Stay

For all the underwhelming programming that I experienced in this game, I see a lot of good ideas overshadowed by a junky design, if anything the game lacks polish more than it lacks vision, if you clean up the game and adjust how you build the tension, it could go from being "whatever" to being pretty good. As I was playing I constantly felt like it reminded me of Puppet Combo games, and then I realized it is actually listed as the inspiration, so I am like ah, now it makes more sense, and honestly, even if you just did more testing to fix the technical issues and improve the slower parts of the game when building that atmosphere, I think it would not be that far away from the Puppet Combo, you like 60% there, which may not sound like a complement, but it's not that I didn't like the experience overall, I think you got a lot of smaller moments wrong, not the overall feel of the story. Obviously, there are a lot of technical issues, I am sure you are already aware of those, you can definitely improve on making better hotspots, like trying to put the stool at the right angle or grab the powder next to the door, just overall finding the correct place to interact was a consistent problem within the game. On that note, since the save system is a bit unpredictable, I wish you gave us some unlockable chapters as well. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of the whole "stalker" trope, it's almost a subgenre of horror games now, so many of them, sometimes it's a coffee place, sometimes it's a gas station, or something else, but always with the same premise. That said, using the whole survival-horror aesthetic instead of doing it first person is a welcome change, and I think you did enough foreshadowing to actually reflect on the first several days and realize there were constant clues. I think the second half of the game worked a lot better, I enjoyed the vibes a lot more from the start of the party and all the way toward the end, and I think it even had a few neat moments that can get your attention. There were a few moments that I think you could have done better, for example, the first time you see him over the fence (2 of them actually), I don't think they work that well because you just show his model from a distance, maybe if you at least gave him a better entry into the scene, make him show up the first time from a camera angle you can't see, and then make him follow you, with a nice subtle jump scare. Whenever you let the player have a good look at the killer and realize it's just a model it will hurt the suspense, that is something I think you need to work around, or at least use those moments more sparingly. I also think you could give him a nice sound effect of screaming when he gets hurt by a knife. I usually love tank controls and fixed camera angles, although this game was not the best representation of this craft. I will say that I liked some of the perspective changes, like the following camera in the long corridor, you are getting some of them correctly, but I think mixing them poorly with open areas where you were unable to create those long shots was not working in your favor, perhaps a bird view perspective would have worked better there - it's almost like you have a bad habit of placing the camera a bit too low if that makes sense. Maybe if you had more narrow locations you could get more creative with them, you know like the alley camera follow in Silent Hill, something like that, open area, but give yourself some objects to work with. [h1] Pros: [/h1] (+) To be fair I think the game got my attention a few times, not always for the right reasons, but I liked some of the silly and edgy moments in the narrative. I also liked some of the foreshadowing which was not apparent until I completed the game. I do think the slow burn with the boring tasks is a nice element for a game like this, I just think you made them a bit clunky so it was hard to focus on the atmosphere. (+) You not getting the fixed camera angles as well as I would like, but there were occasional locations where it looked a lot better, like the corridor or the church. I mean, maybe just go back to those classics and pay attention to where they place the camera relative to the character, sometimes I felt like you placed it too low or not showing the angle that I needed to see. (+) The game has some multiple endings, I didn't do all of them. A few optional things as well. [h1] Feedback: [/h1] I kind of already mentioned it in the review, but obviously, the technical issues, make the hotspots easier to use, and make the walking a bit easier so she does not stagger as often. Some of the camera angles look good and others feel like you had no idea where to place the camera, maybe it was too low sometimes, I think whenever you would place a fixed angle it would feel better like that shot in the corridor with doors or the church. When it comes to the killer, you probably want to avoid giving the player that feel like he is a model in the distance, there has to be a better way to use him, maybe if he would appear over the fence with a jump scare, and then he would chill around. I felt like he needed a sound effect for getting hurt when you cut him. Another small thing, sometimes you would have dark corners or angles with low detail, my thought on this is that surface with a texture will always look better, you can still make it low res and dark, but whenever I feel like something has nothing there, to me it feels like more cutting corners on not adding detail, so I always want to see a bit of extra effort there and make sure I can see the design of the room. [b] Overall Thoughts: 6/10 [/b] Honestly, the game didn't make a good first impression, and there were many clunky moments, but I still see some redeeming qualities, keep working on it, and don't neglect the interactive side of the game so I am not there for 20 minutes trying to pick up the item, and just be more careful with those "killer appearance moments" so you not draining the tension. With a bit more practice, I think you could make games of similar quality to Puppet Combo. [code]Niche, obscure and underrated games: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/ [/code]

[h2]"хоррор" со дна нижнего стима[/h2] Камера в игре - это настоящий кошмар, обречённый на вечное существование в параллельной реальности. Она застывает в самых неудобных местах и в итоге заставляет тебя лицезреть кривые текстуры изнутри. Кстати, текстуры в игре настолько ужасны, что иногда кажется, будто ты играешь в альфа версию. Даже скриншот со стиральными машинами на странице в магазине, кажется, вводит в заблуждение относительно реального визуала игры. Всё настолько сырое, что с первых секунд желание знакомиться с игрой пропадает, но всё же даёшь ей шанс. И зря. Анимации вызывают недоумение - это не напряжённый хоррор, а что-то на грани фан-игры в духе Bite Night. Только там это смотрится органично, а здесь - просто нелепо. Создаётся ощущение, что ты играешь в неудачную пародию. Геймплей тянется, как невкусная пережёванная много раз жвачка. Игра в прятки больше раздражает, чем держит в напряжении. Stay - это просто скучный и нестрашный хлам с нелепыми попытками в юмор. Безвкусица и полный проходняк, о котором жалеешь, что вообще запустил. Как итог прожимаешь Alt+F4, ведь... There's nothing sweeter than a little feminine rage (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)

Good PSX-like horror game, I would have liked it to be longer but on the other hand its price is very good. The first half does an excellent work in creating a very tense atmosphere that works perfectly as a build-up for what it's going to happen. The actual gameplay is kinda janky but still manageable. I appreciated how the developer was very quick to fix and address bugs and suggestions. It is notable that the game also acts as a social commentary, depicting, between crudeness and satire, the hardships that women have to face not only in extreme cases (like with the game's stalker/killer), but also in daily life with "normal" men. This creates a sick and disturbing atmosphere that permeates every moment of the game, blurring the line between horror and realism (also accentuated by the lines you see during loading time and when you die, lines that are depressingly familiar and still too much common).

Pros: -It's edgy/ironic in its presentation, but not controversial. All the points are pretty agreeable: Women aren't believed when they're assaulted, women are disproportionately Harassed on the job, lesbians are called terrible things by incels that cant frick em, Etc… -From what I read on the devs patreon, the art isn't AI. It's all scanned copies of the devs actual art, and It's all pretty unique. -The price to content ratio can't be beat Cons: -The game has a slow-burn start. There is foreshadowing etc that the beginning levels set up, but it doesn't get dark until the later half of the game. -The Stationary cameras suck at default settings. -The tank controls suck at default settings. -The launch bugs weren't great… but they seem to have been fixed mostly -Optional content, but lacking lore For the Devs: Polish polish polish. You seem to have done a few rounds of updates and you've gotten a better game out of every one. Why didn't you start with more play tests instead of jumping the gun on release? Also there's a bug where the bathroom door won't open unless you exit to main and relaunch after you find something in the tub. For the players: If you're looking for an edgy commentary on how women are treated when they're attacked, this is your jam. Heed the game's initial launch warning, however. It is definitely for mature audiences. I've heard rumours that it's not Twitch TOS safe, but from what I've read that's not true as long as you have a mature content warning, because it's just naked art on the wall. There are 4 different endings you can get in the game. I got 1. The feminine rage ending is damn cathartic for survivors. You can tell the developer gave every ounce of her own rage when writing it. That doesn't mean it won't be uncomfortable, but there's something special about a game that can make you feel so deeply. Props to the dev for being so vulnerable and saying what nobody else will. I hope they make their social media public again when they realise they're safe <3

[h1]МИЛЫЙ И ДЕШЁВЫЙ ХОРРОР НА ВЕЧЕРОК [/h1] обожаю бытовые хорроры и Stay прекрасный пример маленькой и бюджетной пс2 пугалки в этом поджанре. здесь ПРИЯТНЕЙШЕ ВЫПОЛНЕН ПРОЦЕСС УБОРКИ, а также все задания интуитивно понятны, что как мне кажется важнейший критерий для подобных игр. тут ненавязчивый саундтрек, интригующая история, и много-много, ну очень много акцентов на гендерное неравенство и обесценивание sexxxуального насилия. грустно и больно вспоминать, что весь этот абсурд имеет место быть в реальной жизни :( из-за небольшой продолжительности Stay не успевает надоесть и оставляет приятное послевкусие несмотря на некоторые баги, глюпого маньяка (который также меня очень порадовал ведь он не орет и не бежит за тобой, а просто насвистывает, намекая о своём приближении) и танковое управление (оно тут совсем кривое, советую отключить и не страдать). также мне понравилась небольшая вариативность в игре, например: каждый может выбрать для себя будет ли гг куколкой для битья, просто прячась от маньяка, или же будет выживать, чикая этого бедолагу ножиком :3 так что) меня очень порадовал данный хоррор! он полностью оправдывает ожидания и мне почему-то была даже приятна корявость, присутствующая в нем... создавалось ощущение будто я играю в игру сделанную специально для меня человеком без особого опыта в геймдеве( [code][i][b][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/7391171-Best-Good-Games-%2528rus%2529/]Mortis...[/url][/b][/i][/code]

This game is amazing, such a great horror game. i love the ps1 (psx) stylized graphics. Sound work is well done, gameplay is great, unsettling moments. this game can be upsetting to some, so trigger warning with this game, but, for me this game was a prefect game. 10/10.

I read the trigger warnings at the start but this game still managed to creep me to the core. I thought I was going in with a Clock Tower vibe but even the loading screens left me with my skin crawling. I missed tank controls of the PS1 and it was a bit of a curve to re-learn them.

Normaly i dont really write serious reviews but this game gives the player an extremely unsettling feeling which makes it a great horror game. The red text during the loading screen is a fantastic idea when it comes to what the game is about. The developers did a great job!

Duration: 3 hour(s) The original Playstation had a very great aesthetic, and people are still using low polygon art to this day. Sure, this is all they had back in the day, but nowadays it’s an aesthetic thing. Stay is one of those PSX-aesthetic games, complete with Resident Evil/Silence Hill tank controls. It also has a lots of things to say. First, the story. You just got a job to clean a terrible motel as the night shift maid. Why'd the last maid quit? Don't worry about it. We just have to clean things. Why did some random creep just take a picture about us? Again, don't worry about it. The protagonist is, of course, curious about all of this, but she's got to make money and live. All of the characters in the game are awful in their own ways. The desk lady only seems to care that you clock in, and every single male characters is just awful. Your boss? He asks you to wear tighter uniforms in like the first thing you meet him, then casually asked you to go drinking after the workday. The main story tends to just move from bad to worse. The game itself is basically an adventure game. You get some work, sometimes you have to go out and get like detergent or something, then clock out. Nothing like, simulation-y. You have a linear story with linear objectives. It’s all okay? Everything in the game is mostly just normal and you won’t find anything new here. You can hide sometimes, too. While the game is focusing on the story and trying to say something, it’s actually decent. It’s not subtle, but it doesn’t need to be subtle with the content. It has a very consistent theme going and you pretty much you know what’s going on. The problem happens, though, is that the game enters into the last third of the game. It becomes a lot more “game”-like, and the story is just a slasher movie. Anything they were trying to say just kind of goes away. Maybe it needs a bit more focus on writing so make both sections are consistent. It’s not bad, but it does feel like very different games, story-wise. At least Stay won’t waste your time. While I can’t say I “enjoyed” it, it’s a worthwhile game to play. [hr][/hr] If you’d like to see the game in motion through my eyes, [url=https://kuoushi.com/videos/stay-complete-archive/]take a look at this archive of me playing it[/url] here. It should give you a good idea of how the game plays and what to expect.

Initially I was recommended this game through my fiancé who often surfs through Steam for various games he, or I may like. When he showed me pictures of this game "Stay" I just instantly fell in love with it! Having been a gamer throughout the 2000s most of my favorite games are from that era. Specifically older PlayStation games (ex. Rule of Rose, Drakengard 3, Silent Hill, Clock Tower etc.), so the visual design of this game appealed to me as eccentric as it is. After I saw the photos I of course read the synopsis and also quite enjoyed the basic plot description. It was interesting to me, so I added it to my wish list. Soon after my fiancé lovingly gifted a copy of it to me... After all this was the first game in a while I had any true interest in. Gaming was my first ever hobby and I've grown up with it my entire life, however my interest in it over the years has been waning. Reason being is because of the decline of my previously favorite genre; horror. The 2000s and 2010s saw some of the best horror titles in the sphere to ever exist and I feel the games being released nowadays are desperately trying to grasp onto even a CRUMB of their successes. Using cheap tactics like jump scares & other various methods to get a reaction out of the player rather than force the player into a dread-filled journey with unique dialogue. I have no interest in playing something like that and as such turned mostly to other hobbies in recent years. This game though? Oh man... this game? It brought it all back for me! It's honestly amazing!!! What a nostalgic sweet treat! Booting it up I was immediately immersed into the world and trying to search for objects and enjoying the scenery. The lighting and color palette is just right for the vibe it is going for, and I felt nothing but a dread waiting on the eventual climax of the game! It brought back all those feelings I had when I first experienced the amazing horror games from the 2000s! After adjusting my settings a bit I found I got used to and often relied on the camera angles it gave me. The dialogue itself was pretty interesting too! I knew this game was special when on the first day Liz (the desk lady) says she can't believe Joe (the boss) makes you wear a maid uniform to work in and after you're given a few different responses to choose from. I chose the one I would've said personally which was something along the lines of "Don't the other girls wear this too?" and when Liz responded with "Does it even matter?" I was totally flabbergasted. I had never even thought of it that way before and the entire game I sat on that response. What a perfect way to encapsulate your game and narrative in just a few lines before it even starts. It has something to say about the world and it is not afraid to do so. This game truly brought out a fire for horror games in me I had not felt in such a long time. If you are also a fan of this style this is an absolute MUST-PLAY game!!! It's a short experience packed full of entertainment and is also really fun to achievement hunt in! Mixing modern digital horror & retro female-protagonist horror games Cas really takes you back to a simpler time in gaming, for that I cannot recommend it enough. Obviously yes there is definitely some bugs/glitches/errors that need addressing. Save mechanic isn't superb, the stalker can kill you through doors that aren't open, cannot go back to main menu if you have done it too many times & etc... These are obvious and mostly manageable, though the developer also seems to be aware of them and plans to fix them. I actually emailed myself to mention a few things I found in my first run (since the feedback is encouraged & wanted ATM) and the pure positivity I got in response was honestly refreshing! It is nice to see a developer so dedicated and interacting with their community. Although even if I hadn't emailed it wouldn't have changed/swayed my opinion on the game in any way. I imagine all of the issues will be fixed in later updates of the game, and who knows? Maybe my review will be outdated by then. With how much I personally loved this game I actually thought it was much more popular since I had never looked at the reviews before playing or any of it's statistics etc.? I was really confused to find out it wasn't. At the time of writing it is still a fairly niche/hidden newer game with 10~ish reviews. In fact I didn't even know that till after I had emailed. That's why I am writing this review for it, in hopes that people may see it and play it because it is really special & unique with a pretty cool story too. Games like this deserve to be seen & played. I hope that in time this game will get all the love it deserves and my review will be in an ocean of others. Thank you for reviving my love for horror games "Stay". You'll definitely stay with me for a long time.