a good and scary game. is there a reason that it goes into auto-fullscreen everytime i click on it to move?
Reviews for "I Can't Escape"
davidmaletz responds:
The game is meant to be played in fullscreen, and in many browsers (firefox included), it is not playable in windowed mode, so that's why it always returns to fullscreen when you click. If you want, however, in chrome you can play the game with arrow keys in windowed mode (just don't click the screen, and it wont go to fullscreen).
Awesome game, the music really sets the mood, plus I like the little ghost creatures they give me the chills...
That was terrifying! I love the retro style of it and the ominous footsteps and the music were great!
Well, it's hard to judge, I have mixed feelings about this.
First, what I liked: atmosphere. Visuals, sounds, old-school mechanics and overall creepy mood of the game - it all worked well. You said it was your aim to create specific atmosphere, and you hit it perfectly.
Now, what I disliked about this game: I don't see any viable way for player to resolve this puzzle. There is no path leading to victory inside of the game, and though solution exists, it appears absurd for me. It may be achieved either by accident or by trying just everything to bruteforce it. Or it may come from outside of the game, which isn't what games should rely on and it still doesn't bring more sense to it. This kind of situations is not what I appreciate in games.
In summary, I can't say I'm satisfied with this as a game. But when thinking about this not as a game, but rather as an interactive form of art, it looks well and really has some value. So overall experience was positive.
Probably my favorite flash horror game of all time. I've been a fan of it for a while, and actually helped beta test its spiritual successor, so I might as well write a review.
I Can't Escape is a very creepy and atmospheric game that forces you to explore. At first glance, the way to escape seems simple: just find the key! But then you'll pick up a key and realize it doesn't work on the first door you landed in front of. Then you'll accidentally fall down a hole, into a completely new area. Maybe you'll find your way back up to the first level somehow, only to realize you don't recognize anything. Maybe you'll assume you need to go deeper to escape, or maybe you'll accidentally fall again, but one way or another, you'll go down again. Then on the third level, you'll meet a ghost who pushes you further down. From time to time, horrific red-eyed shadows will emerge from pits, a helpful yet startling warning of the danger beneath your feet.
As you descent further into the labyrinth, your character begins to move faster, probably reflecting the sense of panic you're in now. How many keys have you picked up again? Why won't that door open? Wasn't there a big open room where this long hallway is now? Your visibility lessens, and the textures change. The walls look almost like they're made from the skulls of people who couldn't escape. You can't even see those flower textures on the ground that were so obvious at the start of this game.
Eventually, you'll fall into a tiny room surrounded by four locked doors, and as you frantically slam against them in a futile attempt to get out, your vision fades to black. The title of this game, which you almost laughed at clicking on this page, now fills your mind as the darkness claims your soul, as it has so many others...
Other than sounding like a bad ghost story, that was my first time playing the game in a nutshell.
Summary of the experience aside, other pros in my humble opinion include being kept on edge by the ambiance, even when you know it's just a background sound effect and not something coming after you, replayability due to random generation, and escape still being a challenge even when you know the secret. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes horror games.
Not to advertise or anything, but the spiritual successor coming out on Steam soon is also fantastic, and a game I would recommend once it comes out.