Update: a scarier phone call, new footsteps, and the sanatorium gets a makeover
By Encrypted Cat / 0xKOT · Originally published on itch.io
After the phone update I watched other people play The Cradle and wrote down everything that felt off. This update fixes almost all of it.
The phone call now always gets you
The scare after the phone call used to depend on where you happened to look, so some players missed it completely. Now, when you pick up the receiver, you’re held in place while the voice on the line talks to you. Then the lights go out. When they come back and you finally turn around… well, you’ll see. It happens every time, no matter which way you turn.
Footsteps that sound like footsteps
The old footsteps sounded like someone tapping the tiles with thin sticks, which killed the mood in the very first room. Every step is now synthesized from scratch to sound like an adult in heavy boots: a heavy heel, the click of tile, a little grit, and the toe rolling down after. Tile, wood, concrete and metal all sound different now, and walking, running and crouching each have their own sound. The walking pace also matches a real person.
The building looks better
- Boarded-up windows: rebuilt from scratch, with deep frames, peeling paint, cracked and missing glass, and real boards nailed at uneven angles, with gaps you can peer through.
- Pipes: they now actually run somewhere. They follow the walls on brackets, turn at the corners, pass through valves, and disappear into walls and floors instead of floating in mid-air.
- Block D: a window that made no sense underground is gone.
Smaller fixes
- Terminal controls: the security terminal is much nicer on a keyboard. Use W/S to choose, E to open, A/D to switch cameras, Backspace to go back and Q to leave. No more reaching for Esc.
- Solid children: the children in gas masks are solid now. You can’t walk through them any more, and they’ll never trap you in a corridor.
- Locked doors: Vetrov comments on each locked door once. After that you just hear the lock.
- The basement key: the note now tells you exactly where it is, and there’s a gentle hint if you’re still stuck.
- Vetrov’s line after the phone call: it now fits what actually just happened to you.
Thank you, playtesters
Most of these came from people playing and telling me what felt wrong. Please keep it coming. If something confuses you, breaks, or just feels off, leave a comment. That’s how the game gets better.
Headphones on, lights off.