Beside Myself
- July 27, 2021
- ASK_GAMES
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Beside Myself" is a first-person psychological thriller set in an abandoned hospital, where players uncover disturbing secrets from the past. The game focuses on exploration and tension-building, with two possible endings based on the player's actions. Warning: this game may cause photosensitive epilepsy in susceptible individuals.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game creates a chilling and immersive atmosphere, effectively utilizing sound design and visuals to enhance the horror experience.
- Many players enjoyed the frequent jump scares, finding them to be well-timed and effective in creating tension.
- The game is relatively short, making it a good option for those looking for a quick horror experience without a significant time commitment.
- The story is often criticized for being incomplete or nonsensical, leaving players confused about the plot and character motivations.
- Many reviews mention the overuse of cheap jump scares, which can detract from the overall horror experience and lead to a sense of predictability.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs and poor lighting, which can hinder gameplay and immersion.
- story43 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story in "Beside Myself" is often described as underdeveloped and lacking depth, leaving players wanting more context and resolution. While some appreciate the atmospheric setting and find the narrative engaging, many criticize it for being superficial, confusing, or poorly executed, with jump scares that feel forced. Overall, the game offers a mix of intriguing elements but fails to deliver a cohesive and satisfying storyline.
“4/5 - 'Beside Myself' excels in creating a chilling and immersive horror experience with its atmospheric setting and engaging story.”
“The story is intense and helps with the horror factor so much!”
“The story unfolds as you progress in the game, which makes it interesting.”
“My only takeaway is some of the story wasn't told entirely and left me wondering more about 'what' went on and 'what' the end result(s) of our investigation were.”
“It was like the rough outline of an idea became a game, with no actual driving details put into the story.”
“The story itself is very short and not very well fleshed out.”
- atmosphere28 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its chilling and immersive qualities, effectively combining psychological horror with engaging sound design and visuals. However, some players criticize the overuse of flickering lights and random noises, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, many find the atmosphere to be a standout feature, enhancing the game's tension and scare factor.
“The game combines atmospheric tension with psychological horror elements, offering a deeply terrifying experience.”
“4/5 - 'Beside Myself' excels in creating a chilling and immersive horror experience with its atmospheric setting and engaging story.”
“Creepy and unsettling atmosphere and sounds, great jump scares, intriguing story, good puzzles.”
“Both of Beside Myself's story and puzzles are uninteresting, so the only thing it had going for it was the atmosphere, which was, of course, ruined by the complete lack of subtlety.”
“If you have to go to lengths just to not vomit or have a seizure to play a game (the lights are understandable, I knew this from the start, but the flickering is actually very bad; I've never reacted to lights in a game before this, and the thing is, it serves no purpose. There is no reason for every light to flicker this badly; it doesn't add anything to the atmosphere. You could have done that by having it periodically flicker, which would also save you from alienating a whole audience).”
“The atmosphere is made almost comical with the amount of random noises and lights breaking almost constantly.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the dark and atmospheric visuals that enhance the horror experience. While some commend the overall quality and special effects, others note issues with lighting and janky animations. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's ambiance, despite some criticisms regarding their execution.
“Beside Yourself was an uncomfortable whirlwind made ever better by the sound design, disturbing graphics, and overall ambiance.”
“The graphics are good, making the game feel dark, and the change of lighting at points warns you something is coming to make you jump!”
“Excellent frame rate, nice puzzles, very nice graphics, and I've had 2 very welcoming jump scares; the atmosphere is dark and very creepy, I love the sounds!”
“The entire lighting system failed and I tried to reset the graphics.”
“There were many times where I would stagger through a darkened room and be subjected to a rapid succession of scare chords but miss their visuals because the game is so ridiculously impatient and relentless that it cannot restrain itself for more than a few seconds.”
“The graphics and sound design are done well, but some of the animations are janky.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lacking in depth and replayability, often describing it as a simple experience of wandering and interacting with objects. While some appreciate the jump scares and puzzle implementation, others feel the mechanics are basic and repetitive, leading to boredom. Overall, the game is seen as a brief diversion rather than a compelling horror experience.
“It's a fine way to while away 2-3 hours with pretty okay graphics and basic mechanics.”
“The gameplay is suitable for the most part, and I thought the puzzles were implemented well, but the 'interact with object while something off-camera changes' gimmick was slightly overused.”
“No real gameplay, just run in the blackness till you find a queue.”
“The storyline and gameplay you have probably played before if you play horror games.”
“But when it comes to the gameplay, I was bored.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by its unintentional comedic moments, with players finding amusement in the quirky models, animations, and absurd clues meant to guide them. While some jump scares are perceived as cheap and cartoonish, they contribute to the overall lightheartedness, making the experience enjoyable despite frustrations with gameplay. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm that many players appreciate, even if it sometimes detracts from immersion.
“However, I was laughing the entire way through.”
“I love this game for how unintentionally funny it is, and on that basis alone, it's enough for me to recommend.”
“The 'clues' they give you when the game realizes you're going the wrong way are hilarious because they're there to 'help' but not really?”
- stability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
The game's stability is mixed, with several users reporting bugs that hinder gameplay, such as unresponsive triggers and collectible items malfunctioning. However, some players noted a lack of game-breaking glitches, which is a positive aspect for an indie horror title. Overall, while there are issues, the game is not as unstable as many in its genre.
“It was bug-free too, and that's a plus coming from an indie developer.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes, which is impressive for a title of this scale.”
“I experienced no glitches or performance issues, making for a seamless gaming experience.”
“The game is a bit buggy; I had to restart a chapter because an object that I needed to collect and put down somewhere else bugged out on me.”
“You always have to trigger a specific jump scare to get to the next scene, but sometimes the trigger is just buggy and nothing happens.”
“Overload of cheap, goofy jump scares and buggy.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music and sound effects are highly praised for their ability to create an engaging atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience and complementing the level design effectively.
“The level design and music made for some fantastic ambiance.”
“The music and sound effects really stole the show as they set the right mood throughout to keep you engaged.”
“And then we move on to the soundtrack.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely regarded as unoptimized, with users reporting significant performance issues, struggling to achieve 60fps even on low settings, and experiencing further drops to 30fps or lower, potentially exacerbated by running on Linux/Proton.
“I had problems with this game; the first was the performance. I could not get 60fps without turning every option to low, and it still dropped in places to 30fps and sometimes lower. This may be because of Linux/Proton.”
“It is just unoptimized.”
“I had problems with this game; first was the performance. I could not get 60fps without turning every option to low, and then it still dropped in places to 30fps and sometimes lower (this may be because of Linux/Proton).”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Many users find the game's replayability lacking, suggesting that the short 90-minute gameplay experience does not justify the $7 price tag.
“$7 USD for 90 minutes of gameplay is really expensive, especially because the game has no replayability.”
