I was initially enticed to buy Ellen because of the graphics of the game. I'm a sucker for any game with a pixel art style, so this, coupledI was initially enticed to buy Ellen because of the graphics of the game. I'm a sucker for any game with a pixel art style, so this, coupled with the interesting summary and sale price, drew me in. The graphics for the game definitely didn't disappoint, nor did it come off as being too childlike with the game design. It did a great job of capturing an unnerving, suspenseful atmosphere, actually. There were many moments in the game that were genuinely creepy, as well as jumpscares that I didn't see coming.
As good as these aspects were, the somewhat confusing story and nitpicks with the gameplay were enough to make playing it frustrating at times, taking away from my immersion and experience.
You literally fall right into the game at the beginning, and you have no background information as to what's going on. That's not too much of a problem, except you don't find out much more about the case that's central to Ellen, so the confused feeling at the beginning of the game tends to stick around while you play. What little you do find out is from brief notes or photos you find as you go along, and even then it doesn't feel like enough.
As you're moving, the screen doesn't always move smoothly along with your character, instead moving stiffly. This is a smaller nitpick with gameplay, though. The biggest complaint for me was that some of the items you found in the game seemed really random, and with little-to-no explanation about them, it was confusing as to what their purpose was. And one of your more useful items, a flashlight, runs out extremely quickly, leaving you in complete darkness in some rooms.
Along with a slightly lacking, disjointed story, there are numerous grammatical errors in the game, even during the very brief epilogue.
I was glad to have bought this game on sale, for about $2. At full price, I couldn't justify purchasing this game, given its short content, as I finished the game in under five hours, and less than stellar story.… Expand
