A seemingly innocent game of Simon Says becomes a disturbing supernatural experience when a mysterious DVD introduces Susie, a cheerful animated character with an unsettling ability to control the real world. Set in October 2003, the horror game Susie Says places a child alone at home while their mother works late, with an unusual interactive game left behind by an uncle. What begins as a simple exercise in following instructions gradually becomes a dangerous encounter involving unexplained noises, shadowy figures, and commands that extend far beyond the television screen. Jay's energetic commentary and increasingly nervous reactions transform this short horror experience into an entertaining mixture of genuine scares, comedy, and mounting frustration.
The opening establishes an effective atmosphere through ordinary domestic details. A note from the player's mother explains her absence, mentions pizza left on the counter, and warns against opening the door to strangers. These familiar circumstances make the dark, empty house feel especially vulnerable once Susie's game begins. The early exploration also introduces the video's distinctive comedic tone, as Jay questions the household's unsettling layout and jokes about the plausibility of its television equipment. Although these interruptions sometimes weaken the suspense, they establish a personality-driven presentation that makes even simple exploration entertaining.
Susie's cheerful personality provides the central horror concept. Her instructions initially involve stepping onto colored sections of an interactive mat, with players required to obey only commands preceded by "Susie says." The familiar rules make the gameplay immediately understandable while creating opportunities for deceptive instructions and unexpected consequences. The experience becomes considerably more unsettling when Susie demands interactions with objects elsewhere in the house, including a sunflower painting, a rubber duck, and a drawing on the refrigerator. Jay's growing suspicion about how a supposedly prerecorded game knows these details reinforces the central mystery, particularly as unfamiliar figures begin appearing around the property.
The strongest suspense emerges from the relationship between Susie's increasingly intrusive commands and the threatening presence moving through the house. Unexplained footsteps, figures outside windows, flickering lights, and sudden interruptions suggest that the player is being watched by something capable of entering the home. A particularly effective sequence requires Jay to hide beneath furniture while a disturbing figure searches nearby. His nervous jokes and exaggerated reactions provide comic relief without completely eliminating the danger. However, the creature's awkward movements and the ability to observe it without immediate consequences occasionally diminish its effectiveness as a frightening opponent.
The video also exposes several weaknesses in the game's mechanics. While Jay confidently avoids many misleading instructions, certain challenges produce confusing failures that appear inconsistent with the established rules. The command involving the couch becomes particularly frustrating when the available furniture does not behave as expected. Later, seemingly correct responses to instructions involving the ceiling and colored mat result in additional failures. These moments create entertaining outbursts, but they also reveal how unclear objectives and inconsistent feedback can undermine a game built almost entirely around precise obedience. The resulting repetition gradually shifts the experience away from suspense and toward irritation.
Jay's commentary remains the primary source of entertainment throughout these mechanical setbacks. His determination to outsmart Susie, repeated declarations that he will not fall for obvious tricks, and increasingly elaborate insults directed at the lurking creature give the playthrough a lively personality. His reactions are especially amusing when his confidence collapses after another unexpected failure. Nevertheless, the presentation sometimes relies too heavily on shouting, profanity, and repeated jokes about familiar situations. Extended stretches of command-following also become monotonous, particularly once the basic mechanics are understood and the game offers few meaningful variations.
The final sequence introduces a more sinister direction when Susie requests four candles, transforming the children's game into an apparent supernatural ritual. Jay's accidental destruction of the DVD initially produces an ending with a numerical score, prompting confusion about whether he has completed the intended experience. After further attempts, he collects the candles and follows Susie's instruction to examine mysterious symbols, apparently causing the player to become trapped inside the television game itself. This conclusion provides a suitably disturbing payoff to the earlier suggestions that Susie can manipulate the physical environment. Unfortunately, the ending arrives abruptly, offering little explanation of Susie's identity, the threatening figures, or the significance of the ritual. Jay's realization that the experience is the complete game rather than a demo reinforces its limited scope and leaves its most intriguing ideas insufficiently developed.
Pros
- The familiar Simon Says concept provides an accessible foundation for an inventive supernatural horror game.
- The isolated household setting creates an appropriately unsettling atmosphere through darkness, strange sounds, and unexplained activity.
- Susie's cheerful voice and increasingly invasive instructions establish an effective contrast between childhood innocence and threatening behavior.
- Environmental interactions involving familiar household objects make the supposedly prerecorded game feel disturbingly aware of the player's surroundings.
- The hiding sequence introduces a memorable moment of tension that temporarily expands the gameplay beyond following simple commands.
- Jay's spontaneous humor, nervous reactions, and determination to beat the game make the playthrough consistently engaging.
- The candle ritual and final television entrapment provide a creepy narrative payoff that connects with the game's central premise.
Cons
- Several instructions produce confusing failures that make the game's rules feel inconsistent and occasionally unfair.
- Repeated commands involving colors, windows, floors, and ceilings become increasingly monotonous as the experience progresses.
- The threatening creature's awkward behavior sometimes weakens the suspense established by its unsettling appearances.
- Frequent profanity, exaggerated reactions, and repetitive jokes occasionally interrupt the horror atmosphere.
- The accidental DVD destruction and subsequent attempts to continue create a frustrating interruption before the intended conclusion.
- The abrupt ending leaves Susie's origins, the supernatural threat, and the ritual's significance largely unexplained.
Susie Says delivers an entertaining short-form horror experience by turning a familiar childhood activity into an increasingly disturbing struggle for control. Its creepy atmosphere, intrusive supernatural instructions, and Jay's energetic reactions provide plenty of memorable moments, even as repetitive gameplay and inconsistent mechanics weaken the tension. The unsettling conclusion demonstrates the potential of the central concept, but the limited narrative development and abrupt resolution prevent the experience from becoming something more substantial.
