This review contains spoilers
Went in to this with as much of an open mind as I could, not really knowing anything about the game beyond the fact that people have been dog-piling on it. Wanted to judge it for myself.
The writing was really unsubtle to the point of tactlessness, given the weight of the subject matter. Suicide, self-harm, abuse, neglect, bullying. Really heavy topics handled really clumsily. The acting was also weirdly exaggerated and cartoony, it really felt like I played a video game adaptation of the "scared straight" PSAs they'd show in high school Health class.
The gameplay is nothing remarkable. You explore the areas in first-person, listen to the voice-over, you solve a single really simple puzzle, and you occasionally collect items while an invincible monster chases you (Slender-style). It kinda feels like their main reference points here were the sort of horror games Markiplier plays.
I'll list a few good things: The graffiti and abandoned apartments were well-rendered, the Otherworld looks as it should, the monster was a genuinely good design. I also enjoyed a particular sequence where you loop through a single apartment multiple times and your character gets shorter with each loop to reflect the fact that you're going through their childhood memories. That sequence was directly referencing PT, which feels a bit strange to do since Konami won't let people actually play PT. Mixed feelings about that one.
Short Message isn't the worst thing I've ever played, but it really fumbled the tone it was going for. It feels out-of-touch, tactless, and insincere. There are a few neat ideas and visuals, but not much else to compliment. At least it's free and short, so it makes for a decent conversation piece.
The writing was really unsubtle to the point of tactlessness, given the weight of the subject matter. Suicide, self-harm, abuse, neglect, bullying. Really heavy topics handled really clumsily. The acting was also weirdly exaggerated and cartoony, it really felt like I played a video game adaptation of the "scared straight" PSAs they'd show in high school Health class.
The gameplay is nothing remarkable. You explore the areas in first-person, listen to the voice-over, you solve a single really simple puzzle, and you occasionally collect items while an invincible monster chases you (Slender-style). It kinda feels like their main reference points here were the sort of horror games Markiplier plays.
I'll list a few good things: The graffiti and abandoned apartments were well-rendered, the Otherworld looks as it should, the monster was a genuinely good design. I also enjoyed a particular sequence where you loop through a single apartment multiple times and your character gets shorter with each loop to reflect the fact that you're going through their childhood memories. That sequence was directly referencing PT, which feels a bit strange to do since Konami won't let people actually play PT. Mixed feelings about that one.
Short Message isn't the worst thing I've ever played, but it really fumbled the tone it was going for. It feels out-of-touch, tactless, and insincere. There are a few neat ideas and visuals, but not much else to compliment. At least it's free and short, so it makes for a decent conversation piece.