September 1999 is a creepy simulation video game wherein you get to watch strange events unfold through recorded footage. Developed by 98DEMAKE, this 3D first-person indie game is a psychological horror title with some mature content such as gore, intense violence, and substance abuse.

Similar to Northbury Grove, September 1999 offers a VHS aesthetic with its graphics and a short gameplay time. However, while it’s highly stylistic, it lacks variety in terms of what you can actually do with the controls. It can feel like a Spot The Difference game at times and is mostly just effective with its atmosphere.

No need for an explanation

In September 1999, you play as someone who’s filming their exploration and observation of an empty house. There’s no real explanation as to why you’re there—you simply just start looking around. Every now and then, the scene automatically changes to different locations and even displays time and dates on the recorder’s screen. There are only two rooms you will frequent but the objects there change as time passes. 

The major downside to this game is that it’s mostly a creepy walking simulator and you can’t actually interact with anything in the rooms. The controls only consist of moving with the WASD keys, zooming in with the camera using your right mouse button, and pausing with Esc. You can rebind these keys but there really isn’t much you can do in the game.

It doesn’t help that it’s extremely short—running exactly at five and a half minutes due to its auto-play function. However, those few minutes can still be pretty unsettling thanks to the 3D graphics that both look highly realistic for a found footage setting and the VHS effects. There’s no music in the background either, which highlights the strange sudden noises and the uncanniness of the situation. 

Still has a lot of potential

All in all, September 1999 is an interesting indie horror game to try out if you like the found footage genre and those with VHS-style aesthetics. However, take note that it’s pretty short and there’s no actual gameplay to engage you with since the game automatically triggers your progress throughout the unexplained and vague story. If you prefer something with a bit more substance, try out No Players Online.