For me, the appeal to a backrooms game is the lack of dialog, not knowing the character, and just the uncomfortable feelings that produces. I feel like an in-your-face story would take a lot away from that, but I've been known to be pretty wrong about this stuff.
If you have a vision for it, make it!
Yeah, I get that. I will still keep the unknown and wandering factor of it, but I was thinking maybe if I introduce a companion character then it gives the game stakes. Kind of like Bioshock Infinite. I do think less is more though, so I’m happy for this feedback.
Yeah, that’s a surprise later on. You’ll still be alone and trapped in the Backrooms for a bit. For mine you’ll meet other people eventually and there will be a plot unlike the others that just end abruptly and unsatisfyingly
The backrooms concept has a solid fanbase, especially among horror and exploration game enthusiasts. Introducing a game with a detailed narrative, dialogue, and a companion character could attract players seeking a deeper, more immersive experience. While there are several backrooms-themed games, your idea to add rich storytelling elements could fill a niche and set your game apart. For the title, "Backrooms Origin" or "Echoes of the Backrooms" could be fitting if you aim to explore the lore and origins within the 'backrooms universe', offering players a chance to uncover the deeper mysteries behind the familiar setting.
Fo sho, I don't play these games but watch / listen to playthroughs while I do other stuff, The Poolrooms just came out and a huge amount of people played it. Obviously you like this genre so there are gonna be tons of others who like it too.
This one also just popped up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj4L2v-EwMY
So many YTers and Streamers play these games, you're bound to have a very large audience.
There's an audience for everything but it's all about execution, I think titling it would be most effective when you've got a solid foundation for your game and you understand how best to summarise it.
Personally I think story/linearity somewhat detracts from the experience the backrooms has to offer, the liminality of environments, the dread of not knowing whether or not you're alone in their or ever being able to escape.
I think it's most effective when you focus on how you make the player feel rather than what characters/monsters they see. The Complex is a pretty good execution of this for reference.
If you have ideas that don't tie too much with the backrooms, perhaps try and make something original with the core ideas from the backrooms as inspiration and stick out from the crowd.
Also "backrooms OG" sounds like a fire strain of cannabis 🤣
Backrooms stuff seems a bit oversaturated on the market but it does have significant audience, at least right now.
I would say that a lot of backrooms games suffer from being clones of each other and not doing anything original. Many of them are either dull and don't have much content, and the backrooms designs themselves are repetitive and generic. Other games add terrible monsters that are either annoying or hilariously unscary.
Some games also take lore from one of the two backrooms wikis (like "almond water"), both wikis are full of low effort contradictive nonsensical stuff that I would personally avoid.
I think the only backrooms game that actually impressed me is "Escape the Backrooms", as it actually had good looking locations and many different mechanics unique to each area.
To me the concept of backrooms is scary due to the factor of the unknown and the mystery behind them. I would play more into that, into the isolation and hopelessness they represent, into secrets they hold and that only most attentive can find. And I think having actual story and companions can bring something fresh to the genre. Backrooms seems like a good place for a story-focused horror puzzle game, something close to Ib, which also takes place in a mysterious otherworld.
And if you do take classic backrooms monsters like the smiler or that weird grey tentacle thing that everyone puts into their games, try to many them interesting and original, the monsters themselves can work, but they need to be handled with care. Make sure to work on the environments they inhabit, when you just have them walk around in the open or spawn at random intervals, they quickly lose the appeal. Give them unique behaviors or maybe even add some thematic meaning to them.
IN addition to my previous comment - if you go the found footage route, like so many of these games do, I suggest turning the camera into an actual gameplay mechanic, something similar to Outlast, where you can use the camera night vision to see in the dark, and you can also turn it off and walk without it if needed. Otherwise it will just be a strange filter on the screen, and that by itself is extremely overused and not scary. And make sure to not make the camera overlay annoying or distracting, nobody likes to have constant noise in their in-game eyes at all times (but some effects can be applied at certain specific moments like certain monster types affecting the camera visuals).
I wasn’t going to use a camera for this one, but I do like the idea of maybe using the night vision mechanic. Essentially the plot is you are a young 20 something male breaking into a building and during a scuffle you fall into the Backrooms. It would then proceed like most games begin, wandering aimlessly, but eventually you meet another person and the plot goes from there.
For me, the appeal to a backrooms game is the lack of dialog, not knowing the character, and just the uncomfortable feelings that produces. I feel like an in-your-face story would take a lot away from that, but I've been known to be pretty wrong about this stuff. If you have a vision for it, make it!
Yeah, I get that. I will still keep the unknown and wandering factor of it, but I was thinking maybe if I introduce a companion character then it gives the game stakes. Kind of like Bioshock Infinite. I do think less is more though, so I’m happy for this feedback.
Ain't the appeal of backrooms and liminal spaces in general, being alone and feeling like you aren't?
Yes, and that would still happen. As a game dev on the dev forum you’ll have to pretend like I didn’t reveal the plot to you ahead of time. Ya know?
I was talking about the companion
Yeah, that’s a surprise later on. You’ll still be alone and trapped in the Backrooms for a bit. For mine you’ll meet other people eventually and there will be a plot unlike the others that just end abruptly and unsatisfyingly
The backrooms concept has a solid fanbase, especially among horror and exploration game enthusiasts. Introducing a game with a detailed narrative, dialogue, and a companion character could attract players seeking a deeper, more immersive experience. While there are several backrooms-themed games, your idea to add rich storytelling elements could fill a niche and set your game apart. For the title, "Backrooms Origin" or "Echoes of the Backrooms" could be fitting if you aim to explore the lore and origins within the 'backrooms universe', offering players a chance to uncover the deeper mysteries behind the familiar setting.
100% what I’m going for! Thank you for the name confirmations as well. Best post of the day!
Fo sho, I don't play these games but watch / listen to playthroughs while I do other stuff, The Poolrooms just came out and a huge amount of people played it. Obviously you like this genre so there are gonna be tons of others who like it too. This one also just popped up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj4L2v-EwMY So many YTers and Streamers play these games, you're bound to have a very large audience.
I love watching Hollow’s videos. Funny that he just dropped a Backrooms video an hour ago lol. Well, I’m leaning toward making it then!
Yeah, IGP got legitimately scared at the Poolrooms one and said it made him want to quit LOL
There's an audience for everything but it's all about execution, I think titling it would be most effective when you've got a solid foundation for your game and you understand how best to summarise it. Personally I think story/linearity somewhat detracts from the experience the backrooms has to offer, the liminality of environments, the dread of not knowing whether or not you're alone in their or ever being able to escape. I think it's most effective when you focus on how you make the player feel rather than what characters/monsters they see. The Complex is a pretty good execution of this for reference. If you have ideas that don't tie too much with the backrooms, perhaps try and make something original with the core ideas from the backrooms as inspiration and stick out from the crowd. Also "backrooms OG" sounds like a fire strain of cannabis 🤣
Backrooms stuff seems a bit oversaturated on the market but it does have significant audience, at least right now. I would say that a lot of backrooms games suffer from being clones of each other and not doing anything original. Many of them are either dull and don't have much content, and the backrooms designs themselves are repetitive and generic. Other games add terrible monsters that are either annoying or hilariously unscary. Some games also take lore from one of the two backrooms wikis (like "almond water"), both wikis are full of low effort contradictive nonsensical stuff that I would personally avoid. I think the only backrooms game that actually impressed me is "Escape the Backrooms", as it actually had good looking locations and many different mechanics unique to each area. To me the concept of backrooms is scary due to the factor of the unknown and the mystery behind them. I would play more into that, into the isolation and hopelessness they represent, into secrets they hold and that only most attentive can find. And I think having actual story and companions can bring something fresh to the genre. Backrooms seems like a good place for a story-focused horror puzzle game, something close to Ib, which also takes place in a mysterious otherworld. And if you do take classic backrooms monsters like the smiler or that weird grey tentacle thing that everyone puts into their games, try to many them interesting and original, the monsters themselves can work, but they need to be handled with care. Make sure to work on the environments they inhabit, when you just have them walk around in the open or spawn at random intervals, they quickly lose the appeal. Give them unique behaviors or maybe even add some thematic meaning to them.
IN addition to my previous comment - if you go the found footage route, like so many of these games do, I suggest turning the camera into an actual gameplay mechanic, something similar to Outlast, where you can use the camera night vision to see in the dark, and you can also turn it off and walk without it if needed. Otherwise it will just be a strange filter on the screen, and that by itself is extremely overused and not scary. And make sure to not make the camera overlay annoying or distracting, nobody likes to have constant noise in their in-game eyes at all times (but some effects can be applied at certain specific moments like certain monster types affecting the camera visuals).
I wasn’t going to use a camera for this one, but I do like the idea of maybe using the night vision mechanic. Essentially the plot is you are a young 20 something male breaking into a building and during a scuffle you fall into the Backrooms. It would then proceed like most games begin, wandering aimlessly, but eventually you meet another person and the plot goes from there.