FM | Game Brain — video game discovery

About

"FM is a single-player, 2-hour psychological horror experience, inspired by P.T. and designed for players who enjoy atmospheric, narrative-driven gameplay. After waking up in a bathroom with a head wound, players must explore a moderately-sized home, uncovering an unsettling story through environmental puzzles and distorted media broadcasts. However, those with photosensitive epilepsy should proceed with caution due to the game's flashing lights and images."

Genres & Tags

Indie

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 51 reviews

story11 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging experience with a creepy atmosphere and interesting puzzles that keep players invested.
It successfully captures the essence of P.T. with its ominous elements and storytelling through audio cues, providing a unique twist on the horror genre.
Despite its short length, the game is considered worth the price, with many players appreciating its immersive story and decent jump scares.

The game suffers from technical issues, including clunky controls, slow movement speed, and bugs that hinder gameplay progression.
Many players found the horror elements to be lacking, with predictable jump scares and a familiar storyline that fails to innovate within the genre.
The game is criticized for its tedious interaction mechanics, where players often struggle to trigger events, leading to frustration and a lack of engagement.

story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
41%
13%
The game's story is a mix of familiar horror tropes set in a spooky environment, featuring a dark narrative that unfolds through radio broadcasts as players solve puzzles. While some players found the story engaging and atmospheric, others criticized it for being predictable, incoherent, and lacking depth, with a slow pacing that detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the story is described as short and simple, with moments of intrigue but also significant flaws in execution.
- “I liked the story a lot and the puzzles were also interesting.”
- “So this was an okay game and I will admit that the story is super dark as well as gripping.”
- “The game has a great premise, a homicide-suicide story with narrative as you explore a hallway that leads to distant memories of a story beginning to unfold as you progress.”
- “The game storyline is completely familiar and often used by Russian asset flippers; you're in a spooky apartment building/house and you have to wander around, look at stuff, do a little lightweight adventure game clicking on environmental items, and get the odd jumpscare.”
- “The story itself was bland and the 'plot twist' was as predictable as it was stupid.”
- “Fm is an indie horror game that is more or less a walking sim, which is fine, but the story elements are very dry, incoherent at times, very slow-paced, and the interactive parts aren't compelling.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The gameplay has been criticized for being janky and unsatisfying, with issues in handling and responsiveness that detract from the overall experience. Players noted a lack of engaging mechanics, with repetitive walking and poorly implemented focus mechanics leading to aimless exploration. While the story is appreciated, many feel the gameplay lacks depth and polish, resulting in a straightforward but ultimately underwhelming experience.
- “The gameplay is straightforward enough (though I must admit it took me proportionally far too long to find the dog!).”
- “The gameplay mechanic the game uses to keep you engaged is that you are to listen to audio cues and hold the right mouse button to look at a corresponding object.”
- “All things considered, it's a decent horror game, but my issue with it was finding the right thing to zoom on to trigger progression; my 2-hour gameplay consisted mostly of walking around aimlessly trying to find what to zoom on.”
- “It's janky and unsatisfying to play... and any experienced gamer will tell you, the handling, responsiveness and general gameplay feel of the control scheme must be well polished for this kind of game to succeed.”
- “Unfortunately, this is something the developer seems to have phoned in, with little to no apparent gameplay testing.”
- “Unfortunately it was really awkward on the technical side though... the focus mechanic didn't work unless I stood in a very specific place in the room.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for being creepy and immersive, effectively setting a dark tone that enhances the storytelling. While some players appreciate the atmospheric elements, others feel it lacks depth, citing odd design choices like upside-down furniture and reliance on red lighting. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as a key strength, contributing to a suspenseful experience without overusing jumpscares.
- “Been meaning to play this for a while. So far, I've played Act One and I like it; it's very creepy, atmospheric, and I will be making more videos on this game soon. Stay tuned.”
- “Nicely done game with a pretty dark story and good atmosphere.”
- “Sets up an atmosphere rather than relying on jumpscares.”
- “The game sets up an atmosphere rather than relying on jumpscares.”
- “The environment feels lifeless and fails to immerse the player.”
- “Despite the potential, the atmosphere lacks depth and fails to evoke any real emotion.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users reporting bugs that affect gameplay, particularly in puzzle-solving, while others still found the overall experience enjoyable despite these issues.
- “A buggy mess that's way too dark.”
- “Solving puzzles is buggy.”
- “Some of the examined objects were a little buggy, but ultimately a good creepy experience that I truly enjoyed.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and slow, with cumbersome clicking mechanics that detract from the overall experience.
- “The clicking areas to trigger events are just tedious.”
- “It's tedious and incredibly slow-paced for an already slow-paced game.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The graphics are highly praised for their ability to create a haunting atmosphere, with dimly lit hallways and eerie visuals that enhance the game's sinister storyline, effectively immersing players in a chilling experience.
- “The graphics are stunning, creating a haunting experience as you walk down dimly lit hallways.”
- “The eerie visuals of completely dark corridors heighten the tension, making you anticipate the main antagonist's appearance.”
- “The sinister storyline, combined with the impressive graphics, will make even the most hardened fans of the genre shiver.”
- “The graphics feel outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games, making the environments feel flat and uninspired.”
- “Character models are poorly designed, with awkward animations that detract from the overall immersion of the game.”
- “The lighting effects are inconsistent, often making it difficult to see important details in the environment.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game has received a positive reception, with users rating it 8 out of 10, indicating that it effectively enhances the overall experience and complements the gameplay.