Jack Holmes: Master of Puppets

May 20, 2024

I'm very sorry David

First release of @TonyDevGame, an indie developer who has created this first-person survival horror game solo.

I found it fun, bizarre, and although sometimes the controls drove me crazy, the overall experience was positive.

What I liked the most

The story is immersive from the start. It’s strange, dark, a bit gory but with humorous touches.
The game has a reasonably short duration, which is appreciated as it doesn’t drag on unnecessarily or add filler.
The game’s progression is compelling and occasionally surprising (Spider Mom! What is this?!). Each part of the game has its charm, my favorite being the amusement park, super fun and with references to classics…“important-looking pirates”.
Animal Village is a riot, I loved it!
The music transitions when enemies approach.
I was surprised that the character could swim almost at the beginning of the game, something I didn’t expect at all. However, I see a missed opportunity by not using this feature throughout the rest of the adventure.

It would have been great to have Spanish dubbing, maybe we’ll have this option in the future?
I would have liked to have more achievements to unlock in the game, like being able to get on the first boat we encounter, quite a challenge.
The UI is functional, very simple although I think some design aspects and especially usability could be improved:
- The inventory is a bit confusing, as there are consumable items mixed with others that simply take up space and cannot be used, like keys or tickets.
  - I spent a good while trying to use the first key we found on one of the locks, until I discovered they open differently…
- It would be great if items of the same type were grouped.
- When picking up an item, there’s no feedback.
- Sometimes it’s difficult to pick up an item on the first try.
It would be very useful to access notes we’ve previously read.
Perhaps my biggest criticism: the running animation, its sound, and the speed at which we move, too slow in my opinion. Sometimes it feels like the character is tiptoeing. A smoother movement would make the experience more enjoyable.
At least on the PS5 version, there are some places where there is a considerable FPS drop, especially in “Phantom House”.