Buy Settled

I don't want to recommend this game (although it is well done), but it wouldn't be fair to downvote it (wish there was a neutral option). Messed up little horror game for a fair price with a well told messed up story. Reminds me of 'Home', but a little different, and without branching endings. Takes about 30 minutes to beat. Did I mention it's f***ed up? Because it is. Happy Leap Day!

Reminiscent of the atmosphere, storytelling and obvious pixellated aesthetics of The Last Door, it is unfortunate that it doesn't fall into a more specific and mainstream genre. Settled lacks in length as a laid back 40-minute experience which isn't interactive enough as a game to be called much more than what people call a walking simulator. What excels is the execution of the narrative and the strange, eerie tale itself which would have all been marvellous to build upon as a point and click like the aforementioned horror series.

Using the arrow keys to move and back out from interactions and spacebar to interact with highlighted objects, you are introduced to the story much the way you would reading a picture book. You move your character mainly through a house among other locations whilst looking at objects and a variety of scenes to easily grasp a timeline to put together your own version of the events that seem to have unfolded. Excruciatingly tempting as it is to unveil a little bit of the story, it is the core of this game and as someone who went in without an ounce of knowledge about Settled I am glad I went in blindfolded and came out with a sense of uneasiness as I doubt I would have felt as intensely had I known any of the story beforehand.

This is what I yearn for badly written narrative reliant games to turn into, namely poorly penned visual novels or bland exploration games that lack any literal composition. Settled uses an elegant method of telling stories with minimal text yet still emphasising a narrative rich experience. You are presented with flashbacks or self reflection and these snippets of thoughts and scenes are accompanied by a bare minimum of text. Many indie developers have a wealth of creativity in them but don't possess the skills crucial to relay it effectively by utilising written word to the extent of a novella or even an anecdote. This leads to winning plots quickly morphing into indecipherable and wasted gobbledygook within an otherwise well made game and a mistake so many incompetently written games make. Even though it plays like a 2D version of Gone Home where you move through rooms and open doors to interact with objects that tell you a story, Settled is the better version since it refuses to use traditional narration and walls of text instead substituting it with visuals much more meritoriously. This game proves once again that even without intricate game mechanics, you needn't be so reliant on words to tell a worthy story and create a solid narrative experience.

Having played Sharf a day earlier (basically a mini-me version of Settled) and it being half an hour shorter, with absolutely no world-building and yet pulling off making my heart heavier than this game did, I am optimistic that the developer could easily build a much more comprehensive game with an even creepier universe for a more satisfactory experience. An outstanding example of gameplay and mood is Reveal the Deep (also a first time for these developers) which is a surreal pixellated adventure horror game set in the dark depths of the ocean, which keeps your hair on end all throughout and is a true hidden gem. If you are a fan of the horror game genre and have played a good number of similar games, it is unlikely that Settled will scratch that horror itch or scare you much even with the eventuality of it being a psychological thriller. Even so, the ending does make most of it worthwhile and though up until that point you'd have wondered when the game would end, you'll be saddened that it is so short despite it managing not to feel abrupt, and just want more. Hence, as an indie game made by someone inexperienced in such endeavours, it is well done and makes me look forward to future work from them.


Just over half an hour is much too short even for this price ($1.99), better similar games cheaper. Bright side, definitely worthwhile story to it, will want to play till end. For people who'd like to relax with a really short atmospheric game, completely on-rails with a nice little bang at the end.

Who's your daddy? $2 dollars and 30 minutes later I wish I hadn't asked...

If you notice it's still running after you quit you need to CRTL+ALT+DEL > Task Manager > Close NSIC.exe or something along those lines. My playtime is really only 30 minutes despite the 25.9 hours being displayed.

This is probably a safety feature added by the developer to make sure people don't just beat the game in 30 minutes and Steam refund it afterwards.

https://youtu.be/201M28nxXoQ
Game: Settled
Genre: Short Story-Driven Horror
Developer: Allen Dayan
Publisher: Allen Dayan
Copy supplied by developer

Settled is a short story-driven horror game developed and published by Allen Dayan.

To avoid spoling the plot, I'll just say that you play as a father whose daughter died some time ago, and he explores his house after hearing some strange noises.
While at first I wasn't all that into the story, after a while a constant state of dredd started creeping up on me, until I was fully invested on the f*cked up things that started happening in this game, till you get to the unsettling (albeit predictable) ending.

Developed in Construct 2, the game's pixelated art style is very simplistic, while the hand-drawn look of the cutscenes delivers a more creepy vibe.

Pretty simple: you walk around the house and you interact with highlighted objects. Again, the focus is on the story, and its gameplay is the best and easiest way to tell it.

Pretty weak: not that much of a soundtrack, and the sound effects are royalty-free. The game relies more on actual creepiness rather than jump scares.

Unfortunately, there are no achievements or hidden secrets: after 30 minutes, you are done playing this game.

If you are going to play this game, you are in for the story. If you like story-driven horror games that will unsettle you for a cheap price, then buy this game right now.


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Short + spooky. (Theres only about a half hour of gameplay to it)
Only $2 but it's not 2spooky, just the regular amounts of spooky.

I'd suggest not reading all of these spoiler-laden reviews and just jumping right in. You can do worse with $2.
It's not perfect (the plot is a bit thin) but it's not terrible and is pretty decent at buidling a spooky atmosphere.

The game gives a since of disturbing dread from the start.
the story follows of a man who lost someone near and dear to him.

cons

• short.

seriously that's it.

pros

• constant unnerving feeling you're being watched
  
• considerably noticable atmosphere
  
• at no point in the game do you feel safe
  
• pure mystery, something is wrong.
  
• Daddy's not here at the moment, please come back.
  
  
  the game is great. I usually refund games that i can if i paid for them and they don't give me my 2 hours worth, but.
  I just can't do that to this man, he created something that made me think. he created something that made me feel.
  I just have to give this man what he's due, and I'm currently waiting for the next installment.

Settled is a 4 button game which see's you walking backwards and forwards through a house (and some memory flashback sections) interacting with various glowing items. Calling it a 'game' is a little bit of a stretch as only minimal interaction is required.
The story had an interesting development but it only took 30 minutes to complete and if anything left me rather UNsettled. I'm glad I got it as part of a bundle and I had a spare 30 minutes to play it because without a save option I wouldn't have returned for a second go.

Good game! Short and sweet, about an hour from beginning to end. Definitely worth the $2.

Basically, it's an interactive story. Doesn't rely on decision making or skill, more like a short story that you play through instead of read, and a well written one at that!

A short, sinsister, story driven experience where we explore the home and personal hell of a man who has lost someone dear to him. It's sick, disturbing and creates a palpable sense of unease.

It relies on some standard horror cliches, but its unexpected, harrowing ending made my skin crawl.

Misleading title, did not feel settled.

For £1.59 you're getting a linear, 30 minute long, well-told horror story with reletively good pixel art. I can definitely recommend it for the price. I'd like to see a more complex game from the developer in future.