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5.0

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Anemoiapolis: Chapter 1

2023-03-04

Single playerFirst person

Adventure

Indie

Horror

A short atmospheric terror game about liminal spaces. Escape the grasps of an underground neighborhood that is equal parts comforting and disturbing. If you've explored a dead mall, a foreclosed pool, or a school at night, you might already know what it's like to be in Anemoiapolis.

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Synthia

Anemoiapolis: Chapter 1

2 years ago

Elevator: Unlocked

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SynthiaReviewed a game2 years ago

Anemoiapolis: Chapter 1

7 hours

Soundtrack

Visuals

Gameplay

Story

I have been awaiting this game for months, and I can honestly say I was not disappointed! I really enjoy the unique way this game takes the concept of the backrooms and liminal spaces and makes it an immersive and interactive gaming experience! Many people complain about the concept of the ticket-collecting and the mall being the “hub” to access many of the other rooms, saying that it breaks up the game in an awkward way or takes away from it, and I quite disagree. I very much enjoy that the ticket collecting gives the player something to do while wandering the backrooms. It isn’t something big, or distracting (as I feel that very much would take away from the experience), but instead it's just a simple yet effective way of unlocking new areas and it very much encourages the player to really take everything in and look closely at your surroundings- empty or not. Personally, I also found the ticket system to be a great motivator for me to keep exploring and check every possible place or thing. I also think that the large, abandoned mall was the perfect place to be the “hub” for the other levels. I quite like a lot of the puzzles that this game had. I enjoy that rather than always having a straightforward path, there were times that required problem-solving and thinking. Some of my favorites included using a cart to get over a wall in the Movie Theater level, and having to walk up the side of the wall to reach upstairs in the beginning of the same level. Personally I wasn’t big on the puzzles where you used your keyboard to reconnect the access panels, as I felt this was a little out of place for the backrooms. I find the former brain puzzles to be more fitting rather than the latter, but that's just my take. I also didn’t love how at a few puzzles the game would basically give away how to overcome the obstacle by telling you. I, personally, would much rather have the opportunity to figure out for myself how to solve the puzzles, instead of being told what to do by the game. The creation of the levels is wonderful. It's almost impossible for me to pick a favorite, because every level damn near perfectly showcases each liminal space it's going for. From the pool rooms of the Aerobic Fitness and Resort levels, to the vibes of the theater and mall rooms, everything was very on-point. I think the only level that was underwhelming and didn’t live up to my expectations was the Conference Center level, as it was almost entirely empty with little to no tickets. I also must add a huge props to the designers of the Aerobic Fitness and Family Resort levels specifically, because you captured these places amazingly. Throughout my life I have had multiple dreams that have taken place in places almost identical to the beginning of the Family Resort level, and the bathrooms of the Aerobic Fitness level, and frankly it makes me so wonderfully uncomfortable because I feel like I'm reliving places I’ve been before mentally. You all knew what you were doing and you did it so right. It was something right out of my dreams and I love that. The shadow entity encountered in the Resort level was quite a twist and just as mysterious as the backrooms themselves, leaving me genuinely terrified and I quite liked it. I do want to note though, that while this entity was a fun, sudden turn of events in the exploration of the level, I’m happy that this is the only level that has such a thing. I don’t much care for backrooms with entities that hunt you down or threaten you, I personally find it detracts from my experience most of the time. To me, the backrooms are supposed to be empty, you’re supposed to be alone, and it’s that loneliness that leaves you with paranoia and fear of possibly being watched or followed, or just wondering if anyone else is there. Ultimately, I much prefer the empty, paranoia-inducing backrooms to the jump-scare, being chased by an entity backrooms and I’m very glad this game does not contain much of that. Also, as a side note, I absolutely love that in the Resort level you can actually ride down the waterslides. I know nothing is truly perfect, and I’m sure each level has its flaws, however I also find most of these flaws to be more subjective than anything. What one person sees as a flaw, another may find fitting and perfectly fine for the setting. I personally don’t take many issues with any of the levels. Finally, the music and sound FX are on point! I don’t think there is a single song playing in the background that doesn’t fit the vibe. Throughout the game during times where the music is playing, it's just so fitting and adds perfectly to the experience. Furthermore I also really like how in some areas you could hear decently clear voices over loudspeakers. Clear enough that if your volume is turned up you can understand what is being said. Especially in the mall rooms, it's the cherry on top. Non-music sound FX found in many of the levels, from eerie and unsettling sounds, to basic environment sounds like the water, are very well done, in my opinion. Overall, music and sound FX are a SOLID 10/10 for me. A few personal notes from me on what I didn’t like (although this is mostly just me getting nit picky): Personally, I was okay with the dialogue from the player, however I didn’t quite like that it wasn’t always spoken. Sometimes he would speak, but most of the time the words would just be written for you to read. This is one of the few things about the game I had an issue with. I don’t mind him talking at all, but if you are going to have him talk I would much prefer that he actually speaks all his lines, rather than just having the majority of them typed out on the screen to read. It is much more fitting and immersive, in my opinion, to have him fully speak out all his lines instead. Some of the water mechanics could use some tweaking. I don’t know if the harsh glare from running water (sinks or showers) was intentional, however I found it to be pretty blinding and a bit annoying when encountered. I also noticed a few areas in the Resort level where running water from the top of waterslides looked less like water running and more like melted silver or liquid mercury. Most of the water in the game looks fine, it’s really just the heavily animated water like running sinks and the slides that could look way better. Overall, this game was a hell of an experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will be coming back to replay many of the levels, and I am eagerly awaiting the release of chapter 2 which I can only hope will bring us much more amazing content. Despite the bad reviews, I urge anyone interested to try this game regardless of the many opinions and takes. It is quite the experience, and one worth having at least one.

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