Saturnalia

An adventure horror game where you're investigating a Sardinian village looking for clues while trying not to get caught by the monster. It also has a "roguelite" mechanic meaning that if your characters die or you run out of consumable items you could randomly rearrange the map and try again while retaining your story progress. Tbh I didn't like the horror elements that much and at some point monster chases started to feel like a chore that's only there to prolong the game. Especially when you've already figured out what you've got to do but you still constantly have to take a break and wait until the monster stops following you. Some of the mechanics are poorly explained while some other are practically useless. The game's main strengths definitely are its visual style and sound design. It captures that giallo movie vibe perfectly amounting to a very cinematic experience. Music is also really good even though there’s not much of it. Narratively the game has enough hooks to get you invested in the characters and the main mystery. The clues system is also done very well, really making you feel as if you’re “connecting the dots” both literally and figuratively. With a big disclaimer at the beginning about how the game contains “references to abuse, sexism, racism, homophobia etc” I honestly thought the story would have a bit more bite. Edgy topics are barely touched and don’t play much importance to the plot. Some parts resemble a dark comedy and I’m not sure if it was intentional ([spoiler]such as when Anita tricks Damiano to get him killed by the monster, it was just so goofy I laughed out loud[/spoiler]). The ending doesn’t really explain anything but I suppose that’s in line with the genre’s conventions. Overall I certainly enjoyed Saturnalia but I’d strongly suggest getting it while it’s on sale.

Saturnalia is an experience. It's a very strange one, and tricky to recommend due to some of it's quirks, but I found it's uniqueness charming and it's story, and specifically the way it delivers it, compelling. If you are at all intrigued by it there's a good chance it is for you.

OLHA ESSA GEOMETRIA!!! KOJIMA O QUE QUE VOCÊ FEZ?!?!?!?!

i bought it because it reminded me of siren which is one of my favorite games. i haven’t finished it yet but so far i’ve been enjoying it. the character designs are so unique and i love the atmosphere. i love paul he is so silly and sweet following me around. and there’s this sound i can’t figure out what it is but whenever the creature gets close it starts making a noise and it’s creepy. kind of sounds like his balls are hitting each other when he walks. the camera movement is a bit wonky but i guess it adds to the weirdness of the game. i also like the whispers the characters make when talking they remind me a lot of rule of rose. id recommend the game for now but if my silly paul dies i’m deleting it momo if you see this you should buy this game the religious aesthetic reminds me of you!!

This game is a fantastic and unique experience. I'm really surprised how under the radar and obscure this is despite good ratings all around including an 80 on metacritic and 90% positive reviews on Steam. If you're into survival horror this is a must play, and really is a unique blend of maze, detective, and survival horror with a bit of roguelite thrown in. The visual style and atmosphere are top notch. There really is no combat, but there's a lot more to it than just a walking simulator. It has a cool clue tracking mechanic and a good flow to things. This took me maybe 10ish hours to beat, but could easily be beaten in a few hours once you know what to do. Basically you have a crew of characters, and if they all die, the layout of the town randomizes and you lose all your tools, but shortcuts stay open and your other progress carries over to make it quick to get back to what you were doing. I only had to reset once. There are some obscure mechanics that I was never able to figure out completely, and you're not going to find any guides or info online to help, so you're basically on your own. I didn't have much trouble progressing though the game and the path forward is pretty intuitive, though there were a few things I missed. There is a bit of jank and a few frustrating things, mostly due to any lack of explanation or resources to look things up. I didn't run into any major bugs that prevented the game from proceeding. Overall, this game is a must play for horror fans, and although the $30 full price is a bit much (the game was originally $20 which I think is fair) i goes on sale regularly for about $5 and that's a steal. This is very interesting, fairly quick to play though, and keeps you engaged. This is definitely worth checking out.

Loved it!!!! It has it's issues (I believe Bruno as a character was mishandled and a missed opportunity to touch on some very relevant and heavy topics) and some bugs here and there, but it's still a very engaging story. The puzzles are very satisfying, not exactly hard but the game doesn't hold your hand too much usually. I wish Saturnalia had gotten more traction, hopefully it will soon

Well this certainly is a different kind of game. It's hard to get into it at the start because of the crazy graphical style and the city layout can be intimidating to navigate. But after and hour or two, it really grows on you and you want to play it more and more. The heart of the game is the exploration of the city and how it all ties in with the main characters. Finding clues and new paths is really rewarding. The clues most of the time will point you in the right directions, but sometimes you have to wander a bit and look at the maps. Now there is a horror element to this game as well, but if you want to play more casually the game has a mode for it when you start a new game, so even if you are not a horror fan you can still play it. I think it hits the right note between the two genres. The game may not be super popular, which is a shame, I think it deserves more recognition.