Neverending Nightmares

Given Neverending Nightmare’s lack of closure, rather than feeling dead and done about it, it leaves us wondering about the game’s meaning. A cascade of “why” and “how” and multiple theories swirl around our heads like cartoon birds. It’s certainly not an experience I’ll be forgetting about too soon and one that people should play at some point in their lives.

Neverending Nightmare’s director, Matt Gilgenbach, isn’t shy about sharing what inspired him to create the game: his personal struggles with depression and mental illness. A product of Kickstarter, the experience is meant to be an examination of depression and horror in an interactive environment, and it succeeds in making the player feel an uneasy sadness in a terrifying setting, even if it falls short on compelling gameplay.

Right from the start, Neverending Nightmares has you on edge. Whether it was the creepy art style, terrifying sound effects, or disturbing imagery, I remained tense and frightened the whole way through. I pushed myself through each scenario, hoping for things to lighten up a bit. Unfortunately for me, they never did…

Fear is the mind killer.

I admire the sheer artistic bravery of Matt Gilgenbach. It isn’t often that a game developer will tear his heart out and lay it down for everyone to see. Despite its flaws, Neverending Nightmares offers a striking and unforgettable horror experience, combined with an uncomfortably intimate look into the true torment of mental illness. However, its lack of content and uneven pacing prevent it from being the classic it feels like it could have been.

Mental health is an interesting topic to tackle for a game. It’s something that was used to great effect in Will O’Neill’s Actual Sunlight, which is a thought-provoking look at depression. Likewise, Infinitap Games’ Neverending Nightmares looks to show the horrors of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It’s a unique hook for a horror game, and one that immediately grabbed my interests.

Neverending Nightmares is suffused with dread, from its haunting soundtrack to its (mostly) stylistic artistry, but it fails to deliver a compelling experience. Despite its short run-time, the game often feels like it is dragging, tense buildups of tension becoming overladen with monotony. A true horror fan will thank themselves for looking this title up, but when comparing its price point to its quality, it’s difficult to think of who would be thankful they played through the game.