Since I’ve generally found that indie-style horror games often don’t fare well, with an over-reliance on jump scares and other more simplistic elements to drive you to play them, I’m always a bit heartened to see those that instead use their horror-ish elements on the side. In the case of Amanda the Adventurer, you won’t get knocked over with excessive gore or elements that startle you with regularity, instead it’s a more slow-burn and outright creepy kind that originates from an unusual source… old VHS tapes of a very creepy kids show. 

With the mystery behind the game kicking off with an initial episode set in the kitchen, it doesn’t take long to get a sense that something is wrong, no matter how innocent the presentation may be. Subsequent tapes help advance things further, though I’ll admit that there wasn’t ultimately a clear payoff in terms of the games narratives, even across multiple endings.

What you’ll instead need to settle for as the main event, viewing the story threads as more of a periodic source of weird amusement, is the puzzle aspect. If you’ve participated in an escape room, or played a game inspired by them, you should feel relatively at home. Within a confined space you’ll find a number of puzzles, and you’ll need to look around you for either elements you’ll need, or some inspiration for how they should be solved. For people who either aren’t good at them or who don’t enjoy them, this may well end up being a bit agonizing, since without getting inspiration on what code or combination may be needed, it isn’t hard to get frustrated. Persistence, careful observation, and patience are the name of the game, though perhaps a few puzzles require a leap of faith that’s a reach as well.

What that leaves you with is a bit of a value-added escape room if you like some weird low-key horror elements or vice versa. There are undoubtedly games in both directions that are better constructed and perhaps varied, but I’ll give credit for the developers taking a stab at doing both at least moderately well. If you set your expectations properly it should provide a decent challenge, but it does have limitations.