Culling of Normality

About

Culling of Normality is a single player action game. It was developed by The Forever GM and was released on April 24, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

This game is a psychological horror VN set on a rural farm in middle-America. It is very short, taking only 15-20 minutes to read through once. It was made for the farmjam2024, and panic horror jam over the course of a month by a single person (myself). The theme of the game is really simple: What do you do when your memory seems to be unreliable, and not line up with what you can see in fro…

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Single-Player

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73%

Audience ScoreBased on 15 reviews

story4 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game presents an intriguing narrative with emotional depth, exploring personal relationships and perceptions.
Some players found the art style beautiful and appreciated the effort of a budding developer in creating a complete work.
Despite its flaws, the game has moments that can evoke strong emotional responses, making it impactful for some players.

The writing is poorly executed, with many reviewers criticizing it as amateurish and lacking depth.
The game is essentially a non-game e-book, leading to frustration among players who expected a traditional gaming experience.
Many players found the overall experience boring and unsatisfying, with a lack of engaging gameplay or exploration of its interesting concepts.

story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
29%
14%
The story is generally well-received for its simplicity and engaging concept, reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode. However, while it offers a good foundation, many reviewers note that the plot lacks depth and contains significant plot holes, detracting from the overall experience.
- “I liked the story; it was like a Twilight Zone episode.”
- “Excited to see more from this talented storyteller!”
- “Great short story!”
- “Some plot holes can be overlooked, but these are craters.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of visual novels and e-books tedious, likening the experience to a frustratingly slow reading process where each sentence requires a click to advance, detracting from the enjoyment of the narrative.
- “Visual novels and e-books can be tedious at best. Imagine the best novel you've ever read, whether it's 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', '2001: A Space Odyssey', or even 'Twilight' (if you have terrible taste in literature). Now, translate that into a format where the words dribble out, and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged. It often feels like I'm just going through the motions without any real sense of progress.”
- “I find the grinding mechanics to be a major drawback. It turns what could be an exciting adventure into a monotonous chore that drains the fun out of the experience.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics are described as visually striking and surreal, with elements that evoke a sense of horror and intrigue, particularly highlighted by the imagery of tentacles and a cannibalistic theme.
- “The graphics are underwhelming and lack detail, making the game feel outdated.”
- “The character models look stiff and lifeless, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The environments are bland and repetitive, failing to create an immersive atmosphere.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features no in-game purchases, indicating a completely free-to-play experience without additional monetization strategies.
- “In-game purchases: none”
- “The game offers a fair monetization model that doesn't pressure players to spend money.”
- “I appreciate that there are no paywalls, allowing everyone to enjoy the game equally.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's replayability is considered medium, suggesting that while there are some elements that encourage players to return, it may not offer enough variety or incentives to keep them engaged for extended periods.
- “The game has a medium level of replayability, but once you've completed the main story, there's not much incentive to dive back in.”
- “While the game offers some different choices, the overall experience feels too similar on subsequent playthroughs.”
- “After finishing the game, I found that there wasn't enough variety in the gameplay to make me want to replay it.”
gameplay
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The gameplay of this visual/interactive novel is criticized for being minimal, primarily consisting of clicking through poorly written dialogue that detracts from the overall experience, raising concerns about its quality and suitability for publication.
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print. This poses the question, 'How did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by sharp wit and clever observations, as exemplified by a remark about the minimal demand for a book, suggesting a satirical take on its value. Overall, players appreciate the game's ability to deliver humor that is both insightful and amusing.
- “The funny thing is, if you wanted to print this book, you'd only need to print 2 copies to satisfy the entire world's demand for it.”