Like Clay

[u][h1][i]Like Clay[/i] is confusing and monotonous, but the story more than makes up for it[/h1][/u] [h2]I played this game for 5 hours. I spent my night pondering over whether or not I considered it "good." Ultimately I came to the decision, with the help of my partner, that it's just okay.[/h2] For a solo developer, it does need to be applauded that they managed to make an experience that lasts for a few hours with an engaging story. This isn't an easy task at all. I enjoyed playing the game from a cultist's POV, rather than going in as a police officer or detective. I feel like that market has been overblown in recent years, so this felt more refreshing. Going into this game and learning about the cult as you progress felt natural, like you're figuring things out alongside the player character. Most of the exposition will be fed to you via voice messages on telephones or the various notes hidden throughout the facility, but environmental storytelling is also present. You start in an apartment lobby, and hearing the other residents getting along with their life outside the doors and seeing the place warp and change as you progress further into insanity was neat. The interactions between the other cultists and your long lost friend were palpably written, and I was quite intrigued to see how the story would climax. The store page has tags that market this game as a "horror" which is laughable. This game isn't remotely scary, the models look like play-doh creations my 4 year old niece would whip up and the game's threat "encounters" are scripted and tend to boil down to a lot of trial and error. This immediately takes away from any sort of "horror" you're trying to convey as a developer. The game's description also says "light" puzzle elements, but towards the end of the game, most puzzles were super obtuse and required consulting a guide. I appreciate the "bossfight" at the end of the game, (if you can even call it that), but I've never liked when games try to force an encounter that ultimately doesn't fit within the game's genre, narrative and already established game-play. It felt hamfisted but, hey, it was something different. The atmospheric touches were nice, like the lighting getting colder and darker the deeper you go in the complex, but the majority of the sound effects just exist to indicate that something is happening, or its okay to progress. Models and textures are extremely limited, and seeing the same 5 books laying around got old very quickly. Environmental design isn't the games strongest suit, however it works well in tandem with the hallucinations and giving a sense of unease as you slip further into your mental state. The majority of the game felt cheap, but done in a way that I think was trying to give a liminal aesthetic. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. You will likely find yourself getting lost and confused at what to do and where to go in the latter half of the game, as most of the corridors look the same and sometimes things take a while to trigger, especially when it comes to grabbing the two ending achievements. I'm not entirely sure if this developer has released anything post and prior to this, but I hope they learn from their shortcomings and use their newfound knowledge to make better projects. Overall, [i]Like Clay[/i] is an okay-ish little adventure title with a decent mystery to unravel. For $1.20NZD, ($0.75USD), you could definitely be buying worse, but keep in mind when purchasing, there are a lot of flaws present. [h3][i]Like Clay[/i] gets a mediocre 5.4/10[/h3] Check out [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44654461-Toasty-Reviews/]My Curator Page[/url] for more!