Assessment Examination: A Tense Analog Horror Questionnaire

Assessment Examination is a brief interactive fiction and survey horror game that puts players in the hot seat of a deeply unsettling psychological evaluation. You step into the role of an applicant for the mysterious Authenticity Assessment Department, where a seemingly normal test quickly morphs into something far more sinister.

Wenderly Games released this title on March 9, 2022. Interestingly, the developer built the core experience in just a single day using the Godot engine. And it shows—but in a good way. The strict development constraints forced the game to rely heavily on raw atmosphere rather than complicated mechanics. You sit down at a terminal to take a test. That is the entire premise.

The runtime clocks in at a tight 10 to 15 minutes. During that brief window, players answer a series of multiple-choice questions. It sounds completely mundane. Then the analog horror elements start creeping in. Flashing images disrupt the screen for a fraction of a second, just long enough to make you question what you saw. Audio cues eventually break the sterile silence of the testing environment, including a particularly unnerving 911 call. You definitely need to play this with the sound turned up to get the intended effect.

This project leans hard into making players feel isolated. It pulls heavy inspiration from the analog horror subgenre, using distorted audio and minimalist 2D visuals to build a persistent sense of dread. The visual presentation is extremely barebones. It works. The lack of on-screen distractions forces your complete focus onto the increasingly bizarre text the exam demands you answer.

You might assume a simple questionnaire wouldn’t hold much tension. But the shifting tone of the prompts keeps you guessing about what the Authenticity Assessment Department actually wants to evaluate. The short length makes it incredibly easy to jump right back into the examination just to see how the psychological pressure holds up on a second run.

Game Controls

• Mouse: Select answers
• F: Toggle fullscreen mode

Made by @WenderlyGames

As always, remember to have fun!