Homebody

What a beautiful game. Unsettling and confusing--some things didn't really line up or resolve themselves at the end in my opinion--but overall well worth it. Good work Jory and Grumpies!

fun little story about struggling with depression in a scary house, i really liked the aesthetic of this game and its retro horror influences. I loved the development of the relationship between Emily and Francine and the one in the background between Parker and Clara. big fan overall

I loved it. I could sit here and try to put my feelings on it into words, but I'm worried I'd spoil something. The most I can say, story wise, is it really struck a cord with me as someone dealing with my own mental issues I'm trying to sort out. If you want a game that will, potentially, make you "feel something", this is one I'd highly recommend.

[b][i]Homebody[/i][/b] is an excellent puzzle horror game in the modern setting with a time loop - each time the protagonist dies, the evening restarts from entering the house, which the group of friends rented for their trip. It is also a remarkably accurate representation of social anxiety. The house is a closed system with a specific schedule and everything needed already being there [spoiler](it is technically possible to solve the final puzzle before even seeing the killer)[/spoiler]. The puzzles are logical and reasonably straight-forward and there is an optional hint system starting from “Have you noticed A?” to “To do A, do B first”. The dialogues are well-written with several options and can provide hints for the puzzles as well along with more background story, such as the relationship between the group members and their lives prior to arriving at the house. The relationship progress persists between the loops and most of the puzzles are not random (I think, there is only one exception). The graphics are expressive and easy to read and use the PS1-style aesthetics. The music and sound design are fitting and build the atmosphere and suspense. The game is VA-free, allowing a smaller size and requiring less processing power. The controls are comfortable and rebindable, offering both keyboard and mouse controls. The game uses auto-saving into a single slot, with 3 slots total, meaning that one has to utilise their file management system should they want to have hard manual saves. Considering that the cut-scenes are not repeatable, while the difficulty increases as the game progresses, the lack of manual saving is unpleasant. Additionally, upon continuing the game, the player always starts from a new loop, with the position in the previous loop lost. While the loops are short and the memories are saved, it is still undesirable. I am also unsure whether interpersonal interactions should be considered universally better than seclusion. Each person is different and what works for the extroverted neurotypicals can be extremely uncomfortable for a neurodivergent person (see the gamers during the 2020 lockdown meme). The social systems were built by and for extroverts and must change to accommodate everyone, not only them. Overall, it is an excellent horror game with the above-mentioned technical flaws.

Great story and amazing puzzles.

jogaço de terror e puzzle!!!!!