What is the obsession with parakeets?
The Review
Have you ever watched a movie and thought “what was the point?” September 1999 is a 5 minute and 30 second experience that evoked those same feelings within me. Being a horror nerd, I was intrigued to find a free horror game that received really positive reviews on Steam. Jumping into the game I immediately liked the VHS style camcorder visuals that brought to mind an 80’s horror movie setting. The “player” (I use this term loosely) is confined to two rooms with only the door between them that is accessible. The room you start in has a bed on the floor, a number of alcoholic beverages strewn about, and a single desk lamp in the corner. The second room is mostly empty and has a number of bolted doors and boarded up windows. The scene is set well enough to create a creepy atmosphere, but it ends there when you realize that there is nothing to do. The creepiest thing about the rooms is some questionable parakeet artwork. The game randomly chooses to progress to a different scene, the same two rooms, but with minor changes that explain a little further of what is actually occurring. Without going into detailed spoilers of how your experience ends, violence and a bit of gore wraps up the story. Calling it a “horror” game was a stretch for me as adding gore to a walking sim doesn’t qualify it for the genre. The game leaves you with lot of questions that I frankly didn’t care if they got answered.
The Decision
September 1999 had a few moments of promise, but overall I found it disappointing. The visual concept was intriguing, but the delivery fell flat.
2
out of 5
Boring
September 1999 is available for free on Steam.
Co-Owner, Director of Marketing & Outreach
Late Night Gamers LLC
PSN: ThePsychicFetus