Heartworm

I'm giving this a "technical thumbs up." It does everything it says it's going to on the cover- but what it doesn't promise is cohesion, and this game lacks it. Moon logic, mixed with the Silent Hill exploration, Resident Evil's management system, and Fatal Frame's combat doesn't necessarily shake out into an enjoyable experience. I know that sounds harsh, and it is. I've been second guessing my recommendation for a minute now. However, it IS designed with love, and appreciation for the genre- it just sadly isn't that most interesting or satisfying to play. I found it to almost, ALMOST, be making fun of those experiences- but it never evolves from homage to parody, so I think this is an honest attempt to create a "chocolate and peanut butter" Silent Evil kinda thing- and tbh, it just doesn't quite work out. A+ for the effort, but execution needed to be frank- less. More focus on enemies or puzzle design, but this falls in-between all.

I, too, enjoy thinking about and loving the idea of Signalis way way more than actually playing it. I did not finish this game and I'm sad writing this, because this game is aesthetically beautiful, but playing this is, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, excruciating. I wish there were a walking simulator mode where I didn't have to deal with this horrendous and tedious combat.

Hard review to write, but since I've not felt like picking this game up again, it's time to share my thoughts. I loved playing the the first few levels. The game's got that old-school feel (not just because of the graphics) with challenging puzzles and a captivating story. I wanted to find out what was going to happen next so badly... until I got to the level in the wilderness, where it becomes too frustrating to play. The map is huge and full of enemies, and sadly, the camera combat mechanic is only entertaining for so long. Will I finish this game? Maybe in a few months. But right now, I feel no spark to play again.

Personally, when an enemy knocks you down and chain knocks you down before you can escape leading to a cheap death I lose any interest in continuing.

While I think this game is pleasant to look at, I think the actual contents are poorly executed both in gameplay and story, which comes together to make something I think is shallow and even somewhat boring. Firstly, I think the gameplay is sorely lacking with many of its problems coming down to its level design. About two thirds of this games main levels are very long. Like, actually physically long corridors. You may well spend about a tenth of your whole playthrough just waiting for the run button to carry you from one place to another. (Additionally, this width of space also makes enemies very easy to avoid and renders them nuisances rather threats or aspects of engaging gameplay.) Furthermore, there is almost nothing to the levels that isn't strictly necessary in completing the main story. This is to such a degree that doors you can't go through aren't even depicted on the map. From the instant you enter any room, the map screen will show you which doors are "real" and which are "fake". It's an odd decision that only serves to remind you that you're playing a video game. It eliminates any sense of exploration, scale, or believability to the world. The game's story also falls very short. Whenever a character speaks, they'll be telling you exactly what they're thinking, the significance of it, and how you are meant to interpret it. I am not someone who thinks subtlety is an end- all, be-all of good writing, but this game could have certainly benefited from more clever conveyance of its already simplistic ideas. As it is, the game asks nothing of the player to actually mentally engage with it. Finally, I think this game suffers from an over-reliance on homage. As anyone looking at it may notice, it borrows its entire identity from Resident Evil or Silent Hill. It goes so far in this pursuit that there are instances where an entire zone or sequence of camera angles may be pulled directly from those games without particular rhyme or reason. There is one section of the third area which copies a stairwell from RE1 almost exactly. The colour of the wallpaper, the photo-frame decor, the camera angles, the placement of the enemies, location of the save room, the list goes on. I think that some restraint should have been shown before the notion of "borrowing" became a cause for concern about the game's ability to be original. (As a side-note, the third levels inspiration from RE's mansion inadverdently makes it the best one by not being comprised of overly long corridors) Overall, I think Heartworm is a game which is very attractive and reminds of other games we've liked in the past, but I think would have benefitted from more thorough consideration of its execution.

I almost skipped this game; the camera being the main form of combat didn't appeal to me initially. Luckily, I saw some videos on release day to change my mind and I made the day 1 purchase. Survival horror, tank controls, and fixed camera is my favorite genre. It's been such a treat seeing the indie game community revitalize the genre in the last numbers of years. And with such, each game seems to try to appeal to a wider audience with QOL additions and tweaks to the classic formula. From what recent survival horror games I have played, Heartworm handles that aspect by far the best. On game start, the game greets you with a variety of gameplay options for classic or modern fans of the genre, and even has fully re-programmable controls, both on keyboard and gamepad. Heartworm further modernizes the genre with a mechanic to switch between tank controlled aiming or over the shoulder aiming on the fly, with just the push of a button. This isn't a static a menu option; you simply press a button in-game while aiming, and you will be in the over the shoulder perspective. The camera smoothly rotates and resets so this process isn't disorientating at all, which was an initial worry on my part. At times I enjoyed both aiming styles. Tank aiming offers a faster and easier aim, kind of like "hip fire", but as is the case in fixed camera games, sometimes the enemy is just out of sight and it will be better to use over the shoulder aiming. One of Heartworm's standard enemies "teleports" some distance after being attacked, making the two aiming perspectives important throughout the game. In addition to over the shoulder providing you with a better perspective for combat, it also has the added benefit of allowing you to fully explore and look at the environments beyond what typical fixed camera perspectives allow. In a game flush with beautiful, surreal landscapes, this is much appreciated. So much of my time with the game was spent simply looking around with this unique mechanic and soaking in the atmosphere, both visually and with its amazing soundtrack. But it's not all beauty; there is plenty of horror in the game, both physically and psychologically. While perhaps not strictly explained, to me the whole game is one big allegory for depression and getting out of a depressive episode. This isn't completely shoved in your face, and you can choose to view it this way or take the game literally. I think it's a great way to tell a story as deep as this. While a lot of the story deals with grief and depression, the main character, Sam, in perhaps classic "bad things happened to a good person" fashion, displays plenty of humor. Her voice-over is fairly dead pan, and just sounds "done" with the world, but her "inspect" lines are genuinely hilarious at times, and inquisitive at others given her surroundings and experiences. Sam is very likeable and relatable all throughout the game, and I think a perfect example of a solid "modern character". In a lot of ways, I feel like this game was made just for me; in addition to being my favorite genre, the game contains puzzles of my favorite hobbies (chess, music), and it's themes of grief and depression resonate very strongly with me. Shortly before the game was released, I had gone through a passing of my own that I was attempting to navigate. This was my first time going through a grief so strong, and I struggled immensely with it, much like Sam. Near the end of the game, Sam muses about not applying herself to her art and creative abilities, another thing I often grapple with. I attribute this game with helping me take that "first step" toward confronting these thoughts and feelings, instead of fully sinking into the void. Despite these personal feelings and connections, and my general thoughts that this game is more "art" than anything else, it's still a very solid survival horror experience if you aren't interested in all of that. It checks all of the genres' boxes (besides limited saves, but it is still manual saves), doesn't over stay its welcome, and is a great time. I allowed some time to pass between my first play on release day and writing this review, because I wanted to see if I was being blinded by my personal connection with my thoughts and recommendation for the game. After playing it again on its one year anniversary recently, I can still say that this is by far my favorite indie survival horror game, and very high on the list of my favorite games of all time. I recommend Heartworm to all fans of the genre, and rate it a 90/100. Lastly, to the developers, my eternal thanks and gratitude for crafting this experience. You have a fan for life. Thank you!

A good indie survival horror inspired by Resident Evil, Silent Hill and maybe... American McGee's Alice? The whole thing is an exploration of the heroine's mental issues and personal traumas. The world you're exploring is resembling places familar to the heroine, but often twisted in a weird way. Pros: - The story is quite good. - It captures the PSX-era graphics and vibe quite well. - The puzzles are decent. - The boss fights are designed quite well. Cons: - The enemy variety is low, and their designs leave something to be desired. - I sometimes felt the game could use a few more puzzles. - It's a bit too generous with the amount of first aid kits and ammo.

Overall, there's nothing really *wrong* with Heartworm, but I'm not sure it really does anything that right, either. Okay, it's generally quite playable, the music is broadly decent, and I appreciate that it doesn't overstay its welcome, so it's admittedly not all bad. It is, however, just a bit too slavish and doesn't offer anything particularly noteworthy, which is compounded by a trite narrative that fails to draw the player in or give them the remotest reason to care. It's... fine, but nothing more than that. Maybe that'll work for some, but that makes it hard for me to recommend.