TheSpoiler Reviews

I feel very fortunate that I discovered this little diamond in the rough. The Spoiler is a very simple escape room style horror game with a few very nice features, and a few baffling ones, but, the good FAR outweighs the bad. Let's examine each part that I view as being a crucial element to a good horror game. Atmosphere/Setting -- From the beginning, we're in a dark unfamiliar place, which immediately sets the tone and builds tension. Throughout the game, we're faced with what seems like a museum-type environment with some areas that create an unsettling feeling just by their very design (tea party room, I'm looking at you!) Gameplay -- Gameplay is perfectly fine, and what you would expect from this style of game. The inability to reverse mouse movement when examining objects threw me, but wasn't a game-breaker. (in the future, having the option to reverse camera movement, or reverse how objects are examined would be awesome), The lamp clipped through some environmental objects, but this is being nitpicky. After my first run-in with the big monster thing, my lamp was stuck pointed down, which made seeing the tops of tables harder, but also not a game-breaking bug. Narrative/mechanics -- This is where I think the game shines. WHile the story is sparse and kinda not really there, the mechanics of how you navigate the environment by reading books that give spoilers was unique and quite fun! They also added to the sense of dread and anxiety knowing something really bad was going to happen in the future. Top marks for creativity here. There were a few things that were left unexplained. Was there a point to lighting the candles? They didn't seem to do anything other than provide a tiny bit more light. Also there was a puzzle in the tea party room that didn't seem to have any effect on the game at all, since I don't think I ever solved it, but I still finished the game. Scares -- The scares were sparse, but were very well done. The scary monster that chases you in the dark is terrifying, and hiding in a corner hoping he doesn't find you was some of my favorite white knuckle moments. The witch's sudden appearance was also shocking and very well-placed. It's obvious the developer knows how to craft well-made jump scares and doesn't overdo them to the point of desensitization. Overall, this is a very well-crafted, very fun game that clocked in at just over an hour of gameplay for me, and was well worth the price. Highly recommended!