Steam Pack 10

What? A Steam Pack so soon after the last? Well, why not? Once again, I felt like focusing on games that were free, because I have a lot of those and not always a lot of interest in playing them. The big releases tend to be bigger draws, games with more content – and, of course, more people playing them. So one’s attention may go to those. But free games can be great entertainment too. Some games are short, others are demos for longer games being released later… Others are free games that have seen a sequel or remake with an actual price to it, making the original like a free experience to both demo the game and serve as the first chapter. Others have evolved past their free version, or offer interesting DLC! This time, I'm looking at 4 games rather than 5, because I found I had a lot to say about each game.

Dev Guy

Off to steal games, yes siree!

In this game, you’re a… dev guy, creating his own game for release online. He dreams big, but he needs to add the last few touches tonight. He goes to get his flash drive in his car, only to see it towed away. He calls the towing company, which brings his car back, and he gets his flash drive, only to see it formatted. Panicking, he decides to steal the games off the other five indie game developers in his building to make his title. And of course, he has to play these games to “judge” them.

Wait till he figures out he just played a reskin of another
game he knows.

I’m a bit conflicted about this game, developed by Daniel Jonathan Bourke, and published by Project tranquil. For starters, the main character is pretty unlikable, having strong negative opinions on the devs he works with as well as their projects. Kind of a dick, really. Also, the comedy is rather immature in tone, with some jokes that aren’t too great, as well as all-too-obvious digs at certain fandoms (especially My Little Pony) or common developer attitudes. The 6 mini-games in the second half are pretty basic, though they also mock different ways of making games. One game is beaten quickly because there’s no puzzle to it and it pretends to be social commentary, another is little more than a reskin of another game (if the main character is to be believed, anyway). Some stuff is good in there.

Looks like Microsoft Paint to me.
Not just because that's how I save my screenshots.

Cyber Pony is probably the most annoying mnini-game of
the lot.

The whole game is pretty medium in quality. I wouldn’t call it outright bad in the end, but it’s not too great. It does have a playtime of about 30 minutes to an hour, which is decent for a free game. The 3D for the “real world” looks pretty basic, while the quality of the mini-games range from “pretty decent 3D” to “Was this made with Microsoft Paint?” The difficulty is also pretty unequal, and some things aren’t explained too well. I also thought the final mini-game, called Cyber Pony, had some annoying mechanics (mostly because the character would often get stuck at walls, which is bad since said mini-game is all about fleeing from a moving wall of doom). I think this game is merely okay. But hey, it’s free to try.

Elisa: The Innkeeper – Prequel

Common thing among free games: Demos for larger games. This is no exception. Developed and published by Neoclassic Games, this is thestory of Elisa, the Innkeeper (of course), but it’s also the story of a Prince, a Merchant and a Knight. This is a “prequel” to the actual game, and does a good job at showing you the different gameplay mechanics. This is a visual novel… with a twist.

Which of these dialogue olptions will land me in the
least trouble... I'll go for the one where I directly insult
the guy, seems like a good choice.

This story takes place in Italy in the 18^th century. A handsome prince with serious monetary issues has to sell his castle in disrepair in order to pay his debts. He isn’t entirely honest about the state of his property towards a merchant, the one customer hoping to take possession of the landmark. The two have come to an agreement on the previous day, though the prince got drunk and went to his room. He has no intention of carrying through the transaction as a gentleman. Whichever scuffle happens (as there are multiple paths to the story), the two eventually meet again at Elisa’s Inn. There, they meet a knight who despises women to extreme levels, and of course they also see Elisa, whom they are both infatuated with.

"I am very angry at you, but consider you an inferior, so I
shall not act sufficiently to justify the use of those
pesky exclamation marks even when they would be useful."

Most of the tension lies between the prince and the merchant. Even without dialogue options, both the prince and the knight come across as jackasses. The prince especially, desiring Elisa in a more… um, physical way than for her personality, trying to scam the merchant by selling his broken castle, and being quite willing to come to blows – or brandish a sword – at the merchant when his manipulation fails. The merchant is better, though he can be pretty dickish too. As for Elisa, she may be well-spoken and generally nice, she does have a bit of a manipulative streak…

The game comes with multiple paths: At times, you’re told to choose between two actions (the first one involves the prince waking up, and choosing to either investigate his messy room or go back to sleep), and each choice leads to new twists on the story. Everything leads to the same point, of course – though things may change on the way. Will the prince have a sword? Will he and the merchant come to an agreement? Does the merchant protect Elisa? Just look at the possible paths the story can take!

This is not the sort of thing that would make my brain explode.
There are visual novels out there even MORE complex.

The game has an Extras section, in which you can view the codex (detailed information on the main four characters), see the unlocked story chapters – and which ones you still have to see, as well as any artwork and music unlocked during playthrough. The Codex is interesting as it also showcases personality traits unlocked by the characters, as well as their Karma.

This knight is a bigger ass than his knave's steed.

Bad karma? Only normal for this knight.
Also, God, I want to punch that Prince right now.

You’ll be often prompted to make dialogue choices for characters, and these choices can add personality traits to these characters (and those will be added to the Codex) or edit their karma. There’s usually a neutral option, a good karma (nice) option and a bad karma (mean) option. The demo isn’t long enough for this mechanic to impact anything, however. I guess the changes become more prominent in the full game. The demo doesn’t really show the extent of the changes to the game caused by the Karma meters. My guess is that the story shall change quite drastically based on your choices. Still, sheesh, can these characters be massive jerks outside of the choices you make… My only other complaint is that I saw some spelling mistakes here and there in the text, but those were pretty rare.

So far my sympathy is on the Merchant's side.

I personally doubt I’d buy the full game, but I appreciate what they were going for and this was a fun demo to try. Download it, test it, and perhaps you’ll enjoy it enough to buy the full game!

Emily Is Away

Also, no limit to username and real name.

Developed and published by Kyle Seeley on November 20^th, 2015, this game takes place between 2002 and 2006, almost exclusively on an Instant Messenger desktop app, between a protagonist (you, and the name you choose) and a girl named Emily. You are both finishing high school, with graduation coming soon, and college afterwards. This short, free game is an impressive attempt at painting the medium, featuring two teenagers – and later, young adults – using the platform to chat with each other.

No time problems with Zelda, though! Well, except
the series' timeline, but that's a different question.

There really isn’t much of a gameplay for this one, though it didn’t need anything complicated. Set up a username and a real name on Chapter 1 in 2002, then on every chapter (one per year) you pick a new avatar. This free game is notable for its sheer amount of Easter eggs, as a TON of famous games and franchises (both on Steam and on consoles, even Nintendo’s series!) are referenced. Just set your username as a game franchise and you’ll unlock a new avatar for it. Many icons are about musical bands. Frequently, your choice of avatar will prompt the beginning of your discussion with Emily to reference it, even delving into some good ol’ memeing. Just disregard the fact that most references being made came after 2006, year of the final chapter of the game.

Somehow "Emily will remember that" feels ominous.

More important than the platform the game simulates, is the two people using the platform to talk. They are normal people, in that they make spelling mistakes when typing – though your character will backspace to erase any mistakes they find. Also note that the player character’s gender is never stated, so it all lies on the real name you picked. Also, you’re not the one typing. Whenever a dialogue tree arises, you pick an option and your character will sometimes backspace to rephrase them ever so slightly. Again: Painting the medium in a unique way.

But, how does the character type this? On your end, you just… type at random, any keys will do. The game will progress at the speed you type, but you don’t have control on what the character writes… which makes the final chapters all the more interesting. How will [name] and Emily’s relationship grow? You’ll see, over the 5 chapters, this relationship grow and change… but will it be for the better?

Sometimes, small talk just isn't enough.

There isn’t much to critique here. There is, however, a story, and it was told brilliantly. I really don’t want to spoil it, though. If I do have a complaint, it’s that it may sometimes feel long to type keys at random to make the text move on the in-game IM, though that was a design choice and I accept it as such. The medium is used well, the whole thing looks like an Instant Message app from the first five years of the previous decade, and it’s an interesting slice of life. You could enjoy it. And in fact, if you do, perhaps you could try the sequel, “Emily Is Away Too”.

Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion

Make it only 100 and we've got a deal.

This game by Lag Studios was originally known as “Spooky’s House of Jump Scares”; the name was changed over a copyright dispute, but that’s alright, the new name is good too (they do acknowledge the change in a pretty clever way, though). The concept is simple: You find yourself in Spooky’s mansion, and she says that her mansion has a thousand rooms. She tells you to try and get through all 1000. Can you do it? But be careful, Spooky is a little trickster of a ghost girl, and she has many jump scares and other horrors laid out on the way…

"Boo!"

By which I mean, actual monsters show up as you get deeper and deeper into the Mansion. Turns out, Spooky is wicked. And she has no problem sending her guests to get killed, or worse, as a result of these encounters with monsters. And once you’re in, it’s not like you can so easily get out… And it’s not like you could make a map, since the place’s rooms are randomized!

Aaaah! Real Monsters!

And do you have a way of defending yourself? Up until very far into the game, none! All you can do is flee. And how’s that going to help? Well, you can get pretty far in spite of a running meter that depletes quickly. Plus, while monsters can hurt you pretty easily in the game, your health increases steadily after you’ve gotten hurt, so it’s not that bad. The first few “levels” (the game is split in sets of 50 rooms) are basic, and the first real monster merely slows you down with goop… but things get weirder and creepier further down the line. And the Specimens (the name given to the monsters) are increasing in their level of danger… Ultimately the Jump Scares of the title are pretty harmless; the monsters, however, that's a different story.

Someone's failed on Poetry Night, I see.

This is the free version, originally made in GameMaker 8. A new version, subtitled HD Renovation, was made by Albino Moose Games, using the Unity engine, and sold on Steam for 9.99$. That version contains achievements, the Karamari Hospital DLC (purchasable for the Free version as well, adding lore to the story) and a new Endless mode. Keep in mind that most of the issues I bring up here, in my review of the original free version, have been corrected in HD Renovation.

Hm... Just a hunch but I don't think Spooky takes good care
of her mansion.

Pictured: A relatively creepy-looking monster.
Not pictured: THE TEXTURES OF THE WALLS ARE
MOVING AND SHAKING AND I AM LOST WHAT
THE FUCK IS GOING ON OH SHIT HERE SHE
COMES WHERE THE HELL IS THAT DOOR

The free version has a few annoyances, such as the character being stuck in place if you kept W pressed while entering a new room, or being stuck in some corners. Or the fact that it may resize your screen resolution, and that it cannot be played in windowed form. Now for the good points: The concept is interesting and there’s a full lore to discover if you bother to look for it (with more info revealed through the DLC). The monsters in the game are based on famous horror video games: Silent Hill, Amnesia… and many more! Later floors of the Mansion also play with concepts, settings and – most important of all – your nerves by screwing around with the interface and gameplay while featuring increasingly unsettling locations.

I do suggest that you try this game. Or, at least, try the free version. Be ready for a lot of jump scares. And if you play the free version and enjoy it, do consider buying the updated version.

--

And this ends another Steam Pack! Wow, I spent quite a lot of time promoting stuff in this one. Not that I’m of the shilling type, but because I’m a guy who genuinely gets a lot of enjoyment from playing games and discovering new stuff. And if I may help indie developers through my platform, then that’s great! They deserve the recognition for their efforts. Someone's first free game may be the way that opens for new, improved projects that gamers will happily pay for. Am I critical? Yes, though I like to note where there’s room for improvement, in the hopes of seeing even better products from these devs in the future.