The Basement

The Basement

Tetsuo had no idea how he ended up here. Natasha, his long-time friend, had always been kind, but that kindness took a darker turn. One day, he visited her home for what seemed like an innocent chat, but after that, everything became a blur. Now, he finds himself trapped in the basement of her house, where time feels distorted, and reality is slowly slipping away. The only thing more terrifying than the cold, empty room is Natasha herself.

Each passing day is a test of his sanity. Natasha’s unsettling kindness masks something far more sinister, and the mirror she gave him reveals a version of himself that grows weaker, more distorted with every glance. His mind races with questions—what is happening to him? Why is Natasha so determined to keep him locked away?

As the days blend into a surreal nightmare, Tetsuo’s thoughts become his only companion. He begins to question everything—his surroundings, Natasha’s motives, and even his own perception of reality. With each decision he makes, the fine line between truth and madness blurs further. Every moment is filled with tension as Tetsuo grapples with the reality Natasha forces upon him.

Will Tetsuo find the strength to escape before it’s too late, or will Natasha’s grip on him tighten until he can no longer tell what’s real? His mental state teeters on the edge as his perception of the world grows increasingly fragile. The basement itself seems to close in on him, and the only way out might come with a cost he's not prepared to pay.

But sometimes, even escape isn't what it seems. In The Basement, survival is uncertain, and sometimes the real prison is the mind itself. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

In The Basement, you’ll explore the unsettling dynamics between two people trapped in a dangerous situation, where trust and fear are constantly at odds. Tetsuo’s journey is shaped by your decisions, which can either bring him closer to the truth or push him deeper into a waking nightmare. Will you make the right choices, or will Tetsuo lose himself entirely?

(Find it on itch.io right here)

Note: This game has a ton of bugs at the moment, since it is a DEMO version. Please have patience, and if there is any problem, contact me here or in Discord (@lexiixyk)

My theory of adhd management is that in order to focus there are 4 things that need to be sufficiently occupied:

Eyes

Ears

Hands (or body)

Brain

And if you aren’t occupying them enough or there’s too many things demanding the use of one, it’ll start to wreck havoc on your ability to do things.

So for example, listening to a podcast. This occupies your ears and brain as you focus on both listening and processing what you hear, but it leaves your hands and eyes completely without anything to do. If you tried to sit down and just listen to a podcast by itself you’d probably get unbearably bored and stop doing it.

But if you pair that activity with something that uses your hands and eyes, like a craft, household chore, or commute, suddenly you’re fully plugged in and can in fact focus better on both tasks than you could if you tried doing them separately.

It’s also why you can’t listen to a podcast while doing homework; you’re trying to use your brain for two different tasks. To occupy your ears while doing homework (which is already using eyes, brain, and hands) you need something for your ears that doesn’t require your brain: music. Specifically music that doesn’t use too much brain power, which is why some people prefer instrumentals or songs in other languages.

Hyperfixation and sensory overload change this by moving the threshold for how much sensory input you need to be able to function. If I’m extremely focused on a craft project (eyes, hands, brain) I might not even need something for my ears; my interest in the project makes up for it. If i’ve had a very overwhelming day, trying to listen to an audiobook while I do some stretches could be too much to process. My brain needs a break.

Video games, which pretty much universally occupy all 4 areas, are basically instant, easy focus wrapped up in a neat little bow. No wonder adhd-havers tend to love them.

If you’re struggling with a task, try looking at which areas it occupies and which are left unattended. Then try to find something enjoyable to fill those gaps, and see if that helps.

Out here missing the neanderthals. Might make a game about it

Honest to god think that artists are blessed and cursed at the same time. Cuz the ability and desire to create is intense and everlasting, but also it traps you in a loop. Nothing will ever be enough. Artists are hardwired to make make make. We've been given the gift of creation but only a limited amount of time to do it, but we try regardless. We live for creation.

my friend's reactions to some of my original music so far:

Bonus: Me talking about one of the characters

it took me a long while to find it but yeah, I had a character defined with g ;-;

Thanks for helping me out!

oh dear god I need help

If anyone who knows ren'py can help me figure this out I'll be in your debt forever. The game runs fine but if I try to open the gallery then an error occurs.

I've been trying to figure this out for hours and something always goes wrong