The Prototype is a short, analog horror visual novel that I recently came across Itch.io while looking for something to briefly scratch my horror itch between extended sessions of Baldur’s Gate III. Like a good a chunk of games in the indie scene, The Prototype was born out of a Game Jam, so I knew it would be a brief experience. The premise is simple: you play as an employee for a company called Pandemonium Technologies who is taking part in a test for a prototype ‘Plaything’, an interactive children’s toy that is designed to be a companion/friend. Your job is to watch the prototype respond to a series of scripted stimuli and identify its responses as either “Normal” or “Not Normal”. Simple enough.
What followed was roughly 20 minutes of my eyes being absolutely glued to the screen. While the story isn’t anything new to the horror genre, the way it is delivered is simply mesmerizing. The VHS filter/found-footage quality coupled with some really stellar voice acting work really make this bite-sized horror story work.
Here is my complete playthrough of the game if you want to check it out for yourself:
Play The Prototype: https://rainslices.itch.io/the-prototype
