Starless

[h3][b][i]In space, no one can hear you scream — but your thighs high-fiving one another will alert the monsters to your location.[/i][/b][/h3] Just like space lacks oxygen for our lungs to inhale, [i]Starless[/i] lacks a gripping plot for our minds to feast on. Three arks, a space colonizing mission, something, something, a virus infects the crew, and now monsters roam the ark, overcome with the munchies. The only dish they desire is [i]human flesh[/i]. And even if you have sum extra you're ok relinquishing, I don't suggest letting them nibble at you — [b]it's fatal.[/b] Thus, your goal is simple — avoid nasty beasties, find stuff your AI companion tells you to and make sure humanity reaches [i]New Earth[/i]. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2915282754 [h3][b][i]Sacrifice the few to save the many[/i][/b][/h3] Thankfully, despite the weak story, the gameplay was tight. As an isometric stealth game, you'll primarily avoid space boogiemen and weird death robots roaming the suspended ark maze-like halls, slowly inching towards your goal. With each step, a powerful [i][b]*thump*[/b][/i] sound wave reverberates through the ark hallways. And should an enemy be in earshot, they will take notice. But it's just a [i]"Huh, I wonder what that could be?"[/i] kind of notice. Only if your meaty footsteps continue for a couple of seconds will the space bogeys enter a frenzy-like state and rush [i]B[/i] (you). So, there is only one thing to do — embrace the sneaky-breaky and slow walk when enemies are near. But the slow walk is slow ([i]the more you know[/i]💫), and it can't lead you to the promised land alone. Thus, it's time we talk about the other, equally important, tools at your disposal —[b]your surroundings and gadgets.[/b] First is the isometric perspective. It gives you an excellent overview of the level ([i]unless the lights are out[/i]), seeing where the enemies and your objectives are. But don't go thinking it's gonna be easy sailing because of this — [b]the enemy AI has unpredictable pathfinding.[/b] So, it's the captain now and goes wherever it damn pleases. The AI unpredictability means locking eyes with the enemy is bound to happen, despite your best efforts to avoid them. And this is where gadgets jump in to save the day. Teleport to a random place on the map, shock the angry creatures, block off their path, use a sound-luring device, and so on. There is plenty of ways to deal with any situation and obstacle you might come across. And to make it a bit more challenging, [b]gadgets have a cooldown[/b], and to use them, you need [b]energy[/b]. The energy bar doesn't recharge on its own and instead requires you to refuel at one of many the energy stations scattered across the three arks. So, there is a bit of resource management here as well. But there is one more thing you can use to avoid the enemy's gaze — hiding spots. They come in the shape of wall holes (not those kinds), perfectly sized to accommodate your thiccness nicely. This can come in clutch if you find yourself low on energy. They aren't present in each level, so don't go thinking this is some [i]get-out-of-jail-free[/i] card. Everything in [i]Starless[/i] when stealth is concerned is perfectly balanced, as all things should be. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2915346784 As for [b]the levels you'll traverse have this maze-like vibe[/b] to them, with the isometric perspective further pushing that comparison in my mind. And even if you can tell where everything is (most of the time), sometimes the aroma of that sweet stinky cheese can cloud your judgement, leading to your death. So, don't take any unnecessary risks. You won't be asked to do much — [b]rotate cubes, hold or press the interact button.[/b] That's it. That's all you'll be asked to complete. Now, it sounds easy because we're just chatting now. But when you're in the thicc of it all and have to avoid three or four monsters simultaniously, you'll pray to have only one console to interact with. Now, I was caught off-guard by the absence of a traditional [i]Game Over[/i] screen after death and reloading the last checkpoint/save. Instead, you're given a finite amount of lives in the form of colonists from the Yggdrasil ark, 250 to be exact. When the one you control becomes [i]space[/i] lunch for the [i]space[/i] bogeys, a new colonist will wake up from their [i]space[/i] nap, and you'll continue where you left off. This whole thing gave me a rouge-like vibe with that whole [i]one-life-for-your-character-and-then-they-gone-forever[/i] shtick. Granted, [b]the colonists only differ in hairstyles[/b] — there is nothing unique about them gameplay-wise. So, they'll all play the same. But what about the gadgets and blueprints you find? What about the [i]"save humanity"[/i] mission progress? How does death affect them? Well, just as our ancestors passed down the hentai arts to us, everything found or done before you met thy untimely demise carries over to the next colonist. Simple stuff. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2915282705 And for those who love exploring without hand-holding, should you take the time to see what's behind curtain number two, [i]Starless[/i] will reward your efforts. So, take the time to read the crew logs, and check every nook and cranny — you might find a new gadget or perhaps a lovely [i]furry[/i] surprise. You never know. Now for the visuals and audio stuff — me likey very much. Everything looks clean, especially the monsters. There is a bit of gore, with decapitated bodies from your previous runs chilling where you left them. Nothing besides that really appears... No, wait, there was one dead colonist. Ok, I'm upgrading "a bit" to "some" for the gore. The levels did get a tad bit repetitive. Futuristic cubes, some weird lights, and drab tiles to match the uninspiring metallic wall covers. There's nothing unique — [b]I seent all the dullness after entering the first room! I seent it![/b] The enemy variety didn't fare any better, with only three types present. But these are all minor [b]personal[/b] gripes, with none negatively impacting my time. Also, for those who care about such frivolous things, the playtime is short — around 3 hours while fully exploring the three arks. So, I guess you can lump this into the cons basket alongside the repetitive level design. Me personally, I don't care. Costing and lasting the same as a Jumbo gyros + large drink combo, [i]Starless[/i] is still the healthier option, providing cholesterol and regret-free pleasure. Now, onto the audio. It's excellent. It does a super job of delivering a tense horror vibe. So, while you can see the enemy when entering a level, the visuals, audio and gameplay all come together and build some quality tension. It also gets better ([i]worse?[/i]) during levels with no lights. While you can barely see, you can hear [b][i]everything[/i][/b] — naked flesh thumping the tiles, as the weird alien puffing sounds inch ever so close to your location. But from which direction? And I think that covers all [i]Starless[/i] has to offer. Having played the demo during one of those [b]Steam Next Fests[/b], I knew I'd love it once I got my hands on the thicc version. And why wouldn't I? It has everything I want — a satisfyingly challenging gameplay loop, rewarding exploration, and a solid horror ambience that adds to the tension, further enriching my experience. [quote]If you enjoy this review, come and read more wisdom from the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40407656-Gospel-of-Sv.-Prolivije/]Gospel of Sv. Prolivije.[/url][/quote]

OK to be honest upfront, I only played two hours until I deinstalled it. I am struggling with this one. On one hand the price is really good. You forgive a lot of small game design issues and the shortcoming it has. I think this was a good decission. A game does have to be perfect to be fun. The graphics, animation, atmosphere and gameplay idea are good, too. I appreciate its honesty; it doesn't pretend to be something that it is not. In the end I have to give a thumbs down, regardless. this is why: There is one major gamedesign decision, that broke it for me completely: Pitch black rooms. Even though you get *several* tools to deal with the darkness, none of them give you enough cues to know where the enemy is. And you cannot spam them, because you cannot carry enough energy. Also switching between them takes an amount of time, using them takes an amount of time ... the enemy kills you instantly on sight. This is a game of luck. I believe some get through these rooms after a few tries. Others like me die again and again. So if you are a sane and normal person, who does not enjoy seeing women die in agony every few seconds, this is frustrating. Here is another issue for me: A none zero amount of time was spend on making unique dying animations for dying from an alien or from a bullet. probably even more animations as the game progresses(?). I get what they wanted to do, but this idea of making your game-lifes individuals (not clones of one entity) backfires by not giving the player the tools to value a life (pun by accident). Great game design is enabling the player to make meaningful decissions. Ok, this is the major flaw. there are other little things and small bugs I came across which really are not worth mentioning. The game does a great job in condensing the survival alien monster experience into a small package. After two hours I was asking myself if I enjoy this game enough to spend more life time on it. The answer was no. Because it's frustrating.

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #214 [/url]<-- [i]New review every week[/i][/code] [h1]"NOT A STAR TO BE SEEN-!!"[/h1] https://youtu.be/IWsrBUCEnfk [u] Here's The Thing:[/u] You are “CLN-1”, though not for long as you’re one of many fellow clone colonists AND would-be-victims onboard the Yggdrasil Ark. Something- or someone, has woken you up from cryostasis and it’s on you to get your colony on the right course~ [h1][u][+] PROS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:) HOW… STAR-TLING~[/h1] I’ll call it now, but no other aspect of Starless can match the caliber of enjoyment that its survival horror gameplay supplies! Essentially a top-down 2.5D version of[url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/214490/] Alien Isolation[/url]! The crisp & highly strategic action centers around you either sneaking past, hauling butt, breaking line of sight, or gunning down (yay) nasty foreign bodies as well as armed automatons. Furthermore, the randomly wandering threats can detect you both visually and audibly, so do be mindful of your clomping around! The learning curve is quite daunting yet giddying, because you start out as good as naked what with you relying solely on your chicken legs. Steadily, however, you deck out that arsenal of teleporters, noisemakers, illumination devices, firearms, and traps… if you can uncover them. And while you do come into a range of electronics fairly quick, they are the lesser versions and therefore more unreliable; you may want to rethink using them or risk being weighed down. While devoid of puzzles, there are still obstacles to get around mostly in the form of your peskily draining energy bar shared by all your tech and timed switches. The latter of which you must be within range of for 4-5 seconds to unlock ammunition, notes, and door mechanisms. Not unlike the insufferable wait of trying to save in Alien Isolation…! And speaking of, progress is saved constantly here and what that means is every blunder, which often results in death, will count towards the undesired outcome of jeopardizing your colonization mission! To be exact, you have 250 lives / colonists- I’ll let that sink in… 3 hours is what it took me to reach New Earth! Endings-wise, I’d say there are two in total, including outcomes branching of said two but with slight variations and some wrong ends~ [u]TIPS:[/u] 1) Some gizmos can stun the enemies when timed *just* right! [h1]:) A STUNNER- DROP DEAD GORGEOUS EVEN![/h1] The visuals are how I imagined an animated version of Alien would be like and it comes in a close second as to what makes Starless so attractive. There’s a clean and polished look to every element of the interface; the seamless visualization of the airlock pathways from within the shuttle, the live feed of vital indicators broadcasted to you after you dock, and even the text is of a neutral blue tone… Despite us pretty much exploring its world in an obfuscated manner and never getting to see many close-ups of anything, save for when you awaken from anabiosis or death is but inches away; I kind of preferred it that way because some things can only be left to the imagination! In fact, and ironically enough, the game shines the brightest when you’re staggering in the dark corridors clinging onto your shambling memory! Musically, not much to write Earth about, but there are a library of sci-fi sound effects including those of a phaser, beep-boop, whirring machinery, growls, and many more! Most of which have unnerving echoes that freeze you for a split screen while they scramble and rattle your lizard brain. I have a faint suspicion of there being a full-blown OST, but they’re on the muted region and in-keeping to the background~ [h1]:) THE TRUE ARK NEMESIS IS![/h1] Ok, approaching uncharted and spotty territory here, but I must first point out that I can see the vision with which this game set out to be. A story vastly inspired by several [b]Alien[/b] films, paying homage to them, but one which made the hearty decision to strike out on its own- even if it doesn’t know exactly where it is that it’s heading or how to handle everything it’s got. The scariest thing about it is that a significant chunk of the series of events which led up to the explosion remained a giant blur by the end! But also, while the “alien organisms” pose great danger, the biggest danger of all originated pre-outbreak… or so it goes, I mean we don’t even know much of these creatures to begin with. Given time, the 250 lives become a mere statistic in the probability of the colony’s survival~ https://youtu.be/x2bauhq9s5k [h1][u][-] CONS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:( OH MY STARS; NOT SO CLN AFTER ALL!!![/h1] Gameplay grievances include, firstly, how the threats have 20-20 vision and can react to the sight of you just as well in overpowering darkness as they do in normal room lighting…! I suppose it could be seen as a testament of the creatures’ excellent eyesight, but it presents an unfair and aggravating advantage over you! Furthermore, sounds played pivotal roles in Alien Isolation, making all the difference between an early death and a delayed one. But the xenos here didn’t really make all that much noise, much to the detriment of what could’ve been one of their extra charms; and, again, turns the darker sections into zones of senseless demises! I wasn’t fond of how the motion tracker or wall detector were equipped at all times and automatically in use, sapping your already very precious energy reserves. I would rather have them be switched on-off at the flick of a designated key~ https://youtu.be/pxUOUaxQ4bA [h1]:( JUST. AN. ELLEN. CLONE.[/h1] On the matter of “plot”, [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/1920210/]Predator and Wreck[/url] immediately comes to mind, for it too was deeply bewitched by the Alien franchise and ended up falling short. Both artificially created these situations that are nothing but caricatures and simulations of the [b]“Alien (1979)”[/b] experience, except this one did it slightly better, not to forget engaging! But between fitting in as many references to Alien whether they be passing mentions or in-your-face about them; the unnecessarily convoluted and riddled-with-holes story doesn’t simply take a backseat, it establishes a whole settlement there! No lie, the “endings” amount to just a sketch of a scenery and a few sentences (which we already know) then boom back to main menu! Yet they expect us to play this multiple times!? [h1]:( BAD DECISIONS HAVE A RIPPLE-Y EFFECT![/h1] As much as the three Arks were well-designed and differentiated, it became rapidly and abundantly clear to me that they were more “levels” in design as opposed to proper level design, and didn’t make an ounce of sense in terms of layout… While the horror initially stemmed from the creatures, that soon gets worn out due to how boring they were, and with no staying traits or quirky behavior whatsoever… They just goofy! Displaced purely by a fear of progress loss instead, becoming a very mechanical cat-and-mouse without any elements of real surprise anymore~ [h1]BUGS:[/h1] x Holding two directional keys will make you run in place! x The xenomorphs (let’s be real) will end chases by themselves because of their AI. [h1]NITPICKS:[/h1] ~ The absence of an options menu makes me depressed… ~ Note-reading becomes disabled when piloting the shuttle? ~ Tasered enemies will go rabid and seek you out even when you’re in-hiding!? [h1]"AND YET, ONE IS WELL WITHIN OUR MIDST~"[/h1] [u]Last Words?[/u] Ultimate Alien fanservice, at least in terms of steely gameplay & appetizing visuals. They say stars align, but not the case here, as there weren’t many to begin with. Also, the story is a black hole~ [h1]7 / 10[/h1] [quote]Shoutout to [code][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116/]Indie Gems,[/url][/code] for GEMME-ing a key! Follow them here right now for more well, y’know~[/quote]

[h1]«Рома, у тебя лицо человека, который собирается выйти в космос без скафандра.»[/h1] [b](с). из игры Инопланетянка (Little Green Girl)[/b] [b][u]Starless[/u][/b] – это игра-головоломка с элементами хоррора, в 2D исполнении, с видом сверху, в которой приятно размять извилины и проверить адаптивность ЦНС в сеттинге космического ужаса. [h1][b]==========[/b][/h1] [quote][b]Введение:[/b][/quote] Под загадочную мелодию с космическими примесями перед нашими глазами предстаю в виде анимированных артов три космических корабля голиафных размеров в духе Ганса Рудольфа Гигера, которые уже полным ходом набирают оборот, плавно стартуя в сторону открытого космоса. Спустя мгновение уже в самом космосе мы наблюдаем масштабного вида корабль с краткой информацией слева внизу экрана: [i]«Ковчег «Иггдрасиль». Собственность корпорации «BioSelection Inc.» 2115 день полёта.»[/i]. Любование кораблём прерывает ИИ, изображённый в виде желтоглазой девушки под именем Фрейя, которая кратко вводит в курсе дела о том, что мы находимся в анабиозе в Ковчеге, где всё происходящее транслируется к нам в сознание. Помимо нас на ковчеге около 249 человеческих особей, система Ковчега неисправна, связи с другими Ковчегами нет, на борту обнаружена враждебная форма жизни. Фрейя выводит из анабиоза колониста CLN-1, остальные будут наблюдать за происходящим. Вы – женщина, колонист CLN-1(2, 3, 4, 5… 250). Ваша задача – выяснить, что случилось, нормализовать работу Ковчега, постараться минимизировать потери среди колонии. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3581811838 [h1][b]==========[/b][/h1] [h1]Краткое Содержание:[/h1][list] [*]Визуальный ряд. Игра с видом сверху, где перемещения происходят в пределах локации во всех 4-х направлениях, выглядит опрятно и аутентично. Крайне эффектно и притягательно изображены моменты старта кораблей, визуализированы образы ИИ, а также самих колонисток, и это настолько «сладко» выглядит, что хочется ещё, побольше артов/образов/итд; [*]Музыка/Звук. Музыкальное сопровождение настолько под стать, что не погрузиться в атмосферу космического корабля не представляется возможным, ибо эта громоздкость, тяжесть, мертвенность и опасность прекрасно отражаются в каждой ноте, соткавшей его. Звуковое сопровождение способствует дополнению всей этой космический одиссеи ужаса, порой умудряясь не то чтобы напугать, но поднять уровень стресса в организме; [*]Сюжет. Не ограничен одной лишь концовкой, что немного неожиданно, ибо в игре головоломке каких-то ответвлений я особо то и не ждал. Сама сюжетная линия, помимо общения с ИИ, передаётся с помощью записок, которые без труда помогают составить общую картину произошедшего; [*]Геймплей. Самое важное:[list] [*]Вам укажут это в записке, но просто хочу, чтобы вы знали, что если вы хотите успешно завершить миссию по колонизации новой планеты, вам необходимо иметь в Ковчеге не меньше 180 человек. Иными словами, вашими колонисты – ваш ресурс, меньше будете умирать, больше шансов на успех. Кстати проследить их кол-во можно во время нахождения в космосе внутри шаттла (левый верхний угол); [*]Взаимодействие с игрой. У вас есть сканер местности (который поможет проанализировать приборы и двери относящиеся к ним на карте), станция подзарядки (помогает восстанавливать энергию, которую вы тратите в процессе использования предметов), у вас есть верстак (где с помощью найденных чертежей вы сможете надеть на себя новый предмет для выживания, единовременно до 3-х разных предметов), общая карта корабля с отсеками, возможность перемещаться в космосе на специальном шаттле; https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3581813206 [*]Взаимодействие с врагом. Чаще всего вы будете стараться его обмануть/перехитрить с помощью новоприобретённых предметов, однако в некоторых случае сможете и убить/временно обезвредить. У можете бегать и это хорошо, но враги реагируют на шум, поэтому злоупотреблять бегом не всегда стоит, благо зона распространения шума видна. Также, чтобы припрятать свою жепу от врага в стенах корабля есть разломы, однако будьте бдительны, ибо если враг разозлён и носится, как ошпаренный (восклицательный знак), то он вас и в разломе настигнет, если носится уже не так рьяно (восклицательный знак с вопросительным), то есть шанс, что пронесёт; [*]Каждый отсек - это небольшой лабиринт. Здесь вы с помощью разных мини-игр взаимодействуете с аппаратурой, вскрываете замки, открываете проход в следующий отсек, не забывая при этом не попадать в лапы мутировавшим врагам/роботам. Также обращайте внимание на маленькие голубоватые огоньки на стене, когда подойдёте, то услышите своеобразный усиливающийся звук, спустя мгновение ожидания, сможете получить немного патронов/открыть проход/получить записку. Если же никакого звука нет, то не теряйте времени.[/list] [*]Атмосфера. Немного напряжённая, ибо меня всегда слегка встряхивает, когда тот или очередной монстр с диким воплем летит на меня при обнаружении, вперемешку со спокойным анализом ситуации, благо чаще всего есть место и время это сделать; [*]Скриншоты. Нельзя сделать никоим образом, осуждаю; [*]Локализация. Русский язык в текстовом виде на своём законном месте, так как игра исключительно отечественная.[/list] [quote][i]«Итог: слушайте, я не помню, как вообще вышел на эту игру, есть подозрение конечно, что я увидел её у [b][u][url=https://www.youtube.com/@IXBTGames]iXBT games[/url][/u][/b] в их шоу [b]«НАШЫ ИГРЫ»[/b], поэтому на всякий случай в очередной раз спасибо вам, товарищи! Что касается самой игры, то это было интересное приключение и опыт, хоть я и не ярый фанат подобных логических игр, но в этот проект поиграл от души. Спасибо, [b]Petr Sapozhnikov[/b].»[/i][/quote] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3583021550 [b]=================================================[/b] [b][u]Пациент:[/u][/b] [h1]ClickamaN[/h1] [b][u]Психологическое состояние:[/u][/b] Пациент всю прошлую ночь не спал и кричал, что есть сил, разбудив добрую половину лечебницы. Когда к нему в палату вбежала дежурная медсестра с двумя дежурными охранниками, пациент весь потный в одним трусах забился в угол комнаты и усиленно бился головой, причинив себе урон средней тяжести. Охрана попыталась его успокоить, но он лишь с силой оттолкнул их и продолжил биться головой всё сильнее. Медсестра спокойным и ровным голосом смогла остановить действия пациента, немного переключив его внимание, она спросила: [i]«Зачем ты делаешь себе больно?»[/i], пациент нервно всхлипывая ответил: [i]«Новая жизнь… новый дом… но только женщины…мужчины обречены… Я ОБРЕЧЁН!!!»[/i]. [b][u]Лечение:[/u][/b] Шоковая терапия. 600 Вт, 30 минут, 1 раз/день в течении месяца; Камера вакуума. Проверка возможностей пациента выдерживать отсутствие воздуха. 1-5 минут, 1 раз/день в течении месяца; Из медикаментов: Триазолам, 35 мл, 1 раз/день в течении месяца; Из еды: еда для космических путешествий в тюбиках

В двух словах - это шикарная затягивающая игра и отличный оммаж классике научной фантастики)) По сути она представляет собой простенький 2D-стелс с элементами метроидвании, однако ой как затягивает! Из хорошего: - Приятный внешний вид и стилистика с отсылками к любимым фильмам детства. - Звуки, прекрасно работающие на прогружение. - Простой, но увлекательный геймплей с правильно подобранными таймингами и дизайном локаций. - Игру хочется пройти не один раз. Обилие гаджетов, разнообразящих механики, и разветвленные концовки этому только потакают. - Сюжет. Вроде построен на простых и проверенных формулах, но как же блин его приятно распутывать! Пятерка за режиссуру) Минусы: - Кое-где встречаются баги, но ничего критичного. - При первом прохождении отсутствие сохранений изрядно подбешивает, но уже на второй раз понимаешь, что так и надо. - Мало! Хочется еще. Хотелось бы узнать предысторию этих ковчегов, распутать загадку желтых ящиков и поведения ИИ, узнать больше о противостоянии экипажей и происхождении колонистов, и почему они все выглядят как клоны Эллен Рипли. Автору хочется пожелать всяких творческих удач!

It's a fun homage to Aliens without violating any copyrights. I have about 10 hours of play in which includes a restart because I missed too much in the early game. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the gameplay. The author was quite responsive when I ran into trouble. I'd buy a game like this again. It was a good way to spend 3 days or so of game time.

I bought this game recently and had much fun going to the end of its possibilities. It's humble-sized (around 3h for me for 1st playthrough, but please note that I'm pretty experienced in the genre) but very solid in what it does. Solo dev, much respect for the delivered work. Overall, I enjoyed the game a lot. I initially saw it during one of the summer conferences and was interested by the genre and the art style. It's exactly what it says it is, stealth elements, light puzzle elements, and mainly adventuring and story-driven, with a heavy dark sci-fi theme that triggered my interest initially. It's also shorter than what I thought back then, during the summer conferences, but when I bought it and saw it was a solo work, I expected a condensed experience. That was conducted well, no feeling of incomplete parts or uncontrolled mechanics. I played through the game 4 times, partly to see if I could get a deathless run. MECHANICS AND GAMEPLAY DESIGN The stealth is moderate but ever present. It goes well with the setting and participates in the theme and the experience. Initially I was annoyed that there existed rooms with no hiding AND no safe beginning (door, etc), but there's a solution to that. I didn't see rooms where the initial placement of enemies would cause an unavoidable fatal encounter, so that's a good point. The limited room for gadgets was also initially a bit of a hurdle, but there's also strategy for that. The limited lives of the colonists is a good approach, and so is the respawn at a set point, making sense for story reasons. A few rooms were frustrating during several playthroughs, until I weighted the decision to use consumables. The energy consumption is a bit much, but looking back, it sets the challenge bar well, about where it should be. Power recharges are frequent enough between checkpoints to leave strategy options opened. Overall, the paths options are perhaps a bit too linear. Considering the size of the game it makes sense. The pro of that is that it prevents from feeling overwhelmed by unknown options or feeling unfairly lost. The con is that there are few moments to gain an advantage by exploring, but nonetheless, there are some of them, and they're rewarding enough. The UI is pretty good, the sound markers are clear, the controls are not overnumerous, controller support is a great addition. The only criticism here is that not knowing what inactive switches will do when activated hurts the strategy planning. The game options are clearly lacking as there are none, not even sound, display or button mapping. This is lacking a lot in that area. The save system is... debatable. There is only one save, and it clears after a playthrough. On one hand, this goes with the fact that colonists number is your lives number, so it would not make sense to allow easy reloading. On the other hand, it might clash with the narrative design of having few but key choices. It does not end up breaking the game because it is short, but it'd be a design clash in a longer experience. NARRATIVE DESIGN, ART AND SETTING The atmosphere is a strong point of the game. In less that 10 minutes, the immersion is complete, thanks to a short but sufficient tutorial part, and an art style that does an excellent job. The documents found accompany the run at a good pace, including the first documents, helping understanding key points of the situation quickly, then, later, diving into the "how" and "why" some things happen/happened. The AI speaking also participate greatly in feeling immersed, breaking what would be a lonely experience otherwise, which would carry the risk of feeling disconnected from the events. They help maintain that connection. The art is gorgeous and 100% hits the target of the dark sci-fi environment. There's attention to details related to the story of where some elements/places are. The few key choices are interesting. What may be lacking is a few answers at the end, but we get most of them. GLITCHES AND ISSUES I met very few of them, but there are some. None broke my game or my experience, as they are easily avoided after meeting one.

Маленькая крутая индюшка от соло разработчика. Целый ряд механик через прикольные гаджеты и удобное управление. Приятный визуал и звук дают погружение. Бонусом, куча отсылок к сайфайной классике и пара пасхалок. Срочно в вишлист и корзину!)

It kinda really is Alien Isolation in 2D. Although not very long I had a great time playing it.

Beautiful short hide and run game. Nice graphics, different endings in sci-fi environment. References to an Ailens and have a cat. What i miss is only some music.