I want to start with a Disclaimer:
If you are a Streamer, and you like to play Games like Amnesia,
Phasmophobia, the Quarry or Until Dawn, etc., you'll have a great time with this Game.
This is a perfect Game for Streamers as you can figure everything out with your Community.
They can help you take notes, suggest Solutions or outright nudge you in certain directions.
However,
if you're not, this Game will probably suck for you.
Before I give you my "personal" Reasons for why I have quit, look at the Achievement-Percentages:
Only about 80% of the Players finished the Tutorial, only ~50% found a second Clue.
Then you can see that only ~30% keep actually playing the Game for the vast majority of Achievements.
Yet, only ~12% actually solve the Case, and only ~8% solve the Game.
Even at the VERY END, after countless Hours of chasing this Mystery or being chased by it,
you STILL have a drop-off of 4%!
That's bad.
My personal Reasons:
(I try to avoid any Spoilers, so I have to be a bit more vague on certain Details)
1) The Worldbuilding is bad. Like, really bad.
Not only do you have a VERY ENGLISH Village in the middle of the UNITED STATES (of America),
but you also have the most incompetent Villagers you can imagine. More on that later.
To give you some examples:
There's a "shockingly" (Eastern) European Playground which would have never been approved anywhere in the U.S. as it violates all safety regulations build right next to a Creek which had killed some kids over the Years, but it's still open. At the beginning of the Game you even find Posters of a missing Child who was last seen on that Playground.
Next, there's a creepy Hunting Cabin in the Woods, the type you'll see Horror-Movies or Documentaries.
The ONLY WAY to reach that Cabin is by a Path THROUGH the Playground!!
Then there is no Fire-Departemant in the Village. Everyone is using Gas-Stoves and Candles (in the 90s) and there's even a burned out House, yet no Fire-Departement.
The Way to the Hospital is blocked by 2 Iron Gates,
which every Ambulance would have to stop to open first before getting their Patient to the Hospital.
Then you don't have a Groundfloor-Entrance.
You'll have to get the Patient from the Ambluance up a set of Stairs.
Even at Back where there would've/should've been a Heli-Pad, the Devs put a Fountain instead.
I worked at a Hospital for a while and that's probably why it bothers me so much.
2) Immersion-Breakers
I personally get thrown out of a Story I immerse myself into when I find mismatching Assets.
For example, when you find a MODERN flat Key but have to use it on an OLD round Keyhole.
(And vice versa, OLD round Keys to be used on MODERN flat Keyholes.)
You have the Assets for both, why are there so many Key & Keyhole mismatches?
Or Arpartement 201 for example, which as the Keyhole on the INSIDE of the Room
and the hand-lock on the OUTSIDE. It makes ZERO sense.
The Devs stated they have worked 5 Years on this Game.
5 Years and nobody noticed the Keys don't match the Doors 30% of the time? Not good.
Then you also have lots of Objects clipping through each other or the Furniture they're placed on.
Some can be overlooked, but in a Game where have to thoroughly search each Room to not miss something, it starts to become more and more noticeable the longer you play.
Next is a Dartboard Puzzle in which one of the Darts is on the Ground with a broken Tip.
If this was an electronic Dartboard, which would've been the most commonly used during the 1980s and beyond, in which the Darts use Soft-Tips made of plastic, it would make sense.
However, those are Steel-Dartboards, which use, as the Name suggests, Steel Darts.
They do not break their Tips.
This might sound nitpicky, but stuff like that always reminds me that I'm just playing a Game and not actually investigating a Case.
Like I mentioned earlier, the Story takes place in the 70s/80s/90s in the USA.
Yet, NOBODY except for the Mayor has a Washing Machine.
The Village looks like an english Village stuck in the 1950s. Where are the Coffeemachines?
Why they all drink Tea instead of Coffee and use Stove-Kettles to heat the Water,
instead of Microwaves like Americans do?
Especially given that Microwaves boomed in the 70s/80s in the US
and almost every Household got them.
But enough on that. I'm probably alone on this but it bothers me.
3) Incompetent Villagers
Not only did everyone move out of this Ghost Town to live elsewhere, but they all leaving behind the weirdest things.
For one, everyone and their dog is writing Diaries and keep them lying around everywhere.
Clearing out all your Drawers for Moving but somehow leave behind the most personal Items, like Diaries, you can think of. Like moving out of an Apartement full of Guns, Axes and Knifes, and just leave them all behind. Or stupidly expensive Winebottles.
The Innkeeper just left whilst having tons of Wine worth 150$ a Bottle stay behind, same for the Mayor.
But it gets even worse. The Innkeeper moved out while STILL HAVING A CUSTOMER LIVING IN THE INN!!
Also the Sheriff who stayed in the Village for a Year more than the Innkeeper, never got bothered by the Customer not departing.
The abandoned Hospital?
Has still a lot of expensive Equipment, Medicine and EVEN the Records still on site.
Closed 3 Years ago and has still unmade Beds from former Patients and some of their Belongings.
Like what? Even if literally everyone would've fled, there would've been some Youths driving to this Ghost Town plundering it. Because that is what happens to most Ghost Towns and abandoned Buildings.
4) Story
It's alright. It's a solid "B-" on the Narrative.
(But if you're somewhat literate and/or neuro-divergent,
you'll figure most of this out in about 2-3hrs unfortunately, which makes it a little less fun)
There are no real Surprises except for this turning into a Found-footage Horror-,
rather than a Detective-Story.
(Also a Reason why I quit. I don't like Horror/Terror Games, and this wasn't marketed as such.)
Conclusion:
I could go on for quite a while, but I think if you read this far, you already got my point.
If you're a Streamer and/or don't care for Immersion, you might have a GREAT TIME with this Game.
This was the first Game by these Developers so you can always give them a bit of a leeway.
Despite all the Critique from my End, I'll probably check out their second Game to see how they have improved.
Because they have the Potential to become a Studio which is really good at creating Investigation-type Games. And the World lacks good Detective Story Games.
