Buddy Simulator 1984

If it's not clear from the product description (and it may not be) this is a relatively benign horror title masquerading as a retro RPG throwback, with the specific level of "retro" upgrading from text adventure, to 2D, to 2.5D, and beyond. It's Evoland meets Pony Island, by way of Undertale, but not quite as memorable as any of those games. Specifically, there's nothing new here. The game (and your in-game Buddy) are constantly exhorting you to keep jumping through generic hoops for the promise of another gameplay upgrade (or, more often, a jumpscare), but nothing is actually fun in and of itself. There's no actual "game" to be played, and to the extent that it's a visual novel, it's just working through the fairly predictable beats of this subgenre, as you wait patiently for Buddy to get creepier, a sad real-life history to be revealed, etc etc. I don't want to overly disparage a game that developers have put hard work into, but you'll be better served by working through adjacent-but-better games like Undertale, Pony Island, The Hex, Inscryption, Doki Doki Literature Club, or even Simulacra.

Wonderful unusual game. It all starts harmlessly... find out for yourself :)