I'm making a psychological horror game with a fully diegetic main menu (no UI Canvas). Would you play a short "immersion test" before the full release?
Hey everyone!
As a huge fan of classic, slow-burn psychological horror, I’ve been developing a solo project where the environment is the main threat. There is no HUD, no UI Canvas pop-ups—just your senses and physical in-world interactions.
As you can see in the video, even the main menu is fully diegetic. The player starts tied to a chair in the center of the room during a memory induction experiment in the 1930s. You have to look around the space and focus on physical objects (like the pocket watch or the medallion) to navigate options or "enter" the game.
I'm planning to release a short, playable Alpha demo in late July as a pure "immersion test" to see how players react to this pacing and lack of traditional UI before jumping into the final release.
Does this kind of atmosphere-focused menu and teaser make sense as a first demo? Would you step into this room just to feel the dread, or do you think audiences strictly prefer seeing fully fledged gameplay loops from the start?
Would love to hear your honest thoughts and insights.