Help
- October 13, 2016
- Volens Nolens Games
Get on Steam"Help" is a horror-themed puzzle game where you search for your missing daughter in an abandoned bunker. Armed only with a flashlight and radio, you'll navigate labyrinthine corridors, avoid monstrous creatures, and uncover the dark secrets of the bunker's past. The game features a charging flashlight system and radio used for solving puzzles and detecting enemies, along with environmental storytelling through notes scattered throughout the facility.
Reviews
- The game features a rich narrative with well-developed characters and engaging dialogues that touch on important themes.
- The graphics are visually stunning, with a unique artistic style and vibrant color palette that enhance the immersive experience.
- The gameplay is fluid and intuitive, allowing players of different skill levels to enjoy diverse and challenging missions.
- The game suffers from significant movement latency and lacks customizable settings, making it frustrating to control.
- Many players find the puzzles overly cryptic and difficult to complete, leading to a frustrating experience.
- The game has poor graphics and sound design, with a lack of atmosphere that fails to deliver a true horror experience.
- gameplay11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "help" is characterized by its fluid and intuitive mechanics, catering to players of various skill levels while providing an immersive experience through well-designed interactions and scenarios. However, some players criticize the game for its lack of direction and tedious elements, such as the flashlight battery management, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these mixed reviews, the game features unique mechanics like a radio that enhances immersion and aids in navigation.
“With a rich narrative and well-crafted game mechanics, 'help' offers a fun and reflective experience.”
“The interaction mechanics are well thought out, providing an immersion that keeps players engaged.”
“One excellent mechanic in the game is the radio you carry, which can alert you of threats and also indicate when you're near an objective, giving a unique type of immersion.”
“The gameplay has you walking around corridors and rooms searching for clues in broken English and a flashlight that sucks up the power of batteries like a vampire drinks blood.”
“Horrible game with 0 gameplay or direction on what to do, and with random cheap jump scares.”
“And yes, there is the tedious torch mechanic and the game of hunt the battery.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics in "help" are polarizing; while some praise its visually stunning artistic style and vibrant color palette that enhance immersion, others criticize the quality, suggesting it relies on asset packs and falls short of expectations, particularly in certain areas. Overall, the game's aesthetics are a significant point of contention among players.
“The graphics in 'help' are visually stunning, combining a unique artistic style with a vibrant color palette.”
“The game’s aesthetics contribute to the immersion, making players feel part of the world.”
“With its accessible gameplay, stunning graphics, and powerful social message, 'help' stands out in today's gaming landscape.”
“The graphics are probably from an asset pack.”
“The game's graphics are so bad that I didn't even want to take screenshots.”
“You could still argue about the surrounding graphics of the bunker and say that it's totally okay for 2016, but everything else is a total catastrophe and just horrible and I don't really want to go into it in more detail.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in "help" is widely praised for being engaging and enhancing the game's atmosphere, creating a compelling auditory experience. However, some users noted that the absence of a soundtrack in certain areas detracts from the intended horror ambiance, relying instead on minimal sound effects like whooshing noises and water drips.
“The soundtrack in 'Help' is engaging and perfectly complements the atmosphere of the game.”
“The combination of music and sound creates an auditory experience that elevates the game to a new level.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“The lack of a soundtrack doesn't really create a horror atmosphere.”
“There's no soundtrack, and the only ambiance are some random whooshing noises and the occasional water drip.”
- story5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's story is a compelling and engaging narrative that captivates players with its emotional depth and moral lessons, emphasizing resilience in the face of adversity. Set against a backdrop of diverse and challenging missions, the plot revolves around a parent's desperate search for their missing daughter in an eerie, abandoned research bunker, drawing players into a gripping journey that makes them care about the characters' fates.
“The plot is engaging, making players care about the fate of the characters and their journeys.”
“Narrative: the story of 'help' is one of its greatest attractions.”
“The story for the horror game without horror is about you searching for your missing daughter in an abandoned research bunker.”
“The mission design is diverse, challenging players to think critically and develop creative solutions to the problems presented.”
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its engaging soundtrack and sound effects, which enhance the horror experience. Many players find it gritty and uncomfortable, aligning with the expectations of a true horror game, while some note that the absence of music can detract from the intended atmosphere. Overall, the game is considered a must-play for horror enthusiasts, with a unique ambiance that was ahead of its time.
“The soundtrack in 'Help' is engaging and perfectly complements the atmosphere of the game.”
“A few proponents of the game say that it is a must-play if you are a true horror game fan, and that the 2016 game was way ahead of its time, delivering a strong horror atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is gritty, dirty, and uncomfortable, which is exactly what should be found in a horror game.”
“The lack of a soundtrack doesn't really create a horror atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is gritty, dirty, uncomfortable, and that is, in my opinion, what should be found in a horror game.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its strong narrative that effectively addresses social and emotional issues, culminating in a profoundly touching ending that resolves the story's central questions. This emotional depth is a key highlight for players, enhancing their overall experience.
“The story is very solid, and the ending wraps up the questions created by the game's concept in an incredibly emotional and touching way.”
“One of the most admired aspects of 'help' is its approach to social and emotional issues.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the frustrating torch mechanic and the repetitive task of searching for batteries.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, especially with the frustrating torch mechanic and the constant hunt for batteries.”
“I find the grinding aspect to be incredibly repetitive, making the gameplay feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
“The amount of time spent grinding for resources is overwhelming, and it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
