Dead Air

Cinevva's analyzer read this game's design doc and its source, then wrote the brief below. "Make your own" hands it to the game creator as your opening message, so you start from a real spec rather than a one-line idea.

Create a browser-based single-screen psychological VHS horror game titled “Dead Air: Tape 13,” set up as an evidence/archive player for Case 041. Use a dark, nearly black full-window interface with a centered CRT/VHS-like display: subtle animated scanlines, grain/noise, horizontal warm-brown signal banding, occasional jitter, and red static flashes that intensify with danger. Keep the camera fixed and abstract—there is no explorable 3D environment or visible character; the animated screen texture is the main playfield.

Start on a dossier-style title screen over the dark display. Center a bordered charcoal panel with a thin inset border and shadow. Show a slightly rotated red stamp reading “ARCHIVE // 1998 // CASE 041,” the large cream title “DEAD AIR” with faint red/cyan offset glitch shadows, the heading “TAPE 13,” and this case text: “In October 1998, nineteen-year-old Mara Vale vanished from a roadside house. Her family says the last thing she did was record a stack of VHS tapes labeled only with times. The tapes were found yesterday in a locked evidence room. One of them is still warm.” Include a “PLAY CASE 041” button and the small note “Headphones recommended. There is no pause once the first tape begins.” Use a monospaced typewriter font, cream/beige text, muted gray body copy, red accent color, and restrained retro evidence-room styling.

When Play is pressed, begin a 45-second survival session immediately with no pause. Show a top HUD containing the current tape label, “SURVIVE [seconds]s // THREAT [percent]%,” and “TAPES [watched]/4.” At upper left show a red recording dot and “REC 00:00:00” timer; at upper right show “SURVIVE 45 SECONDS / ANSWER THE SIGNAL BEFORE IT FADES.” Beneath the recording area show a thin red signal meter whose fill appears only when an active signal event is awaiting an answer. Along the bottom, present four selectable buttons: “01 // FRONT ROOM,” “02 // HALLWAY,” “03 // BEDROOM,” and “04 // UNKNOWN.” Centered above those buttons, show transient evidence messages in a dark box with a light border.

The core interaction is switching between the four tapes by clicking/tapping their buttons. The tapes are:
1. “TAPE 01 // FRONT ROOM // 21:14” — line: “MARA: If you found this, do not rewind it.” Clue: “A clock ticks somewhere behind the camera. The minute hand is missing.” Fear level 0.18.
2. “TAPE 02 // HALLWAY // 23:03” — line: “MARA: The house makes a sound after midnight. It sounds like me.” Clue: “A door appears at the end of the hall. It was not there in Tape 01.” Fear level 0.38.
3. “TAPE 03 // BEDROOM // 00:17” — line: “MARA: I can hear someone copying the tape while I am still recording.” Clue: “For three frames, a second Mara stands beside the bed.” Fear level 0.64.
4. “TAPE 04 // UNKNOWN // 00:00” — line: “MARA: When the screen goes black, look at the reflection.” Clue: “The reflection does not match the room. It is looking back.” Fear level 1.0.

Selecting a tape marks it watched, raises the persistent fear to the highest fear level seen, updates the tape label and VHS shader, and displays that tape’s line and clue if no signal event is active. Once the game has run for 3 seconds, periodically trigger a signal event: randomly choose one of the four tapes as the safe tape, announce “SIGNAL DETECTED // TAPE [01-04] IS SAFE // SWITCH NOW,” and give the player 3.5 seconds, represented by the red signal bar draining, to switch to that exact tape. Choosing the correct tape increments a stabilization score, reduces threat by 24 points (not below zero), clears the event, and displays “SIGNAL STABILIZED // The room tone is quiet. Keep moving.” Choosing the wrong tape raises threat by 22 points and displays “WRONG TAPE // Something heard you switch.” If the timer expires, raise threat by 28, clear the event, display “SIGNAL LOST // It is inside the recording now,” and schedule another signal after roughly 4.5–7 seconds.

While playing, survival time continuously counts down from 45 seconds. Threat continuously rises at approximately 1.25 plus 0.65 times the current fear level per second, is capped at 100%, and turns visually dangerous/red above 65%. Drive the screen shader’s fear amount from threat: at higher danger, make red static/jitter more visible, but retain the restrained monochrome green-gray VHS look. The elapsed recording clock counts upward independently in “00:MM:SS” format. The player’s goal is to survive until the 45-second countdown reaches zero while stabilizing as many signals as possible.

End immediately if threat reaches 100%: show a centered archive-note panel with stamp “ARCHIVE NOTE // STATUS UNKNOWN,” title “FOUND YOU,” text “The static stops. The room tone continues from behind you.” and small subtext “You survived the tapes for [elapsed survival duration] seconds.” End if survival reaches zero: title “YOU SURVIVED,” text “The last signal fades and the screen goes quiet.” and subtext “Tapes stabilized: [score] // The archive is still listening.” Hide the gameplay HUD and tape buttons on either ending, and provide a “REWIND CASE” button that reloads/restarts the case. Make the layout responsive: on narrow screens let tape buttons share/fill rows and hide the help hint. Use only the mechanics, text, fixed abstract VHS camera, and visual treatment described here—do not add movement, enemies, inventory, or an explorable house.