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You're extremely welcome, my friend! It was an absolute pleasure playing your game, and so much so that it's actually inspired me to start working on a first-person horror game of my own now! :D 

I'm going to start working my way through your "BAYMAX — The Mad Dog | Complete Retro Horror Game Course" from start to finish, taking my time and gradually building up my skills along the way :)  My first attempt definitely won't be anywhere near the level of Fractured Psyche or Requiem Station, but I've got to start somewhere, lol :p 

Up until now, I've mainly worked on short 2D games and prototypes, but I've really wanted to try my hand at something in 3D. So I thought, what better way to take that first step than by learning from a tutorial series created by such a talented developer as Batpan? :D

I honestly can't wait to get started now!

Thank you again for creating such amazing games and  just as importantly, for inspiring others like myself to have a go at creating first person horror games. It really does mean a lot my friend! :) 

Batpan has absolutely knocked it out of the park once again with this one! I've been looking forward to this game for a LONG time, and I can honestly say it did NOT disappoint!

This game has an incredible storyline and all the right ingredients for a truly fantastic horror experience. From the atmosphere to the gameplay and storytelling, you can really see the passion, time and effort that have gone into creating it.

Batpan is genuinely one of the hardest working, most talented and very humble indie game developers I've come across. If you're not already subscribed to his YouTube channel, I highly recommend you head over and show him some support. He absolutely deserves it! :)

I also loved the little references to Fractured Psyche throughout the game. Such a fantastic little touch and something I really appreciated having played that game a while ago :)

I honestly cannot recommend this game enough. If you're a fan of first-person indie horror, this is definitely one you should experience for yourself. You won't be disappointed!

Thank you Batpan, for bringing us another amazing game. I wish you every success with this one and whatever you create next. You truly deserve it my friend, take care and keep up the brilliant work! :D

You're very welcome! :)  I'm glad you've taken the feedback in the spirit it was intended. There's definitely a lot of potential here, and I think addressing these issues will make a huge difference to the overall experience. I'm looking forward to seeing how the game develops, and I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the update. Best of luck with the development!

Is this game still in development? Because to be completely honest, it feels very unfinished at the moment, and there are quite a few issues that need addressing before it can deliver a good experience for the player.

I’ve played the game myself, and I wanted to offer some honest, constructive feedback because I think there are some things here that could be improved significantly. Sometimes it helps to have someone approach it with fresh eyes :) 

First impressions and the main menu

The main menu feels sluggish and unresponsive. Everything needs to feel snappy and immediate, particularly when navigating menus. When the player hovers over an option, there should be instant feedback, such as a subtle sound effect and a visual highlight to indicate which option is selected. These are small details, but they make a huge difference to how polished a game feels.

The transition from the menu into the game is also far too slow. The fadeout takes longer than necessary and makes the whole experience feel sluggish before the player has even started playing. Keep transitions short, purposeful and responsive. You don't want players getting bored before they've even had a chance to experience the game.

Text, objectives and tutorials

When I started the game, a large amount of text appeared on screen and began fading away automatically while I was still trying to read it. It then lingered on screen, slowly fading out and cluttering the gameplay. This is a frustrating way to introduce information, especially when that information is important to understanding what the player is supposed to do.

If you're giving the player a substantial amount of text to read, display it in a proper pop-up window with a button to close it once they've finished. Alternatively, let the player advance through the text at their own pace. Don't assume everyone reads at the same speed, and never make important information disappear before the player has had a reasonable opportunity to understand it.

I also heard a loud jumpscare sound right at the beginning as I  was looking around, but there was nothing obvious on screen to explain what was happening. At the same time, the objective text was disappearing, so I was distracted by the sound and ended up missing the objective entirely.

If a jumpscare is supposed to establish atmosphere or frighten the player, there should be something meaningful behind it. Otherwise, it just feels like a random, unnecessarily loud sound effect. More importantly, don't introduce an important objective at the exact moment you're deliberately distracting the player.

These might seem like relatively minor issues individually, but together they make the opening feel confusing, clumsy and unpolished. First impressions matter, particularly in horror games, where atmosphere, pacing and immersion are so important.

Level design, doors and collision

When I started exploring, I walked past several rooms with open doors and naturally assumed I could enter them. However, it felt as though an invisible barrier was preventing me from going inside. Initially, I thought there might be a problem with the player's collision settings or that the player collider was too large, but eventually I realised those rooms might simply be inaccessible.

If a door is open, players will naturally expect to be able to walk through it. If a room isn't accessible, consider closing the door, blocking the entrance with something visible or using environmental design to make it obvious that the area is inaccessible. Invisible barriers in seemingly accessible spaces can make players think the game is broken, even when the behaviour is intentional.

It's important to remember that players don't know which areas are accessible and which aren't. They can only make assumptions based on what the game shows them.

Navigation and making objectives clear

Eventually, I found my way to the terminal, where the character said something along the lines of not having much to work with and suggested starting with the name in the case file documents?

The problem was that, at this point, I had no idea what name I was supposed to be looking for, lol, let alone where to find the relevant documents :)  I'd already struggled to work out where I needed to go, so being given another vague instruction without enough context only added to the confusion.

This is where clearer objective design would make a massive difference. When the game tells the player to find a name in a case file, it needs to establish where those documents are, what the player should be looking for, or at least give them enough information to work it out naturally.

You could also consider introducing a simple interaction and navigation system. For example, highlight important interactive objects when the player gets close, display a small prompt explaining what can be interacted with, or provide an optional hint system for players who get stuck. You could even use a subtle objective indicator to help players orient themselves without completely removing the need for exploration.

I'm not suggesting that you hold the player's hand throughout the entire game. Horror games benefit from uncertainty, and figuring things out can be part of the fun. However, there's a difference between deliberately creating tension and leaving the player confused because the game hasn't communicated what they need to do :) 

A basic pause menu is essential

I also had to close the game completely just to go back and read information I'd missed earlier. That's something the player shouldn't have to do.

At the very least, pressing Esc should open a pause menu with options to resume, return to the main menu and quit the game. It would also be useful to include an objectives screen if possible, so players can check what they're currently supposed to be doing. Alternatively, you could always keep the object text in the top corner, similar to games like Fears To Fathom.

If important information is introduced through dialogue, notes or case files, consider allowing players to revisit that information through an in-game journal or document system. That way, players can focus on exploring and enjoying the game without worrying that they've permanently missed something important.

The bigger issue: player experience and polish

I could go into more detail, but I think there's already quite a bit here to work through.

The common thread running through these issues is that the game doesn't consistently communicate with the player. Menus feel sluggish, important text disappears too quickly, accessible-looking areas are blocked by invisible barriers, and objectives aren't always clear enough to follow.

Individually, these might sound like small problems. Collectively, however, they can make the game feel much less polished than it might otherwise be. They can also cause players to abandon a game before they've had a chance to appreciate its atmosphere, story or mechanics.

I'd strongly recommend prioritising the fundamentals first: responsive menus, readable and persistent objectives, clear interaction feedback, sensible collision and level design, and a basic pause menu. Once those foundations are solid, you can build on them with more advanced features and mechanics.

I genuinely hope you take this feedback in the spirit it's intended. I'm not trying to insult you or suggest that making a game is easy. Quite the opposite: I know there's a lot of work involved in game development, and I'm offering this feedback because I think addressing these issues could make a noticeable difference to the overall experience :D 

One thing that's easy to forget as a developer, is that you already know your game inside out, but a new player doesn't. You know where everything is, what each objective means, which doors can be opened, what happens next and how the game is supposed to work. A first-time player has none of that knowledge.

That's why it's so important to test your game from the perspective of someone who has never played it before. Watch where they get confused, where they hesitate, what they misunderstand and where they struggle to progress. Those moments can reveal problems you might never notice yourself because you already know the answers.

There may well be a good game underneath these issues, but right now, too many basic usability and polish problems are getting in the way of the experience.

I hope you can use this feedback to identify areas for improvement and make the game more intuitive, immersive and enjoyable. I'm being direct because I think these things genuinely matter,  and I think you have the potential of a great game here! : ) All the best!

Looking forward to it man!

Just finished playing it now, I loved it! :)  Brilliant storyline and very responsive controls too. 

The only thing which was pulling me out of the immersion though, was the text-to-speech audio which sounded too robotic. I think the impact of your game would hit a harder with some more human-like audio :) and maybe using something like this would give you some better results? https://www.naturalreaders.com but that's just a minor thing. Other than that though, I think you have a great game there overall, well done man! :D 

I'm definitely a fan and I'm looking forward to seeing your future projects! 

That's brilliant news and thank you for sorting! :D I'll get it downloaded again today and start playing from scratch. Looking forward to testing the new version and will be more than happy to leave a review after. Have a good one man!

This is a really good game but I had to stop when I reached the house where you have to get the photo, as I was unable to move at all using the WASD keys. Not sure if anyone else had this issue, but it kind of ruined it for me so I had to close the game.

I was really starting to enjoy this game until I tried to use one of the forklift trucks :D  Can you actually drive them, or am I missing something? lol.

I thought maybe I was doing something wrong, so I checked the settings and went into the controls… only to find that “Fullscreen” is listed as an option for both Interact and Flashlight. 😂😂

One thing I felt the game was missing was clearer instructions to help players understand what they need to do next. For example, prompts such as "[E] Use" or "[E] Pick Up" would be really helpful (although I'm not even sure if picking up items is possible in the game yet?)

I appreciate this was a game jam entry, so it's understandable that there might be a few bugs and things that haven't been fully polished. However, I do think clearly indicating which objects players can interact with is quite fundamental to the gameplay experience, as it helps them understand what they can do and where to go next.

Visually, though, the game looks amazing! The environment, lighting and overall atmosphere are really well done :)

I was just a little disappointed because the description and screenshots really grabbed my attention, and I was genuinely looking forward to playing it. Unfortunately, I barely got started. I answered the phone, checked my task list on the clipboard, walked over to the forklift truck, and then had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do next. At that point, I lost the sense of fun and ended up closing the game.

I really hope you continue developing this, though, because I genuinely think it has a lot of potential! I'd love to come back and give it another go once the interaction prompts are clearer and the issues with the control settings have been sorted out :) 

Great work overall, and I hope you keep building on what you've created!

Overall a good game but one thing which really annoyed me was the safe puzzle, were the player has to go back to the note every time they have to attempt a new code. It would make sense for the player to be able to pick up the note and take it with them to save time. Overall though, good job! :) 

You are very welcome man :) I look forward to seeing your future progress. You're a great developer and overall, the game felt really solid with everything else. That running scene at the end definitely had my heart racing, lol :D

This definitely had potential, but it also felt a little rushed. I felt the computer task was a bit boring and repetitive, which kills the fun part of the game (it also feels like this is where most of the 10 mins gameplay time goes). I did however like the storyline, as well as the jump scare with the colleague :) The player controls feels great, as well as the interaction wit h objects. What would make this more fun, is maybe having the player only have to reply to about 5 emails but then have some more smaller tasks the player could do, such as cleaning up rubbish, getting a drink, brushing the floor etc. just to break up the monotony of answering loads of emails. Then maybe have some more strange events such as, the office lights go off whilst you're on the computer so you have to get up and switch them back on. Or the phone rings but it's just some heavy breathing instead of someone talking and so on :) This is definitely not a negative criticism, but more of an encouragement, as I can see a lot of potential with this game and I really wanted this to last a bit longer. Overall though, great job and good luck with your future projects :) 

My apologies for the delay coming back to you. Absolutely yeah, please do share the instructions however you wish. Hopefully more Linux users will get to see how great this game is too :D  take care man!

It works perfectly! :D thank you for taking the time to compile the Linux version. 

Just a quick note for any other Linux users, in order to get it work, there was a file called MirrorsOfTheAncients.sh. I had to right-click this and mark it as "Executable as  a program". After that I was able to run from that directory with a terminal prompt by using the following command:

./MirrorsOfTheAncients.sh

This game is very well polished. The controls are super smooth, the background music and sound effects perfectly enhance the mood and overall game play experience. The graphics are amazing and I love the mirror puzzle mechanic, it reminds me of puzzles in games like Zelda :D excellent work on this game and I look forward to seeing a full release in the near future!

Ah man, I really wanted to play this, but I currently have a crappy iPhone, lol :p is there any way you could make a Web version to be played in the browser? No worries if not, as I understand time constraints are against us right now.

Thank you very much :)

Argh, I made it to the Scurge Queen with only 10% life and then got wiped out :p
I absolutely love this game, it had me hooked straight away. I love the weapon upgrade mechanic which allows the player full control of the strategic placement for the next upgrade, very cool indeed! I will definitely be playing this later but an easy 5 stars from me man! :)

Thank you so much for your kind feedback :D I'm really glad you like the game. Haha, I was a bit worried that by looking at the thumbnail image, it would remind people of Simon, but I'm relieved to know that didn't put them off from playing it, lol :p thanks again for checking out the game and for your feedback, it really means a lot.

An easy 5 stars right there :D this game is so therapeutic and visually pleasing. The soundtrack and sound effects are all on point and the tutorial is very well done with just enough hand holding for the user :) I will definitely be coming back to this game. Brilliant work my friend!

Haha, the game ending soon has been one of the consistent downsides with other users too, lol :p I will definitely be looking to add more levels in the near future though. Thank you very much for your kind words :D 

It's a really solid game you have right there :D it's always tricky to match the mood of a level with music, but maybe something like this would go well:

I absolutely love the Chameleon mechanic, very cool idea! :D This is a brilliant example of how a strong core mechanic can create a wide variety of fun gameplay opportunities. The snakes genuinely caught me off guard when they grabbed me as I walked past :D haha.

I also really like the graphic style and the smooth controls. One small touch that could add even more atmosphere would be some subtle background music layered over the ambient sound effects you already have.

Overall though, I absolutely love this  game. I reached the end and was genuinely disappointed when the fun stopped, lol :p  

Excellent work with this game though. I can imagine so many possibilities for expanding this concept, like differently themed levels, more challenging obstacles (for example moving platforms where you have to carefully time your tongue shots), different types of enemies, and player abilities such as speed boosts or shields etc. 

That's a super idea, I love it! :D I will look at getting a scoreboard added in  for a future release. Thanks for taking the time to play and for your amazing feedback.

I absolutely love that idea of the endless game. That would allow for the opportunity to slowly ramp up the challenge :) I might put that in as another play mode on the main menu. Thank you so much for playing and for your feedback, I really appreciate it! :D

What a brilliant game! Very visually pleasing and also plays real nice too :) I love the level design and spider enemies, they provide just the right amount of difficulty. The sound effects and music are perfect for this style of game and create the right sort of mood. The dash ability is also very cool! Very well done and good luck for the jam :)

Thank you for playing the game and for providing feedback :) I think you may have picked up on a good point there. I think I might give the ability to toggle a graphical background or a solid color background in an options window for the game, as well as some other options :) thanks again!

That would be much appreciated thank you :) You're absolutely right though, I didn't consider that it may possibly go against the rules of the jam to submit another build. Absolutely no worries, but I'll certainly be keeping an eye out on future progress. Wishing you all the best with the game for jam my friend :) 

No worries at all. Good luck with your game for the jam though! :)

Holy cow, this game is amazing! :D I love the retro art style and the 80's soundtrack. The game play is really smooth and you've absolutely nailed the connection theme of the jam. I can easily play this again and again. In fact, I have bookmarked your game for quick reference later when I want to play it again :p Brilliant work!

A sound cue for the targets is a brilliant suggestion, thank you! I'll definitely be implementing this in a future release. I really appreciate your feedback, thanks man :) 

I'm not going to lie, out of all the games I have played so far in this Jam, this could be the one I have enjoyed the most so far! :D Very nice sound track, relaxing game play, the challenge ramps up at a nice tempo and above all, very fun to play for a long time. Excellent work my friend :) 

This is very valuable feedback. Thanks very much for playing the game and for your kind words :) 

This is a brilliant idea based on the connections theme for the jam :D I like the graphics, the music and the general tempo of game play. It actually feels like a Nintendo game too, which I absolutely love! Brilliant work man :D 

Nice one Sam, I really appreciate that man. Thanks very much for your kind comments :) 

Great puzzle and very cool music too! :D I love the art style and the game play, very well done!

Thank you very much, I really appreciate that! :)

This game looks amazing! O.O  and I want to play it so badly, but I'm currently running on Linux :( Is there a chance at all, you'd be able to compile a web build version so it can be played in the browser? :) This looks great though man from the screenshots!

I really appreciate your feedback man, thank you very much!
Extra colors and shapes is something I hadn't thought of actually, but I'll definitely consider implementing this, thank you! :)

I love the art style, and the sound effects are really nice too :) I struggled a little in the very first room, lol. I managed to get the door open in the end though :D it might be a good idea to hold the players hand a little more in those first few minutes just to help get them out of the first room and to prevent any early onset frustration.
I actually like this game, it has a nice calming feel to it and the controls are super smooth! Even the dialog boxes work nicely with the sound effects matching the tempo of text, as well as the ability to skip ahead if needed etc. Overall, great job with this game :)

AH that's brilliant news, haha :D thanks very much for your feedback man!