Things Too Ugly

Things Too Ugly is a little mystery puzzle game reminiscent of [i]Stories Untold[/i] with its psychological horror retro themes. It’s only a few hours long with straight-forward, but fun puzzles. Although there’s not much of a story or many characters to follow, I enjoyed my playthrough, even if I don’t quite understand the title! [b] [u]Pros[/u] [/b] [list] [*] Eerie psychological horror vibe, very similar to [i]Stories Untold.[/i] [*] Fun puzzles that are logical but are fun to solve with many steps [*] Self-explanatory gameplay with no real introduction or tutorial needed [/list] [b] [u]Cons[/u] [/b] [list] [*] No saves [*] Handwriting is hard to read [/list] [quote] I tend to review wholesome, puzzle, horror and narrative-driven games. If that sounds up your alley, please feel free to check out my curator page [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34936724/] Cookie Reviews[/url]. [/quote] [h1]Story[/h1] You take on the role of a worker at Terebro Inc, 1986. You’re a risk assessment data processor who is responsible for delving into the archives of history, deducing encrypted messages and finding hidden files. What fun! With only the aid of your Supervisor, you must answer questions set out on the computer. All answers can be located within the files provided, and some nifty tools and gadgets on your desk. Read between the lines of the documents to piece together a narrative that is meant to stay covered. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Things Too Ugly plays very similarly to [i]Stories Untold. [/i] Sifting through cryptic documents, radio stations, decoding puzzles all to come up with the answers the assignment is seeking. Some answers take a few steps such as using the GPS system or radio. I didn’t find the puzzles too difficult nor too easy and I really enjoyed the flow this provided. Sometimes I’d get a bit stuck but as there’s not too many options to pick from, I was always able to deduce the next step without getting frustrated or bored. Only the Supervisor speaks to you intermittently through the intercom and I wish there were some other characters involved that could help tell the story. Of course, the developer is on a budget but it would have been nice to have the story fleshed out a little bit more, either with more characters or flashbacks etc. One small element that I did not like is that there’s some handwritten notes that you need to read to solve puzzles but I could not comprehend the messy, cursive handwriting and there was no option to “read” or convert it into typed text. This had me stumped a few times as cursive messy handwriting is not what I am used to. I’d like to see an option to “read” these notes, rather than just zooming in. Another con (at least for me) that there is no option to save. In fairness, the game does warn you at the beginning that it’s designed to be played in one sitting, but I didn’t realise it wouldn’t save at all! The game takes about 2 hours I’d say but unfortunately I had to stop just before the ending and was forced to keep the game running to avoid losing all progress. [h1]Visuals & Sound[/h1] ***Editing as per Dev request/ to remove potential spoilers** There is a flashing light segment which may impact photosensitive players There’s next to no sound, except for the dull static over the radio, or if you choose to play some radio stations for background music. The Supervisor is voiced but dialogue is very minimal, keeping up the isolation and eerie atmosphere [b]Playtime:[/b] 2 hours but note my playtime is higher as there is no save option and I had to stop partway through. [b]Replayability value:[/b] For some achievements as without saves, full replays are needed. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] Things Too Ugly is a short puzzler with a psychological horror theme. I really enjoyed the puzzles in the game as they are logical but still challenging enough that they are fun to solve. I feel that there was much more to explore but with such a short game (likely due to various budget/time constraints) a lot was left uncovered. Still, I enjoyed my time and would recommend it to those looking for a smart puzzle game with a creepy backstory! [quote] Follow our curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/] [b]IndieGems[/b][/url] if you enjoyed this review and wish to see more like it[/quote]

Hmkay. If you like point and click puzzlers with a creepy atmosphere that ask you to search documents for clues, this ticks the right boxes. It's a very short game - took me about an hour to play through start to finish once I'd worked out how it wanted the data entered. It says 3-5 hrs somewhere, I don't agree with that. Most of my 2 hr playtime was because the game does not allow saves, so about an hour is me 1) trying to work out how to log in to the computer the first time, and then 2) replaying the bits I'd already done because I have a short attention span and chores to do. Things I liked: - Picking through documents to pull out the story alongside the clues. Documents are varied and you need a good spot at times. - The different tools to find clues. - The late night radio shows you can find and listen to while you play. Nicely atmospheric. - Nicely voice acted. Not so great things: - Extremely short once you understand how to answer the questions. - No ability to save. I get that it's supposed to be played in a single sitting, but it just didn't work for me. I replayed it about 3 times before I hit the end, and it's simple enough I could pretty much remember the answers to all the clues to get back to the furthest point I'd reached. - The controls. This is probably me, but I was constantly shifting the screen view rather than turning a document over. It felt counter-intuitive. No doubt this will not be a problem for everyone. - The inability to skip cutscenes and voice sections, highlighted for me because I was replaying to get back to where I'd previously reached. Is it worth the money?: - Yes. Devs have to pay rent. - Yes. I enjoyed it for what it was, even if it was short. More fun than a movie for a similar ticket price. - Yes. Make another one. Make a longer one. Include a save feature.

Short game in which you seek answers by analyzing documents and photographs. You assume the position of an analyst who must perform the night shift. The task is first tedious because all you do is review files and hunt for solutions, but you gradually learn a lot more working with the supervisor on the other end of the intercom. One thing that should be noted is that there is no saving. This means you have to complete the entire game in a single session. It is not long, but it can still be frustrating when you are nearing the conclusion and have to leave abruptly or there’s a power outage. However, writing down the solutions allows you to speed up your next session. The game places you at a desk. Your primary tool is the computer, but you can also click on a few other items. There are some notes and a radio where you can listen to a few stations. That is also where you should start looking for hints, because your first puzzle is figuring out how to get access to the computer. A GPS locator and a decryption wheel are also on the desk. The wheel is simple to use; you move it left and right to match shapes and letters. These shapes are obvious and will be noticed quickly. The GPS locator is also very simple to use. All you need to do is enter four numbers, which can be a phone number or a location. It is usually a good idea to try inputting each string of four numbers because you never know what you will find. After finding the credentials, you open your first file. There are five, and you go through each one in order. While the computer displays the tasks you must do in order to progress to the next file, the real documents are studied on the desk. All five folders are visible nearby, but you can only open the one that corresponds to the present task. A file contains several pages and photos. Your duty is to sort through them and identify the data that has to be typed into the computer. There is not a lot of it, but you never know what might be significant. Files can also be rotated to provide clues on the backside. You are not completely clueless, though, because the computer shows you what to look for. The three types are operator, data type, and value. The list of possible operators is shown, and data types and values indicate what to look for. For example, you may need to search for waveform and HZ values, or an animal and anatomy type. Furthermore, you have no risk of failure, so you can try everything. When you enter the correct word or number, the game will mark "valid" to ensure you are on the right track. This allows you to brute-force your way through the majority of the game by just typing key terms. The game contains two endings and a few hidden achievements. Because the game just takes a few minutes after you know the answers, obtaining the second ending is quick and simple.

I'm not sure I'd say it was worth full price. It was a neat little game but there's a big emphasis on the "little". The game's roughly 1-2 hours long depending on how quickly you can read. The puzzles are very simple aside from maybe one or two. The voice acting is pretty decent, and the story is fairly interesting, but it's too short to actually get invested in. It's not a bad game, it's just something I feel like would've been free a few years ago on a flash game site. This is yet another case where I wish Steam had a 'Recommend on sale' button or something.

I want to love it, but something about it just doesn't click. It's way too short (2-3 hours? ha!), too easy, the ending is entirely nonsensical (knowing what I have learned, I would not have done the thing which the game demands). And some minor quips on top of that: The devs couldn't be bothered to implement a save system in a game with obvious checkpoints? And the intercom transmissions get saved to a log, but I couldn't figure out where that is.

"Oh no, not me We never lost control You're face to face With the man who sold the world" (c) David Bowie / listening to "nirvana"

It's an okay-ish puzzle that you must (not can) beat in one seating. There are no save files, so you have to see it through. It took me ~1.5-2 hours with some distractions. There are 5 case files, for each of them you must answer 2 questions, using freeform text input. I don't really see a reason for this game to not have save files, but it's not a huge problem. The puzzles aren't too difficult but also not all that interesting. You just read through some documents and punch in some numbers into the computer, that's it. Still, it scratched my puzzle itch and it's not super expensive, so I'm recommending it

This game had creepy moments, but what I enjoyed was the way it told its story through the case studies and puzzles you were solving throughout your shift. If you’re into sci-fi puzzle games with some creepy twists, this one’s definitely worth checking out!

Another game where the less you know going in the better your time will be, but if you need a comparison, its a little bit A Hand With Many Fingers and a bit of The Black Watchmen. It doesn't outstay its welcome and it knows how to tell a story Entirely worth your time

Absolutely loved this. The vibe is immaculate. The difficulty level is casual and fun. I wish it was longer. I wish it saved your progress. I wish this background and framework was used to keep telling new chapters or new short stories - I would buy every single one of them.