I've gotta share my two cents on this game, cause it's a rare gem.
In short, amazing atmosphere and characters, and a well written horror narrative. But I also disliked the ending and feel the need to talk about it.
I followed the guide and saw ED 3. I don't dislike bummer endings, they just have to click right, fit the narrative and be satisfying in their own way. I don't think this ending was satisfying.
To go back to the positive note, I wanna say that the air of mystery and the horrific atmosphere throughout the game is great. You get some answers in ED 3 which is good, and they make sense but they don't lift the veil completely. This is fantastic writing in my opinion, a horror game should never reveal too much but shouldn't completely confuse the player either. And this game does this very well. It reminds me of Fear and Hunger in the best possible way.
Despite all of this, honestly, I think the game should've also had a bittersweet ending. It's simply bitter, and unsatisfying. There can't be any victories in the world these characters inhabit, but an ending where at least the MC, Mari and ZombAnn survive would've been nice I think. That could've been the ending that you had to work to get. Instead, you have to work to get to see Mari die in front of the MC right after a tender moment. She has too little of an arc, and basically a single scene with the kiss at the end. Her death also felt bad because it feels preventable somehow, but it isn't.
I'll come back to the F&H comparison, a bleak game as well, but it offered some bittersweet if not downright hopeful endings, especially the second game, which offers the player the possibility to save everyone but themselves, a good reward for those going out of their way to achieve it.
Another comparison to draw is Silent Hill 2. It has a hopeful ending with Leave, and I think it's a good game to reference here because arguably James Sunderland does not deserve that ending. The story of the game happens because he is a horrible person, the answer to why he is suffering is simple, he's the architect of his own nightmare.
The MC and his friends in EMPTY are, contrastingly, innocent. Suffering happens to them because the narrative demands it and you're left as a player waiting for the moment the light starts shining through, but it never does, it gets completely snuffed out instead. It's all lows and that just doesn't work in my eyes.
In any case, amazing job on the game
Lonery-Moon. Hope my thoughts on the ending don't come across as too harsh, and that you'll consider adding a bit of light to the story with the updates you're working on.
I've noticed the itchio link leads to an empty page at the moment. When you put it back up I'd be more than happy to buy it, it really was a good experience.
