"Guard yourself and your conscience. No one else will, and know that a bad decision at the right time can destroy you far more surely than any bullet!" - James Clavell, King Rat

103 is Dystopia Interactive's first game, and it is a short yet alluring walking simulation with some puzzles and psychological horror elements. As a beginning to the developer's career, it is lovely, yet still bears some elements that can be invested in more. Let's see, shall we?

The store page description is short and to the point: "Help Lily use her imagination to unlock her memories and relive the events of a night that changed her life. Discover what happened and what is 103." Sadly, through our half-hour playthrough not much that amplifies the narrative further will take place. We will never hear the name of Lily again or have any indication what this ominous 103 can be until the very end. I personally would prefer seeing more narrative pieces within the game, rather than encountering only two diary pieces. Yet, the symbolic narrative on what memories those can be becomes elegantly apparent once you reach the part. I wouldn't like to give out spoilers but let’s say that Lily is a young woman with an artistic mind, who makes one dreadful mistake at some point. If you care to spare that half hour of discovery, I think most things will be cleared about the story by the end. It is depressive and even a bit existentialist, but hey, marionettes at the trailer should have been an indication anyway.

The display qualities of this short game are most assuredly breathtaking. Unreal engine makes wonders on the cute but creepy vibe emanating from the environment design. Candles, little play blocks, quotations and photographs on walls display the subconscious of our protagonist perfectly. The color palette and the utilization of light changes according to the mood of the memory, and sound effects are also one of the high points. Giggles, murmurs, footsteps echoing in the halls keep you on your toes, keep you interested. Everything within the small, 2 rooms and a 5-piece hallway environment keep surprising you with small, yet creepy changes. Soundtrack is also quite fitting and may even be considered a good buy after the completion.

Considering this is a really, really short game; there are only three actual puzzles to go through and only the first one can be considered somewhat as a challenge. Aside that, you have to walk around and take notice what has changed since the previous moment of realization. Sometimes a new line appears on a message board, sometimes the marionette starts to go through a new movement pattern, and you know a mood swing in the memory is on its way. The only mechanic that you should be aware of, is that you must look at things 2-3 seconds at every given time, for them to register in the story progression. If it doesn't register at the first time you've discovered it, try looking away and looking at it again. You'll know that it registered with a change in the sound or the light. Then, you start walking around again, to see what changed.

At the end of the day, 10 dollars is really steep for your purchase here, but on a decent sale, it is something you can enjoy as a walking simulation with psychological horror elements. Oh, and the soundtrack is a must, if you ask me.

Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page here - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!

[b]"Guard yourself and your conscience. No one else will, and know that a bad decision at the right time can destroy you far more surely than any bullet!" - James Clavell, [i]King Rat[/i][/b] [i]103[/i] is Dystopia Interactive's first game, and it is a short yet alluring walking simulation with some puzzles and psychological horror elements. As a beginning to the developer's career, it is lovely, yet still bears some elements that can be invested in more. Let's see, shall we? The store page description is short and to the point: "Help Lily use her imagination to unlock her memories and relive the events of a night that changed her life. Discover what happened and what is 103." Sadly, through our half-hour playthrough not much that amplifies the narrative further will take place. We will never hear the name of Lily again or have any indication what this ominous 103 can be until the very end. I personally would prefer seeing more narrative pieces within the game, rather than encountering only two diary pieces. Yet, the symbolic narrative on what memories those can be becomes elegantly apparent once you reach the part. I wouldn't like to give out spoilers but let’s say that Lily is a young woman with an artistic mind, who makes one dreadful mistake at some point. If you care to spare that half hour of discovery, I think most things will be cleared about the story by the end. It is depressive and even a bit existentialist, but hey, marionettes at the trailer should have been an indication anyway. The display qualities of this short game are most assuredly breathtaking. Unreal engine makes wonders on the cute but creepy vibe emanating from the environment design. Candles, little play blocks, quotations and photographs on walls display the subconscious of our protagonist perfectly. The color palette and the utilization of light changes according to the mood of the memory, and sound effects are also one of the high points. Giggles, murmurs, footsteps echoing in the halls keep you on your toes, keep you interested. Everything within the small, 2 rooms and a 5-piece hallway environment keep surprising you with small, yet creepy changes. Soundtrack is also quite fitting and may even be considered a good buy after the completion. Considering this is a really, really short game; there are only three actual puzzles to go through and only the first one can be considered somewhat as a challenge. Aside that, you have to walk around and take notice what has changed since the previous moment of realization. Sometimes a new line appears on a message board, sometimes the marionette starts to go through a new movement pattern, and you know a mood swing in the memory is on its way. The only mechanic that you should be aware of, is that you must look at things 2-3 seconds at every given time, for them to register in the story progression. If it doesn't register at the first time you've discovered it, try looking away and looking at it again. You'll know that it registered with a change in the sound or the light. Then, you start walking around again, to see what changed. At the end of the day, 10 dollars is really steep for your purchase here, but on a decent sale, it is something you can enjoy as a walking simulation with psychological horror elements. Oh, and the soundtrack is a must, if you ask me. Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page [url=http://steamoss.com/steamstore/curator/11672469/]here[/url] - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!