Confabulation
- January 13, 2023
- AUTHOGIN
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Confabulation" is a horror exploration game where you must correct changes in your home's layout to prevent memory loss. By taking photos, you uncover truths and solve mysteries to maintain your sanity. If you fail to keep your home as you remember it, you will face increased horror elements and ultimately lose the game, requiring a restart.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features clever puzzles that are both challenging and rewarding, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
- The horror elements, including jump scares and a creepy atmosphere, effectively keep players on edge without being overwhelming.
- The game offers good replay value with different modes and a unique blend of puzzle-solving and horror mechanics.
- The fixed low field of view (FOV) and visual effects can cause discomfort, including eyestrain and motion sickness for some players.
- Some puzzles can be overly convoluted or obscure, leading to frustration, especially in harder modes.
- There are technical issues such as long load times and stuttering that detract from the overall experience.
- story13 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it interesting and engaging, while others feel it is overdone or shallow. Many appreciate the intriguing elements and the integration of puzzles, which enhance the overall experience, though some note that the fear factor diminishes after multiple playthroughs. Overall, the narrative offers a blend of horror and mystery that keeps players invested, despite its brevity.
“The story exceeded my expectations.”
“The story is intriguing and keeps players engaged, as they uncover the secrets of the game's world.”
“It's not just spot the difference, there's a story to uncover, and puzzles to solve.”
“This plot was overdone by like the second time it showed up.”
“I wasn't really a fan of the story.”
“I'd say the story is neat, but a bit shallow in terms of it's not a real page turner or anything, but it does give you just enough to get a feeling of what's going on and why things are happening.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of challenging puzzles and a "spot the difference" mechanic, which some players find detracts from immersion, particularly when pursuing achievements. While the mechanics are praised for their smoothness and intuitiveness, the overall difficulty may hinder enjoyment for some, despite the unique blend of first-person horror and walking simulator elements.
“Gameplay-wise, this game is an expansion on the classic walking sim into puzzles type of game.”
“Solving a puzzle progresses gameplay, but in between puzzles the spot the difference mechanic takes over.”
“The gameplay is smooth and intuitive, allowing players to fully immerse themselves in the experience.”
“Problem #5: the gameplay is difficult to the point where it ruins immersivity, especially if you're trying to get achievements (of the 12 achievements, only 1 has been gotten by more than 6% of players and 2 are at less than 1%).”
“As for gameplay, it has some uniqueness - it's 1st person horror meets 'I'm on Observation Duty'... but the latter part didn't add anything enticing for me, personally.”
“Solving a puzzle progresses gameplay, but in between puzzles the 'spot the difference' mechanic takes over.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game offers moderate replayability, primarily appealing to players who enjoy speedrunning or challenging themselves with harder modes. While the initial experience is engaging, some players may not feel compelled to replay it beyond their first completion, though the intuitive puzzles and built-in features encourage repeated play for those seeking to improve their times. Overall, it has enough variety to entice players to return, especially for those who appreciate personal challenges.
“The puzzles are intuitive after the first pass, but may cause trouble when trying to juggle learning the house, learning where things are, and what order to go in. Replayability probably won't be for some beyond the first win, but if you enjoy personal speedrunning or lasting as long as you can, the game offers built-in features for just that.”
“The puzzles are intuitive after the first pass, but may cause trouble when trying to juggle learning the house, where things are, and what order to go in. Replayability probably won't be appealing to some beyond the first win, but if you enjoy personal speedrunning or lasting as long as you can, the game offers built-in features for just that.”
“I am probably going to continue playing this just to get a faster time; I love the replayability of this game.”
“Wonderful little game that I can't wait to try on hard mode, which gives it replay value. I also hope to see more from this developer in the future.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics are widely praised for their stunning quality and unique art style that effectively enhances the game's atmosphere. However, some users have noted issues with motion blur, even at lower settings. Overall, the visual presentation contributes significantly to the immersive experience.
“The graphics are stunning, with a unique and captivating art style that brings the game's world to life.”
“Story is very grim, good jumpscares, amazing graphics, great sound design.”
“I don't think there's supposed to be motion blur, but even with the graphics turned down, it's a problem.”
“The textures look outdated and lack detail, making the game feel less immersive.”
“The character models are poorly designed and don't match the quality of the environments.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users have reported issues with optimization, particularly noting stuttering and motion blur, which detracts from the overall visual experience and gameplay fluidity.
“Problem #3: the stuttering and motion blur.”
“This can be especially challenging with the aforementioned stuttering and visual weirdness.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in puzzles like the candle and pool table, as well as during the search for paintings, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
“It makes the candle and pool table puzzle unnecessarily tedious.”
“The searching for paintings got very tedious in the end.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its great mechanics and a notably creepy ambiance that enhances the overall experience.
“I loved the atmosphere; it was very creepy!”
“Mechanics are great, and the atmosphere is fantastic.”
