Interesting
It wasnt bad. but ill tell you what it was... depressing
Reviews for "Q - compressing the heart"
Great atmosphere and animation, but...
This was a very pretty game, and the animation was flawless.
The gameplay, however, never rose above the typical "click every pixel" mechanic that so many point-and-click games rely on.
More feedback for the puzzles would have made this much less frustrating. Clicking around a black screen until I hit the right spot isn't fun, it's annoying. The early puzzles felt well-developed, but after the clock things started to go downhill.
I would have enjoyed it just as much if it was a straight animation.
Gorgeous~!
This game is so gorgeous in its simplicity, which includes the artwork and the music. My only issue is that the mechanics on the clock are a bit frustrating. Other than that, fabulous game.
Strange but good
I love the warped twisted feel to this game and hope to see some more like it.
Interesting & inspired - but flawed...
The visual atmosphere feels so perfect and though i can see the whole "Reminds me of Limbo" thing it's just different enough to stand out on its own. The introduction however is almost too jarring. With the first click of what is the obvious object to click first you're thrown into the deep end - and then silence. It's almost like the game ends right there and the player has done something wrong. Placed later in the game and this might have been more okay but it's too obtrusive, too quickly.
The lack of sound effects is too obvious as well. While limited sound could have added to bringing the player into the world. You have a 'ding' sound effect when highlighting the x in the instructions menu but you don't have sound effects for walking, most objects falling to the ground, the creatures blowing a hole in the wall and attacking. Again, it doesn't draw the player into the world, it just serves to point out that you're not really experiencing what's happening.
Finally the story doesn't really build or go anywhere. Going back to the intro it's a very "pedal to the floor" moment that gears you up the game but then it just gets slow and confusing. The big moments appear yes, but only for a few seconds and then diminish back to a slow pace again. It's like a cheap scare in a horror movie. Yes it will likely make you open your eyes and try to be prepared for next time but without an ever increasing risk of things being at stake it doesn't amount to anything. Additionally I don't fully understand the black white section or why i even had to do that part. The character taking such brutal actions on his own accord also confuses and further detaches the player from the character. After the boat scene i didn't even want to play anymore because the character wasn't me. If i choose the evil side in an RPG that's acceptable for me because i chose to commit dark deeds. For my character to do that on his own makes me think i was never that character at all. The ending is also very sudden and confusing. I'm all for an ending, even a whole story that makes you think and derive your own meaning from it (Watching far too many films during my film degree most of the films i had to write about were of this nature) - but it just doesn't flow well. It sort of ends before it begins. if it didn't have all the breaks, if it just went from one action to the next, free from the pauses of the player trying to solve what thing to click next it might work better. It wouldn't make up for everything but it would help. It doesn't help that it's not clear when you can click or when a cutscene is still playing out.
The other main thing that detracts is that it's not always obvious what you have to do. In the scene where you're captured i clicked all over the thing i was stuck in - then everywhere else on screen even though there was nothing that i would normally (or not normally) click on. Then when that didn't work i returned to the thing holding me and surprising i was free. Maybe the invisible box to click on wasn't big enough in this case but it was another moment when i felt like things had paused to no avail.
To anyone (including the games creator) that has read this far down I apologise for making you read so much. Actually why did you read all this? Maybe this made for a compelling read or you wanted to see what would drive someone to write so much. Whatever the case, despite my poor score for this game i don't hate it - It just feels ultimately unfinished. To the games creator: I hope you continue to refine your art of creating games with a compelling narrative. This game truly interested me from the beginning and I tried to ignore its flaws hoping it would lead me through a compelling journey and a beautiful ending - and while this particular game didn't achieve this with me i'm sure i'll remember it and draw ideas of it or from. Actually it already has in the form of a possible idea for a short film. I'm not sure if i will ever make it but the idea is there and you inspired it so thankyou. In that way alone i see this game as inspirational.