt man da die Unterstützung wenn die Leute in den drei geschriebenen Sätzen völlig unterschiedliche dinge angeben und noch ein random Bild anheften), Entscheidungen die am Ende ein Persönlichkeits-Profil zeigen, alles super und toll aber leider auf kosten der Story. Während man in den früheren Teilen eine tolle und gut erzählte Story präsentiert bekam, muss man hier die einzelnen Storyelemente hinter random spawnende Türen finden, die ein Teil der Geschichte von drei verschiedenen Personen beinhalten. Türen wo ich in 4 Stunden Spielzeit 7 gefunden habe, wovon man in 2 Türen einfach reingehen konnte weil man die Geschichte dort schon erlebt hat. Tut mir Leid aber in meinen Augen ist das leider der schwächste Teil von Scary Shadow Spot bisher. Es ist noch im Early Access und man kann daran noch rumschrauben und ich hoffe das zu Gunsten der Story geschraubt wird. Als Anomaly-Spiel kann ich es sehr empfehlen aber für die die eine grusel Geschichte erleben möchten bisher leider nicht😞

Non il classico anomaly horror game!!! Mi piace moltissimo come vengono raccontate le storie dei personaggi in questo capitolo, i jumpscare maledettamente infartanti e questa nuova rotta per la saga degli Scary Shadow Spot! Gioco in continua evoluzione, non vedo l'ora di fare un'altra run per vedere le nuove aggiunte 10/10

Gioco incredibile! Ben strutturato, diverso dai soliti horror. Permette di spenderci molte ore senza annoiarsi mai grazie all'enorme quantità di eventi da scoprire. Super consigliato!

Come al solito Daniele sforna un capolavoro; questa volta la trama e il gameplay sono diversi, non si tratta solo di seguire una storia, ma di effettuare tante scelte per cercare di raggiungere l'obbiettivo del gioco, mentre lo si sta raggiungendo ci sono tante sottotrame da esplorare. Niente da dire, ogni volta una novita'! Super consigliato!

Parto col dire che, questo non è il mio tipo di gioco, non fa per me, ma mi è stato caldamente consigliato, quindi gli ho dato una possibilità. Questo gioco è un insieme di stati sottilissimi, tutti accuratamente pensati e posizionati, ogni dettaglio è pensato pe farti interrogare su te stesso e su quello che stai facendo nonostante non sia un gioco che punta sulla grafica super realistica, riesce a creare e a trasmettere un'atmosfera cucita su misura, che ti immerge nel gioco con una sospensione della realtà incredibilmente accurata. Non sai mai cosa aspettarti, ci cono momenti e dettagli che ti strappano un sorriso, altri che ti fanno dubitare di te stesso in prima persona come giocatore, altri che fanno crescere l'ansia passo dopo passo e altri che ti fanno sbuffare per una scelta sbagliata quando tutto stava sembrando andare per il meglio Daniele è maestro nel costruire questo filo psicologico che ti tiene appeso durante tutta l'esperienza, e questo gioco, virtualmente interminabile, che cresce ripiegandosi infinite volte su se stesso senza mai essere ripetitivo, ne è la prova! (nota a magine: - che ansia il modo in cui ti seguono con lo sguardo - non so perchè, ma la prima cosa che ho sempre controllato sono i bagni e quelle due rane... quelle rane non me la contano giusta) se vi ho incuriosito, non vi resta che provare e giocare anche voi a questo gioco ;)

German/English Zunächst sollte man sich bewusst machen, dass es sich bei diesem Titel nicht um ein klassisches Anomalie-Spiel im Stil von „The Exit 8“ handelt. Dies ist jedoch keineswegs als Kritikpunkt zu verstehen, denn das Genre der Anomalie-Spiele entwickelt sich stetig weiter und darf sich verändern. Ebenso wichtig ist die Bereitschaft, sich auf das Spielkonzept einzulassen: Nicht jede wahrnehmbare Veränderung stellt automatisch eine Anomalie dar, was Aufmerksamkeit und Geduld vom Spieler erfordert. Darüber hinaus legt das Spiel einen starken Fokus auf das Erzählen einer Geschichte. Die Vergangenheit der Protagonistin Lisa wird nach und nach enthüllt und verleiht dem Spiel zusätzliche Tiefe und emotionale Bindung. Für Fans von Anomalie-Spielen, die Wert auf Story legen, ist dieser Titel daher besonders empfehlenswert. Die Entwickler haben offensichtlich viel Leidenschaft in die Umsetzung investiert. Die grafische Gestaltung ist hochwertig und lief nach einigen Anpassungen in den Einstellungen bei mir durchgehend stabil und fehlerfrei. Ein kleiner Kritikpunkt aus persönlicher Sicht sind die eingesetzten Jump-Scares, die für meinen Geschmack etwas zu häufig und dadurch eher störend wirkten. Spieler, die dieses Stilmittel mögen, werden damit jedoch vermutlich weniger Probleme haben. Insgesamt ist das Spiel trotz kleiner Schwächen ein gelungenes Erlebnis, das ich durchaus erneut spielen würde. Auch wenn es nicht dem klassischen Anomalie-Muster folgt, bietet es frische Ideen und eine überzeugende Präsentation. English: First of all, it is important to understand that this game is not a typical anomaly title in the vein of “The Exit 8.” However, this is by no means a drawback, as the anomaly genre continues to evolve and experiment with new ideas. Equally important is the willingness to fully engage with the game’s concept. Not every noticeable change represents an anomaly, which requires the player to remain attentive and patient throughout the experience. In addition, the game places a strong emphasis on storytelling. The past of the protagonist, Lisa, is gradually revealed, adding emotional depth and narrative weight to the gameplay. For fans of anomaly games who appreciate a strong narrative component, this title is highly recommended. It is clear that the developers have poured a great deal of passion into the project. The visual presentation is of high quality and, after a few adjustments in the settings, ran smoothly and without issues during my playthrough. From a personal perspective, the jump scares felt somewhat excessive and occasionally distracting, as I am not particularly fond of this design choice. Players who enjoy frequent jump scares may view this differently. All in all, the game delivers a compelling experience that I would gladly revisit. Even though it does not follow the traditional anomaly formula, it offers fresh ideas and a polished presentation.