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“While they play doodle jump”. Love to see Yahtzee staying up to date with the kids.

When its not being over the top hallucinatory, this game does a very good job of simulating a graveyard shift. You’re the only one on site, and even though you KNOW there’s no such thing as monsters, every little noise and fleeting movement in your periphery registers as a threat.

So when the scary stuff becomes repetitive and feels like a chore, the game evolves to a pure dad simulator.

"piss off grandma, I'm trying to find the stapler" is a perfect summery of this game.

I really like his commentary on the big scares releasing the tension on the smaller stuff. As paradoxical as it is, that genuinely was the case for me and everyone I watched play it, when I felt relief being in a creepy area, sorta like when the monster in a movie is revealed. The most terrifying moment I've had in recent gaming was not even seeing a crouching ghost until he suddenly moved to hide behind a really thin cabinet space. I was like "Holy shit how long was that there...?" And I had nvidia shadowplay which I used to record the last five minutes and found out that for like two minutes this dude had just been there watching me and I just didn't notice it cause I was caught up in the work. A genuinely wonderfully done scare. EDIT: I bet if the devs take the criticisms to heart and improve the formula, their next horror game will be wonderful.

The random scares were quite good. Some of which are designed only to go away when they've been viewed. It's kind of unnerving knowing that something could have been there staring at you for minutes on end and you didn't notice, even if it is just a game. It's also noteworthy that the procedures (the real ones, not the demon hunting ones) are fairly accurate. They DO nail the mouths shut. They DO insert caps under the eyes to prevent them from opening. They DO flush the corpse out like cleaning out a plumbing system. It will make your next wake a lot more...interesting, knowing all that.

It feels like i played this exact thing with surgeon simulator. After a few minutes trying the procedures in that game i could just start embalming the patient.

Considering that my dad collects antique furniture (preference for anything Empire or earlier (so, nothing more modern than the late 1800s)), I'm very amused by the bit about opening and closing drawers on a piece of furniture. Boring explanation is that people collecting old furniture will open drawers to look at the dovetails to see if they were done by a machine or by hand: all identical means it was by a machine; they all have variation and aren't identical then it's more likely they were carved by hand and, as such, are older. Boring explanation about why I'm amused by the comparison done now.

This game reminds me of working retail. You just get used to the horrors so when a demon shows up to mess with you it has that same feeling of listening to some irate old lady yelling at you about her expired coupon while you dispassionately wait for her to finish so you can get back to work

It reminded me of the old KZfaq short "Lights Out" which scared me shitless when I was a kid, but was mid when they turned it into a full movie. I feel like Mortuary Assitant is best when going for 1 or 2 endings. Or something you let your friends play to watch them suffer. Shockingly when a game about doing mundane tasks is turned into an 8 hour game, the core loop feels mundane even if it's got creepy frosting.

The fact that Yahtzee made a game with an extremely similar premise (Consuming Shadow) that is all about notetaking and deducing demonic entities makes me believe that bug he found is 100% real

I feel like they could've done something in-game to acknowledge the growing mundanity of the job. It wouldn't have been scary, but it'd be interesting

I'm kinda suprised he didn't mention how similar the random demon possession determination system was to one if his Indie games

“Oh piss off nana I’m trying to find the stapler” this man is so good I’m laughing so hard

0:30 I'm sure Shammy is glad he got a cameo in a Yahtzee video :3 so wholesome

Solid advice from Shammy at 0:31

That last bit about mcdonald's in the end text is one of the funniest things I've read in a while, thanks yahtzee! and let shammy out of your dungeon!

Never in my life would I expect "oh thank fuck I'm being scared" would break horror tension

I can't imagine Yahtzee ever using a drive-thru.

0:30 Yahtz worships Shammy confirmed.

No lie. Havent watched a ZP episode in YEARS. This one just felt like it NEEDED to be watched, cuz ive played the game, and it seemed EXACTLY the kind of thing that would make for a great ZP ep. Honestly felt like coming home.

This sounds like it has more promise as a VR horror game. Actually feeling like you’re there in a mortuary and physically turning around to see things would ramp up the tension more. Maybe make it feel less repetitive

This has to be one of my 10 top ZPs. So many rapid and hilarious jokes. 3:15 got me good. Keep up the great work!

It is an interesting game, and the premise is pretty cool. I'm more just appreciative of the fact that this is one of those indie horrors that actually started as a demo and became a full fucking game - the amount of times you find a "demo" or "prologue" on Steam only to find out it's been three years and they still haven't released it and stopped posting updates well over a year ago. RIP Allison Road

Considering how overplayed this is on KZfaq, I'm happy to hear your opinion of it. I listened to at least two playthroughs and it sounded fantastic, but not really a game I need to spend my own time playing.

"He's behind you right now" Man, I wish. I wish Yahtzee was behind me right now so I could show him my game and ask for advice.

In the credits when you said you were right behind me. I looked and was disappointed when you weren’t there. It wouldve been cool to meet you despite me alone and startled

That 1 “right” demon name @ 5:08 I find funny because the suffix means “g-d” or “g-d is” For example Ariel means g-d is my lion/grand heroic soldier (depends on the interpretation of the prefix) So to see SATANEL be one of the names is just **chef’s kiss**

You do need the big scare moments expressly to give you the release of tension, just as much as the steady escalation of tension is necessary to build up to it. It's hard to get the right tempo of build-up and release, because too little build-up and you're not primed for the big moment to actually get to you, but too much build-up and you flip from scared tension to angry tension and it's all wasted. It's no coincidence that indie spookers generally do this best, because the much smaller scope lets them focus much more on getting this tempo right.

It's like a new dark ride that prides itself on the modularity, sure the scares will get you shag points with your date the first and second ride, but after like the 5th yime around the only thing YOU'LL be looking out for is the employees with the Nut Buster bats who blend it way too well with the prop pieces.

0:27 At this point, almost feels like a Zero Punctuation plot hole that a spectral animal appearing before Yahtzee _isn't_ an ocelot telling him to 'Kill the whores.'

ogod, as a now soulless drone just passed the 1 year mark at Amazon, that "which specific finger is the best to press the on button with" hits hard

I'm here for the sneaky shammy cameo

The sad thing about video game horror is it only works ( or work with someone have an experiment ) when you incorporate it with some other gameplay elements ( in this case, the mortuary works ). When horror is on its own, there's only so many things you could do: flicky light, dark corridor, haunting images,... and it get stale real quick.

The scariest bit of this is a doodle jump reference in 2022.

Me at the support group for useless people: oh hey look its Sheva Sheva trying to leave through a double door: CHRIS!!

The thing is, this game was made by a team of one man, so I'm much more forgiving about some of the bugs. He seems to be really great about addressing issues, too. It's just...well, he's by himself, so things take a while to fix. What I was really impressed by was I watched three separate people play and get four endings between them, and there was new scares every single time. I'm excited to see what a full team headed by this guy can accomplish once he gets himself established.

"My wincing asshole damnation by fine praise summary" is a real mouthful.

The idea of dealing with your traumatic flashbacks in tired annoyance while trying to get your job done sounds relatable and interesting.

I kinda agree. I love it chooses subtle jumpscares instead of screaming in your face, the atmosphere is very tense but after a couple runs it becomes a morbib game of guess who with a bored demon demanding your attention.

that check list is oddly similar to mine when I work retail. Guess work stress is universal regardless of where you work.

I would love to see Yahtzee review The Room (basically any part) maybe as part of those double videos

One of my subtle things is, when you are at the pc, there is a chance that the corpse sits up and lays back down.

Is there a bonus credit that this was done by one, and its as well put together as it is? The drips of blood while pumping a corpse the the sudden removal of the hand doing it was genuinely terrifying.

For a few years now I've had an idea for a game that largely mimics Yahtzee's reaction to this game's 'horror', about a paranormal investigator / handyman for whom demonic possession, murderous ghosts and horrible things from beyond are just a normal workday and approached with the same resigned boredom of a cleaner presented with a broken jar of spaghetti sauce

This speaks to the eternal problem of horror that once it is revealed it is less horrifying but you can't do mystery for the whole story arc- something has to happen!

THat last line. OOF! SOLID GOLD!

This one was so good I didn’t mind waiting a few seconds to see the credits joke

Just the intro alone makes me give you a like

I find the scariest things are the eerie small things. Like maybe a cup is missing from where it was before, perhaps the corpse is sitting up after having turned around from it for a moment. etc. small things that dun have have any 'shock stinger music tone' happening. Just creepy stuff that makes you unsure as to what might happen next. even if the corpse never does anything like suddenly open it's eyes or blink or whatever. You THINK it might just do so and that'd scare the hell out of you each time you try to do things with the corpse.

Love your reviews

They already did that last one but it's even more scary cause it's a phone booth not an elevator and you can't see where Kevin Spacey is ever?!

Great Stuff! As always!

Doom Guy bursts in, *Demons? Demons you say?!*

Huh sounds like a good base to work on might give it a go

Did not come here expecting a reference to doodle jump of all things.

Cheesy, tension-breaking, dimension-warping hallucinations aside, the subtle apparitions like the Ringu girl and the lights going out are harrowing enough that three weeks after playing it, I'm still feeling tense when I go for a piss in the middle of the night.

"He's right behind you right now" Yahtzee, what are you doing in my house?

0:28 yooo it's that a Shammy shout-out?

My favorite critic, period.

My friend was one of the producers on this game

Ooh, a Shammy cameo ;)

1:08 Video Horror Society! I know it was just Yahtz showing a Screen Cap of games that fit into the Indie genre of Everyday Work meets Supernatural Elements, but it was cool to see nonetheless. VHS is my new gaming obsession. I actually never got into DBD, but I've always found the 4v1 genre interesting to watch videos about and VHS had a look that I liked. It's unabashed 80's nostalgia, and I love it. Queue times are rough if you play Teen, but I started playing Monster because I didn't have time to wait a while for a match and now actually enjoy the Monster role more. New Monster coming out this Friday! It's Robocop meets Terminator meets Running Man's arena (the new map). Can't wait! Fun to share my love for my new game with my favorite snarky KZfaq gaming critic's community. Back to Yahtz's inimitable style, "boobs, boobs, boobs, great honkin tits!" I can't remember which game review that joke came from, but it just popped into my head when thinking of the crazy stuff Yahtz comes up with.

When the game was a demo the jumps ages used to have loads sounds with them which thankfully they removed due to feedback Because I prefer the silent scares though could easily miss the guy staring through the window but with a loud noise you won’t get the chance

This is essentially just the video game adaptation of The Possession of Hannah Grace

Yep, the fact that SCARY THINGS start repeating after the very first playthrough, can't actually hurt you in any way, and literally prevent the game from letting you work on the body until you've turned around and looked at them do their particular SCARY THING means that the game very quickly turns into a Mild Inconvenience Simulator, more than anything else.

Once the combos all get played out they'll start combining the combos! Can't wait for even those to be human centipeded! Red Solstice 2 does some nice Xcom basing crossed with Twin Stick deployments. If anyone's making a list, lol.

As a machinist It's the pointer finger usually

I miss the days (Alien Isolation) when you play a horror game, get scared, try again and complete the story without having to play again to get the second or third ending...

the intro music's volume was good, maybe like -0.2 db and it would be perfect c:

Machine operator here. It's the pinky.

For your next review could I recommend "Midnight Express" seems right up your alley

0:23 OHAI, Shammy! XD

"There's no going back after you've shoved the haunted house backdrop to one side and demanded to speak to the manager" Funny enough, one game I can think of where this worked was Illbleed for the Dreamcast. The veneer of "You are in an insanely-built horror theme park designed to frighten and also possibly kill you" is occasionally cast aside, whereupon you locate engineers operating the mechanisms of the horrific creations set after you. One of those games that mixed horror and humor to a certain degree, succeeding if only because of its dread-inducing boss music.

Are we not going to talk about the fact that the storyline, very unusually for a short-ish indy horror game, despite concise was actually pretty compelling and shockingly had some actual character development between runs, and dare I say was pretty touching in the last ending?

I looked. Love good scares.

0:33 you mean, like in Doodle God? trying to find that one last working combination?

0:29 unexpected Shammy cameo

ahh mortuary assistant, the job I was told would suit me perfectly by a 300 question survey I did in secondary school 25 years ago.

Now I am certain it wasnt intentional but seeing Shammy, or at least the Owl Jpeg she uses pop up took me back for a second

I feel like one of the scariest games I’ve played recently is The Outer Wilds. The feeling of being alone in space trying to figure stuff out with various spooky sound effects is really really tense and chilling at points. The moving rocks always gave me a chill, like I’m being chased and it’s literally a rock/puzzle. But it’s the atmosphere that does it! Imagine atmosphere in space! Then they made the DLC and it really ramped up the creep factor.

Sadako sitting on my chest? Don't threaten me with a good time, game devs.

"Corpse Motgage" sounds like another post-dad game.

Alright look here: If my supervisor calls up to say they forgot to mention one of the dead bodies is possessed by a demon, but they can't come in to help? Sh!t, that's me giving my two weeks notice in the same conversation as I head out the door. Don't worry about the reference, we'll both just pretend I wasn't here.

This game became hype so fast

Unrelated to the game, but I used to watch this channel religiously as a teen back in, like, 2016. After years I started wondering if this channel still uploaded, and I’m pleasantly surprised to see it’s still exactly the same lol. I see Yahtzee is married now! When I drifted away he had just started dating his now wife, that’s cute

2:59 yay

Wow, a very positive start here from Yahtzee. These creators might have some real legs in future.

I give a lot of slack to the game as it was a solo dev. With the money he made off this, he can build a pretty decent team and it will be interesting to see his next outing.

0:23 Writing that down

I honestly think the game is perhaps unintentionally genius. Some people talk about how Rebecca is strangely nonchalant about the hauntings, but I think the fact that she had an extremely traumatic childhood means that she probably already deals with panic attacks, PTSD flashbacks etc even before coming to this, so she's kinda numb to it I guess. And I mean if you have a chronic anxiety disorder, PTSD, or any kind of mental illness that's marked by periodic moments of acute distress, it does kinda become strangely routine after a while. It doesn't get any less distressing or emotionally taxing, but you do learn to get back on your feet quickly and get on with your day because you have to in order to survive.

This would be a great vr game

Was curious if he would find this one.

Imagine KZfaq without Yahtzee. That's like if Honest trailers or Pitch Meetings, never came out.

Perfect notification timing. Just closed down my work laptop and swivled to my main pc. Now for 5 minutes of awesome.

Now I wonder how he would feel about Arcade Paradise

Ocassionally the bodies will sit up while you're on the computer and that had to be my favorite scare of the game.

If you want horror that will leave you with both heart issues and wanting more, Darkwood.

Makes me wonder what Yahtzee would say about Observation Duty