Don't Disturb
- August 29, 2016
- Midnight Party
"Don't Disturb" is a horror adventure game where you play as a journalist investigating a mysterious midnight party. The game features a unique mechanic where you must avoid being caught by the partygoers while sneaking around and gathering information. The eerie atmosphere and unpredictable AI add to the tension as you uncover the dark secrets behind the gathering.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful artwork and a unique art style that enhances the emotional experience.
- The story is touching and explores themes of loyalty and love through the perspective of a dog searching for its deceased owner.
- Despite its short length, the game provides a heartfelt experience that resonates with players, especially those who have lost a pet.
- The game is very short, typically taking only 15-30 minutes to complete, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied.
- There are numerous technical issues, including bugs that can cause the game to freeze or become unresponsive, as well as poor English translations.
- The gameplay is simplistic with easy puzzles, which may not provide enough challenge for players looking for a more engaging experience.
- story142 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Don't Disturb" centers on a dog navigating the afterlife to reunite with its deceased owner, drawing on traditional Asian folklore. While the art style is praised for its beauty and emotional resonance, many reviewers find the narrative to be overly simplistic and brief, lacking depth and meaningful engagement with its themes of loss and mortality. Despite its shortcomings, the game offers a touching experience that resonates with players, particularly those who appreciate its heartfelt premise and visual presentation.
“Even though the game is very short, the experience you get out of this, the story and art are incredible.”
“The story is filled with both sad and humorous contents, and gives a glimpse of the traditional Chinese vision of death and the afterlife.”
“The drawings and animations are very pretty, and the story -- that of a dog following his owner into the afterlife -- is very sweet.”
“This particularly frustrated me as I'd taken the store page's promise of a 'carefully crafted story [that] explores the traditional Asian views on the afterlife and the underworld' at face value and I was hoping to learn more about what these views (as in perspectives and ideas) might be.”
“But the story was ridiculously short and basically shallow.”
“The story is riddled with plot holes.”
- graphics108 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful and unique art style, often described as reminiscent of traditional Asian watercolor techniques. However, some users noted limitations such as a lack of resolution options and low-quality graphics that detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are a standout feature, they are sometimes criticized for overshadowing gameplay and narrative depth.
“First of all - yes, the art is gorgeous, I really enjoyed the visuals of each scene.”
“The art style is absolutely gorgeous, in the style of traditional Asian watercolor, and if you look closely there's a slight paper-like texture to the game, which I believe is a stroke of artistic genius.”
“The story and art style are amazing.”
“There's no options to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
“There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
“The only thing it has going for it is the art style, and once you've seen the screenshots here on Steam, you've pretty much seen the whole game.”
- music40 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as lovely and atmospheric, effectively complementing the beautiful art style and themes of traditional Asian culture. While many players appreciate the mix of modern and traditional instruments, some note that the soundtrack can be repetitive and lacks variety. Overall, the music enhances the emotional experience, contributing to a captivating and heartfelt journey.
“The unique art and the music provide a captivating atmosphere.”
“The music is lovely and I really liked the ink wash painting, or sumi-e, Japanese art style.”
“The music is a mix of modern and traditional sounding instruments, such as a piano with hints of a shamisen playing in the background, and the composition adds to the atmosphere.”
“The visual aesthetic is gorgeous, but the music is a little lacking in some areas.”
“As the game does repeat the song (unless I didn't realize other songs), but as you continue your journey, you do stumble upon heartwarming situations.”
“Reasonably okay music, if forgettable.”
- stability36 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and untranslated text, which detract from the overall experience. Many players report needing to restart the game multiple times due to being stuck or encountering freezing issues. While some appreciate the game's unique aspects, they advise potential buyers to wait for fixes if they are not tolerant of such instability.
“The gameplay itself is simple with easy puzzles and fetch quests, and I luckily found no glitches when I played.”
“Cons: buggy as hell to the point that I had to restart twice and save at every single step. The short game takes about 5 minutes to finish even while constantly saving. Not even close to being worth the original price, but I got it on sale, so whatever. Text moves too fast, bad translations, animation bugs, doesn't default to English on restart, constantly getting stuck and ruining my save (do not talk to the old man after giving him the bun).”
“Before you buy this game, you should know that it's buggy.”
“[tl;dr:] a buggy mess that clearly wasn't playtested and contains few puzzles.”
- emotional34 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its heartfelt and wholesome narrative centered around a dog's journey to reunite with its deceased owner, reflecting themes of loyalty and love. While the emotional impact of key moments, such as the reunion, may feel diminished, the beautiful art style and simple yet touching story resonate with players, often evoking tears. Despite its brevity, the game effectively explores emotional depth through its characters and settings, enhanced by a fitting soundtrack and multiple endings that offer heartwarming conclusions.
“I cried... puzzles are simple, art is beautiful, music is lovely.”
“The idea that a dog is so loyal and has so much love that they would traverse through the land of the dead to find their owner is very heartwarming, though it could have definitely been stretched out and elaborated on further.”
“Eventhough this game is pretty short, the story is heart touching and the art style creates a fitting atmosphere.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity, featuring easy puzzles and fetch quests, but is notably short, lasting only 10-20 minutes. While some players appreciate the emotional story of a dog searching for its deceased owner, many feel that the limited gameplay and mild puzzle elements do not justify the experience, especially given the game's brief duration. Overall, the art style is praised, but it may detract from the gameplay experience.
“For the asking price, this is very much worth it, despite the short gameplay time.”
“The gameplay itself is simple with easy puzzles and fetch quests, and I luckily found no glitches when I played.”
“The gameplay is very simple, but the story about a dog trying to find its owner that has passed away may bring a tear to your eye.”
“Don't disturb has some mild puzzle elements, but due to its shortness, there isn't much gameplay or story - it takes less than an hour to finish, even if you play both endings.”
“Only a handful of puzzles make up the sorely lacking gameplay.”
“The 'nice art style' that this game's main selling point has gets in the way of what little gameplay there is.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its unique art style and captivating music, which blend modern and traditional elements to create an immersive experience. Despite its short length, the heartfelt story and the use of text bubbles effectively convey a poignant narrative about Asian views of the afterlife, leaving players invested in the atmosphere and characters. Overall, the combination of visual and auditory elements contributes significantly to the game's emotional impact.
“The unique art and the music provide a captivating atmosphere.”
“It's a lovely little game with a unique narrative about Asian views of the afterlife, using text bubbles and atmosphere to tell the story.”
“It was incredibly short, taking me about 10 - 20 minutes to finish completely. I was starting to get really invested in this atmosphere and all the characters introduced when it ended.”
“The music is a mix of modern and traditional sounding instruments, such as a piano with hints of a shamisen playing in the background, and the composition adds to the atmosphere.”
“Eventhough this game is pretty short, the story is heart touching and the art style creates a fitting atmosphere.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the story is intertwined with its poignant themes, offering a unique blend of sadness and comedy that reflects traditional Chinese perspectives on death and the afterlife. This duality enriches the narrative, making it both thought-provoking and entertaining.
“The story is filled with both sad and humorous elements, providing a glimpse into the traditional Chinese vision of death and the afterlife.”