ARD: Anomalous Research Department (DEMO)

7.4/10 - Great demo that excites me, (20-30 mins), I loved the retro computer aesthetic of this game mixed with the horror elements which you don't see mixed much in games. There are games that use these elements but this feels more like a horror game compared to other games in the genre.

I enjoyed the art, the backstory of this game, and a big surprise for me was the Video sequence which switched things up for me ( you'll understand ). I would love to see this game expanded in terms of story, more Video sequences and more things to explore on the computer. Even with this being a demo, I would've still enjoyed this if it was the full game. 

However I do think the game has a few small issues such as the mouse being slightly glitchy in the fullscreen, there should be an obvious exit button on the 3D maze ( I didn't realize it was just an endless video and I spent 5 mins sitting there before spamming all buttons ) and I personally experienced a crash towards the end of the game which I never had before with other browser games!

* Before you play the game I suggest that you toggle the full-screen option as it increases the immersion *

That was soo sooo good! Keep making that stuff my man

I literally waited 2 minutes in the video for something to happen before i realized I needed to do things.

What a blast! loved this and looking forward to any other project you work on! 

wow this is very impressive and the crt monitor *chef kiss*  makes it look very real and fun to play around also the buldging of the ingame screen makes the crt monitor better. My review I love the crt monitor

You need to fix fullscreen mode. The mouse doesn't work well and lags a bunch in fullscreen.

Please update thiiis

u should add a folder called "hot anomaly pics"

I'm still waiting for the full release. At least we have Home Safety Hotline which is the closest to this game's concept but a bit more unique with how it uses folkloric monsters that you'd expect in fairy tales like fairies, gnomes, goblins, etc.

Wow, actually scared

Loved this, as a long time fan of SCP. Well done. 

The presentation is genius. Great experience! Also had no idea just looking through old e-mails and photos would freak me out as much as it did. The video was also very cool to experience.

Very, very cool. I felt the 3D maze could have been halved, but overall incredible and mysterious little demo. 

Absolutely wonderful little time

i shut off the computer. it stays shut off. interesting

Good game!

This is an absolutely delightful time. Very sinister.

Most horror games on itch.io usually don't make me anxious or jump, but this one was truly a diamond in the rough, absolute great job.

This was amazing! Maybe it was just playing this in the dark at 3 am but wow I have goosebumps all over.. I'm surely going to recommend this to everyone I can. 

Super!

Here are a few thoughts:

1 - Overall great job. I like that the computer feels like it's "just user friendly enough", with the unexplained blinking light next to things that are "new".  You might actually enhance this by starting the game with some of the lights already blinking and turn them off as we explore.

2 - In the video sequence, you have to return to your guest several times to trigger the sequence proceeding, but there isn't a clear reason to. Perhaps you might include something in the report.  "The next door neighbor said they heard them going in and out of the bathroom all night long" or something.

3 - In the 3D maze, you might make the photos from the photo viewer come up more often; you also might prompt to press escape to leave it behind. (I clicked a bunch, hit space bar, etc. but didn't think to use Escape as I never used it before.)

The sound in this game is great, the graphics are top tier. I especially love the deer picture. Felt really weird and creepy.  All in all a really fun experience!

Another banger! I didn't expect the playable video. That was really fun.

cool graphics, love the scp foundation vibe. it was real slow on my computer though

youve done it again you madmen. loved the funky maze as well as the use of hands to indicate interactiveness in the video portion. looking forward to the full game

Modus Interactive only puts out bangers. 

Full Demo No Commentary 

These types of computer UI games always freak me out man. I was a bit tired when I played this so I think it was the perfect time to be exposed to how bizarre the entire experience was. I read some emails, checked out some pictures and a video and before I knew it, I was in some deep shit. For those more interested in watching than playing, this was my experience:

Thanks for making games!

Resource usage through the roof for no real reason, maxes out CPU and GPU

I think you might have some issues with the demo on certain hardware judging by other comments, might be worth looking into

Love this style of horror, awesome demo

Henderson and Modus Interactive, some of my two favorite things. This game is a miracle

Spoopy! A fun little horror experience!

Neat!

This is a very promising demo, I kinda hope the final game will turn into an anthology with the player being able to experience different weird occurrences. Can’t wait to see the full game (even though I did get stuck a few times, I apparently need a lot of handholding, otherwise I am lost :D). 

i hope i dont die

I went into this not realizing who was developing it and it's no surprise knowing now why this was so good! Cant wait to see where this goes! 

My browser version of this game completely crashes or freezes my computer except for the game itself which also will not work but I can hear the sounds for it running. the only way for me to do anything else on my computer is to reload the page itself. This is a very annoying bug that I wanted you guys to know if you are using a Chromebook.