Mad Father is a Wolf Editor Horror Game (think of it similar to an RPG Maker Horror Game) which originally released in 2012 (and was translated into English in 2013). This Steam release marks a rework of the game with an overall nicer layer of polish & some new content. I've only dabbled in the Steam release a bit at the time of writing to compare some early game differences, but I had played the game & gotten every ending back with the freeware version.

I'll start off this review with a general review of the game itself, followed then a mention of some of the new content & early game differences.

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GENERAL REVIEW:
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The game follows the story of Aya Drevis, a young 11-year old girl who lives in an expansive mansion with her father, Alfred, & their maid, Maria. Aya is aware that her father does somewhat cruel experiments with a chainsaw to people in their mansion basement, but she still loves her father all the same. She has seen his good traits and love he gives to her as his daughter. However, one night she awakens to some odd sounds, & finds shambling corpses and other strange beings wandering the mansion with murderous intent. A curse has been put upon the mansion from the countless people Aya's father has slaughtered, & now the dead walk among them seeking revenge on the Drevis family. The only way to escape now & save your dad is to lay these spirits to rest, either through forgiveness or force.

Mad Father gained a strong cult following for good reason, it has a number of creative & interesting varied scenarios despite its simple nature, ranging from puzzles, to light stealth, story, exploration, minigames, & backed with good gothic atmosphere with just a hint of the fantastical. While the main setting of the game is a Mansion, you quickly begin to descend in it, finding surreal labyrinths with intricate detail & interesting elements to each room. Some play a role in gameplay, others are simply interesting to look at. As you explore you'll come to face a number of challenges & entities who want you and your dad dead. You must find a way to put the spirits at rest, & make your way to your father deep in his underground labs. Along the way there is a colorful cast of odd characters you learn more about, & a number of side-quests off the beaten path you can partake in (they're optional to complete the game, but needed to get the true ending, though of note is the whole mansion is explorable even at the end of the game, you can go all the way back to the starting room of the game from the final room of the game).

While the story isn't surprising, it is well-told and full of charisma. Aya is a likable protagonist and her relationship with her twisted father is interesting, & the members of the core cast and their interconnecting relationships are just as interesting (if not more so). The journey is engaging all the way through if you're into these 2D RPG-Horrors, & will easily give you a good 3-6 hours of playtime (depending on how much you explore, how many endings you go for, do 'optional' stuff or not, etc). It has a charm to it simply due to its tone, a mixture of a Victorian-styled setting & characters combined with a more modern twisted sci-fi mad scientist doctor via our father and the gruesome undead experiments of his, forging a sort of scientifically twisted vs supernaturally malicious scenario. It's an interesting contrast that creeps its way into various aspects of the game I just find wholly fascinating.

I will mention while the game has some good atmosphere, it isn't all that scary, nor is it trying to be. There is the occasional moment or scene, but the game aims more to unsettle you as a mood-piece with a central interconnected narrative and attract you with elements of intrigue, abstractness, & feeling to set a tone than to startle or even shock you. This said, some of the scenes are rather tense and creepy.

If you're into the scene of 2D Horror games that came from the like of Wolf Editor and RPG Maker, this one is definitely worth checking out if you haven't before.

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FOR THOSE WHO'VE PLAYED BEFORE:
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But then for those who have played it before, you may ask yourselves, "What's new here? What makes this worth $5 compared to the previously free version?"

The first thing you'll probably notice as you play is the graphics have been updated in almost every room of the game. Some rooms have been changed drastically with completely new layouts & details; they hardly resemble the rooms from the original. Others just have nice new touches that help bring them more alive & add character. In the mansion at the beginning there wasn't a room I encountered that hadn't seen some sort of overhaul, and the touches look very nice! Along with the new spritework, there is also a few new pictures that pop up during cutscenes to give more life to them & the previous pictures have been revamped to look much nicer. Also has new enemy sprites, better sprite animation & details, more detailed death scenes, & other touch-ups.

For an example of the graphical difference, here's a comparison of Aya's Room:

Aya's Room (Original Game):
https://66.media.tumblr.com/c0a14bb4150eed0064df5b8652e6b1e3/tumblr_ody8hvPxRt1se6ntfo2_400.png

Aya's Room (Steam Release):
https://67.media.tumblr.com/49e7dac7f473ffb5719a3391c9712f5e/tumblr_ody8hvPxRt1se6ntfo1_400.png

And so far, most rooms have been drastically redone like this.

The game had to get rid of things it couldn't use for commercially, with the element that stands out the most being the music. Most of the original OST is present, but there are a few new original music tracks in this version of Mad Father in-place of the few unusable songs they had. I've only heard a couple new songs thus far, but I like them! They fit the game nicely & don't feel out of place. I may even like them more than the originals.

The game also has some new ease of use elements. Aya now will have exclamations pop over her head when near things she can interact with or investigate. Items glitter now to stand-out, so you don't have to observe everything just to find key items hidden in shelves or the like, & the hit-detection feels much better & smoother than before. The UI/Menu is completely reworked, & the QTEs the game previously had have a new gameplay style where instead of rapidly pressing a button, you now must press a series of buttons before time runs out (with an improved UI element as well).

While I can't speak in full length as I haven't quite beaten the new version of the game, there are some new dialogue & scenes in the game. There is some changes to the layout of the locations as I said before, some new areas as a result. The dev has also said there's some new optional side-stories to uncover, new scenes, & some of the gems have been relocated.

There's also a new "IF" option on the title screen, which is unlocked once you get the True Ending (not sure what it is, tho).

Game also comes with the Steam features of Trading Cards & achievements (which there's a 27 of).

Some may not find the new all that new, but it's made revisiting this game a joy for me so far, and as I loved the original I don't mind putting down some money for a revamped version with some new paint & some additional content to support future endeavors.

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OVERALL:
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While some may want to stick to the free version for its 'freeness', I think this version of Mad Father is an overall improvement which will be the best way to experience the game for either new players or fans of the original. Maybe not the huge expansion some may have hoped for, but the much more detailed & realized world along with the various additions, changes, & fixes all feel in-line with the vision of the original game while in my opinion steadily improving on it. Mad Father had a cult audience & will find new fans. If these type of games interest you, I do think is wholly worth checking out.

Totally worth it. I bought it more to thank the developers for all those nights that made me get scary when it was free.

Man, this is even scarier than original....

We need Misao remake as well!

This game's been available for a few years for free, but it was easily worth a price tag all along. I'm very glad to be able to support the developers after all this time. It's a short-but-sweet, but nonetheless excellent, story driven adventure puzzler of sorts. A real gem for anyone that is a fan of horror or slashers.

This is one of the games I bought without hesitating and thinking if it's worth it. I remember playing free version about 3 years ago and I enjoyed the story and all the spooky moments, so I was pretty happy to see that it's been remastered and made it to steam. And to be honest this version is way better than the original, not only visually, but because it got some additions to the storyline.

If you enjoy horror rpgmaker games that have beautiful graphics and a nice story with some plot twists, then you'll certainly enjoy this game. Storyline is quite short and takes a couple of hours to run through, but it's certainly worth it's price.

Bought this game to Support its developers since I have played it before. Well this game is good so its worth the money!

I don't think I've ever purchased a game faster. I love this game. I played through the free version as least twice before and I'm very excited about this remaster.

Mad Father deserves mad support. <3

So much nostalgia! Love this game! I really want a Mad Father 2, or bring Misao to steam.

All in all, a great game, very fun and touching!

Just to get it out there: Imagine a bowl filled with of your favorite icecream. That's the original game. Now, add an extra scoop in there and cover that good stuff with chocolate syrup, peanuts, whipcream, sprinkles or whatever you like on your icecream these days. That's this Steam game.

I had a lot of FUN and nostalgia from replaying this! I love everything about it! The artwork is eye-catching and aesthetic, along with a lovely and haunting soundtrack. The story is so heartwarming, but also mournful, dark and immortal. Athough there isn't a lot of brand new content compared to the original, there was definitely enough to enhance the experience! ex: the interiors/exteriors, new background story, additional after-credit scene, AN EXTRA ENDING, etc. Overall, I really enjoyed this and now I want more xD (maybe a sequel or spiritual successor? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) I HIGHLY RECCOMMAND trying out this game, as well to other incredible WOLF RPG's. :D

So I played the first free version years a go and I was excited to try this one. First it didn't seem to have much difference, expect for new look, but near the end there was more new stuff to look at. Especially the "IF" option after you get the true end. That was most interesting part of this Steam version.
So I'll say if you have played the first one take a look at this if you're fan. If you didn't like the first version this one probably won't grab you either.
But if you haven't played the free version, take a look at this first. It's well worth the money. And then maybe check the free version after, out of curiosity sake.