Scary Shadow Spot - Last Farewell

Scary Shadow Spot - Last Farewell is the latest horror walking simulator / puzzle game from the developer "Daniele Doesn't Matter". Daniele Doesn't Matter made the previous great horror games Lost Alone, The Telephone, and Bloody Ink. Scary Shadow Spot is the new series of games from this developer, prioritising a more short and concise experience, with a 1960's Twilight Zone feel. This game takes place entirely inside a haunted house, and took exactly 2.5 hours to complete. + The story is above average for this genre, has a few twists, and maintains a definitive ending. The game's story does not venture off into obscurity like many games in this genre do. + Lots of genuine scares, crazy jumpscares, and tense situations throughout. Incredible dreadful atmosphere does not let up. + Sound effects are well above average, really creepy death rattles, creaking doors, and all sorts of sounds to creep you out. + The puzzles range from simply finding keys, to several new unique interesting puzzles. No puzzle was too difficult, all were solved without needing a guide. + The main enemy design was interesting (and creepy) to look at. + The voice acting was AI, but was well done. Very clear. + Fun intermission cutscene in the middle of the game for "Lonely Strikes" (Lucky Strikes Smokes), Pure 60s Easter Egg nostalgia. +/- Lots of beautiful AI Artwork on the walls to look at. The developer has a graphic design background, the pictures were maintained and finished by hand. Some people might not like that they were created by AI, others might not care. Either way the artwork is gorgeous. There is a great game here that surrounds the artwork, so I do not mind it at all, the art is like an afterthought. - The narrator's mouth at the start of the game does not move properly, looks really cheap. I don't think the narrator should have even been seen in the game, just heard is sufficient. - The candles in this game are pretty much useless and not needed. - A few stealth sections cause random deaths out of nowhere and you don't know where to go. Trial and error is needed, 3-4 tries and you'll get it. Just a few sections are like this, about 2-3 sections in the game. - When you die and click restart, you are set back too far in the game. Instead, go to the main menu after you die, and load the last save. - One puzzle in the game is annoying. Daniele Doesn't Matter makes awesome, solid, genuinely scary, horror games. This one isn't any different, just a bit shorter in length, with a Twilight Zone influence. Overall: 8/10

The environment is beautiful and carefully crafted, this is one of the things you're going to notice right away when you start playing [i]Scary Shadow Spot[/i]. I can only imagine how hard it is to make a [u]horror[/u] game look [i]this beautiful.[/i] Every room suits the narrative and story. You're going to spot the amount of attention to detail from the developer immediately. Sadly, though, the devil's curse here has to be the shameless amounts of AI imagery placed in every room. I can't really say that the use of [i]those[/i] has been implemented in a courteous way. Almost every single wall is full of them. But oh well. At least most of them fits the theme. As for narration, the voiceover is AI, but is being delivered in an excellent way. Narrative simply put has to be one of the strongest points that there is to [i]Scary Shadow Spot[/i]. Although it is AI delivered, it's executed in a way that didn't make me miss a single sentence. It's intriguing and keeps me interested all the way through. It genuinely also makes me want more, and what a crazy plot, especially the ending. Super good job. The puzzles require some real effort, which is good. I did manage to get stuck a couple of times, also in some scenarios where I feel like I shouldn't have been. The second attic key is hidden in a really tricky spot, and I managed to miss it in two consecutive runs. Maybe what I'm hinting at here is to put it in a clearer spot, I don't think people who missed it initially deserves to go through the pain of searching for that small key more than once. Besides that, all the puzzles forced me to think, process and memorize at nearly all times. Love it, pure joy. Really, the puzzles feels like puzzles here. Optimization of the game is on point. All performance almost fully flawless, although I did experience two pretty unexpected & random crashes in ~5 hours of playtime. Nothing major, it is what it is. Consistently smooth frame rates with no awkward or glitchy behavior along with a good level of image quality. Enjoyable. Now, with so many hiding spots all throughout the map, I'm pretty confused as for how soft the NPC's are. I'm not really sure how other people are holding up against them, but any time I encountered any, I would just run directly past them.. Of course throw in a prayer right after, but still.. I did not get to use a single one of the many hiding spots, since what would be the point when I can just sprint right past the NPC's? A different aspect that I feel detracts from the experience is the frequent jumpscare spoilers, which are scattered consistently throughout the game. Right before a jumpscare, there are obvious warnings, such as the open windows with flying curtains or doors that can't be closed when you enter a room that has a jumpscare in it [i](this one might not be intentional).[/i] Many of them also has that annoying scene-shift where it will control your POV and look towards the jumpscare; again spoiling it. I feel like all of these different spoilers makes the game a lot softer than it really deserves to be. After all, a good and unexpected jumpscare is often what true horror fans are desperately seeking. Besides the overuse of AI images and some intensity-dulling jumpscare spoilers, it has been more than a pleasant experience so far. Again, key takeaway being the story. Multiple moments had my [i]mind wandering[/i] in real life as a result of impactful pieces from the story. Not because I relate directly to the story, more so, it made me tap into deep thoughts for brief moments. I believe that takes a lot, and I'm fully excited to follow any of the upcoming chapters. I recommend this to anyone who's into narrative-driven horror games, even if you're someone that's more into puzzles, this one will probably hit close to home for you. Genuinely a good game. [table][tr][td] [b]We aim to celebrate the horror genre, support the developers and create a haven for horror fans — Join us:[/b] [h3]🔗 [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45181118/] Steam Curator page[/url][/h3][h3]🔗 [url=https://www.youtube.com/@officialhorrorvault/videos]YouTube channel[/url][/h3] [/td][/tr][/table]

This is an incredible game that I would recommend. The puzzles are interesting, the jump-scares will make you sweat, and the story is gripping. I am so excited for the next games in this series.

Can't stay away from this guy's games. even though they're always a bit rough around the edges in that it crashed a few times and the statue head puzzle was nearly impossible. Also no type of hint or task systems, which would be helpful. It's very linear so there's lots of backtracking, but still I Love this guys game, bumps and all. Can't wait for more.

Another amazing and quirky title from Daniele Doesn't Matter. Thank you again for the copy & hanging out while I played it live! This game is part one of a series of games themed like a "Twilight Zone" episode. In this game you play as Mark who is stuck inside a house learning the mystery behind his wife's death (?) and the car accident that changed everything. If you like puzzles, this game is full of them! Also there's lots of easter eggs floating around (look at the book titles, and translate them if you don't know Italian haha). Absolutely worth playing if you enjoy puzzle horror titles with mystery story vibes. Maybe one day Daniele will have me voice a monster or something for him in a game (HINT HINT) PROS * Engaging story * Respawnable consumables (don't worry, you'll never run out!) * Large inventory, though a little clunky to organize * Engaging puzzles that make sense to the story * Great voice acting * Fun secrets/easter eggs to find * Sound quality is EXCELLENT and fits atmospherically * Engaging health/faith/anxiety meter * Can save anytime with coins (respawnable) found throughout the house CONS * No controller support * Candles seem useless with light switches and flashlight * Can only hide from monster when you lose line of sight with them. Hard to tell if you do without turning around and getting smacked * Load after death is bugged (Dev aware and is fixing) - so go into the menu and Load manually after hitting Restart * Didn't have the streamer easter eggs that it normally does, but that's ok - though I wish there were stupid collectibles like his previous games (those are fun) * AI artwork (♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Daniele) https://www.seravium.com https://twitch.tv/seravium

Another amazing banger from Doesn't Matter Pod. A solo dev that has a very unique style among other indie horrors. The game felt really scary at times, and played a lot on my expectations of what to expect jumpscare wise, and by doing so always caught me off guard in a good way. This game is also a big puzzle to solve, with a lot of moving pieces happening at once, that all come together at the end. In my personal opinion, I love games that are horror but have those kinds of engaging puzzles to keep you going forward. I've now played every single game put out so far and one thing that stands out to me is how much growth you can see between each game, including new ways to provide hints, and more direction on what to do than previous titles. The game definitely has it's quirkiness with character models and voice, but I think that gives it a lot of charm as a project made by one guy. I did feel a BIT lost at the start, but it's one of those moments, where you kinda just need to walk around for a bit to immerse yourself in the setting, then things start coming together. I'm so excited to see this new 'Twilight Zone' inspired series goes next.

Doesn't Matter Games doesn't disappoint. The maker of Lost Alone Ultimate, which was a nice experience and what a story, Scary Shadow Spot - Last Farewell delivers an equally enjoyable experience. Some of the things I really like: - The Twilight Zone feel was a unique touch, especially that commercial ad. - The set is sizeable, you don't get that PT-wannabe roaming the corridors because the house is decently large. - No endless notes to read, nice touch to gather the story and guidance/instructions using various other means - Not being chased relentlessly for no reason. I'm kinda think ghosts don't chase to kill, cos if that's the case, why don't they leave the place or just revenge at their own terms. - Story feels like done before but plot twist is a sweetener. - Graphics is good, runs nicely on a 3080 on 4K. Effort is made to do up every room, so it doesn't feel like a random combination of reused marketplace assets. Clocked into almost 3hours of gameplay. For a glimpse of no commentary gameplay: https://youtu.be/Y92RB4pku9k?si=wuSGHPiv02qJ-1NT

My favourite horror indie dev is back at it again! Yes, I know. The animations can be quite underwhelming. But as all other aspects, they are improving from game to game. The Story, the puzzles, the spooks, those are what count. I don't only recommend this game, but also all other ones he's created.

Bello! Mi è piaciuto molto e da italiano ho apprezzato un sacco di chicche! Belli i Jumpscare ma anche molte risate quindi GG grande Danieie!

Sono un'amante dell'horror in genere e consiglio il titolo senza ripensamenti. Un applauso in particolare al modo in cui sono stati posizionati i vari JUMP. Ha effettivamente tutto ciò che si ricerca nel genere: enigmi, ansia, spavento e non da escludere... una bella trama. Il fatto che sia italiano poi sinceramente mi rende orgogliosa. Daje!