NeverHome Ch.1 - Hall of Apathy

Played through on Steam Deck and I was pleasantly surprised by this. The art style really worked for me - it looks pretty chaotic in screenshots, but it really works well in context. Combined with the soundtrack it's really effective at evoking a very specific vibe. In many respects the soundtrack reminds me of the work of Bertrand Eleurd in the relatively obscure PC/PS2/Dreamcast game Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles, but where that game leaned into darker, Tim Burtonesque visuals, Neverhome Ch1 is more of a technicolour dreamscape/acid trip, and it's a juxtaposition that works well. I also quite enjoyed some of the in-universe explanations for certain visual flourishes. The mix of hand drawn and photos for the backgrounds could very easily clash, but it works as an effectively emotive, and surprisingly cohesive, collage. For what seems to be the devs first game, the world feels remarkably fully formed. In terms of gameplay, this is a puzzler more than anything. While there is some combat it's serviceable but rudimentary, and is mostly absent for the bulk of the game. My first playthrough took about 3.5hrs, but subsequent playthroughs were well under an hour - like most puzzle games once you know the solutions the game is really quite brisk (though there is some randomisation to spice things up a little on repeat playthroughs). That's not a criticism though, what's here is pretty engaging, for a short experience the variety of puzzles is pretty good. The puzzle logic has a dreamlike quality, but steers clear of the 'moon logic' that defines some point and clicks, nothing here will stump you for long but there's enough to tickle your brain. The story has a relatively interesting hook and the MC in particular is quite likeable and while the game is on the shorter end, it got enough hooks in that I'm curious to see where things go in chapter 2. While the narrative thus far is relatively short, and the characters broadly archetypes, it's presented well - the world and it's surreal and mysterious nature are the real draws thus far. For the price this one's a no brainer recommendation. About to go into chapter 2 (you can get both chapters in a bundle) and curious to see how the dev evolves the gameplay from there.

The game is peak, I played it and honestly I don't understand why it is so unknown. One of the best games I've played 10/10.

I'm too stupid for the game, but the art, story, and everything was well done.

a visual novel inspired exploration puzzle game. way more content then i expected. the characters are "nice" if a bit childish. it has a cool art style. theres a slight lack of polish, just a few places were there should be some shading. overall a really good experience. and theres more chapters coming.

(Writing this as of Chapter 2 just releasing and about to start it!) Even for a playtime of about 4 hours or so this STILL feels like a steal for its price with how quality it feels for the music, visuals, and just everything all-round. The puzzles have a nice balance of difficulty where it feels good to figure them out without being TOO frustrating, and while the combat feels the tiniest bit janky, combat only really comes in small spaced out doses enough where it doesn't become too much of a problem. Overall just a really nice time that nails the uneasy atmosphere you hope for from this type of game amazingly. also the character and creature designs absolutely rock

This game's charming characters, scrapbook-like art style, and original soundtrack stuck with me long after I finished it. Some of the hidden secrets pulled me into a rabbit hole of theories about what’s really going on behind the story, and I've even replayed it a few times trying to dissect everything. I don’t usually play games like this, but I’d recommend it to anyone with a few hours to spare- it gives you a lot for just a dollar. Can’t wait to see where the series goes next!

This game is very interesting. Gameplay wise, it's alright, the combat is really clunky and hard to get around, I bounced between this and Cult of the Lamb around the same time so between the two this games combat was really hard to like. But the content that's here for $1 is pretty nice, the game has complex characters that aren't always doing what you need them to do or want them to do. They have their own drive, and personal interests. The game does have some glitches, I attempted to play this on Steam Deck with varying results. Trying to play "A cheap game where your put four chips in a line" Crashed this game on Steam Deck. That's really my main gripes with the title. If it was fixed in that regard I'd definitely say this game is up there as one of the best single session games I've played. Cloud saves would be nice but not really that important since you can beat the game in about ~4 hrs Music is really good! Overall 8/10