The Archetype

"The Archetype" ist ein psychologisches Horror-Spiel in First-Person Perspektive. Wir sind Archty Tolomei, ein neunjähriger Junge, der bei seinem Vater lebt. Als seine Mutter, nach einer Zeit der Trennung zurückkehrt, bricht ein essentieller Streit aus. Nachdem Lisa, eine der beiden Schwestern von Archty, den Notruf angerufen hat, erklärt der Vater, daß seine Frau und die beiden Töchter das Haus verlassen hätten. Archty ist sich aber sicher, daß die drei sich immer noch im Haus befinden... Die grundlegende Setzung des Titels scheint interessant zu sein. Wir streifen durch das Haus, entdecken Dinge und müssen auf unsere psychologischen Zustände achten. Mit dabei sind unter anderem Furcht, Traurigkeit, Neid, Aggression, Libido, Schuld und Einsamkeit. Insgesamt 12 solche "Zustände" gibt es, jeder mit seinem eigenen Balken, der leer startet und sich je nachdem wie wir agieren füllt. Das erhöht oder erniedrigt dann einen von vier Balken: Selbstmord, Neurose, Psychose und Mord. Die Einnahme bestimmter Psychopharmaka kann bestimmte Balken beeinflussen. Was wie ein interessantes und komplexes Konzept klingt, ist im Spiel unübersichtlich, kryptisch und überladen. Es wirkt, als habe ein zu Recht gescheiterter Psychologie-Student all sein Halbwissen ungeordnet auf einen großen Haufen geworfen. Vieles rekuriert auf Arbeiten von C.G.Jung, dem Begründer der analytischen Psychologie. Daher wohl auch der Titel. Nur scheinen die Macher die Werke des großen Denkers nicht in ihrer Tiefe durchdrungen zu haben, denn leider fehlt die Intelligenz und Schärfe Jungs. Das ganze Spiel besteht mehr aus einem unkoordinierten, sprunghaftem Fiebertraum denn aus einer strukturierten psychologischen Erzählung. Und nein, das läßt sich nicht mit Jungs Synchronizitäts-Überlegungen begründen. Die Grafik ist auf einem niedrigen, zehn Jahre alten Indie-Niveau, die Steuerung ist schwammig und die Sounds scheinen, wenn sie mal groß geworden sein sollten, Jump-Scares werden zu wollen. Macht das Spaß? Nein. Erzählt es irgendetwas Relevantes? Nein. Hat es einen künstlerisch ästhetischen Wert? Nein. Sollte man den Titel vermeiden? Auf jeden Fall. [h1]Wertung:[/h1] 3/10 Atmosphäre 4/10 Story 5/10 Grafik 6/10 Sound 4/10 Spielmechanik 2/10 Balancing 2/10 Spielspass [h1]Fazit:[/h1] "Zeigen Sie mir einen gesunden Mann und ich will ihn für Sie kurieren." (C.G. Jung) [h1][b]3/10 Gesamtwertung

The game seems very banal and ridiculous considering that the developers chose such a difficult setting for their project. The game has a very good atmosphere, but the design of the levels leaves much to be desired as it is very easy to get lost and simply lose track of the intended path to pass the plot

[h1] Shovelware. [/h1]

The Archetype is a fairly basic Unity asset flipped first person horror adventure, one of many hundreds, if not thousands of these glutting Steam. The "developer" paid for/pirated a few Unity asset store packs, arranged them haphazardly in a first person adventure game template, and submitted it to Valve as if they're real game developers. I recognized the "haunted mansion" interior right away as soon as I started the game... these asset flips seem to get worse as time goes on, or maybe it's just the frequency of my exposure to all these amateur plagiarisms. Two notable criteria for what makes an asset flip instead of legitimate use of stock assets are whether those assets comprise the majority of the game, and whether the "developer" properly credited the people who created most of the assets in the game. This game fails both of those tests. The "developers" here didn't credit any of the artists and real, actual game developers who created the assets here, so this is plagiarism, as well as cash grab shovelware. MacKenzie Kaser/Rafael Barreto/SA Industry have shown a repeat pattern of unethically dumping other people's work onto Steam as a cheap, nasty cash grab, through this account or through closely linked/alt accounts. Here's some examples so you can see for yourself: [list] [*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/756260]Kingdom Defense[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/templates/packs/tower-defense-basic-pixel-art-pack-45705]Tower Defense Basic Pixel Art Pack[/url] developed by FreeThePlayerOnGame [*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/856490]Falling Words[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/templates/packs/2d-typing-game-endless-random-falling-word-text-font-typer-game-107867]2D Typing Game[/url] developed by Steelkrill Studio [*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1053650]Drive For Your Life[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/templates/packs/zombie-drive-full-game-template-73074]Zombie Drive - Full Game Template[/url] developed by Puppeteer [/list] In fairness some effort went into using the stolen assets to make a game... but effort does not translate to quality, and we already know the developer has behaved unethically and in a morally bankrupt manner by claiming someone else's work as their own. And when developers resort to do this, it's no surprise at all that they can't do the rest of the job of game development properly either, and "The Archetype" is a pretty typical example of this. They did slap some ugly screen filters and other effects over the stolen assets to try disguise the blatant asset flipping here, but it doesn't work. This asset flipped first person horror jumpscare game (yes, it's that kind of asset flip) hamfistedly uses mental illness as a driving theme for the game. You have a selection of mental health stats that are depleted as you wander around the asset flipped mansion. That adds little to nothing to the old and abused first person horror jumpscare asset flip genre. Trying to address social issues through the medium of video games is misguided and can be harmful. While it's plausible to suggest the intention was noble, this can do more harm than good. Game developers are not professionals in areas of mental health and social problems, and when they use video games to pretend they are, this can cause far more harm than good. It's my opinion that it's improper to use video games to push political or social agendas. Apart from the harm such hamfisted attempts at addressing social problems can cause, this offers zero benefit to PC gamers. People suffering from health issues or other social problems should seek out professional help rather than going to crap shovelware video games attempting to get sales by exploiting such problems for their own benefit, as is the case here. Taking this shovelware seriously as if it was a genuine attempt to make a game, it doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard. There's an ugly screen filter meant to make the game look even more obsolete... like the game looks bad enough already, but they actually went out of their way to make it look worse. There's no way to turn this off. The game assets are fairly mediocre/low quality, in some places they appear mismatched... Ultimately the quality of these assets, and thus the overall visual quality is lower than average, and low quality always makes for a less than optimal gaming experience. Remember, we're looking for the best of the best of 100,000+ games on Steam. Bewilderingly, the game doesn't include proper audio controls, so you can't turn off the annoying sound/background music, you'll need to alt+tab out and stop it using the Windows sound mixer. This is obviously not okay and it's unclear why the developers chose not to include this basic feature. The controls can't be customised, which will be an annoyance for many, but it can also render the game unplayable for differently-abled gamers, left handed gamers or gamers using AZERTY or other international keyboard layouts. These technical defects push this game below acceptable standards for any modern PC game. The game has a lot of flashing effects/strobes, the kind of thing that can cause harm to epileptics, but the developer declined to put an epilepsy warning on the game. If you suffer from anything like that, you should avoid this game. Reviewing SteamDB to check how popular this game was with players reveals a surprise... there's a very healthy spike in player counts for the game. But this only happened once, around the same time that trading cards were applied to the game... so this is just card idlers getting their cards and moving on. A closer look at the numbers shows the game just has a couple of players every week running up the game and idling it for cards, then deleting it. We must ask how it benefits gamers for there to be so many games like this, with no merit as a serious game, that only generate sales from people idling and selling the trading cards. It's also important to note the "developer" here has connections to a number of shady Russian asset flippers and review manipulators who show an organised pattern to scam and defraud gamers with fake reviews and asset flipping the work of others for profit. While reviews are about the games, gamers should be informed when developers act unethically. Whether these connections are the same developer using multiple accounts, or just working closely with other unethical developers, gamers should be warned about the harm to gamers by this developer and their associates. Buying games from unethical developers puts your money at risk. So, should you buy this asset flip? Is this one of the best of the 100,000+ games on Steam? The Archetype has the greedy, cash grab price of $30 USD, for which you could easily get any number of older AAA games. Given the defects and quality issues with the game, coupled with the unrealistic price, and the questionable ethical nature of the developer and/or their associates (as outlined above), this is impossible to recommend. THIRTY BUCKS FOR AN ASSET FLIP. For comparison, the $30 asking price for this game could get you games like "Subnautica", "Cities: Skylines" or "Final Fantasy XIV Online". Quality, professionally made games like those are frequently on sale cheaper than this.

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A junk game with no redeeming qualities. Not worth even a quick try.

The Archetype is an ambitious and deeply introspective narrative experience that places psychological struggle at the very center of its design. Developed by Rafael Barreto and MacKenzie Kaser and published by SA Industry, the game positions itself less as a traditional horror title and more as an exploration of the human mind under sustained emotional trauma. Rather than relying on conventional scares or fast-paced mechanics, it builds tension through atmosphere, symbolism, and the slow unraveling of its protagonist’s inner world. From the outset, it makes clear that its focus is not entertainment in the usual sense, but reflection, discomfort, and emotional engagement. The story follows Archty Tolomei across several distinct stages of his life, beginning in childhood and extending through adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Each phase reflects the long-term consequences of early trauma, particularly stemming from an abusive home environment and the mysterious disappearance of close family members. Instead of presenting these events as a straightforward narrative, the game fragments them through memory, perception, and emotional response. What unfolds is not just a biography of a man, but a layered portrait of how unresolved pain reshapes identity over time. The progression through different life stages gives the story a rare sense of scope, showing how emotional scars persist, evolve, and sometimes deepen rather than fade. Gameplay in The Archetype is deliberately restrained, favoring exploration, observation, and dialogue over traditional mechanics. Movement through environments is slow and purposeful, encouraging players to absorb details and interpret meaning rather than rush toward objectives. A defining feature of the game is its system of emotional states, which track feelings such as fear, despair, anxiety, guilt, anger, and solitude. These states are influenced by player choices, environmental triggers, and narrative events, subtly shaping how the game unfolds. This system reinforces the idea that internal experiences matter just as much as external actions, making the player constantly aware of Archty’s fragile mental balance. Visually, the game adopts an abstract and often surreal presentation that mirrors its psychological themes. Environments feel dreamlike and disjointed, shifting between grounded domestic spaces and symbolic landscapes that represent internal conflict. Lighting, color, and spatial distortion are used to evoke mood rather than realism, creating scenes that feel emotionally heavy even when little is happening mechanically. While the graphics are modest from a technical standpoint, the art direction succeeds in conveying unease, isolation, and emotional weight, often leaving interpretation deliberately open-ended. Sound design plays a crucial role in reinforcing the atmosphere. Subtle ambient noises, unsettling silences, and sparse musical cues heighten the sense of introspection and vulnerability. Rather than guiding emotions overtly, the audio design allows discomfort to linger, making moments of quiet just as impactful as moments of tension. This approach aligns well with the game’s themes, emphasizing introspection over spectacle and allowing players to sit with uncomfortable emotions rather than escape them. The Archetype is not a game that aims to be universally accessible or immediately rewarding. Its pacing is slow, its themes are heavy, and its mechanics are intentionally understated. Some players may find the experience emotionally draining or narratively opaque, especially if they expect clear goals or traditional gameplay feedback. Others may struggle with the abstract storytelling and the lack of conventional resolution. However, for players willing to engage with its subject matter on its own terms, the game offers a rare kind of depth, using interactive systems to explore mental health, trauma, and emotional endurance in a way few games attempt. Overall, The Archetype stands as a bold and uncompromising narrative experiment that uses the medium of games to explore deeply personal and often uncomfortable psychological territory. It is not designed to entertain in a conventional sense, but to provoke thought, empathy, and introspection. While its uneven pacing and niche appeal may limit its audience, its commitment to emotional authenticity and thematic ambition makes it a memorable experience for those drawn to narrative-driven games that challenge rather than comfort. Rating: 5/10

An interesting idea and implementation, but such a huge bunch of indicators that need to be monitored at the same time seems to me to be too much, although you gradually get used to it

https://store.steampowered.com/points/shop

The Archetype is a gripping psychological-horror game that delves into the depths of Archty's mind. The story is intense and keeps you on edge throughout