An Unsettling City || Vacant [Early Access] (PC)

"The world, although well-lighted with fluorescents and incandescent bulbs and neon, is still full of odd, dark corners and unsettling nooks and crannies." --Stephen King

Source: Screen Capture in Game 

Vacant is an unsettling point and click adventure created by HLNunnelly. You play as Jade, a new intern for a mysterious government agency called “The Eye”. On your first day as an intern, you get assigned to a case involving some missing people, and along with your commanding officer Hayze and his partner Jin, you have to find the culprit. 

You’re receiving strange text messages and phone calls yourself, and come to learn that the missing people were also receiving strange calls and messages. Could Jade be the next to disappear? Can Jade stop it from happening? 

Source: Screen Capture in Game

There seemed to be a lot more going on in this game, like the different planets, and aliens that were about the city. I wanted to know more about them. Many things about the game were unsettling, from the music to the strange black shadow figures, and the story itself. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, because I did. I enjoyed this game quite a bit—even though it’s in Early Access.

The graphics are nice, the character models seem vague, but that’s something I don’t mind, because then I could just fill in little details by myself. If I had read the graphic novel that the game is based off of(which I plan to do now), I may have had a clearer image also. The music and sound effects are decent. They certainly help create the atmosphere—although there were times that the sound would cut out or end prematurely (like the office sounds). 

There were some spelling errors in the game, and issues where you would have to choose all of the possible responses in order to progress or end a dialogue. From what I understand there was a lot of time constraint and this game is made by one person, so errors are to be expected in the early stages of a game. 

Source: Screen Capture in Game

I would have liked there to be more interaction around the city. The city map felt somehow empty. Perhaps a way to learn more about the world we live in? As it is, I still highly recommend the game. The ending was something else, and I wasn’t expecting it. I have no idea if I got a good or bad ending. I mean, I was alive, so I would say it was good, but it left me wanting something more. 

You can download the Early Access version of this game yourself free from Itch.io *here*. The game has also been greenlit on Steam, so look forward to that. I myself am looking forward to the full release!

Thanks for sharing some time with me today, and happy gaming!

Bell