The Static Speaks My Name
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
Please be aware this game deals with themes of suicide and depicts some scenes that some players may find upsetting.
Ladies and gentlemen of the JiG-iverse. I have a confession to make, that I hope we can deal with together, as a community. I... kinda like "Walking Simulators". Yes, those first-person exploration-based adventures that tend to take place in lonely houses/islands with random documents scattered all over the place, and are home to a depressingly small number of zombies or orcs. First it started with Dear Esther, then Proteus and Gone Home. One fears that soon I will be relegated to writing for JayIsThingsThatMayOrMayNotBeGames. But before that happens, let's talk about The Static Speaks My Name by Jesse Barksdale: it's a first-person exploration-based adventure, available in Pay What You Want Format (including free, but please tip your developers if you enjoy their games!), that takes place in a lonely house with random documents scattered all over the place. And while there are no ghosts or jump scares, there's no shortage of atmospheric creepiness as you step into the shoes and home of a man obsessed with a truly not-that-impressive painting.
Move with the [WASD] or [arrow] keys and interact with items with the [E] key. Look around with the mouse, right-clicking to zoom in on specific objects. You are given a series of objectives to complete, though the main intrigue of the game is walking about and discovering all that's going on. The Static Speaks My Name is a short experience (about ten minutes at most), but it manages to be both disturbing and darkly comedic, often stemming from the same in-game sources. Psychological horror-comedy seems like a contradiction in terms, but it's the best way to describe it: a shudder with a smile. And if the walking and the simulating means it's not really a game, then for whatever it is, those looking for a walk on the dark side of humanity will be glad they went along for the ride.
Windows:
Get the full version
Mac OS X:
Get the full version
Linux:
Get the full version
Fantastic review that really makes me want to play the game. You mean 'relegated' instead of 'regulated', right?
Rock on with the weirdness, Jayisgames.
Go away kid, ya bother me! :-P
(Fixed! And thank you for the compliment!)
I'm right there with you Tricky! I really enjoy these types :)
That was excellent.
That was really cool. However, I'm not sure if I ended it properly when I followed the final instruction:
I went back to my bed and nothing happened.
A tip for the very beginning:
I was drifting in space for a long time before I realized that I had to move forward with the W to get them game started!
@canoetripper, there's something else to do...
try opening that door in your bedroom that you haven't been able to open before
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