Siemon 64

Siemon 64 (stylised as SIEMON 64 or aka Simon 64) is a homebrew game by Jakes1403 released on 23 Feb 2024 where you play a creepy game of Siemon Says.

You can get the ROM from its download page by using the password siemonsays or from the official itch.io page.

Siemon 64 style and gameplay

The game starts off with an quick disclaimer warning of flashing lights.

Photosensitivity warning

A small percentage of people may experience seizures when exposed to certain lights, patterns or images even with no history of epilepsy or seizures.

The title screen appears, showing a glitchy animated background and interesting textured letters moving and resizing around.

Followed by a flashing screen warning us to turn off the N64.

The game then lingers on a blank screen for a few seconds as Siemon floats his merry way onto the centre of the screen. He then then asks the player to press the A button. After completing the assigned task, Siemon then asks you to press the ~̴̖̗̤̊̚~̵̣̓~̵̢̯̈́~̵̭̭͌̀~̷͙̜̃͊̚ button.

You fail to do this and he gets angry. Very angry.

You are then dropped into a labyrinth and Siemon starts to ominously go after you.

The maze seems to go on for eternity, with no dead ends except for the corridor where you start. Siemon moves slightly slower than the player but he’s able to move through walls so he can always take the shortest path instead of following your steps.

As he approaches, the environment starts to change colour until it starts flashing before the final strike. You are then condemned to spend the rest of your time in this purgatory.

Review and conclusion

Siemon 64 is a great example of what a small 3D N64 project can aspire to be. It has a plot, it has non-trivial gameplay and a memorable atmosphere. It would have fit in perfectly in the 2022 game jam.

The first time playing it does have that ‘fear of the unknown’ kind of feeling to it. It does kind of remind me of a simpler (and more lighthearted) version of Sad Satan for some reason.

To nitpick a bit, the game does become quite easy once you realise that there isn’t much challenge to navigate the maze and there isn’t any threat other than Siemon. You can also jump by pressing the A button, but it’s kind of pointless because there’s no obstacles and you need to press the C buttons to move.

The only other complaint is that it relies a bit much on flashing lights when something else could be used to create tension in the game.

Overall, Siemon 64 is a great little horror game in its own right that delivers a thrill without overstaying its welcome. Jakes1403 describes it as a ‘demo’ but I think it deserves to be treated as a fully fledged homebrew game on the Nintendo 64.