Side Alley

About

Side Alley is a single player action game. It was developed by Nimavoha Interactive and was released on October 21, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

The city is a labyrinth. You always knew it, you just didn't have time to try different paths. Now, you have no choice. Did your coworker put a curse on you? Find out in this bleak horror visual novel featuring point-and-click gameplay elements.

Genres & Tags

Adventure

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 11 reviews

humor6 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game skillfully blends traditional horror elements with mundane absurdities, creating a unique and engaging atmosphere.
The art style and soundtrack are noteworthy, enhancing the overall experience with a creepy and unsettling tone.
The narrative is a slow burn that gradually reveals complexity, offering a dark and surreal story that resonates with players.

The game can feel confusing at times, particularly with its narrative choices that often seem cosmetic and lack significant impact on the story.
Some players found the office environments visually less appealing compared to other areas, which detracted from the overall immersion.
The lack of an explicit save function and multiple save slots can be frustrating, especially when trying to achieve 100% completion.

story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The story is described as a slow-burn masterpiece that combines elements of psychological horror, existentialism, and dark humor, leading players through a meandering yet engaging narrative. While it starts off feeling casual and generic, it gradually becomes more complex and immersive, featuring unsettling moments and intriguing character interactions. Overall, the narrative effectively guides players through tasks while maintaining a sense of mystery and confusion, particularly surrounding the protagonist, Dave.
- “A slow burn masterpiece, it defies expectations and has a very clear but meandering story.”
- “I enjoyed Side Alley and would recommend it to those who want to experience a dark and surreal story about an ordinary guy having an extraordinary week.”
- “In the end, I do think the story and the immersion gradually recovered for me, with a nice storytelling combination of psychological horror, existentialism, arthouse, casual office humor, and supernatural events.”
- “It is a dark and creepy story that has some gross moments and some unsettling dialog choices.”
- “What sticks, in my opinion, is the constant confusion that seems to connect the storyline with Dave.”
- “For the most part, the story leads you from one task to another and gives you clues as to where to go next.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique art style that enhances its creepy atmosphere and narrative depth, though some reviewers feel that the aesthetic elements could have been more polished. While it primarily functions as a graphic adventure, it incorporates creative gameplay elements and puzzles that challenge traditional genre expectations. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's immersive experience, despite some critiques regarding their execution.
- “The art style, creepy overtone, looking for clues, slowly revealing narrative of Dave's life.”
- “Art style and soundtrack deserve a special mention too!”
- “The game recovered eventually, and I accepted it as part of the narrative. I just feel you could have given a little more love to the aesthetic elements, as I felt the other half of the game was always better in terms of overall vibes.”
- “The art style, creepy overtone, looking for clues, and slowly revealing narrative of Dave's life.”
- “The game is technically a 'graphic adventure', which is sometimes mistaken for its point-and-click adventure cousin.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players describing the soundtrack as akin to "white noise" and feeling that it lacks consistency with the game's overall tone. While the intention behind the music choices, particularly in the office levels, was to enhance psychological tension, many felt it detracted from the experience, preferring either silence or ambient sounds instead. Despite these criticisms, players appreciated the game's characters and its blend of humor and horror.
- “Art style and soundtrack deserve a special mention too!”
- “Aside from some consistency issues with the quality of the art and the soundtrack, I enjoyed the game; I think the characters were interesting, and I liked how the game was both scary and funny at the same time.”
- “To be fair, I understand that the office levels were there to set up psychological events and the tension, as well as having that location duality. I just didn't feel like they had as much going for them visually, and that goofy dialogue music, while likely intentional, was not very consistent with the overall vibes that I wanted to get. Honestly, I would have preferred silence or just ambient music.”
- “I think I just didn't care for the music choices in the office, and the art in the office usually was not as good compared to whatever you did after work, so I think that kind of gave me a wrong impression.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by well-written dialogue and a blend of casual office humor with psychological horror elements, creating an engaging and entertaining experience. Players appreciate the balance of spooky moments and comedic relief, with characters often reacting humorously to their eerie surroundings. Overall, the humor enhances the game's immersive storytelling while maintaining a lighthearted tone amidst the tension.
- “Set amid claustrophobic office interiors and dingy urban environments, it features an original—and fittingly janky—visual style, along with well-written dialogue infused with just enough humor to keep the pacing engaging.”
- “Tons of fun, spooky moments, fun jumpscares without busting your eardrums or being vicious, sublime use of the uncanny valley effect, good sense of humor sprinkled all throughout.”
- “The character was often on the edge but he kind of went along with it, which I thought was hilarious, often treating the figures like annoying furniture.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of graphic adventure and dungeon crawler mechanics, featuring unique narrative ideas and creative elements that include unconventional puzzles and perspective shifts. While it may not make the best first impression, players appreciate its originality and engaging character interactions.
- “Maybe it didn't make the best first impression, but overall I enjoyed the characters and I think it had some unusual narrative ideas; I dare say it offers a somewhat original gameplay experience.”
- “There are a few other gameplay elements, but generally I would still say it mostly plays like a graphic adventure. It almost controls like a dungeon crawler now that I think about it, just because you have to make 90-degree turns.”
- “It had some creative gameplay elements, with various puzzles and events that are not traditionally found within the graphic adventure genre. It will play around with your perspective and such.”
- “There are a few other gameplay elements, but generally I would still say it mostly plays like a graphic adventure, almost controls like a dungeon crawler now that I think about it, just because you have to make 90-degree turns.”
- “Had some creative gameplay elements, various puzzles and events that are not traditionally within a graphic adventure genre; it will play around with your perspective and such.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere effectively blends traditional horror elements with mundane absurdities, resulting in an uncanny yet familiar experience. While the first half excels in creating a mysterious ambiance, the introduction of explicit supernatural elements later on slightly diminishes this effect, though it remains a surreal and memorable journey.
- “I found the first half of the game to have a perfect mysterious and uncanny atmosphere; when the game later introduces more explicit supernatural elements and exposition, in my humble opinion, it loses part of that perfection, but it's still a great surreal experience with many memorable moments.”
- “This game skillfully fuses traditional horror tropes with mundane absurdities, creating an atmosphere that I found both uncanny and uncomfortably familiar.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is somewhat compromised, as players have reported encountering specific glitches that can extend the completion time, with one user noting their playthrough took longer than the average three hours due to these issues.
- “It takes about 3 hours to complete the game; it took me a little longer due to a few specific glitches.”