Backroom Test
A game about exploring uncanny, vaguely unsettling, liminal spaces. The goal is to explore, be lost, wander. Can you find all the levels?
For changelog, see bottom of this page
Known to work for 5.6.1, and 5.4 other versions unknown.
For manual install, place in your .minetest/games/ folder (inside a folder called "backroomtest" or something)
Keep in mind, this isn't a game in the usual sense, as there isn't much in the way of progression, you can't build, mine, collect items, or anything else you would normally do and this is intentional. It's meant to mimic some of the backrooms found footage videos and other stories various people have created, and so typical game features like digging and building wouldn't work at all. The player needs to be helpless and lost.
Basically, what would it be like if you no-clipped into the backrooms? What would your journey be like?
There's also a discord server here: https://discord.gg/KGZJBKkcFm
Mission statement
To create liminal spaces that are familiar yet disconcerting for the player to be trapped in and explore.
Although inspiration is taken from various stories others have created, it isn't based on any particular canon, and so levels and features present on whatever wiki / video / etc can be added or not freely. It is its own canon.
Planned features
- several more levels
- more reason to explore
- more sounds, triggers, biomes
- some "outdoor" levels maybe (streetscapes etc)
- a way to track which levels you've visited and a special achievement for if you visit all of them
What it isn't
- a horror game
- a survival game
- a simulation
Features it will never have
- survival mechanics, hunger, thirst, etc (would be in a separate mod for this game)
- entities or mobs (separate mod)
- a way "out" obviously
Rough idea of the "canon"
- similar to the original concept, some of Kane Pixels's work, some of various wikis but not the cringe/SCP stuff.
Cheatsheet (SPOILERS)
- grey portal doors move you around the level randomly
- red ones take you to a random level; could be level 0 or 99 who knows
- purple doors take you to the sequentially next level (level 0, 1, 2 etc)
- there are no entities or mobs of any kind
- yes you did hear something following you :)
- use /level to get a list of levels, and (cheats) you can also put a number /level 1 to go to that level
Changelog
b19
- allow for damage to be turned on
- disable falldamage through br_player_info/damage.lua
- fix possible light issue
Kept me busy for a few hours
The Backrooms are an Internet meme at this point, it's a classic, and I love that has arrived to Minetest. As soon as I saw this entry, I instantly downloaded it.
It does not disappoint:
The "classic" backrooms level captures the spirit of the Internet meme well. It's how I would have expected it: A yellow infinite chaotic mess of walls. The ceiling lamps hum terrifyingly. The game does not seem to care too much about "conforming" to SCP lore.
It is not just the backrooms, but there are several levels that look very different, some with some really complex design like the infinte bath (?) and overall it's just fun exploring. There is not really much else you can do nor is there a challenge but that's the point. It's also good if you're listening to a podcast.
Exploring the levels for the first time is fun. For the future, I would suggest to add more variety to each level so that you don't figure out the level's pattern completely after a few minutes.
Graphically, it is also well done. The low-res textures look nice and I like this game actually makes use or scaled textures that span over multiple nodes (a feature which many games do not use yet). This is great to make the tiles not look too repetitive. There are still a few graphical bugs (see issue tracker on Codeberg), but it's OK. The teleport effect is a bit too instant for my taste.
The sound ambience is pretty good but could be improved, especially the footstep. Some areas have no ambience which is a little disappointing, but I hope future versions will improve.
Wonderful aesthetic with updates to come
I would say this is a very impressive game for its current state of development. The aesthetic is dead on, it feels like a walking simulator, and it's interesting to simply explore the environment to find new levels. I would say the most important things to add to make it an actual game are definitely more sound cues/ambiance and some sort of threat to keep players on their toes (and thank you for no cringe).
Probably an issue with having to write to the map file and bogging down the frame rate but expect using the flashlight to be a minor performance impact. I'll be excited to update this review as more comes out!
Brrr...
I don't really like horror games, and haven't played many. Backrooms Test however... Is interesting. Despite there not being anything dangerous or any surprises whatsoever, it still manages to creep me out as I slowly wander and explore the backrooms, an empty car park, a hotel corridor, all empty and derelict...
Despite me knowing there aren't actually any entities in the game, I can't help but feel unease like there's something watching me from behind. It still makes me hesitate to look down a hallway or behind me out of fear I might get eye contact with something I would rather not meet.
The other levels are intriguing, they are procedually generated but don't feel cookie-cutter. There is enough variation in the generation for the levels to make me want to wander around for a while. It also makes good use of global textures to give walls and other nodes a little more... texture to them, I really like it.
Sucked me in for 4 hours straight.
Gave me a lot of goosebumps. Played alone first, then entered the last level with reflective sky blue ground. I found "Riders on the storm" a rather fitting theme for this very level. Then I played with my two friends. This was something extraordinary. Especially the pool level - I oddly loved it... It was so beautiful. I want to come back and remain. My childhood dream of being small and hiding in tiny holes and passages came true. We found finding new paths together very fascinating.
wonderful liminal experience
the spaces remind you of dreams you had as a kid of endless hallways and locker rooms that went on and on. there is already enough variety to keep you entertained for a while.
Great Game
This game is good at ambience. You wonder around aimlessly, desperately looking for that purple door to maybe let you escape. You go everywhere. You panic but at the last moment you spot it in the corner of your eye.
But, deception! You shall never leave! You are only taken in an endless loop of discovery and fruitless searching for an escape.
And without any form of navigational abilities, no way to leave your mark and say "i was here", no way to find your way out, you are sure to lose your place now and forever in the future. Maybe you could make a server and find other people, but given the size, it is impossible to find others without nametags.
You eventually realise the game repeats itself and quotes itself in multiple places. The wall shape looks the same. Are we going in a big circle? Maybe not? Wait where are we? Who are we? Do we matter? The game begins drawing out a patterned thread of existensal dread as you realise your insignificance to the game and the world as a whole; you are just a visitor and you will never leave, and you will never continue to exist afterwards.
This game does an exceptional telling of the tradegy of the backrooms and maybe even the state of dementia (so i put in copyrighted music by Leyland Kirby to show this).
The game, given its tame and timid nature, allows one to explore mindlessly without worrying much about death.
Still and neverending
A lot of the architecture put into the levels is nicely detailed, and each level felt like a replica of what they're supposed to recreate. The level generation in this game is astounding, with every corner turned bringing into view a new layout that you could easily get lost in. Even without survival mechanics or monsters, I still felt a bit uneasy when faced with dark corridors and steep drops. I can't wait to see what else may be in store down the line.
Very Nice Ambiance
The ambiance of the game is fucking terryifing. The sound of the footsteps to the hum of the lights in level 0 is amazing. Its nice how it looks but you can bretty easily see that the world is predetermined it would be really cool if this was proceduly generated but I figure that would be very difficult. Also you say this isn't a horror game when it 100% is!
Simple but effective
The backrooms is an large area where things that clip out of reality end up. It is so vast that is mostly empty, so far the game have deliver on that premise and I don't mean it in a cynical way. The levels feels disorienting and that coupled with the procedural feeling of the rooms give a strange sense of uncanny, uneasy familiarity which I believe was the original goal from the backrooms.
Now the bad, I see two problems so far. One is the lack of sound, ambience and noise are paramount in horror games to create the atmosphere, so far we get none from the backrooms game which I feel diminush the effect. The other problem is the scale, the room is too big which give the impression the player is a hobbit, I wrote a quick mod to change the player eye_height to '2.6' and the visual_size to '1.5' and I believe that gave a much more proper sense of scale. I would advise the developers to play around with that properties as I feel like the original Minetest values don't quite fit with this game.
Personaly I don't like the idea of taking pictures from the diferent places and would love if the devs expand on that idea some. Overall the experience matched my expectations for the backrooms.
Edit: Indeed there is sound, it was the humming of the fluorescent lights but it is a lot fainter than the player steps so it can be hard to notice without headphones.
fun liminal spaces walking simulator
The game has different 'levels' with different types of liminal spaces that you walk around in and explore, with a few nice touches. You also have a flashlight for dark areas. Many of the levels are extremely interesting to explore and have different types of areas within them. Interested to see where this project will go
scary
Sary game and gameplay.
i love how you managed to add backroom to this game!
but will you also add that monster from kane pixel too?
a good looking maze
This game is pretty much about walking and going from one level to another. What makes it unique is that the author changed the default scale of the player model so the eye level is about 2.5 nodes high instead of the usual Minecraftish 2 nodes. This makes everything look more realistic, for example doors are 3 nodes high and 2 nodes wide. Another cool aspect of the game are the textures that are less repetitive that usual Minetest/Minecraft textures. Node design is simple and consistent - things like lamps, pipes, fences. Levels are not boring because each represents another liminal space, for example theres a basement, a parking, a tunnel, a hotel and there are other more surrealistic spaces like for example the infinite swimming pool or the level with water and houses. Exploring the spaces is driven mostly entirely by curiosity and a desire to find the way "out" - doors to another level. Each level gives a strange discomfort that is the core of liminal space aesthetic.
Fun to "play" even though there's nothing "to do" other than exploring.
Atmospheric and Fun!
misterioso y prometedor
Crea un ambiente intrigante y misterioso que seguro acabara siendo genial y podrá inspirar a otros juegos
good
Even though the game has no entity, I still feel scared
Ehe Backroom is a good game
Good world generation and gameplay
the different world generation and levels are very good.
Actually really good
not much else to say, sorry
A Fantastic Game
My son and I really enjoy playing Backrooms Test. It's a game with a really good environment that is quite engaging.
Screens
looks magnificent and facinated. Reminds scp or ikea game line, judge Dredd, cyberpunk ...
Seems pretty good, very empty
That's basically it. It is a good game if you like liminal spaces like empty schools or warehouses.
Truly the best MineTest/XtreemTest game
I love every aspect of this game! It's very well-polished and has a very unique theme! When I first saw it in the Discord group (I use the WebUI) I thought it was some other non-Minetest game that uses a different engine but when ROlleroxa told me it was a real game I "wuz" shocked!
As I said earlier, everything about this game is amazing and I think this should be the only game that people play (other than Adsurv of course)
I would give you a bushel of money if I could! You deserve it for your hard work.
issuse
there shoud be buzzing from the lights in level 0.