Looks janky as hell from screenshots and videos. Animations are pretty rough, character models are uncanny, plus a sidescrolling perspective that feels, on first examination, cheap. I was hesitant to buy this game despite the positive reviews because of these issues.

Some of the above issues are valid, but they are, in retrospect, largely superficial. Believe me when I say that a passionate and talented game developer made Withering Rooms and it shows in every aspect outside its initial presentation. This is an inspired piece of work in its mechanics, story, itemization, world structure...God, it's just so solid.

I don't know where to start with the good.

The writing, something I hadn't considered going into this game, is actually a highlight. Lore and characters are interesting, and their motivations are complex. The world of Withering Rooms is more than a mishmash of its worthy inspirations (Silent Hill and Bloodborne being the obvious ones to me), which means it goes well beyond my initial expectations.

The curse mechanic is fun and fascinating. Clearly inspired by Bloodborne's "Insight," it is cleverly integrated into combat, exploration, and environmental design, making its management a core element of gameplay that is constantly on your mind. Balanced, thoughtful and surprising.

Enemy design is maybe less original but no less complex. Silent Hill is a clear inspiration, which goes well with the themes of shared trauma and mental illness. Killing an enemy for the first time brings up a poster with information on said enemy. These offer stats, lore, and often, a name. Like, "you just killed Paul, the butler". Ouch.

Outside the visuals, there are some issues. Combat is clunky and not very exciting. The survival horror mechanics are cool but not super useful once you get some decent items (maybe there are pacifist or low-combat builds?). Enemies are sometimes voiced, but NPCs are not, which feels like an odd choice.

Basically if you like survival horror, metroidvanias and souls games, this is a no-brainer instabuy. If you like two out of the three, I'd highly recommend it. Even one out of the three, it's still likely a good choice.

Very, very excited for the developer's next game now.

Nice game