THE BLACK IRIS

Loved the game, the art style for it was just amazing, and the soundtrack was absolutely bumping. It really helped build the atmosphere. The weird trippy transitions also caught me really off guard, but overall this game blew my mind. I really hope that we can get to see a sequel to this or anything else to do in this world that's been built, because the story is quite interesting, and the art style for the game is just stunning! 

Loved it, big fan of the cinematic approaches and influence from that genre of movie.

Maybe a shot in the dark, but was the Canadian sci-fi horror "Beyond the Black Rainbow" a big influence at all too? I'm seeing a lot of parallels and even Arboreta Games is sounding like it was inspired by the movie's fictional Arboria Institute. A fantastic movie to draw inspiration from to be sure 👍👍👍

Hey there, thanks for dev'ing and releasing this game.

Not a bad jaunt into cosmic horror. I enjoyed the PS1-esque visuals and the sound design was fantastic. My main issues do indeed lie with the story, which I feel was lacking on content and overall pacing - but hey, for a solo developer, I think you did a great job.

I would like to see this idea fleshed out into a bigger, more expansive game. You do have a great setting on your hands with the separated zones. 

Still looking forward to checking this out and recording a playthrough, but even after the most recent patch I still just get a solid non-crash black screen after hitting play, which is a shame.

One of the coolest games I've played in a long time! 

This is a piece of art. 

The art style, the music, the camera, the loading screens between areas like in Mandy... it is the actual definition of good taste. I also loved the references to Panos Cosmatos' filmography and to The Void, they are introduced to the player in a smartly way to help with the immersion creating that strange and inexplicable environment. I think everyone should experience those films before experiencing The black iris.

Thank you for creating something so unique, I hope to see more from Arboreta Games!

cool look. I like the integration of video clips, interstitials, and the overall cinematic presentation. also a fan of switching from a third person follow cam to various fixed camera angles. good atmospheric sound, good moods. well done

Thank you dev for responding quickly about the main menu screen issue and thank you so much for delivering an experience that is pure definition of cosmic horror. Playing through this, I could honestly tell that you put a lot of love and work in it. Well done!

Really loved this! The atmosphere and the story made this a creepy and amazing experience! The pixelated style really added to the time setting as well! 

This game was on another level than most!

1st game I played. Not bad

Really REALLY good. My mum brought me a pancake while I was playing this (it's pancake day) and I slightly burned my finger grabbing the plate too hastily out of fear because this game spooked me so much. I love it. The graphic style, atmosphere, and tank controls are really cool. I've also been really into Chernobyl-related content lately so it was a nice surprise seeing that feed into The Black Iris a lil' bit :-)

Thanks for making this tidy lil game!! <3

GOOD GAMES  I DOWNLOAD AND PLAY

The tank controls took me a second to get used to, along with the camera getting weird, but it's a really solid game and story. I did run into the cabin issue (in the most recent version), but it was worth reloading the game.

Unrelated to the game, but you wrote your Twitter wrong, in your profile, it says "ARBOERTA" instead of ARBORETA.

I wanted to get into this (really interesting use of retro visual design, good story and atmosphere!) but I just can't handle the keyboard controls. Wishing for game pad support -- this and an option to dial down/turn off certain effects would go a long way towards accessibility. Thanks for reading.

Outstanding job dev!! This is a 5 star game. It looks as great as it plays and has perfect atmosphere! I cant wait to see more form you!

First, I love the color palette for this game haha. It's a very interesting story and I'd definitely like to hear more. As someone mentioned below, the motion video was sooooo good. I was kinda hoping for more. I haven't experienced any bugs or problems during my walkthrough, so it was all smooth and nice. Thanks for the game!

Looks like I'm the second person today to have the same issue with the latest version of this game. Stuck at main menu. No mouse cursor. No keyboard controls. Windows 10 64bit.

Just downloaded this and I'm stuck at the main menu. No mouse cursor, keyboard doesn't work, and controller doesn't work either. I see others in the comments have it working, so I'm not sure what the issue is. I've tried mouse-left/right clicking, arrow keys, wasd, enter, spacebar, "E", and tab to progress past the first menu. No luck. 

(Unsure if you need any specs for this issue, but I'm on Windows 10 64bit)

I enjoyed it, the creativity oozes in the game. Many issues I find with many indie horrors is the amount of Pretentiousness or 'this feels forced' feelings. I hadn't felt any of this while playing it and just enjoyed the 'art' of it all.

Spooky as heck. Love the aesthetics.

Hello. Really enjoying the ambiance, but my experience was hindered by some crippling bugs in control. For example up and down was inverted when I left the multi-screen "hallucination" until I changed section (the Church), and then I couldn't go left or right. Or was it intentional?

Pretty good game. Not sure if the pixel shimmering is intentional, but I didn't like it. Also, there is a rock that you can walk behind and fall through the map, near the central area. Overall nice job, but It could use some polish.

I really enjoyed The Black Iris; the trippy graphics, the "cosmic horror" story, the creepy atmosphere, and the sound effects. Unfortunately, my recording device stopped working 3/4 of the way through but, that didn't stop me from uploading. This was fantasic for a short horror game; keep it up!

This was a beautiful trippy experience. The live video really added a layer of authenticity I wasn't expecting and the music - all bangers. It's a genre which works well with the retro graphics because there's a lot of room for interpretation in what you see because of the fidelity, really enjoyed it. 

Gameplay if you're interested: 

I really love the style of this and the story you've woven into it!! I think I might have either misunderstood what I was meant to do or bugged the game as I couldn't do anything after trigger the sequence in the oil fields (maybe I did things in the wrong order). I loved what I saw though!!

Without a doubt, this game shows cosmic horror in every sense of the term. The retro look inspired by the PSX games, the clear Lovecraftian influence here, the exploration and the sense of surrounding tension.
This is a game that every fan of cosmic horror should play. Congratulations!

Great game dev but i think it's a little bit buggy when i got to some places the camera stucks on a house

The graphics, art-style and map design, in their own right, were outstanding! The audio, was really good too. But best of all was the gameplay and the story! The story was so compelling and immersive, and the environment heavily portrayed the effects of the story. This is a hard feat, and is very well done!

Usually I have a few points of criticism, but I have nothing much to add here. I can not as of now come up with any ideas to improve the game. Despite the camera mechanics, controlling is surprisingly easy and works really well with the unorthodox camera angles.

Sorry for the short review, I usually write a bit more, but there is nothing much to add other than a rating of 5/5 star! Great work! Looking forward to your future projects and updates!

-BH

Phenomenal!!

While playing this game I felt so immersed in the story, that I forgot it was a game. Beautiful and shocking environments, from the opening cinematic shots to the main title, all including the well-written story is highest quality. 

Gameplay mechanics and overall playing time is impressive, I loved the 3rd person view and detailed maps, overall pixelated look and striking colors. Some of the camera movement felt like I was in a movie, not a game. 

Including all of the above, this is pretty much AAA game rather than indie project. This specific Sci-Fi genre is implemented in the game, which makes it so unique and rather than being just a horror with cheap jump scares it shows the storytelling ability and makes a player feel like a 3 dimensional character. 

Can't say enough with words, thanks for making this experience special and I hope to see more. Incredible work!