Just played it and I didn't find the music remotely sinister. In fact, I would say it lent a soothing feeling to the game.
It kind of reminded me of the GameCube BIOS music. :P

For starters you can email: RockPaperShotgun,Gamasutra,Joystik... all of this sites are looking at indies all the time.

Please thank your artist(s) for me. This game is absolutely beautiful. It has the same sort of feeling that I got from Machinarium.

I don't have any problem with the music. I felt that the whimsey of exploration still shines through, though not at all in a "tinkley" way.

The scene with the purple curtain, in my opinion, encompasses the feeling of the game: It is beautiful in ist simplicity, in its aesthetic, in the grave importance it places on the most mundane objects, and in the (somewhat comforting) inevitability of moving forwards.

The whole seting of the game reminds me of my first feelings when I've played Limbo... just stared at the monitorr like a baboon and played :)

Last night after I was so startled at the difference the music made to the piece I told a couple of mates about it.. they however didn't bother with it mute first time and enjoyed it straight from the start... I certainly wounldn't call them your typical target audience though, and they're not particularly familiar with indie projects

One thing they both agreed on however was the sense of sureal reality when creature is trying to pass the big bug...

The big bug animations are done in such a way, almost stop motion like, that it gives a strong sense of (a form at least) reality encroatching on animation.. we all pretty much liked that contrast..It might be a positive thing if you start thinking on how you can play up the duality/contrast angle.

I played it again and found the experience less jarring so I was able to enjoy it more.... and I do find it growing on me to the point that if it was longer, and just a bit 'more' in general. I would pay money for it, I'm pretty enamoured by the character design. One mate said if it was a slow week, then maybe (pretty much a response I'd expect from him) and the other said it would have to be a LOT more complex for him to spend on it.. but that it would certainly be a consideration if that happened.. he mentioned something the possibility of multiscreen puzzles, and not always having the solution on the same screen all the time, and up to a point I agree, but then it would begin to take the shape of more of a real point and click (without the inventory ovbiously), and that might be quite the departure form your vision.

Either way, both found it's concept and artwork quite intriguing, so I have to see that reaction as a very positive thing... You should get a mailing list together and a proper site... and start SERIOUSLY hawking it around the sites.

I just played (some of) it, and I have to say, it's not a bit too dark in some places, it's a lot too dark in most places.

I'm going to give it another go tonight, after the sun has set, because right now, most of the time, I'm reduced to clicking randomly on the screen until I hit the particular bit of darkness (identical to all the other darkness on the screen) that I'm supposed to.

It's a pity, because it seems really interesting and very well made, although I could wish for some more advanced puzzle design.

I didn't have that problem. There are one or two spots were you only have a blinking red dot that you have to click to prgoress, but apart from that, I could see anything just fine.

So maybe it's you ;-P

Or maybe you have the brightness on your monitor cranked all the way up? ;-p

So have I, by the way. I just checked. But as I'm not the only one to comment on it, I'd say it's probably not just me.

I have no issue with darkness in the game. Tested on 2 laptops and 22" monitor ;)

Regarding the darkness issue, I found it very much dependent on the screen the game's being played on, probably because of the low color values that are generally used throughout the game. On my desktop PC's monitor, some of the areas are very hard to see, but on my laptop it's all fine. I've also tried running it on one of the other PCs in my household that's connected to an LCD TV and there the contrast was so bad that everything that was supposed to be dark and murky seemed a light shade of gray (I'm guessing because the color setting was configured for movies). Next time we'll try to make sure to test every area on a number of different screens to make sure they look passable on each.

Also, the Old Tree page I've added to IndieDB has just gotten authorized. Yay!

I must say, your research there is about as extensive as my own. (I also had a few friend look at the game, obviously.) I really appreciate all your input. The whole team (all two of us) is browsing this topic checking out the reactions.

Just keep up the good work and I hope we will see the next part of this lovely game even better ;)

If you built an .exe version of the game you could probably put it on Desura for free, that could further publicise your work.

Yes, having it downloadable would be excellent.

Okay, I just tried to crank the contrast of my monitor up to 90 from it's usual level of 53. This made a huge difference to the game. Suddenly, I could see the stuff I was supposed to be clicking. It made everything except the game much too bright though, so I've taken it back down again now. Also, it turned out that the screen I stopped at last time was the last screen of the game.

All in all, I have to say it's excellent, although it's very short. I like the art style (except that it's so dark), and the sounds set the mood perfectly. Personally, I'd prefer to be able to control the character, rather than just influencing the environment, but that's just my preference.

You should certainly be immensely proud of what you have made here.