GAME.exe is a bite-sized, 20 minute experience. It’s the sort of thing you play between larger time commitments to cool down. And although it's heavily flawed, there are definitely a few things to appreciate about it. The presentation is well-done, and there’s a few solid ideas within the story. It’s a commendable first attempt at a game by new developers.
However, there are still many things for these devs to learn and improve upon - and those aforementioned positives don’t necessarily make it worth the money. This leads into my main issue with GAME.exe… the price tag.
2.99 is just too much to ask for when what you provide is so shallow and short. Now, I don’t think games should be priced based solely on their length - but there’s just very little to this one. There’s no replay value, no mechanical/story depth, and nothing to give a second thought after the credits.
Even more egregious is that the original price was 6.99. I appreciate that the devs did drop it down to something more reasonable, but I still think the current price is too much. If it were free, I’d be much more willing to recommend people give it a try.
Ultimately, GAME.exe provides a slightly intriguing - but forgettable and throwaway - experience. I still hope that it was a learning process for the devs, and that they continue to hone their craft. I’d like to see something from them again.

SHORT REVIEW
Visuals: 3.5/5
Sound: 4/5
Story: 1/5
Gameplay: 1/5
Worldbuilding: 1/5
Overall Score: 2/5 [2.1/5]


VISUALS
The visual style of GAME.exe is probably its strongest talking point. Its classic Windows 98 look is very well-made; there's nice program icons, bold fonts, and a handful of default backgrounds to choose from. It's nostalgic and simple - a great choice for first-time devs.
But the best thing about this aspect of GAME.exe is Oliver’s project itself - the game within the game. It harkens back to the stuff from his era, taking inspiration from well-known and beloved late 90s/early 2000s releases. It's like a tiny slice of Silent Hill or System Shock. This isn’t as well-executed as those, of course, but it's a very cool design direction to see in 2021.
Overall, 3.5/5.

SOUND
The sound effects are similarly pleasing, with satisfying clicking noises, modem whirring, and the like. There’s also a surprising amount of music to accompany you on your short journey. The soundtrack sports almost surreal vibes, with its fuzzy-sounding and nostalgia-inducing tunes. Much of it makes use of string instruments, piano, and almost mechanical noises - a much more unique approach than the ever-popular chiptune/electronic style that many indie devs use. That’s not to say that those aren’t great genres, of course, but I have to praise GAME.exe for standing out.
Although it’s copyright/royalty-free music that the devs found online, I have to give them credit for using something so out of the ordinary. The artist, Ross Bugden, is very talented.
Overall, 4/5.

STORY
This is where things start to get a bit hairy.
The basis of GAME.exe’s plot is cliche, but it’s interesting enough. A dev by the name of Oliver committed suicide while working on his dream game, and you have bought his computer from a thrift shop. However, you quickly discover that he has literally put his soul into the project, causing your almost-new computer to become possessed by its former owner. He now takes the form of a black monster with red eyes that chases you through the GAME.exe.
Creepypasta cheesiness aside, it’s a neat idea for a story in the computer simulation genre. The problem lies in its execution.
To start with, the writing is not very good. A lot of it comes across as slightly stilted English translations. It’s all very close to being correct, but there’s something just a little off about it.
More egregious than that, though, is GAME.exe’s lack of subtlety; Oliver messages you himself, telling you all the plot details in one big, unnatural exposition dump. There’s no trust in the player to read between the lines. But then again, there’s no lines to read between here. The game lacks any sort of detail.
There’s an inexcusable number of plotholes for something this short, too. Oliver tells you that he’s killed other people, but we’re never shown who, how, or why. He says the player is ‘making him’ kill, but that’s never elaborated on further. We’re never told the details of why he commits suicide, or when it happened; did he do it with the intention of becoming part of his project, or was this an unfortunate side effect?
There’s so many ideas that could have added to the intrigue and mystery of GAME.exe, but it’s all overlooked. I don’t expect a scientific explanation for how a man traps his soul in a computer - I just feel like there are a lot of things that could have been given more thought.
Overall, 1/5.

GAMEPLAY
Similarly to the story, there's so much that could’ve been done with the gameplay that’s just thrown to the side. It’s very interesting to imagine the computer itself working against you; unfortunately, this isn’t built on much. Despite his soul being in the computer, Oliver presents only a few inconvenient roadblocks. The ‘moving confirmation box’ he does at one point is reused for random trojans that you can get - which didn’t even happen to me on my first playthrough, and I only found out about through watching a Youtube video.
There’s almost no puzzles to solve, either. It’s unfortunate, because I feel like this could’ve been a good puzzle game. Computer/phone simulators often have puzzles as their main mechanic, so it’s strange to me that this one doesn’t. Another missed opportunity.
Lastly, Oliver’s game - while simple and derivative - is fine enough for what it is. It’s supposed to be unfinished and mediocre, so I’ll give the devs leniency in this regard. Besides, it’s a nice and tense little section of the overall experience; the loud sound effects and stamina bar may be trope-y, but they work well enough.
Overall, 1/5.

WORLDBUILDING
As good as its presentation is, the only actual worldbuilding GAME.exe attempts are a few chat logs between Oliver and others. Even then, most of them provide almost no background for Oliver outside of the project. The only interesting tidbit is that there was a girl he seemed to like who didn't like him back. Other than that, all of the messages are forgettable, random nonsense. You’re telling me there was no one in Oliver’s life who checked up on him? No internet friends wondering why he’d disappeared after his death?
Computer/phone simulation is such an easy genre to take advantage of when it comes to worldbuilding and character history; yet, GAME.exe doesn’t even try. There’s little on the computer relating to anything outside of Oliver’s project - and while I understand that that’s the core of the plot, proper characterization and lore would have gone a long way in expanding said plot.
Overall, 1/5.

Overall game score: 2/5 [2.1/5]. It’s sad that something with above-average presentation and a few good ideas ended up being so lackluster. But, like I said, this is pretty good for brand new devs. Others have done much, much worse for their first release.
I wish Amaro Studios the best of luck in improving, learning, and eventually launching something better. GAME.exe tells me that they may have the chops to be up for the challenge.