Olivia

A silent house, a camera, and a story to uncover

Olivia casts players as a visitor to a once-lived-in family home, using an in-game camera to photograph the space and slowly piece together what happened to its former occupants. This review found that central mechanic consistently praised as effective and distinctive. "I like the game's take of taking photos to find out more of the story. I'm very easily jump scared, but love that sensation, it gives me a buzz. So the little jump scare moments in this game are suited me perfectly," reads one review. This review treats that praise as fair: building horror discovery directly around a photography mechanic, rather than a generic walking-simulator flashlight-and-notes loop, is a genuinely distinctive structural choice that reviewers credit as working.

Praised for its unsettling, whimsical art style

This review also found reviewers repeatedly and specifically praising the game's visual identity as its standout quality. "The Dev fully utilizes the whimsical and literal visualizations that make early animation so special. Excellent storytelling, never a dull moment," reads one detailed review. Another reviewer captures the same tension directly: "Never has a game scared me so much while also making me go 'awwww cute!' in the exact same sentence." This review treats that as fair and meaningful: reviewers independently identifying the same specific tonal balancing act, cartoonish charm paired with genuine dread, as the game's core appeal is a credible sign of a distinctive and well-executed art direction.

Praised for a well-earned plot twist and easter eggs for returning fans

This review also found fair, specific praise for the game's narrative payoff and its connections to the developer's earlier work. "The graphics are beautiful, and the sound design is solid, it really helps build the atmosphere. There's also a plot twist that genuinely caught me off guard," reads one review from a reviewer who states they played all the developer's previous games. A separate reviewer highlights the connective tissue for returning players specifically: "It's even more exciting for players of One Last Clip because it's full of little easter eggs... I had a lot of fun getting a closer look at Olivia's family life." This review treats both as fair: a short game that still lands a genuine narrative surprise, while also rewarding series continuity for returning players, is doing more with its runtime than length alone would suggest.

A fair, repeated complaint about brevity

Set against that praise, this review found a fair and repeated complaint about the game's length. "It would be nice if the playthrough was longer," reads one review, listed as a specific flaw despite an otherwise positive verdict. A separate reviewer frames the same complaint more emotionally: "My only complaint is I just wanted more!! But not in like an 'it wasn't worth the cost' kind of way, because it 100% is worth the cost. I just was so sad when it was over." This review treats that complaint as fair: even reviewers who explicitly defend the game's value for money are independently flagging its short runtime as the thing they'd change, which is a legitimate value consideration for prospective buyers regardless of how well the existing content lands.

Fair complaints about a stuck point and an unclear puzzle marker

This review also found fair, specific complaints about two discrete rough edges. "I only stopped because I got stuck on a bit, so I'll go back and sort that bit," reads one review, and a separate reviewer independently reports the same experience: "This game might be short, but it is packed. I did get stuck towards the end, but the dev patched the game a few times since then already." A third reviewer flags a specific puzzle clarity issue: "The level with the pendulum, I had a very hard time seeing the 'Dot - Center Point' so I couldn't always tell where I was on the c[ycle]." This review treats both as fair: a reproducible late-game stuck point corroborated by two independent reviewers, alongside a specific, named visibility problem in one puzzle, are legitimate polish complaints even in an otherwise well-received short game.

An honest read of a small, likely fan-skewed sample

This review also found it worth noting plainly what this small review sample represents. All 15 English-language reviews available at review time are positive, and several explicitly identify the reviewer as a longtime fan of the developer's earlier game, One Last Clip. This review treats that context as important rather than disqualifying: a short horror game from an established developer's fanbase will naturally skew positive in its earliest reviews, and that context is relevant to how confidently this rating should generalise to a player with no history with the studio's prior work.

Achievement data corroborates a short, accessible campaign

This review's own check of Steam's global achievement data shows a gentle, steady curve through the main story: 18 achievements track chapter-by-chapter progress, and even the tenth and final story chapter sits at a high 75.7% completion rate, well above what a typical longer game would show at its final milestone. That pattern corroborates reviewer accounts of a short, non-frustrating main campaign that most buyers who start actually finish, with completion dropping off more noticeably only on a handful of optional side-content achievements like Hide_And_Seek at 28.5%.

Final verdict

Olivia is a short but polished photography-horror experience that earns real, specific praise for its distinctive cartoon-horror art, effective jump scares, and a genuinely well-earned narrative twist for a game of its length. This review found its Positive rating fair and well-supported: consistent, independent praise for its tone and storytelling, balanced by a fair and repeated complaint about brevity and a couple of specific, reproducible rough edges around a stuck point and one puzzle's visibility. For fans of short, story-driven horror, or returning players of the developer's earlier game, it's a worthwhile evening; players wanting substantial length for their money should weigh that against the otherwise well-earned praise above.