Knock-Knock - a horror/mystery game from Ice-Pick Lodge - OUT NOW

[Crooked Bee]

Short narrative interview at USgamer: http://www.usgamer.net/articles/ice-pick-lodge-on-the-making-of-monsters

Nothing too substantial, just some more of the devs' peculiar ramblings

 

[Surf Solar]

Really looking forward to this one. Their games always gave me a very unique mood.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Released on Steam now: http://store.steampowered.com/app/250380/

And I just received my Steam key

 

[Castanova]

Fuck yeah. I got my key too. Will be diving into this within a couple hours.

 

[Jaedar]

Game seems really werid so far. Not sure if I'm being taught gameplay mechanics or if the main character is just insane.

 

[mikaelis]

So what's $47 reward?

Spoiler

or or ?

 

[MaskedMan]

So what's $47 reward?

It is a game where you are in a room and it's supposed to grant wishes.

Spoiler

Hell if I know if it's or or .

 

[Whisky]

Hell yeah. Got both installed now. Gonna wait until dark to play, cuz that's just how I roll.

 

[Whisky]

This game is really fucking weird. I don't even know what to think.

 

[Cosmic Misogynerd]

I'm stuck in the third part, the one with an eye. Two headless don't-know-what always find me in a room because there's nowhere to hide there. Interesting game, but there are aspects that I still can't grasp.

 

[grudgebringer]

...this game freaks me out at night...
sounds are nicely done, shadows are sharp looking, and I like the overall atmosphere of the soothing dawn hours that are coming.

@cosmic

Spoiler

I've replayed that level several times because of similliar reasons. basically it's a survival game so you just have to 'stay alive' or, in other words, not get in touch with any of those creepers crawling around your house until the time runs out. try to 'repair' some rooms to find the spots to hide behind them (furniture for example, they're highlighted). when creeper is near hide there until the thing passes. it makes the time goes backwards, but let you stay unharmed.
I'm not sure, but seems like lighting up the rooms draws attention to you, so better to turn the lights off when there's no need in them. also do not turn the lights on if a creeping thing is already in the room you're in, it will make it disappear, but will cause you harm.

 

[Gakkone]

I played this for a while last night and fuck me if I had any idea what was going on. Certainly has a nice atmosphere to it.

 

[Gragt]

Oh, I didn't know about this. Will have to check.

Edit: shite, only purchaseable on Steam and I can't directly purchase from them thanks right now to their retarded region locking.

 

[grudgebringer]

that's strange. through kickstarter they sent out a stand-alone version.

 

[Gragt]

Didn't know they had a kickstarter until I read this thread like yesterday.

 

[grudgebringer]

Gragt

Spoiler

now I have an urge to replay Pathologic. what doctor prescribes in such cases?

 

[Castanova]

OK, well. 2 hours in, I've reached a level that seems to be completely bugged out. I'll walk around for a while and the level will randomly crash about half way through, usually when doing that zooming-to-another-room animation or when I just happen to walk down some stairs. I can't progress. Sigh. Given their track record I wouldn't be surprised if this goes entirely unfixed too.

I think maybe I "lost" the game or something because the HP bar at the top is just about entirely gone... maybe it's crashing because they never expected someone to be so bad at it that they fail? lol

 

[Crooked Bee]

Your sanity meter must've been depleted. Happened to me a few times too.

I'm loving this game. Not quite The Void, but definitely better than Cargo, and it also scares the shit out of me! Lots of events that seem random and ladder exploting too. Good fun!

 

[Crooked Bee]

Also here's what one of the devs had to say about the symbolism behind the game (as retold by an SA user) -- warning: spoilers! --

Spoiler

The house in that game is yourself and it changes with time. At first this house is empty and strange but then it starts to change and one can't understand what is real and what is not. Every night you see fake houses with bits and pieces not present in the real one which you navigate during the day, but the real house changes too.

The concept of the game is hide and seek, it's also the way he lives his life. You hide from something you don't really need to hide from. As if a character hides from his past or his conscience, your main choice is to hide or not. You have different endings, one ending is straightforward bad: you go crazy if you don't finish in time. Then there are two good endings. There are also many random events.

The game is about people who refuse to accept something and see new things and what will happen to them if they continue to behave that way.

 

[Castanova]

Your sanity meter must've been depleted. Happened to me a few times too.

Figured. Does that mean I need to restart from the very beginning?

 

[Crooked Bee]

Your sanity meter must've been depleted. Happened to me a few times too.

Figured. Does that mean I need to restart from the very beginning?

As far as I know, yes. That's what I did -- there doesn't seem to be any way to replenish your sanity, not that I've been able to find at least.

 

[Whisky]

Well, I've got to say, the game has me hooked. Ice-Pick Lodge sure knows how to make a unique premise, even though I have no clue what the hell is going on.

EDIT: Ah ha ha! You know how when you're really tired you hear noises in your head? In real life, not the game. Well, I had the knocking sound effect ringing in my head a few times before going to sleep.

 

[Name]

From the thread I gather that it is very atmospheric, very unique, and players have no clue about what is going on ... sounds exactly like The Void. And I had to resort to cheats to play The Void... guess I can't appreciate art games...

 

[Castanova]

From the thread I gather that it is very atmospheric, very unique, and players have no clue about what is going on ... sounds exactly like The Void. And I had to resort to cheats to play The Void... guess I can't appreciate art games...

This game is significantly less obtuse and difficult than the Void. Still worth a look but I'm not sure I'd have paid full price for it (I got it for $5 as a backer).

 

[Gragt]

Also here's what one of the devs had to say about the symbolism behind the game (as retold by an SA user) -- warning: spoilers! --

Spoiler

The house in that game is yourself and it changes with time. At first this house is empty and strange but then it starts to change and one can't understand what is real and what is not. Every night you see fake houses with bits and pieces not present in the real one which you navigate during the day, but the real house changes too.

The concept of the game is hide and seek, it's also the way he lives his life. You hide from something you don't really need to hide from. As if a character hides from his past or his conscience, your main choice is to hide or not. You have different endings, one ending is straightforward bad: you go crazy if you don't finish in time. Then there are two good endings. There are also many random events.

The game is about people who refuse to accept something and see new things and what will happen to them if they continue to behave that way.

So it's like The Void.