Tales from the Other Side: Beneath the Roots

You play as an unnamed character who has grown tired of city life after their landlord falls into debt and gangsters begin collecting money from the tenants, including you. With nothing left to keep you there, you pack your belongings and move to the middle of nowhere, settling into an old house that once belonged to your grandfather, who mysteriously disappeared years ago. The experience is focused on immersion, so the controls stay simple and never get in the way. You have standard first person movement, a crouch button, and an interaction button. Whenever you point the dot in the center of the screen at something important, an interaction prompt appears, allowing you to either use or collect the object. There is no inventory management, as every item you pick up is used automatically when you interact with the correct spot. Most interactions involve opening doors or operating switches, and only a few involve item use. Oddly enough, some interactions inside the house are overly sensitive and can even be triggered through walls, so it feels a little strange when a button prompt appears while you're simply standing next to one. Aside from that small oversight, the game runs well and looks good. Less important objects have a separate examine option. This mostly applies to letters, notes, and other readable documents that reveal much more about the story and the events surrounding the mystery. These items appear naturally as you progress, since the game only lets you examine what is relevant at the time. You also cannot search drawers or other containers for items. Progression can be a bit confusing because objectives are often vague. When they do appear, they only show a general goal and rarely update when something changes. For example, one objective tells you to cook dinner, but you also need to check the gas supply in the basement. At other times, there are no objectives at all, leaving you to wander around until you stumble upon an invisible trigger. There are no visual markers, waypoints, or highlighted key items, which actually works in the game's favor because it helps maintain the atmosphere. Some interactive objects do have a subtle flashing dot, but otherwise you're left to explore on your own. Thankfully, the house is small, so walking back and forth in search of the next step never becomes too frustrating. It also helps that interactions only become available when they are relevant to your current objective. The main character tells what needs to be done. He speaks in Russian with English subtitles, but if you miss the dialogue, you may end up wandering around wondering what you're supposed to do. On the topic of audio, the voice volume is noticeably low, and there isn't a separate volume slider for dialogue in the settings. Naturally, things don't stay quiet for long. The first strange events begin during your very first night, when the lights suddenly go out and you catch a glimpse of something lurking in the darkness. Soon afterward, you discover a trapdoor that leads into a maze beneath the house, where you'll encounter a handful of puzzles. These revolve around carrying weighted objects and placing them on numbered switches. If the combined weight matches the number, the switch activates. The puzzles are straightforward, although the weights can become a little annoying if you accidentally leave one behind or forget where you dropped it. From there, the game remains mostly linear. You move through caves and underground rooms built by your grandfather, who became obsessed with a mysterious ritualistic mask. Eventually, you find the mask yourself and make your way into a forest, where the game abruptly comes to an end. There is never any real danger, although you catch brief glimpses of a strange creature a few times before it disappears, never giving you a proper look. The entire experience lasts less than an hour, and just as it feels like the story is finally about to become interesting, it ends with a few newspaper clippings that tease what could have been a much more exciting game.

Начало понравилось, моменты с лабиринтами уже показались лишними. Порой лучше не показывать монстров - можно было бы нагнетать мистикой и нарастающим эмбиентом. Когда ты слышишь тяжелые шаги в соседней комнате или вой вдали, но сам враг остается скрытым и ты только дорисовываешь в голове что же там могло быть. Сам дом выглядит довольно уютным и не однотипным, в нем можно было бы развернуть интересную историю. Сам стиль и дизайн уровней мне понравился, а история нет, но приятный вайб от игры остался.

Great Russian horror game. I am curious to see what story you’ll tell in the next episode of Tales of The Other Side. I hope this horror game series of yours becomes as famous as Fears to Fathom and Tales Beyond The Tomb. Here is my walkthrough: https://youtu.be/ZB_7ntau8Uw?si=WH_GEYNRqGdSSe4B

https://youtu.be/PBwoO_MGBrY really enjoyed your game!

Как первый проект, игра вообще смак, мне понравилось, есть некоторые моменты, которые можно подтянуть, но даже с ними игра достаточно хороша, рекомендую.