oct 14

About

oct 14 is a single player role playing game. It was developed by niomiautemn and was released on October 13, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

It is October 14, 2002.In this game, you take on the role of Chichi Pyonma. She's a 15-year-old high school student from the unremarkable small town of Silver Bay, MN. Today is a particular day — a rather important one — that drastically shaped Chichi's adolescence from this point onward. It is not for the faint of heart. Before playing this s…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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82%

Audience ScoreBased on 57 reviews

atmosphere4 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game effectively conveys a powerful message despite its very short runtime, making it feel like an award-winning short film.
The immersive atmosphere and attention to period detail create a deeply engaging experience, enhanced by beautiful art and sound design.
Supplementary materials like the blog and music album significantly enrich the story, making the overall experience more rewarding for those who engage with them.

The game is extremely short, essentially functioning as a cutscene with minimal gameplay, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied.
Many players feel misled by promotional materials that suggest more content than is actually present in the game, leading to disappointment.
The lack of replay value and limited interactivity can make the experience feel shallow, with little incentive to revisit after the initial playthrough.

story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
80%
10%
The game's story is brief and primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling and external content, such as a companion blog, rather than within the game itself. While some players appreciate its emotional depth and atmospheric execution, many criticize its lack of substantial gameplay and narrative context, leaving them feeling unsatisfied and wanting more. Overall, it serves as a short, impactful experience but may not resonate with those seeking a more comprehensive storyline.
- “The game's story is very straightforward.”
- “Pacing & focus: it knows exactly what story it wants to tell and does it efficiently, leaving a lasting impression.”
- “It's a masterclass in short-form, atmospheric storytelling and environmental immersion.”
- “To sum it up, it's just a shitty bait and switch horror 'game' with a 7-minute long cutscene that barely gives any context and doesn't explain anything about the story of this 'game' at all.”
- “Now, most of the story you won't find in the game itself - all the real important storytelling is left to the companion blog website.”
- “That's the entire game, the entire story - there's no other endings (as mentioned by the description) or other content.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The music in the game is noted for its contribution to the overall mood, with a sparse soundscape and select mp3 player tracks enhancing the experience, despite some repetitiveness. However, players express confusion over the absence of the developer's own music, especially since the game is intended as a companion to their debut album, leading to questions about its promotional effectiveness. Overall, while the existing tracks are appreciated, the lack of original content from the developer is seen as a missed opportunity.
- “The sparse soundscape and the crucial mp3 player songs contribute massively to the mood.”
- “The two songs on the mp3 are cool.”
- “Neither of these songs, to my knowledge, are even by the developer, which I find a little odd - this game is supposed to be a companion to the developer's debut album (not out at the time of this review), so I'd assume the developer's music would be somewhere in the game.”
- “The mp3 player is an item you get by interacting with a desk, that lets you listen to 2 songs (the other two are 'corrupted'), but only while standing still.”
- “I went to listen to the music later and it doesn't seem so at all!”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The gameplay is criticized for being minimal and unengaging, primarily consisting of interacting with the environment and using a poorly implemented mp3 player, which detracts from the overall experience. The game is likened more to an e-book or visual novel due to its focus on low-quality writing and lack of meaningful gameplay elements, with only the pixel art serving as a slight redeeming quality. Overall, it fails to deliver a cohesive gaming experience, relying heavily on shallow mechanics and poorly executed narrative.
- “Gameplay involves interacting with the environment, reading flavor text, and using a working MP3 player.”
- “The main features of the gameplay are the crusty rag and the MP3 player.”
- “Like most RPG Maker shovelware and asset flips, the game features extremely low quality copy-pasted 2D retro pixel art, looks awful, and has even worse gameplay.”
- “The crux of this is to push some very low quality, badly done fan-fiction tier writing, where we see once more a developer fail to understand the importance of 'show, don't tell', and for whatever reason, weren't able to convey their narrative through gameplay, giving us endless lines of badly written e-book text instead.”
- “The cute pixel art is about the only redeeming quality, but even that can’t save a game that lacks any real gameplay, story, or direction.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming art style that appeals to many players, particularly given that it is developed by a solo developer. However, the use of the RPG Maker engine results in poor fullscreen performance and a lack of HD support, which detracts from the overall experience for modern gamers. While the aesthetic is appreciated, it raises concerns about accessibility and technical limitations.
- “I found this game while browsing Steam's new releases, and the teaser trailer and art style really stood out!”
- “The art style and graphics are still cute and pretty well done for a solo dev, mind you.”
- “I think the art style is cute.”
- “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.”
- “The art style and graphics are still cute, and pretty well done for a solo dev, but that's all that really even carries this as a game.”
- “I understand the dev is trying to do an aesthetic (early 2000s and #edgy!), but did that really mean sacrificing accessibility completely?”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
60%
The atmosphere of Oct 14 is widely praised for its immersive and richly detailed environment, effectively capturing a specific time and place. Reviewers highlight its masterful short-form storytelling and in-depth environmental flavor text, making it a highly recommended experience for those who value narrative depth over action.
- “Immersive atmosphere: the game absolutely nails the feeling of a specific time and place.”
- “It's a masterclass in short-form, atmospheric storytelling and environmental immersion.”
- “Highly recommended if you appreciate narrative depth and period atmosphere over action or length.”
- “The game fails to create an immersive atmosphere, leaving players feeling disconnected from the world.”
- “Despite its potential, the atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to engage players.”
- “The overall ambiance is underwhelming, making it difficult to become invested in the game's setting.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly even on non-gaming hardware like a ThinkPad T480 and from a micro SD card, indicating efficient performance across various setups.
- “Performance: played perfectly on my ThinkPad T480 (decent but not gaming-spec), the game running from a micro SD card.”
- “The optimization is impressive; I can run the game smoothly even on lower-end hardware.”
- “I appreciate how well the game is optimized for various systems, allowing for a great experience regardless of specs.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotionally heavy narrative and beautiful craftsmanship, providing a poignant exploration of a significant adolescent experience that resonates deeply with players, often evoking tears.
- “It's emotionally heavy, beautifully crafted, and offers a uniquely poignant glimpse into a defining adolescent moment.”
- “Made me cry”