Worse Than Death

Worse Than Death... that's not my review - just the name of the game! I thoroughly enjoyed this game. The story kept me gripped and the puzzles were challenging at times - but always doable. I think this may be the first time I've completed a game like this WITHOUT having to look up the answer to a puzzle (Even Resident Evil stumps me at times!). A great experience which I would recommend if you're looking for a little creepy mystery puzzle narrative. As expected - it's quite a short game - I do hope the developers keep more coming because I had a blast.

Energiczna piosenka (której z jakiegoś powodu nie sposób namierzyć w internecie) wita nas w menu głównym, a potem akcja tylko przyspiesza!... Cóż, może niekoniecznie jest aż tak dobrze. Ale [i]Worse than Death[/i] wypełnia wszystkie kryteria całkiem niezłej gry przygodowej z elementami zręcznościowymi (które nie nadużywają naszej cierpliwości, a to wielki plus). Ten tytuł oferuje nam przyjemne zagadki i porządną fabułę, która potrafi zainteresować, a do tego wszystko podlane jest mroczną atmosferą prosto z horroru. To także przykład [i]jumpscare’ów[/i] wykonanych z wyczuciem, ale ostrzegam – pojawiają się. Opisanie jakiegokolwiek medium artystycznego jako „nie przedłuża i nie irytuje” nie stanowi laurki, której oczekiwaliby twórcy, ale… czasem to wystarcza do zapewnienia satysfakcjonującej (chociaż krótkotrwałej) rozrywki. Tak było też w tym przypadku.

So, I'll just start off by saying I did not like Home, but this game looked a lot better so I decided to give it a chance. And while the game looks and plays a lot better than Home, the story once again just falls flat to me. Here are my pros and cons of the game: PROS: Looks fine. Not the best looking point and click I've ever played, but it definitely is well done and well made. The movement is fine, even if the run animation is wonky. The puzzles are fairly easy, and easy to find hints for. I got all of the investigation achievements in my first playthrough without a guide just by exploring. I like the cartoon segments of the game. It's not often I see it, and I also thought it was nicely drawn and complemented the game overall. The art direction was good. CONS: 1. There are too many things that seemed to just want to create the scary atmosphere or puzzle situation that just doesn't make sense in a town I'm supposed to believe exists and functions. There are a few plotholes never closed, and more either not explained, or very loosely explained where you'd have to suspend belief. 2. There is too much nonsense dialogue. It's even more annoying because you can't skip any cutscenes or dialogue sequences even on replays, and I don't need Holly summarizing out loud what I just found out. The clues were not that complex to decipher. 3. Lastly, and this is just me nitpicking, there is no reason to have this game marked with sexual content for [spoiler]LGBT content. A lesbian unrequited love (there is nothing graphic) is not sexual content. Being gay is not anymore sexual content than being straight. If Holly was in love with Flynn instead, I'm sure the sexual content warning wouldn't be there. [/spoiler] I bought the game as part of a bundle so I got a little bit of a discount, but the game isn't very long, even with three playthroughs because you can bypass a lot of it if you write down some of the combinations. If you're still interested in the game, I'd wait for a sale or get it in a bundle, but I still don't recommend it. The story just didn't hit.

[h2]Recensione di Worse Than Death[/h2] [h3]Pro:[/h3] - Grafica curata all'inverosimile - Pictures ottime a dir poco - La squisita ricostruzione di una cittadina nordamericana immersa negli anni 90 - Gameplay ben ponderato in fatto di difficoltà, per non parlare di quanto sia creativo - Un'atmosfera tanto ansiogena quanto claustrofobica - Messaggio ben reso - Un eccellente comparto sonoro - La cura riservata alla caratterizzazione di ogni singolo personaggio - La capacità di rendere tangibili Grace e la sua personalità pur facendola apparire, di fatto, solo sul finale... [h3]Contro:[/h3] -... che risulta però, anche per questo, eccessivamente affrettato - Il jumpscare del bagno (CHI HA GIOCATO SA DI CHE PARLO!!!), semplicemente fuori contesto - Il "salto" degli ostacoli poteva essere gestito meglio - Più di un dettaglio che non torna affatto (perché, per esempio, quello che alla fine si scopre essere lo spirito di Grace continuava a ripetere "È colpa tua/vostra!", visto che sempre sul fatidico finale asserisce l'esatto contrario?) - La sola idea che il padre di Grace, da solo, abbia fatto TUTTO questo (senza nemmeno sapere con che mezzi, tra l'altro) non riesce a convincermi del tutto - Il suo personaggio in generale, che finisce col risultare più patetico che inquietante (e non sono tanto sicuro di quanto ciò sia voluto...) assieme alle sue motivazioni [h3]Osservazione aggiuntiva:[/h3] Ho la netta sensazione che Grace fosse stata pensata per essere la vera antagonista della storia, in un primo momento, e solo in seguito si sia scelto di attribuire questo ruolo a suo padre per... esigenze di trama, suppongo? [h2]Voto: 6,5/10 e lode[/h2]

This game has a lot going for it. Game mechanics are solid, pixel art is masterfully done and the puzzles are a good way to break up the game albeit a little contrived. However, the story and the game's pacing feels off to me and the fear factor just isn't present. The bold claim "Top Ten Best Horror Games Of All Time" probably made me going in expecting a lot more. Worth a play and it may stick for some more than others.

Spooky made me jump 4 times

meh

Worse Than Death is the latest horror game from Benjamin Rivers, the creator of the 2012 indie horror hit Home! It's been so long since I've seen this dude put out a horror game (2012 to be exact), it was so refreshing to see Rivers return to the horror genre as recently as 2019. Super talented dude, glad he's still making games! I must say that as much as I enjoyed Home, I think this new game blows it 100% out of the water! Guys, WTD is literally everything I want from an indie horror game. This game has a compelling story, lovable characters, action segments, stealth segments, detective segments, plenty of gore and horror---something for everyone! Holly was best friends with engaged couple Grace and Flynn---that is until Grace was killed in a tragic car accident. Holly and Flynn drifted apart since then, and now Holly is meeting up with Flynn at their high school reunion many years later. And that's when the murders begin...Yes, WTD shows you right away that it's not pulling its punches when you find the monster's first victim decapitated with its guts spilling out on the floor! This game is NOT for the faint of heart! I loved Holly's personality and design---reminded me a bit of Velma from Scooby Doo. I also appreciated that the game *could* have indulged in the "guy and girl have been friends forever but secretly like one another" trope with Flynn and Holly, but chose NOT to. The art style varies between pixelated gameplay segments and Flash-animated cut scenes in comic book style---and I loved both equally! Monsters are heart shaped (it makes sense later) and say creepy things like "Holly...it's your fault..." These scenes are spectacularly done: when a monster approaches the lights flicker, static fills the screen, and you hear Holly's heartrate skyrocket, which reminded me big time of the heartrate mechanic in Yomawari! You have to keep an eye on Holly's stamina meter as you run away, but you can also hide in a variety of ways (in closets, scuttling under tables and couches, etc). Puzzles in the game are challenging but doable, and so rewarding when you figure one out! I jumped from chapter to chapter in the story because I was so eager to know more about this spooky town's past. At only $10, I implore you to pick this game up 9/10 At this point you're probably like "So if you loved the game so much, why a 9 and not a 10?" A valid question! I must return to my gold standard 10/10 for a 2D indie horror game, The Count Lucanor. Lucanor had so many secrets and different endings and looking back on WTD I realize it comes up short in its amount of content. The story is pretty short (can be beaten over a night or two), though the different difficulty settings encourage *some* replay value. Still, I wish your choices in the game actually mattered and led to different endings. I also found it kinda lazy that there was only one type of monster throughout the whole game. One thing that legit annoyed me was the lack of an inventory menu. Seriously, WTF!? You'll collect so many keys and items on your adventure and sure the game uses them automatically, but it would've been nice to have some sort of inventory to keep track of all of your ♥♥♥♥ (especially when you can't remember if you have a key for this locked door or not). This is basic stuff, Mr. Rivers! If Benjamin Rivers had packed just a little more content into this game I'd give it a 10. Though I must admit there's a great shoutout to Home near the end of the game that put a smile on my face.