11/04/26 10:42 PM
On first impressions, this is a compellingly wacky experience. You are Tom, the trainee postgirl after the intro and seemingly a fully fledged postal delivery person after the first chapter. Which is where I am, about to engage in chapter two. I doubt based on what I know about the game that I have experienced the more involved aspects of the game. Indeed, despite the fact that I wondered what on earth was going on, it so far feels that it is settling me into things. Which I think it did; I certainly feel more confident than when I started. The game plays in the third person and is predominantly keyboard based, although the mouse can be used to interact with the environment. WASD moves Tom around, and she will traverse a map of the village to visit various locations and deliver various packages. Within those locations other things can be done, including peeping in windows and stepping on stuff. I also got a quest involving chickens, which near as I can tell I didn't need to complete in order to move on, but which seemed worthy of my postal attendance. The little horn on your map is the avenue to the next chapter. I was confused by the 'quest machine' that i found early on, expecting it to do more than it did. Perhaps it will, but once I got the chicken quest it told me how I was progressing. It feels like there is more for it to do in the chapters to come. The visual style is suitably weird, black and white in design punctuated by vivid reds. There is no spoken word, but people mumble at you. Sound effects and ambient sound and a sporadic soundtrack provide the aural elements. It autosaves exclusively to a single save point. Having been initially confused, I am heavily invested in what is to come.
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11/03/26 06:02 PM
I have never played as a coroner before, so the prospect of being the newly appointed one in the district of Cedervale was too good to pass up. Having presented myself at the police station and undertaken some basic administration that gets you into how the game works, there is a car accident to investigate. Essentially, you gather evidence by examining the scene and reading related materials, most of which is in the form of words. I gathered about 30 words in completing the first case, including first and last names, locations, medical terms, and body parts, which you use to complete a series of reports which you then submit. As well as using the words, you might have to tick appropriate boxes, type in numbers, and shade diagrams. Fill in all the parts correctly and your report is accepted and things move in. Get something wrong and it will be rejected, and it's try again. I also had to submit various samples to the pathologist, attend an autopsy, and complete some blood work with the help of my medical tome. A map was also useful as I tried to determine where the accident occurred. Whilst collecting the various words left a little to be desired (just click on the underlined words in the material you examine), applying them and the rest of the information in order to complete the reports was well constructed. It necessitated going back and forth between the accident scene and the various material, reviewing and applying bits and pieces to reach conclusions. Many things weren't obvious, but could be discerned logically. I thought it was well done. Click on the sparkles to examine that area or object, and little check marks will indicate that you have discovered all there is to be found. A counter keeps track of your found words (e.g., x/48) and a hint button is available should you need it. The ink stamp on the left is how you submit reports, the pen resets the form, and the cup of tea (it's a very British setting) will tell you what you got wrong after three incorrect reports. Nothing is voiced, there is a comic book visual aesthetic, and a soundtrack accompanies things. It exclusively autosaves on exit. The first case took me just over an hour, and I am about to move on.
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10/29/26 08:32 PM
The line on the Steam Store page that said, "your own home has become an escape room and you are not alone," was guaranteed to pique my interest, and the trailer sealed the deal. Forty minutes in and I remain intrigued. I am indeed locked in, although 'locked' doesn't really do it justice. Not to be deterred, I have explored, engaged in some basic tutorial tasks and solved my first puzzle. The basement now awaits me. It plays in the first person and predominantly utilises the keyboard, although the mouse is used for looking around. There is no cursor, but white circles will appear on items of interest when you get close enough and look straight at them. The game will add relevant items to your inventory as well as documents which have their own page within the inventory. I have gathered a variety of items but have yet to use any. Interacting with something that requires an inventory item will cause the inventory to open, and you can cycle through the items and hit the 'use' key to see if anything happens. I assume if it is the correct item it will be used, but so far i haven't tried to use much and nothing I have tried has worked. I do though have some eclectic stuff, some clearly related to one or more of the interesting looking puzzles I have found. I have also discovered that I can hide in wardrobes and other places, which is no doubt related to the fact that I am not alone. It is voiced, with ambient and effect sounds and sparingly used music. You can tweak things in the settings menu, including how often the enemy appears (I am playing on 'just enough for the story." The game saves exclusively on exit and you choose 'continue' to pick things up again. The game looks good in a creepy let me out of here sort of way, and the overall vibe is the same. A basement awaits and I look forward to what is to come.
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