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| "My name is Ann" |
I'm at the point in my Steam games library where I can't remember why I have some games - that's the case for this one. Maybe I'm just a a sucker for meganekko. Actually, I think it was because I came across this funny Youtube video and decided to see what else the creator had done.
From the cover and promotional art (I hadn't read the synopsis at all), I thought this was a side scrolling adventure or visual novel of some sort, but Ann is actually an RPG horror game made in RPG Maker. I like those - Yume Nikki and Ib are some that I really enjoyed in the past. When you start the game, you are treated by a nice little animation presenting Ann, a digital art student. Rong Rong, the author, is an animator, so there are a handful of nicely crafted short scenes in key moments.
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| "I am an art student" |
We start the game controlling Ann as she returns to her college because she forgot her pen drive in the classroom. She decides to do some work while there, but ends up falling asleep on her desk. The problem is there's a rule that no one is allowed to stay in school after 9pm. Ann ends up sleeping until midnight. When she wakes up, the entire building is warped and disturbing. Dangerous creatures, haunted objects and a sinister entity called Sadako Hana roam around trying to kill Ann for no reason.
With the help of the school's night security guard, Ann needs to escape this hellish school and maybe unfold the truth about it along the way.
I enjoyed playing this short game - it's really short, clocking in around 3 hours if you want to see all endings. The sprite graphics are ok, while the short animated cutscenes are great and well done. Another highlight is the soundtrack by Mandy Kowara. Although sometimes I felt the music was a little inappropriate, subtracting, from the terror, most tunes were pleasant to hear. I also really liked how the tension is constructed - there are no cheap jumpscares, and there were some clever scary moments here and there that catch you off-guard.
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| Being chased in an RPG Maker game is a thing |
Some of the lowlights were the chase sequences. Action sequences in RPG maker games are rarely fluid because of the limitations of the engine. When an enemy is chasing you and you move down one block by mistake, you'll probably get caught. These sequences are not frequent though, so it doesn't get too annoying. Also, I thought the story wasn't the game's strong suit and didn't make much sense. At one point, we get a glimpse of Ann's past and I thought that didn't have much to do with anything besides trying to make us emphasize with her (which is hard since she's a silent protagonist).
As stated by the author on the Steam store page, Ann is a love letter to the RPG Maker horror games from the 2010s, and I feel it delivers. On that note, I believe Ib was one of the main influences, as I can see interesting similarities between both. Ib was even re-released on the Switch last year.
Ann is also free! If you enjoy indie horror RPG Maker games, you'll like this one too.
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| Security guard and Ann are judging you |
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