Fingerbones
Official Description (Ad Blurb)
Originally released last year, Fingerbones was my first experiment in narrative-focused horror. You begin in a mysterious abandoned building, pitch dark save for the golden light filtering in from the windows. As you explore, scattered notes begin to tell a disturbing tale.
Since then, I have released two other horror games (The Moon Sliver and The Music Machine), which take lessons learned from Fingerbones into account, and improve on its ideas. However, some people still consider Fingerbones their favorite. So it is now available on Steam for free, with a few minor enhancements.
*SOME FACTS ABOUT FINGERBONES
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It's a short, narrative-focused horror experience, in the vein of games like Serena. If you're averse to reading or demand overt threats and jumpscares in your horror games, this is not a game for you.
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It deals with disturbing subject matter. Be aware that this is not a game for children or those likely to be easily triggered.
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It features a unique artstyle that combines elements of pixel horror with realistic lighting effects, which is intended to enhance the surreal atmosphere.
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This is not a Unity Asset Store collection. Modeling, music, environments, textures, and programming were done from scratch. Sound effects were manufactured from creative commons samples.
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Its music is a dynamic part of the game world, evolving based on the player's movements around the environment.
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It attempts to bring some logic and purpose to the traditional "collect scattered notes" narrative mechanic of many indie horror games.
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It is an experiment in creating an intense, horrifying experience through narrative, atmosphere, and pacing alone.
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It is intended to be completed in a single sitting (usually around half an hour for most players), and does not feature a save system.
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Be aware that the game quits automatically upon completion.
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If you're interested in reading my thoughts on the game a year later, check out http://ironsnowflakes.blogspot.com/2015/07/looking-at-fingerbones-year-later.html
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Many of the ideas about narrative and horror were expanded on in The Moon Sliver and The Music Machine. Consider taking a look at them if you like what you see in Fingerbones.*
Source: Steam Store Description
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Credits (Windows version)
10 People
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Reviews
Players
Average score: 2.9 out of 5 (based on 2 ratings with 1 reviews)
Shallow attempt to shock without shocking
The Good
Fingerbones follows the classic theme of social structures, rules, and traditional values breaking down as a result of an apocalyptic event, but does so in relation not to a larger group or the world in general, but to two people, a father with his daughter. This twist on a very common motif is an interesting idea that could have lead to a unique and powerful narrative experience.
The best thing about the game is the claustrophobic atmosphere of its dark enclosed rooms combined with the gradual escalation of disturbing sound effects. The whole experience doesn't last long enough for the atmosphere to really do its job, but it's still the closest Fingerbones gets to achieving its goals.
The Bad
When it comes to the narrative, the game fails to deliver what it promises. It tells its story in a very fragmented way, using the typical "scattered notes" trick - except here the notes, all written by the same character, are extremely short and ambiguous. To an extent it's probably supposed to be more realistic than finding several notes from an exposition-filled diary at random places, but first and foremost it's meant to make the player use their imagination to fill in the gaps.
And while it's absolutely not a bad strategy in itself, it becomes a trap. Szymański expects us to imagine the terrible, disgusting (or enticing, depending on how you look at it) things that could've happened without actually saying them out loud. But in the end, the strength of the story and its ending depends on whether we actually confront the events head on - and leaving things up to imagination just isn't enough.
The gameplay design isn't Fingerbones' strong point either. The "puzzles" are painfully simplistic and solving them requires constant - and very slow - backtracking. Sure, the game's location isn't big enough for the back-and-forth to become genuinely frustrating, but it highlights just how empty and superficial the game is.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, Fingerbones is a lost gamble - it bets too much on narrative ambiguity and the player's imagination, sacrificing actual psychological depth and polished storytelling in the process. 3/10
Windows · by Pegarange (296) · 2023
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Harmony♡.
Macintosh, Browser added by Cantillon.
Game added July 21, 2017. Last modified April 10, 2024.