Finally!
Wow. It's been a long time coming, but we finally made it! There have been some ups and some downs (as with all things game dev related), but the release of this playtest marks an important stepping stone in the lifetime of this game.
A little about the playtest....
I wanted to create a short experience that would really give players a good sense of the style of horror game that I'm going for. The keyword here being that it's SHORT. Like 15-20 minutes short (unless you enjoy poking your nose into every nook and cranny, then it might take a bit longer).
Think of this playtest as a showcase. This is my presentation to you, before I drop a bigger demo, to get your take on the style of horror, the atmosphere, the sound design, etc.
Basically, the question on my mind is: Does this game scare you?
This is your chance to tell me what it's missing! Does it need more jump scares? More intricate puzzles? A better narrative throughline? VO?
What would make this experience a top-tier horror game in your eyes?
I didn't make a form for this because forms feel so one-sided and nobody REALLY likes filling those fuckers out. Instead, I want you to hit me up on social media! Send me a DM or reply to something I post on X. I want to have a dialogue with you guys, to chat about what makes scary things scary. To throw ideas your way and see what you think.
This is my first solo devved game on Steam, so I really want to make this fun and memorable. And I feel like the best way to make that happen is to essentially give the people what they want!
The road to this playtest was filled with woe...
So here's the good lordy's honest truth: this isn't the initial playtest I set out to make.
All those promo videos and screenshots? All the scary stuff I was sharing on social media? All the jump scares and blood and guts and voice-over trailer stuff? None of that is in this playtest.
Why not, Kev? Where's all the stuff you spent months marketing?
Well, I made it. I finished it. It's done. And I hate it.
I really do.
I got to the very end and played through it and it just felt so...not me. Not the kind of thing I like. Not the kind of game I enjoy playing. It felt like a pile of cheap scares that didn't move me. Didn't inspire real dread or fear in me. They were shocks to the system and nothing more.
That whole, completed demo was, it turns out, one giant learning experience.
I learned what I didn't like. And what I didn't like was that.
So I took a step back. I reassessed what I'd made. And I realized there was actually some gold in there. Tucked away between all the gore and loud screams. I found the scary parts.
And those scary parts were in the silence. In the darkness. In the moments when it felt like there was something there, but I couldn't quite see it. When it felt like there were eyes on the back of my neck. When something just on the outskirts of my peripheral vision seemed to move.
And that's when it clicked. THAT was the horror that stuck with me. That got me every time I fired up the old demo. None of the jump scares spooked me. But the little things - the subtle movements in the dark. The noises without a source. Those scared me over and over again - even when I knew they were coming!
I took that inspiration and ran with it. I pulled together all the scripts I'd written, built a new layout for the level, and tried to really hone in on those elements that left me feeling uneasy.
Two weeks later, this playtest demo was born.
Like I said, it's short (because it was made in a frenzy), but I think it gets the idea across.
So let me know your thoughts! And thanks for playing.
~Kev the Dev
Inqdrop Studios
