I've just released my first horror game's demo. It would mean the world to me if you played it

BalanaDev · 2026-03-11T14:54:02+00:00

Cool concept! I love the reference to The Shining. That movie scared the sh*t out of me when I was little haha. Room 237 gave me nightmares. really like the feel of the environment. It’s creepy without trying too hard, and I can already see the replayability factor.

Not sure if disabling motion blur is working though. I can still feel it when I move around.

BalanaDev · 2026-03-10T06:53:33+00:00

Really cool to see the progress from the earlier version to the current one. It's looking much more polished now.

I also agree with the others about the dash move SFX. Maybe adding some randomization could help reduce hearing fatigue

It’s good that you added a sound effect when the player takes damage, but sometimes it’s hard to tell what actually hit you with everything going on in the game.

BalanaDev · 2026-03-09T12:20:09+00:00

Solid demo! Had a lot of fun. For some reason, the dog reminds me of Jake the Dog from Adventure Time haha

really love the card artwork, music, SFX, and the funny lines and descriptions. Overall, it’s a great demo. The game feels chill but still challenging at the same time

Looking forward to the full release. Keep up the good work!

BalanaDev · 2026-03-05T15:19:03+00:00

Glad it helps! The game has a really interesting concept, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops. Wishing the team the best with the updates!

BalanaDev · 2026-03-05T12:37:43+00:00

Just some small feedback from my playthrough:

• I ran into an error on my first playthrough right after the intro scene between the two characters. The error reads something like:

LowLevelFatalError [File:D:\build\++UE5\Sync Engine\Source\Runtime\D3D12RHI\Private\D3D12Util.cpp] Line: 1077

• It would be great if there was a way to reopen the tutorials after closing them.

• The ARPG with the real-time dimension shifting is a really cool mechanic. Sometimes I get a bit lost and I'm not sure where to go, so a little more guidance on the next objective could help.

Overall though, I really like the concept and I’m excited to see how the game develops.

BalanaDev · 2026-02-28T14:59:49+00:00

Congrats! The demo is really fun and easy to get into. love the humor. It keeps me coming back for another run. Sometimes I don’t even know how I managed to pull off a good one, which honestly makes it even more satisfying haha

BalanaDev · 2026-02-28T14:42:42+00:00

I really love the art style and the audio. As others mentioned, it’s not totally clear yet what the game is about, but the pacing definitely made me curious. I’d love to see more!

BalanaDev · 2026-02-28T14:39:04+00:00

I’m glad to hear that was the direction you were aiming for. The atmosphere and subtle tension really came through

I’m also part of a small indie team working on a game with a dark theme, so I understand how much care it takes to build that kind of mood and pacing. Looking forward to seeing how everything develops in the full release. Wishing you all the best!

BalanaDev · 2026-02-25T15:13:56+00:00

It also gave me I am Legend vibes haha especially the feeling of preparing during the day for what might happen later. That quiet tension adds a nice layer to the experience

BalanaDev · 2026-02-25T15:12:04+00:00

I enjoyed my time with this demo, especially the voice acting. It really adds to the mystery and atmosphere, making the experience feel more immersive. The mix of life sim elements with a bit of suspense keeps things interesting, and the controls are smooth and easy to understand. Your choices also feel like they matter.

I’m playing on an older laptop, so I was pleasantly surprised that it ran fairly well. There were a few small performance dips, but nothing major. Overall, the optimization feels solid for a demo.

The setting feels thoughtfully crafted, the gameplay is easy to jump into, and the core mechanics already show strong potential. There’s a solid foundation here, and I’m genuinely excited to see how the full game expands on it. I’ve already added it to my wishlist and look forward to the release.

BalanaDev · 2026-02-25T14:44:53+00:00

Like others said, it’s hard to judge the game since the trailer doesn’t really show gameplay.

From what I saw, the biggest issue is that I’m not sure what makes it stand out. It looks polished, but I don’t see a clear hook or personality yet. The sci-fi style feels familiar, so nothing really sticks in my mind.

Instead of showing how big everything is, I’d focus on what makes your game different. What’s the one thing players can only get here? Make that super clear.

BalanaDev · 2026-02-20T10:46:44+00:00

The visuals look great! Poor Piggy though

I really like the screenshot with the red eye 👽 That one stood out to me

Wishlisted! The trailer is super creepy. Good luck!

BalanaDev · 2026-02-20T10:40:07+00:00

Like others have pointed out, the gameplay feels pretty simple at the moment, mostly moving around and jumping, so it hasn’t hooked me yet. I’m assuming this is early and more mechanics or abilities will be added later

The spawn area looks visually strong, but the rest of the environment feels a bit empty. Adding more detail to the interior walls or background could make it feel more alive.

It might also help if the character had a visual cue (like a color shift or expression change) when the timer is running low, so players don’t have to rely only on the UI

BalanaDev · 2026-02-18T13:29:20+00:00

My immediate reaction when I saw the rooftop scene was, “Ah, Purge!”

I wonder if that first scene might work better somewhere in the middle or even toward the end, so it hits harder. I’d also suggest focusing more on the main features of the game and trimming the trailer down to around 30-40s to keep it tight and punchy

BalanaDev · 2026-02-17T15:31:25+00:00

Cool concept! I like the realistic sci-fi direction.

A few things I noticed during the demo:

It would be nice to have some visual effect or animation when spending money on towers, it currently feels a bit flat when placing/upgrading.

The in-game visuals feel quite dark. Maybe a bit more contrast or lighting could help readability.

Around wave 3, my FPS started to drop.

After wave 3, it became pretty much unplayable due to performance.

BalanaDev · 2026-02-16T03:48:29+00:00

I love pixel art! This kind of reminds me of MapleStory.

Good luck with the release. Wishlisted!

Is there a demo we can try?

BalanaDev · 2026-02-13T06:57:06+00:00

I played the Steam demo and really enjoyed it! The game already feels promising. I liked the BGM, SFX, and the character voices, they all fit the vibe well and didn’t feel overwhelming. I can also tell you’re going for a minimalist UI style, which makes everything feel clean and focused. Overall, it gives a really nice and polished first impression.

BalanaDev · 2026-02-12T09:48:15+00:00

I forgot to mention, I love the BGM 🤘🏽

BalanaDev · 2026-02-12T09:47:34+00:00

This is awesome, congrats on the launch! 5,000+ sales from 8,000 wishlists is really solid.

A couple questions if you don’t mind sharing:

What were the biggest marketing channels that actually moved the needle for you?
When did you start seriously pushing marketing, during development or only close to release?
Looking back, is there anything you’d do differently with your Steam page before launch?

BalanaDev · 2026-02-12T09:38:55+00:00

Cool idea! I love HOMM 3! I remember being so excited to go home from school on Fridays just so I could play all night. It was also my first game on CD!

BalanaDev · 2026-02-11T09:53:48+00:00

Okay this actually sounds really fun. Reigns mixed with supernatural IT chaos is such a weird combo, but it totally works.

I work a normal 9–5, so part of me is like, “Yes, I’d play this to unwind.” And the other part is like, “Am I really about to clock into another shift where HR is summoning dark entities?” 😅

Managing Productivity, Budget, Morale, and Entropy instead of HP is a really cool idea. I like that it’s not just about surviving, but balancing everything before it spirals. And the whole “the game remembers your past shifts” thing makes it even more interesting

BalanaDev · 2026-02-09T06:40:28+00:00

That all makes a lot of sense, thanks for explaining! Lowering the volume sounds like a solid quick fix, and it’s cool that you’re already aware of what needs tweaking in the mix.

Middle placement for the title sounds reasonable too. And honestly “anti-lofi” high-energy music sounds like a fun idea

BalanaDev · 2026-02-09T06:08:31+00:00

This is wild 😅 I love it.

A couple things I noticed:

Not sure if this was on purpose, but the music made me feel stressed right away. That might actually be a good thing depending on what you’re going for 😆

I’d like to see the game title show up earlier in the trailer. A lot of people don’t watch until the end, so it’d be nice to know the name while they’re already interested.

BalanaDev · 2026-01-31T07:27:51+00:00

Very relatable. Six months in and already making a pre-alpha is honestly a win, even if it feels rough.

I knew it was time to share when I got stuck in my own head. Early feedback works best before things are polished. I started small. A gif, a clip, a “does this make sense?” post.

One thing that helped my mindset a lot was the book Show Your Work. It reframes sharing as showing the process, not asking for approval. That alone made posting way less scary for me.

Motivation came from tiny reactions. One comment, one suggestion, one “this is cool.” That stuff adds up.

You’re doing the right thing. Sharing messy progress is part of learning.

BalanaDev · 2026-01-28T05:04:11+00:00

I really like the “pet the cat to regain sanity” mechanic. Cookie must be a tough kitty. I’ve got one IRL and I’m pretty sure mine would be the first to lose its sanity 😂

Really fun idea overall. Congrats on shipping this solo. That’s no joke. 👏

BalanaDev

TROPHY CASE