I NEED A NAME

About

I NEED A NAME is a homage to classic RPG Maker horror games where your name will make an impact on the events you encounter as you travel through the abstract environment you have escaped to.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 15 reviews

atmosphere3 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game features unique visuals and an interesting aesthetic that enhances the horror experience.
Puzzles are generally enjoyable and varied, providing a good challenge without being overly complex.
The game successfully creates a sense of unease and tension through its atmosphere and enemy mechanics.

The navigation and controls are frustrating, making it difficult to explore and solve puzzles effectively.
Puzzles often feel arbitrary and poorly designed, leading to confusion rather than satisfaction.
The horror elements rely too heavily on jump scares and lack a deeper, more engaging narrative.

story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The game's story is described as fragmented and abstract, requiring players to piece together narrative elements from scattered notes, dialogue, and hidden rooms, which can lead to confusion and frustration. While some players appreciate the mystery and the challenge of unraveling the story, others criticize the design for making it necessary to engage with external elements, like audio recordings, to fully understand the plot. Overall, the potential of the story is acknowledged, but its execution leaves many feeling that it lacks clarity and coherence.
- “No cheesy faces or retro clichés, just hell in a broken CRT TV. The combination of unrecognizable shapes, distorted broken noises, and weird secrets I can't wait to unravel, as well as the hints of a disturbing story underneath the surface, all make this an excellent experience.”
- “True to the nature of such an abstract game, the bits of story that there are must be pieced together by note fragments scattered throughout the game, pieces of dialogue and other text, plus the secret rooms that are hidden in out-of-the-way places.”
- “I won't spoil what the story pieces are, since part of the fun of this kind of game is trying to piece the story together, and I also want to avoid biasing other people's interpretations; plus I'm curious to see what others come up with.”
- “If you build up the expectation that anywhere there isn't light you cannot tread, well ... 'get fucked idiot', because you just missed the first reversed audio recording ruining the story/horror because it will be incomplete in the end, but it's justified because it's a 'mystery' you need to 'solve' ... just like the 'puzzles'.”
- “I should not have to 'guess' how to solve a puzzle to play the game, and I should not have to reverse an audio recording (???) to understand the game's story.”
- “Working to understand the story outside of the game is bad design.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's abstract environment is praised for its aesthetic appeal, enhancing the horror experience, but is hindered by the limitations of the RPG Maker engine, which struggles with fullscreen display and lacks HD support. While the visuals are unique, some users noted bugs and audio-visual sync issues, yet many still found it enjoyable for its low price.
- “The aesthetic of an abstract environment was absolutely great, and I loved seeing it. It helped with the horror aspect.”
- “I did encounter a few bugs, and a few times the visuals and sounds that occurred when I got caught by the enemies were a little out of sync; but for only £2.89, it's a fun little experience nonetheless.”
- “The aesthetic of an abstract environment was absolutely great and I loved seeing it (helped with the horror), but the limitations of the underlying engine (RPG Maker) made it frustrating as hell to deal with.”
- “As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer.”
- “This game's visuals are quite unique.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is visually appealing but ultimately lacks depth, failing to deliver effective horror through both jump scares and a believable setting. It does not successfully explore significant themes, leaving the overall experience feeling shallow.
- “The atmosphere is immersive and captivating, drawing players into its world.”
- “The game excels in creating a believable atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
- “The setting is rich and atmospheric, allowing for deep exploration of its themes.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is largely absent, leading to a lack of atmosphere, and the use of jump cuts for scares is considered ineffective and disappointing.
- “The OST is non-existent, and the jump cuts (which I'm guessing were for cheap jump scares?) were very underwhelming.”
- “The sound/music is lacking.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is perceived as tedious and frustrating, particularly due to excessive backtracking and challenging enemy patterns that complicate navigation. This has led some players to feel that the experience lacks enjoyment without a nostalgic connection to similar games from the past.
- “Perhaps I need the context and nostalgia of RPG Maker horror games from the 2000s to appreciate it, because without that, this is just a bunch of extremely tedious backtracking nonsense in poorly drawn land.”
- “This wouldn't be an issue per se, but combined with the enemy patterns, it makes navigating between puzzles a challenge in itself (but a more tedious challenge, since it requires time to actually dribble the enemies rather than just dodge them).”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Players appreciate the game's replayability due to its intriguing lore and hidden secrets integrated into the distorted household backgrounds, encouraging exploration and discovery during multiple playthroughs.
- “The distorted backgrounds, featuring household elements like a light switch, really add to the lore of the game. Yes, this game has lore and secrets scattered around the map, which adds replay value.”
- “Each playthrough reveals new secrets and hidden elements, making you want to dive back in and explore every corner of the game.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes ensures that no two playthroughs are the same, keeping the experience fresh and engaging.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replaying it feel more like a chore than an adventure.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to go back and explore again.”
- “The limited variety in gameplay mechanics means that replaying the game feels repetitive and uninspired.”
gameplay
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The gameplay features a variety of visually and mechanically distinct enemies, each presenting unique challenges; for instance, one hovers slowly, another hops quickly, and a third blinks in and out of existence, adding complexity to player interactions.
- “Each one is visually and mechanically different: you have the alien-looking one that slowly hovers towards you, the demonic rabbit that hops quickly towards you, and the one that resembles a chess piece, which not only speeds towards you but also blinks in and out of existence, making it hard to keep track of.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly engaging, with a variety of unique enemies that require different strategies to defeat.”
- “I love how the mechanics encourage exploration and experimentation, making every playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
- “The gameplay feels unbalanced, with some enemies being far too difficult to manage while others are a breeze.”
- “The controls are clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to execute even the simplest actions.”
- “There are too many mechanics to keep track of, which makes the gameplay overwhelming and confusing.”