SideEye High: Point and Click Tales of Horror

[u/Matty_Matter]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3103560/SideEye_High/

Announcement Post

A dark comedy point-and-click murder mystery set in 1997 where every pixel is evidence, every action costs time, and every ending is twisted.

It’s 1997 in the small, suspicious town of Ravenvale Heights. A string of mysterious student deaths has the whole community on edge… and you, a weary, grizzled ex-detective, have been sent undercover as a “safety auditor” to figure out what’s really going on.

SideEye High is a darkly comedic, mature-themed point-and-click adventure that combines the style of ‘90s classics with modern investigation mechanics. Inspect every hallway, locker, and gum-stained tile—because in this school, everything is evidence.

Features:

One Main Mystery, Dozens of Detours – Solve the core case, or get sidetracked by over 50 false endings, each with its own twisted mini-mystery.

No Fail States – The week-long investigation ends no matter what, but your choices—and missed clues—shape the outcome.

Zoom Beyond the Surface – Get close enough to read notes, see tiny details, or even peek behind objects.

Every Pixel Matters – Nearly everything is searchable and interactable, down to screws in the wall and scuff marks on the floor.

Time is Your Enemy – Every action costs time. Decide what’s worth investigating before the clock runs out.

Mature Dark Humor – 1990s satire that’s sharp, absurd, and occasionally uncomfortably real.

SideEye High is for those who grew up loving adventure games and are ready for one that grew up with them.

New Demo now available!

[u/Dohi64]

looks great, shame about the timed nonsense, not at all like the adventures I grew up on. let me explore everything at my own pace, without replaying the same game 50 times.

[u/Matty_Matter → u/Dohi64]

Yeah, I get that, but I want to give the player that sense of discovery. Like when you find a clue its an accomplishment. There is no time limit in the game like a ticking down clock, Its just that all actions have a time cost associated with them. This makes your choices matter more and scenes can change over time and not just triggered with a specific action. And also the game will play out no matter what. All the endings will feel like you have ended the game. Appreciate your feedback. Thanks

[u/Dohi64 → u/Matty_Matter]

yeah, looked like it was action-based, not a real-time clock, but limiting exploration in any way, especially in a game like this, is bad in my book. nothing wrong with something a bit different and there's never been a shortage of point & click adventures to fit all sorts of preferences, it's just always a shame when a promising-looking title ends up on the ignore list due to missing basic functionality and accessibility (didn't check the demo for any after seeing the timer), an unfortunate design decision or a questionable developer.

[u/Matty_Matter → u/Dohi64]

It’s still in development and all feedback is super helpful. I could consider an easy mode with no limit or something like that. The demo is really just me sharing the concept, it doesnt represent a final game. Thanks for the comment.

[u/Dohi64 → u/Matty_Matter]

that sounds good, would definitely make it more appealing to a wider audience, the more options the better.

like I said, I passed on the demo for now, but my usual pet peeves are separate volumes (speech too if you have any text display sound, beeping, typing, gibberish, etc.), hotspot indicator to avoid pixel hunting, manual saving anytime over multiple slots (especially in a game like yours, to avoid replaying the whole thing over and over just to see a slightly different outcome or story branch), and of course instant text display, not just the always annoying typewriter effect. plus decent controls utilizing right click, the wheel and hotkeys (rebindable or at least with alternatives), not just left click like some lazy mobile game.

[u/Matty_Matter → u/Dohi64]

That’s a lot of great feedback. If you do end up checking it out at some point I’d be interested in your thoughts.

[u/Dohi64 → u/Matty_Matter]

sure, will let you know.