The Blackness from the Stars

I loved the graphics and the atmosphere. Visually and aesthetically, this game feels polished. The dead whale, although maybe not scary, was very cool! I also really enjoyed the effect where the lighthouse's light would obscure the house if you went on the path to the shore.

However, it didn't leave me scared. I think the main problem is that there's no difficulty. My first play through, I explored around a bit before putting in the ember next to the furnace. There was a feeling of anxiety because "What if I don't put the ember in the furnace in time? I wasted time before putting the first in, am I doomed?"

But the anxiety didn't last after a few more embers. At that point I had nothing to fear, since I didn't notice any changes even when I had been searching for what I thought would be a long time.

I breezed through and the boat came, and then the unceremonious end came. On my second play through, I waited for what seemed like ages to see any changes due to not putting the embers in. In fact, the change was so subtle that I questioned if it was even getting darker at all.

Overall, the presentation of the game had me very excited, but it very quickly disappointed me.

To nitpick a bit, it felt weird being able to move so fast. It also felt weird when the depth of field interacted with the embers and made it hard to see in front of me, but if it were done differently that could be a cool mechanic. Lastly, the house itself felt a little barren, and because I only cared about getting upstairs to the furnace and the embers were so easy to get, I didn't feel like I was exploring very long.