Them is a pretty unique little horror platformer game. It is only about an hour or two in length, and combined a 3D real world with a 2d Metroidvania. While I definitely enjoyed it somewhat, it just felt like a tease for what could’ve been a much better game.

You play as a young boy who wakes up alone in a video game meetup spot. A mysterious man trapped in a portrait asks you to retrieve items from within a 2d Metroidvania game, who then will slowly grant you more abilities (like dash or double jump) to then get the next item. There’s a few different sections, like a 3d labyrinth escape room, and the whole thing is wrapped in a light horror aesthetic.

It reminds me of “Is This Game Trying to Kill Me?”, which also combines a 3D environment with a PC video game - but I liked that one quite a bit more. It’s longer and is a pure puzzle game, with really well thought out puzzles. This just really didn’t flesh out the Metroidvania aspect.

The Metroidvania sections are very short, usually only 4 or 5 screens before you exit out and start the next section. So the overall rhythm just feels choppy and never gets too immersive. Also, the horror elements are pretty bad… lame jump scares with unimaginative designs.

But for a short little game and as a concept, it’s decent. I just think it could have done much more.