Just finished the game - my initial reactions...

[TheButschwacker]

Semi-spoilers ahead:

TL;DR I think the 2-hour experience was totally worth it for the pants-♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ moments alone. The oppressive atmosphere reminded me of games like Alan Wake/Metro/STALKER and I never truly felt safe - which is a good thing. Plus, the final boss truly freaked me the f*** out when she came out of the woodwork. I can honestly say I've never felt such terror and tension playing a game since F.E.A.R. in 2005. The Beast Inside comes close.

Now, with my overall praise out of the way, I have some constructive notes for the devs.

For one, the #1 part of the experience that needs the most work is the nighttime gameplay loop. I went through 4 night cycles during my 2-hour playthrough, and each time, I was instantly swarmed with mutants. I couldn't think of anything better to do than to crouch in a corner and swing my pickaxe at anything that got close - a tedious and unfun way to spend 10 minutes.

I got a sense that we're supposed to board up Father's House and use that as a safe zone/stronghold at night. If so, that would be pretty neat - but I couldn't find enough boards to create enough window seals, so Father's House wasn't any easier to hole up in than K-Goods or the pharmacy.

Plus, I found it too difficult to determine when nighttime was actually coming. By the time my watch gave a warning beep, I was usually halfway across town on my way to the next objective. God forbid I was out in the open forest, with no corners to back into and swing my pickaxe in self-defense.

It would be also be helpful if instead of ITEM RECEIVED, the game actually told us what item we just picked up.

But to end on a high note, this is a *truly* terrifying game. When the basement door knocked five times, I thought "OK, this team gets it. They get horror. We're in good hands."