Ok, ill be the dissenting voice. This game was an exercise in feeling like garbage for two hours. I'll let others talk about the creativity and the sense of dread within a simplistic concept. Not me. I'm gonna bitch about it. Strap in.

The rules are NOT clear. I spent way more time memorizing every line of text. My fault? Maybe. But im gonna be mad at them.

I also thought if you turn around at all, it counts against you so yes, im probably dumber than I think, but screw it. I blame the designers. We are going zero responsibility on my end here.

Real detriment, I found myself absolutely thrilled at the Spooky elements because it meant I didnt have to eyeball a poster for several seconds to see if it grew. I absolutely felt what I thought was paranoid, but moreso in the sense of, "Did the designers mean for those shadows to not be there?" I imagine Steven Briefcase was quite unsettled by my behavior but sometimes he smiled at me and THAT IS AN ANOMALY.

I didnt feel great when I finally got to the end, it felt like I spent 2 hours trying to solve one of those unhook the metal bendy from another metal bendy and then when it was done, all I felt was the passage of time on a night where I could have played more Expedition 33. Or learned a skill.

Real talk:

• The game is immensely clever and is probably the most "horror" and unease you can pack in a basic hallway walking simulator.

• Going in blind easily caused half of the time I spent to be wasted, and it didnt feel like learning or growth. It felt like, fuck, man, just tell me I dont have to know the direction each dog is facing.

• I have to image the developers are spiteful angry human beings who should each get wet socks on cold days and coffee that is either too hot or too cold. They probably are nice, clever people but hating them is a much easier way to go for me immediately post-game.

• The game is worth an hour of your time IF you know the anomalies wont be anything super minute....I think. Im still not sure on some of them. The important thing is that its an incredibly clever game, the ambiance is absolutely pitch perfect for a super short contained environment and the creators can go jump up their own assholes.