CAPGRAS
review and description
by Dsibe top

CAPGRAS is a psychological horror RPG game made with RPG Maker VX Ace. The game follows a young woman who recently bought a new house downtown. She finds an eerie board game called "Finding Treasures" and decides to play it alone, which kicks off a disturbing chain of paranormal events that drive her into madness.

The gameplay involves classic RPG exploration and puzzle-solving, with the game offering multiple endings depending on the choices you make. The story seems deliciously creepy and unsettling from the get-go, building an atmosphere of dread through subtle environmental details and lack of music beyond footsteps and ambient noise.

The retro pixel art style is simple but effective, with character portraits and backgrounds that are well-drawn and visually interesting. The Vietnamese developer kemonoproject has clearly put a lot of love and care into crafting an authentic, unnerving horror experience.

What really stands out from comments is how successful CAPGRAS is at creating a profoundly creepy and unsettling vibe. Players consistently praise the thick atmosphere of dread and mystery that permeates every area. The lack of music outside of footsteps and eerie sound effects is lauded as an inspired choice that adds to the tension.

The puzzles also get high marks overall, though some felt the second demo's puzzles were a bit more obtuse compared to the more straightforward first demo. But most agreed the puzzles were interesting conceptually and well-implemented. The creepy, psychological story premise of being driven mad by the game seems to deeply resonate with players.

On the technical side, CAPGRAS is made using the popular RPG Maker VX Ace engine and is available for Windows PC. It features excellent 2D retro pixel art graphics and seems to run smoothly based on gameplay footage. With four demo releases so far, the game is clearly a serious, polished project still in active development.

The only significant critique seems to be regarding the slow walking speed, which some felt was a bit too sluggish even for short distances. But beyond that, CAPGRAS garners overwhelmingly positive responses for its atmospheric horror, intriguing premise, quality puzzles, and impressive artistry for a solo indie RPG Maker project.

If you're a fan of classic atmospheric horror games like Ib, Mad Father or even Silent Hill, CAPGRAS is definitely one to keep your eye on. The demos so far show the full game could end up being something really special when it hopefully releases in the next year or so. Psychological horror aficionados and admirers of powerfully creepy retro-style games won't want to miss this one.