A Light in the Dark

To be honest initially I expected the plot to be quite different (the Steam page made it appear to me like some apocalyptic suspense action lol), I was surprised that it ended up so close to reality. Although I definitely enjoyed it regardless and it actually evoked that "reality-check"-like sense of emptiness within me. Firstly, I really adore the art and music, they perfectly capture the setting's ambience and story's emotions. The plot itself is almost absurdly simple yet manages to create solid depth. I suppose I would've preferred it if there was a bit more going on, but the "gameplay" elements with the timed choices and limited stamina cancels that out for me by emphasizing the realistic aspects of the game. I feel like the story is mainly impactful if you view it with acknowledgement of its reference to reality, rather than from a "fiction" perspective where it may appear underwhelming, hence why I especially liked those timed choices and limited stamina as an addition to the story itself. Otherwise I quite enjoyed all characters and would've loved to learn more about them. The variety of endings is fun too. However I generally agree with the common critique that the execution of certain elements could've been better, for example sometimes it felt like the focus was too heavy on specific unsolvable questions/ dilemmas to the point of the actual plotline getting nearly abandoned. I think that increasing the game length could've been a great enhancement to properly cover details related to the actual plot and moreover be able to deal with the moral/social themes without rush. But altogether I still found it a very pleasing, depressing and beautiful experience!