When did this game stop being a horror?

[Whirblewind]

Noticed the developer already helicoptering negative reviews to correct people that their game is a "twisted psychological thriller" and not a "horror" game.. which is funny, because at some point the description of the game on the Steam page, which has since been changed, used to say:

A Weird First Person Horror Experience.

Twisted gameplay mechanics: utilise existing and original anomalies to solve puzzles and navigate levels.

So it seems at some point this game was definitively imagined as a horror, and the negative reviews expecting as much have some merit.. so when did it change?

[sophiefjooord]

you mean the game is a walking simulator with no monsters to kill?

[kharrelon]

"Twisted gameplay mechanics: utilise existing and original anomalies to solve puzzles and navigate levels." The game delivered on this promise.

-Maybe- the sheer number of "Horrific" elements were more limited, Maybe it wasn't constant in your face horror warranting it to be classified as a horror game. And so the game is not touted as such at any point when it is available to actually purchase the game. Did I find horror elements in the game. Yes. There were a number of "weird horror" moments sprinkled amid the game-play. More than a dozen of them that I can think of without naming them for the sake of spoiling the content of the narrative.

This game was a refreshing use of the SCP foundation lore that didn't feel forced or heavy-handed or just using the IP. It fit well within the framework and the SCP's used felt natural and the well thought out story gave SCP vibes and used the themes without feeling forced.

No it wasn't some typical "survive waves of or a single body horror baddie during a containment breech" like most lazy games set in universe seem to be. The SCPs weren't just lazy writers stand in for the bogeyman and free developed monster gallery of a low tier, no effort asset flip game. The game wasn't full of cheap jumpscare moments, and jarring terrible music but it still managed to give horror as you wandered the facility trying to escape, or drove the lonely roads, navigated atmospheric liminal spaces or snuck through the night.

[Whirblewind]

Originally posted by kharrelon:

A lot of typed words that wouldn't have been typed if they'd read very few words, first.

Wow, fascinating. Anyway, care to answer the question?

[ꉔꏂ꒐꒒ꇙ]

Originally posted by Whirblewind:

When did this game stop being a horror?

Seeing as it went from "Twisted gameplay mechanics" to a "twisted psychological thriller" title, my guess is they didn't know what to call it (genre wise) or what to mention about it and just put "A Weird First Person Horror Experience." first and I guess since it isn't really scary or whatever (don't know what the reviews said) they were like "Oh crap, we gotta fix this" and then edited the store page info and whatnot.

There can only be so many reasons as to why they changed what they changed. You'd get your answer soon enough, if what I said isn't the main fact.

Could have also been a bait and switch (mention horror to draw in the horror fans and boom, switch the info when they start to complain/leave negative reviews)

[Atik]

Originally posted by sophiefjooord:

you mean the game is a walking simulator with no monsters to kill?

There's no gunplay or active combat, but there are obstacles and enemies that can kill you and puzzles/navigations that damage/remove them so you can progress.

[Whirblewind]

Originally posted by ꉔꏂ꒐꒒ꇙ:

Originally posted by Whirblewind:

When did this game stop being a horror?

Could have also been a bait and switch (mention horror to draw in the horror fans and boom, switch the info when they start to complain/leave negative reviews)

Not even I think this, and I made the topic. I think it's more likely they had a vision but not the talent or budget to actualize it, and so they pivoted away from what they originally intended - and vocalized to the public - towards something they could actually make.

Whether the change in direction was intended or reluctant, It's unintentionally deceptive to have changed direction so close to launch rather than deliberately so, and really isn't a bait and switch either way.

[Misfit Village]

Hi! I'm the person that originally thought up the game. It was never meant to have monsters chasing you or jumpscares. I still think of it as horror, but other people definitely do not. That's why we changed the descriptions after we had a big internal QA session and a lot of feedback was "this is not horror, this is not scary".
I always envisioned Go Home Annie as what it is now and believe we had both the talent and budget to realize exactly what we planned.
We decided to turn the descriptions into "psychological thriller" to avoid letting people down.
Still many people expected hardcore horror from it based on the demo. That's on me. The game's prologue was always meant to be a bait and switch with a twist at the end where the game literally changes genres. I wanted it to be a special, unexpected experience. It's not going over well with everyone, but it seems most people like the game. Thank you for playing!

[Admod, the Equivocal]

If Miside can be categorized as horror this game can too.

[Whirblewind]

Originally posted by Misfit Village:

I always envisioned Go Home Annie as what it is now and believe we had both the talent and budget to realize exactly what we planned.

So the original push was a lie after all. Good thing I passed on this, then. Also, I went ahead and removed your reply as the answer to my post, which you forced on it despite the question being rhetorical; it was meant as criticism.

Thanks for your honesty.

[BaraTiddies]

This game is a 20 dollar, 2 hour game. Thats enough to pass on it tbh. Besides that, its just streamer bait.

[jeremyscap74]

What somebody considers horror is subjective. I have a collection of over 100 games that are categorized as horror and imo this game most definitely could be categorized as such. To say calling the game a horror game was a lie is just ridiculous and pedantic. I'm 3 hours in to this game so far and I can say that is is far better than a lot "horror" games that I have played before. Then again I don't judge or purchase games simply based on what they are categorized as.

[LifeInstructionsNotIncluded]

The ending was just a let down and made no sense. What a waste of time. Such a good beginning and middle to only be let down by that ending. I’m not even mad that it’s now classified as a psychological thriller. I’m mad that it didn’t even have a conclusion. Heretic, the movie, falls into that category and has an obscure ending that at least makes you think even without providing clear answers. This just felt rushed and like they didn’t know how they wanted it to end. Just skip this.