tyler_x's Game Reviews Week 1: Amanda the Adventurer

[tyler_x]

Hello folks! As the extremely creative title implies, I am going to start reviewing games, hopefully weekly. I'm very passionate about video games, and am here to give my detailed opinion on them! If you're thinking about buying a game but aren't sure if it's worth it, I'm here to give as much information on them possible. That being said: Requests are always open! Ask me to review a game if you wish! It can be your favourite game, or one you're considering playing. No matter the case, Ask!

For this week, I've selected the game Amanda the Adventurer. The full version being released on Steam back in 2022, it took over certain sides of the Internet. Just about all the main gaming content creators were rushing to play the game.

This game is a puzzle-based indie horror game with multiple endings, and even if puzzle games aren't your thing, I'd say it's still worth a play if you're into the horror genre. Especially if you like "analog horror" sort of stuff.

AtA is a story told from the perspective of someone by the name of "Riley" (who you play as.) This character's aunt, Kate, is implied to pass away, leaving them with her house, simply stating in a letter that she has some tapes in the attic.

These tapes contain episodes of what appears to be an interactive kids' show, the main characters being a young girl named Amanda, and a sheep named Wooly. But, since this is a horror game, it's obviously not as simple as that.

Something about this show is..off, to say the least.

Amanda tends to be very short tempered, and Wooly extremely paranoid at all times. If you do as much as answer a question incorrectly (Ex: Where is the post office?), Amanda will get very mad, and sometimes start screaming angrily at the player.

The content matter of some of the episodes are also very questionable, talking about things like death and rotting... something is obviously wrong.

This however, is as deep as I will go. I will keep things spoiler-free as much as possible:)

Overall, I'd say this game is a solid 8/10. The voice acting for Amanda and Wooly is phenomenal, I'm impressed by it. The tapes do a very good job at capturing that kids' show vibe, and creates a false sense of nostalgia, making the horror elements seem even more unsettling. The puzzles aren't too hard nor too easy, perfect difficulty. However, I will say this. I wish some of the story was a little more explicitly stated, and I think it would be better if I wasn't relying on theories. I've played the second game as well, (not yet the third) and got a little bit more context but I still wish for more. Ultimately though, this is a good game and was worth my time.

Unless I get a request, next week I will likely be reviewing another horror game, so stay tuned:)