Critical

Don’t be afraid to send questions, I encourage sharing your opinions here.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Heyo!

I’m a psychological horror Roblox games critic. There are a lot of things that keep bothering me about this specific genre.

I decided to make this blog to talk about them.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Pappo’s “befriend the retroslop” video had a little bit of good criticism towards the game.

But it also had terrible points that got on my nerves. Gave me a headache.

Like comparing a mentally ill teenager to a pedophile is just… huh?

Saying that a mentally ill teenager that could be helped by a professional is somehow more MANIPULATIVE than a pedophile apparently? Where did you get that from?

There are other points that I don’t like but this one is just ridiculous.

(I don’t know if it fits into the category of a psychological horror Roblox game but it caught my attention. And it also is based on “Let him go” so technically…?)

Edit: adding onto the things I disliked:

Pappo made multiple comments that didn’t bring much to the video. They came off as insensitive instead.

For example: he mentioned how “everyone gets bullied”. Like… yeah? So what? Bullying… is still bad? People die from bullying?

This is no matter to take lightly and wave off.

Personally, it looked like he was trying to underestimate the severity of it? Because… why else bring it up in the first place? What was the point?

He also found it stupid how Ember had gender dysphoria over having to choose the role of the play.

Which is like… you cannot CONTROL what you have gender dysphoria for? You cannot just… switch it off?? No matter how “stupid” or “illogical” it is?

I found this comment especially strange coming from the guy who made a video called “trans music and the desire to exist”.

This guy has done research about a group of people that are known to (often than not) suffer from gender dysphoria. He SHOULD know that it is involuntary.

So why make such comment? I just don’t get it.

[rowans-stupid-brainworms]

I watched the video after reading this post, and I do agree with him in some respects. Pappo makes really good points that make me think more critically of the game.

However, he doesn’t think with much nuance, and he doesn’t do as much research as he should.

First off, the Makima thing seemed really strange and off-putting to me. He wants to make a cross-media comparison, but instead he uses a literal groomer and pedophile to make his point, comparing her to a mentally ill teenager who realistically just needs a wake-up call.

Additionally, he tends to undermine things, like bullying and gender dysphoria. While I do agree that everything in the game is told instead of shown, he also undermines Ember’s experiences, no matter if they are shown in the game or not. Saying that “Everyone gets bullied at least once in their lifetime” isn’t an excuse for bullying. Additionally, it is a tad insensitive to act like Ember is being dramatic over which role to play. It seems like pappo did research on Retroslop and nothing else.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

This person managed to show how I feel about the video. I felt like my original post was kind of wanky in its contents so I’m reposting this one since it feels more comprehensive.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Soo idk if the person behind this blog is doing well, you didn't post in a while but i think me and my sister almost finished the list.

And for now honestly the only games that actually felt psychological horror are like Bad things and The moon I rot behind, and Jim's computer of course.

I was severely disappointed about Why is love and Her journey.

I hoped it was about a failed relationship or misogyny even since the girl didn't want the guy and we know how sometimes that stuff ends irl.

But instead this guy just randomly has every mental illness 😭✌️

I am alive! I am simply busy with my studies as of right now. I also don’t really know which psychological horror game I should check out next so yeah…

About “why is love” and “her journey”… I also found the sudden reveal of the protagonist being mentally ill strange. A girl rejected him and all of a sudden he gets diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression? Huh? It’s a bit confusing to me.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Something happened with the life purpose game. I can’t play it anymore. Or any of the creator’s other games for that matter.

Does anyone know what happened?

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

i feel like so many horror games use suicide as a way to make it seem more sad? a ton of Roblox devs are younger so they might think that using it makes it have a depressing ending or a twist so you can feel bad for the characters, but it really doesn't do anything when they never add more to the characters. sorry if this isn't explained well but i hope I got my point across

Yeah, I understand what you mean.

I just wish it wasn’t so common.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

hi! another person who just played Unseen Truths. I'll be honest. it's a bit rough. it wasn't horrible but it follows a lot of the same patterns most go through. retro style, not very fleshed out characters, kinda generic story..? it at least has kind of? a spin on it?

i see what the creator was trying to do, but it, in my opinion, isn't too notable. but i left some good feedback for them, and i hope they see it and improve, and i can tell what the story they're trying to tell is. and i think more people should be kind and give actual feedback without being mean about it since a lot of the time I just see people insult someone's work instead of give actual criticism.

I haven’t played the game in a while so when I saw this anon I immediately went back and played it again.

Like you said: It was in fact a bit generic. We barely got to know the characters. It was rather short. Retro style which became repetitive after some time.

It suffered the same issues the others before it did.

Also, the suicide thing? Why does every single psychological horror protagonist has to die in such manner? It just keeps happening over and over again.

However, also agree about being kind while criticising something. Being rude only discourages young creators. It makes them afraid of trying things out.

Also here’s some screenshots of the gameplay where I got stuck for some reason

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Hi! I just played a new psychological horror game called "Unseen Truth", ermm I did play it yesterday, honestly- a bit of a 7/10, cuz i wish it wasn't a bit too rushed..idk if u played that too but yea- :>

I did play some of it, actually! Popped up in my recommended. I am still not finished with it, though. Life’s being busy.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

I recently played a game called regret by cosmix_play on Roblox. I feel like it suffered all of the tropes that its predecessors had.

Too short to make you get attached to the characters. Uses a retro style. The protagonist commits suicide. The game is about depression.

Perhaps I’m being too harsh. I have no idea.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Also Alan and Liam was lwk kinda shit i'm sorry to say this, I started laughing at the ending where Alan he shoots himself and Liam i cannot take this game seriously bro.

I don’t think the game had enough time to gradually build up to the finale. Hence why it came off as goofy instead.

It also felt like unnecessary shock value trying to pull at your heartstrings.

But again. They didn’t explore the characters that much. I didn’t get attached to Alan.

Didn’t get attached enough to feel anything about his death other than “oh. That sucks. Death is bad.”

It also kinda sucks how Alan’s mother storyline thing didn’t get more delved into. Came off very barebones.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Me and my sister have been trying to play every single psychological horror game on the Roblox platform and my fear is that sometimes we are just playing an horror or a game that calls itself "psychological horror" but don't even have actual horror.

At this point i ask myself, what actually makes a game a "psychological horror"?

Honestly? Sometimes it feels like psychological horrors are severely lacking in horror.

I feel like one of the reasons for this might be due to Roblox having restrictions on what horror experiences are allowed to do.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Update: I had multiple gamepasses thrown at my face.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

I’m gonna play “no clean state” today. I wonder how it will be. Wish me luck!

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

If you don’t agree with my takes then don’t be afraid to speak out about it. I appreciate criticism to my criticism as long as things are civil.

I noticed when people would tear each other down due to differentiating opinions and I don’t want that. If I ever come off that way: point it out.

Thanks.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Thank you for that clarification re: my pappo post. s all good and I was just. Floored that someone I had watched for some pretty good horror videos would make something that reads as attacking "acceptable" targets for the crime of making a game they don't like

It’s all good, no problem!

[saintcopia]

"horror" youtuber: "this roblox game promotes abuse and i cant defend the community it supports"

looks inside

wellmeaning but clumsy game made by a kid very clearly meant to be about how people bully kids for being "cringe" and how they are affected by "friends" who abandon them for fear of being "cringe"

looks at video

constant comparisons to deltarune to talk about how poorly written it is, unironically calling one of the main characters a mary sue, extremely weird amounts of queerphobia and ableism, getting really mad at this game but the games it was a response to about killing people in this community are fine because they're "just a joke"

i don't think you have done much critical thinking here man

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

I somewhat agree with this post. The video’s questionable, straight up insensitive comments removed my will to believe it was 100% “well-intentioned”. Maybe it was ignorance. Still hurtful, regardless.

Any attempts at genuine criticisms were overshadowed by the weird aggressiveness.

I just genuinely hope Pappo learns from his mistakes and changes for the better.

[saintcopia]

i said the game was well intentioned not the video. The video is genuinely awful and has the worst faith reading of a lot I've seen in a long time.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

I know you called the game well-intentioned, not the video

“The video's questionable, straight up insensitive comments removed my will to believe it was 100% "well-intentioned".”

I know my sentence looks like it was related to yours due to its usage of “well-intentioned” but I meant something else

For context, I kept seeing Pappo saying in the comment section “not to harass the creator” while also having his video feel… rather contradictory to that message

It felt like he was trying to paint himself as “well-intentioned” despite the fact that the things that he said in the video did not in fact come off that way

That is why I said his video was not 100% well-intentioned

I should have specified this in the beginning

My bad

(The image below is not showing him directly saying it. I remember him saying it directly. I couldn’t find the comment. This is all I have so far. sorry)

[saintcopia]

"horror" youtuber: "this roblox game promotes abuse and i cant defend the community it supports"

looks inside

wellmeaning but clumsy game made by a kid very clearly meant to be about how people bully kids for being "cringe" and how they are affected by "friends" who abandon them for fear of being "cringe"

looks at video

constant comparisons to deltarune to talk about how poorly written it is, unironically calling one of the main characters a mary sue, extremely weird amounts of queerphobia and ableism, getting really mad at this game but the games it was a response to about killing people in this community are fine because they're "just a joke"

i don't think you have done much critical thinking here man

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

I somewhat agree with this post. The video’s questionable, straight up insensitive comments removed my will to believe it was 100% “well-intentioned”. Maybe it was ignorance. Still hurtful, regardless.

Any attempts at genuine criticisms were overshadowed by the weird aggressiveness.

I just genuinely hope Pappo learns from his mistakes and changes for the better.

[psychologicalrobloxcritic]

Pappo’s “befriend the retroslop” video had a little bit of good criticism towards the game.

But it also had terrible points that got on my nerves. Gave me a headache.

Like comparing a mentally ill teenager to a pedophile is just… huh?

Saying that a mentally ill teenager that could be helped by a professional is somehow more MANIPULATIVE than a predator apparently? Where did you get that from?

There are other points that I don’t like but this one is just ridiculous.

(I don’t know if it fits into the category of a psychological horror Roblox game but it caught my attention. And it also is based on “Let him go” so technically…?)

Edit: adding onto the things I disliked:

Pappo made multiple comments that didn’t bring much to the video. They came off as insensitive instead.

For example: he mentioned how “everyone gets bullied”. Like… yeah? So what? Bullying… is still bad? People die from bullying?

This is no matter to take lightly and wave off.

Personally, it looked like he was trying to underestimate the severity of it? Because… why else bring it up in the first place? What was the point?

He also found it stupid how Ember had gender dysphoria over having to choose the role of the play.

Which is like… you cannot CONTROL what you have gender dysphoria for? You cannot just… switch it off?? No matter how “stupid” or “illogical” it is?

I found this comment especially strange coming from the guy who made a video called “trans music and the desire to exist”.

This guy has done research about a group of people that are known to (often than not) suffer from gender dysphoria. He SHOULD know that it is involuntary.

So why make such comment? I just don’t get it.