At A Glance
Released: 4/3/20
Reviews: 4,300, net very positive, as of 7/2023
English Reviews: 3,342
Localized in: English
Had Publisher: No
Majority of reviews:
English ~78%
German ~4%
Russian ~4%
Price: Free
Review report:
Negatives: Monster reveal was blamed for the instant loss of scares and should’ve been put off til later or not done at all, confusing and not straightforward (Or, players just couldn’t figure out how to proceed quickly enough, not scary, boring
Positives: clever jumpscares mixed in with cheap ones, graphics and atmosphere were good
Gameplay
Option to run is available
Solving a big overarching puzzle is the key to leaving
Make sure the player can figure it out, don’t let them get to the point where they would rather google it
Sections with crosses on the notes, what does it mean? Is it relevant to me as a player?
The breaky light sticks denote clues/collectibles
Music
New, foreboding music played when things start getting weird
Sounds
Lots of whirring, mechanical noises
Footsteps are heavy and booted
New sound makes me stop dead in my tracks
Art
Photorealistic style, fully-realized and chocked full of details
Writing
Wake up in stasis
A spacesuit fell and something was behind it, used the ‘scare’ as a way to progress the story
3rd time is wrong, should have ended where I began (keeps subverting expectations)
Stuck in a single area until I find what I need to progress (Smart?)
Rat is gone, butterflies fluttering, player knows something is amiss
Broken glass in the cryopod, what got out?
Rat came back, but decapitated and gored
Butterflies are gone
Cryo pods appear leaky, the broken one is fried, what is this?
Plants are now back, appear thriving
Rat is also alive
What’s behind the door?
Scare Factor
Upon waking, PA states life form is detected elsewhere
Went in a full circle, found nothing
Second time things got weird
Subverted expectations in the spacesuit hallway, they all looked at me
One suit fell, not a jumpscare but enough to put me on edge
Low alien rumbling, something standing in the hall (got a full look, it was creepy, but clear the thing didn’t see me)
Seems like the next part wants me to get closer to the monster, but every instinct I have is saying the opposite
This forced interaction and a jump scare, but it felt cheap, the player shouldn’t feel forced, it has to be clever
Eyeball impaled on a pencil
Extra
Made in Unreal 4
Got significant YT attention (Markiplier, jacksepticeye, cjugames)
Wanderbots played the game with only a ~9K views (video avgs tend to be ~12K, higher range are in the 20-30K range, rare excepts go far beyond that but still under 100K)
Overall
Really interesting, high-budget-seeming game that worked to deliver good scares and a stunning atmosphere
A true shame that the company didn’t ride this success into another game or at least make it paid, it was worth it
I’ve been recommended to try the free approach and transfer fans into a new game, but after 3 years I don’t know if the fans will stick around for a new one
To consider: People are still playing and reviewing this, it will be fresh in some minds and stale in others
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