Fingerbones Reviews

Short horror game that relies on the atmosphere and the story to make you feel like shit.

Here is the developer... https://jefequeso.itch.io/ A 20 minute game based on some adult concepts. Its a horror game that proves... It doesn't need to be long to have an effect. It doesn't need a tangible monster to send a shiver down ones spine. It doesn't need to be filled with cheap scares or be supernatural to freak someone out. It's a mystery padded slowly to reveal in each room you venture down, a mans gradual descent into moral corruption, voiced through scattered notes which the protaginist now uses to justify themselves. What did you do? How can you justify this?

they told me to set aside 30 minutes, but I speedran that shit. you all are posers, all of you are cringe

Decent atmosphere and an effective visual style do not save this game from it's story. The game prides itself on exploring a taboo subject, but it doesn't really explore. It just presents those issues, hoping that its existence is enough to scare you. It doesn't expand or comment, just says "yeah isn't that f-ed?" Insensitive and dull, this one is a pass.

I think that Fingerbones is alright, I think that if it was a tad more subtle, it would have been way better. That being said the elephant in the room is the content the game talks about, if the writing was better it would have made the content feel less shocking. So I can't recommend the game unfortunately, however David's other work is all amazing and is worth the money he is selling it for, go play those instead unless you want to see the progression from Fingerbones to his newer projects.

A dark little game with an eerie atmosphere that draws you in deeper. Was a little disappointed by the dated graphics, as they were a little low res for my liking. If you are a fan of psychological, and escape room style games, then this is worth checking out. Plus it is FREE. Full Disclosure: I did not do that great at it. Don't take my word for it, and check out my video by clicking on the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rJq1v04bPI

More of a mood piece than an actual game. There is a story you can piece together from notes left behind and they grow more uncomfortable as you proceed, giving you insight into a disturbed mind with the horror of finding out what that person did coming closer with every bit of progress you make. It's creepy enough to warrant a playthrough, but I think it kind of wastes its potential as there was more to the setting and idea that would've allowed for a more complex game and narrative this concept could've been developed into. The visuals are "low tech" or whatever you want to call it, but really well done with lighting, dust and gritty surfaces creating a style and atmosphere fit for a horror game and the audio supports the feeling of unease.

Nice little FREE game to play. Lasts about 30 minutes. Its like reading a short story but you're playing it and learning it at the same time.

Fingerbones is a short albeit effective little mood piece, and is one of the earlier works by David Szymanski. While the game explores concepts that aren't exactly new or exciting, the presentation and simplistic nature left my skin crawling as I played through it. While I wouldn't recommend it as one's first foray into Szymanski's work, I found it to still be novel in it's own way and enjoyed the time I spent with it. If you're familiar with Szymanski's work, the graphics will be what you expect; low fidelity yet charming in their own right. I found the music and sound design to be the weakest point of the game personally, as the soundtrack is basically an ambient drone playing at different pitches, and the sounds sound like they'd have come from a 'horror atmos' sample pack meant to be used in student level film or similar. I'll return to this game in the future and play through it again in time. If you're looking for a bone-chilling way to spend a small portion of your day, give this a shot.

The door that exits the game looks the same as all the other doors and I clicked it by mistake 3 times. There is no save function. This wasted like ten minutes of time all together. There isn't much to see here, though it's a testament to Szymanski's skill at producing a dreadful atmosphere with some very simple tools.