By Mario Orozco
Independent developers have created many hidden gems in gaming, and this week’s game is one of them. “Buddy Simulator 1984” was recommended to me by a liberal studies elementary education major and was one the best indie-horror games I have ever played.
“Buddy Simulator 1984” is one of those games that kept me thinking even after I completed it. This game was a psychological adventure that I can’t say I have experienced from very many games. The first main aspect of this game that I really enjoyed was the progression of quality that the game undergoes as you progress. The game is played from the perspective of an old 1984 computer and it starts off as a simple text based role-play game (RPG) that has been created for us by our new AI buddy. As our buddy learns and evolves, so does the game, with the graphics becoming 2D and eventually 3D as the story continues. Despite the increase in quality over time, it still keeps that nostalgic pixelated design, continuing the feel of an older game.
The next aspect of “Buddy Simulator 1984” that elevates this game to a whole new level is the way your buddy becomes more mentally unstable as the game progresses. It obsesses over being your only friend and making you happy to the point that it becomes terrifying. Multiple creepy glitches occur throughout the game whenever something causes it to feel negative. These glitches ranged from uncomfortable text filling the screen to seemingly being inside your buddies mind viewing its overwhelming thoughts. Depending on the way you play the game, your buddy gets increasingly hostile towards you for disobeying its directions and “ruining the game” that it worked so hard to create for you. Witnessing the buddy’s codependency drive it to the point of insanity was spine-chilling, yet sad.
The underlying plot of this game is the final aspect that made it so great. There are multiple “glitches” that occur throughout the playthrough that give the impression that your buddy may not have full control. Characters appear where they shouldn’t and interacting with them causes the game to become distorted. A few times when interacting with characters, they can be seen calling you a different name that immediately glitches back to the correct name. This implies you aren’t the first person this has happened to, and gives insight into the insecurities that your buddy has about losing you.
There are only two minor complaints that I have with this game. The first is the length. The game is super short, and I wish there was more content, because it was genuinely such a unique experience. However, there are multiple endings to the game that can help extend the playthrough. The other complaint I have is the fact that the game only autosaves, so after completion, you have to play through the entirety of the game again to get a new ending instead of being able to access a specific save point.
Overall, “Buddy Simulator 1984” was one of my favorite indie-horror games that I have ever played. It took me a total of 6 hours and 12 minutes to complete and was a joy throughout. I rate this game 4.4 out of 5, it is definitely worth playing and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys glitch-horror.
If you have any games you would like me to review, you can email marsgaminggarage@gmail.com.