Okaeri
- September 6, 2019
- chill_my_art
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Okaeri" is a single-player horror simulation game with a dense atmosphere and highly emotional storyline. As a Japanese horror game, it follows the story of a middle school girl and her mother. The game boasts awesome visuals, but with low replayability due to its linear narrative. "Okaeri" is part of Chilla's Art game collection, including "The Convenience Store," "Stigmatized Property," and more.
PC
Reviews
- The game effectively builds a creepy atmosphere with strong sound design and visuals reminiscent of older indie horror games.
- The story, while short, tackles heavy themes and evokes emotional responses, making it a memorable experience.
- The lack of reliance on jump scares is refreshing, allowing for a more subtle and psychological horror experience.
- The game is extremely short, often completed in under 30 minutes, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied.
- Gameplay can be frustrating due to poor visibility of interaction prompts and a lack of clear direction, leading to confusion.
- The narrative feels incomplete and ambiguous, leaving many questions unanswered and potentially disappointing players seeking a cohesive story.
- story88 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story of *Okaeri* is a brief yet impactful exploration of tragedy, primarily told through the perspective of a female student. While it effectively creates a dark and eerie atmosphere, many reviewers found the narrative to be underdeveloped and confusing, with a rushed conclusion that leaves much to be desired in terms of depth and clarity. Despite its shortcomings, the emotional weight of the story resonates with players, making it a worthwhile experience for those seeking a short, psychological horror tale.
“The small story in here is tragic, the ending is truly heartbreaking; I wish there was more than one possible outcome.”
“Okaeri is a touching story that puts you into the life of a young girl.”
“This game uses ambiance and narrative to develop an excellent short story.”
“The story isn't explained basically at all, and you have to assume what occurs based on the crumbs the game gives you that isn't outright telling you.”
“Nothing really happens and it's a bit too short for me to make me as a player actually part of the story.”
“When it comes to the story, it feels like its serious themes were treated rather half-heartedly and mostly just as an excuse for creating a creepy atmosphere and shocking the player.”
- atmosphere79 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its haunting and tense qualities, effectively enhancing the horror experience through sound design and visual aesthetics. While many players appreciate the dark, unsettling environment, some note that the reliance on visual filters can obscure details, and the overall gameplay may feel simplistic or short. Despite these critiques, the atmosphere remains a standout feature, making it a compelling choice for fans of atmospheric horror.
“Atmosphere is really good and makes the scares much more effective.”
“One positive of this game is definitely the atmosphere; the sound design is competent and brings to life the bleak world you find yourself in.”
“The atmosphere is the main focus of the horror.”
“While the game captures a haunting atmosphere, the reliance on visual filters makes it challenging to appreciate the finer details within the environment.”
“I was expecting a little bit more, to be honest. I know these games are cheap and all, but this one is not that good, just some kind of scary atmosphere that gives no fear at all.”
“Just finished it; it is quite short, pretty creepy, and also boring... creepy because the creepy stuff is, in my opinion, done really well, the tense atmosphere is strong.”
- graphics44 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game evoke a strong sense of nostalgia, drawing inspiration from PS1 and PS2 aesthetics, with a VHS-style filter that enhances the eerie atmosphere but can also obscure details and detract from immersion. While some players appreciate the retro visuals and atmospheric design, others find the heavy post-processing effects, such as chromatic aberration and film grain, to be muddied and visually uncomfortable. Overall, the graphics are a polarizing aspect, appealing to fans of indie horror aesthetics while leaving some players frustrated with visibility and clarity.
“As with a lot of other Chilla's Art games, the retro, VHS-style graphics are the most striking aspect.”
“Great PS1-style graphics with perfectly executed atmosphere.”
“The visuals invoke nostalgia for older indie games, reminiscent of PS1 and PS2 graphics, utilizing a handheld DV aesthetic that can either enhance or detract from immersion depending on player preference.”
“Let's start with the visuals: small Japanese environments are quite cute, but the chromatic aberration filter is really ugly and often glitches out.”
“Don't get me wrong, the sound design is excellent and the atmosphere is definitely eerie, but the graphics fall flat (literally in some cases) and the fact that you can barely see anything (I don't even know why the film grain option is on by default, as it's dark enough so why add more obscurity?) and it's very slow moving.”
- gameplay27 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator focused on exploration and object interaction, with a very short duration of around 10 to 30 minutes. While it effectively creates an atmospheric experience, many players find the simplicity and lack of variety in gameplay elements, such as puzzles, to be disappointing. Overall, the game offers a brief but engaging narrative, though it may not justify its price for some due to its limited interactivity and repetitive mechanics.
“It is very short, definitely has its flaws and there is so much unused potential to make this an even better game from a gameplay perspective, but it is fascinating how it nevertheless manages to draw you into its little world and involve you emotionally in its short story.”
“Extremely short and to the point gameplay, tight and simple.”
“The gameplay is straightforward, focusing on exploration and interaction with objects to uncover the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.”
“The most variance in gameplay is interacting with items and interacting with items to solve a puzzle.”
“It's a fascinating proof of concept with good atmosphere, but it's short and most of the gameplay is mashing 'E' against objects until you get a door to open upstairs, and then it's a number hunt.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
The game has very low replayability, with only four achievements and no alternative endings, leading players to feel that once the content is experienced, there is little incentive to play again. Many reviewers suggest that the price should reflect this lack of replay value, as the game offers minimal content to revisit after the initial playthrough.
“Not much replayability in the game with only four achievements and no other endings, but I don't fault the devs for that.”
“I think the price should have been between 1-1.50 euros for the context presented, especially since there is no replay value if you manage to get all the achievements in one run.”
“That said, this game has no replay value; once you've seen what the game has to offer, you've seen it all.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while it runs smoothly, it consumes excessive computing power and lacks features like VSync. Players hope for better optimization, especially for platforms like the Steam Deck, as the current performance feels underwhelming and in need of further polishing.
“Hope the Chilla's Art series is optimized for Steam Deck; it would be great to play these games with stable performance :)”
“The game runs smoothly, but it seems to consume more computing power than it should.”
“Not superbly optimized and VSync is not present.”
“I guess it just lacks some optimization and polishing.”
“Hope the Chilla's Art series is optimized for Steam Deck; it would be great to play these games with stable performance.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its tragic and heartbreaking narrative, which deeply engages players despite its brevity and flaws. Users express a strong emotional response, with some even moved to tears, indicating the game's ability to create a compelling and immersive experience centered around its poignant story.
“The small story in here is tragic, the ending is truly heartbreaking; I wish there was more than one possible outcome.”
“It is very short, definitely has its flaws, and there is so much unused potential to make this an even better game from a gameplay perspective, but it is fascinating how it nevertheless manages to draw you into its little world and involve you emotionally in its short story.”
“Okaeri is a touching story that puts you into the life of a young girl.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "teke teke" is noted to start off interesting and creepy but ultimately falls flat, becoming more amusing than frightening. While there are a few funny moments, particularly related to achievements, the overall comedic value is rated low, with a score of 1/5.
“It starts being interesting and creepy, but it ends up being mediocre and more funny than scary.”
“It has a few funny moments, especially with the achievements you get!”
“I'm glad someone found my review funny.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, primarily due to slow movement and the need to interact with numerous elements. While some acknowledge it as a drawback, others feel it isn't overly bothersome. Overall, the repetitive nature of the gameplay can detract from the experience.
“Movement is so slow that the whole thing becomes tedious as hell and the ending is very predictable.”
“One of the downfalls of this game is that you have to keep an eye out and interact with everything, which can be tedious; however, it wasn't too annoying for me.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marked by frequent glitches and rough edges, particularly with the visuals, where the chromatic aberration filter detracts from the otherwise charming Japanese environments. Overall, players report a generally unstable experience.
“It's short, simple, and rough around the edges; glitches may occur.”
“Let's start with the visuals: small Japanese environments are quite cute, but the chromatic aberration filter is really ugly and often glitches out.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for creating an excellent and creepy atmosphere, effectively enhancing the overall experience through its haunting sounds and immersive audio design.
“The music creates an excellent atmosphere, very creepy in the way it handles sounds and ambiance.”
“The soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience.”
“Each musical piece is thoughtfully crafted, adding depth and emotion to the game's narrative.”
