Gameplay / Fun / Engagement: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Art Style / Visuals: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audio / Sound Design: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Theme: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I liked the mystery a lot. Coming back after ten years and slowly figuring out what happened works really well for this kind of point and click game. The audio is probably the strongest part for me. Footsteps heartbeat and all the little ambient sounds make some of the rooms feel way more uncomfortable than they would otherwise.
The biggest thing Id change is how clicking works. A few times I wasnt sure if something was usable or if I was just clicking random parts of the picture. Id change the cursor when something can be interacted with. Maybe hand for objects and an eye for things you can inspect. Even just a small outline when you hover would fix a lot.
I would also make the game react when you click something important. A tiny sound. maybe the object flashes for a second. anything really. Since clicking is basically the main thing youre doing it should feel obvious when the game actually accepted the click.
Another thing that could help is a hint system. Nothing that tells you the answer instantly. Maybe after being stuck for a while you get something like "there was something strange near the workshop" or the character comments on where to look. Point and clicks can get pretty brutal when you miss one small object and suddenly theres literally nothing else you can do lol.
Some objects becoming usable only after another event could be communicated better too. If I already clicked something earlier and nothing happened Im probably not gonna think "maybe I should click that again now". Maybe the object changes slightly when it becomes relevant or the character says something that points you back there.
Id also trim some of the writing a little. The story itself is interesting but a few lines could probably get to the point faster. With a mystery game I think shorter text can actually make things feel creepier because the player fills in some of the gaps themselves.
Art works pretty well for the atmosphere but Id definitely keep going with the plan to replace the generated stuff with original art if you continue the game. Some scenes have a lot of detail but that also makes important objects harder to spot. Having slightly simpler backgrounds and keeping important things more readable would help both the look and gameplay.
Audio is 5/5 for me though. It carries a lot of the atmosphere and I could tell you spent time on it.
Really interesting game and I like the idea behind the theme. It just needs a bit more help telling the player what the game actually wants them to notice.
If you have some time please check out my game too :) Id really appreciate a rating and some feedback!