REVEREND Review Summary

Last updated: 2026-08-12
  • Satisfying weapon handling praised
  • Excellent art and atmosphere
  • Well-hidden fair secrets
  • Nostalgic 90s FPS experience
  • Game is unfortunately too short
  • Final boss disappointing
REVEREND header

Emotions

Archetypes

What players like:

Common complaints:

Gameplay feedback:

Performance notes:

Recommendations:

Other player notes:

Review evidence

Why players say this

Steam review verdict

Satisfying weapons, excellent atmosphere, and well-hidden secrets deliver a nostalgic 90s FPS, but it's too short with a disappointing final boss.

What players like

Satisfying weapon handling: Gunplay is generally well-received, with specific praise for the shotgun's feel and sound. The teeth machine gun is also singled out as a favorite, and weapons are described as satisfying and cool to use.

Excellent art and atmosphere: The game's art style and atmosphere receive high praise, with reviewers noting its 'spot on' aesthetic, old-school vibe, and personality. The ambience is described as awesome and oozing with charm, enhancing the overall experience.

Well-hidden fair secrets: Players appreciate the well-hidden and numerous secrets in the game, calling them 'fair' and 'cool.' The secret hunting adds replayability and depth to the otherwise short campaign.

Clearly made with love: Many reviewers feel the game was made with love and care, describing it as lovingly crafted and well-developed. This combination of passion and quality contributes to its overall positive reception.

Nostalgic 90s FPS experience: Players note that the game offers authentic 1990s FPS gameplay with a campy horror vibe. This blend of nostalgia and old-school goodness makes it a hit among those seeking retro experiences.

Common complaints

Game is too short: Multiple players report that the game's length is a major downside, with playthroughs lasting under three hours. Reviewers feel the content is insufficient and could benefit from additional chapters.

Final boss disappointing: The final boss is described as trivial, easy, and lacking impact, with weak music to accompany it. This creates an anticlimactic ending that fails to satisfy players.

Praying for more enemies: The game lacks both enemy variety and quantity, with a basic and uninspired roster. Players also mention that animations are weak and enemies can get lost in the background due to dark sprites.

Poor weapon variety: The weapon arsenal is extremely limited, and reviewers find the available weapons to be abysmal. This, combined with scarce ammunition, forces players to rely on melee for most encounters.

Ugly graphics and sprites: Players criticize the visuals for being unattractive and bland, even for a retro-shooter. The sprites are described as ugly and too dark, which negatively impacts gameplay clarity.

Gameplay and performance

Retro boomer shooter: The game is frequently described as a retro or boomer shooter in the style of 90s FPS games, with a focus on fast-paced action and old-school mechanics. It is often compared to classics like Blood.

Short game length: Multiple clusters indicate the game is quite short, with playthroughs lasting about one to two hours. This is a common point among players, often seen as a limitation.

Levels have secrets: The game includes hidden secrets, easter eggs, and hidden paths within levels, adding replayability and exploration. This is a praised feature by players.

Boss battles present: The game features multiple boss battles, typically on levels 2, 4, 6, and the final level. Bosses are described as big and tough, providing challenging encounters.

Inspired by Blood: Many reviewers highlight the game's strong inspiration from the classic FPS Blood, noting its horror aesthetic and love letter to that era. This is a key defining characteristic.

Performance issues on high-end hardware: Users report low GPU utilization and poor framerates despite strong hardware, including 40-60 FPS on high-end cards and lag on a 2080. This suggests optimization problems.

High CPU usage and resolution problems: Users notice high CPU usage of 10-20% and resolution/scaling issues. These contribute to overall performance and display quality problems.

Game is buggy overall: Feedback indicates general bugginess, leading to crashes and other issues. This undermines stability and user experience.

Fullscreen display malfunctions: Fullscreen mode can malfunction, showing a giant screen depending on environment; a workaround exists via compatibility and high DPI settings. This affects usability.

FPS drops on certain maps: The game experiences frame rate drops on some maps, indicating inconsistent performance across different environments. This could be due to map-specific optimizations.

Recommendations

Great value on sale: Multiple reviews highlight that the game provides good value when bought on sale or at a low price, with several stating it's worth picking up for a few dollars or in a bundle. The consensus is that the price-to-content ratio is favorable, especially for budget-conscious players.

Generally recommended purchase: A number of reviews give straightforward positive recommendations, calling the game 'cool', 'cheap', and 'easy to recommend'. These reviewers generally approve of the purchase without major caveats.

For retro shooter fans: The game is frequently recommended specifically for fans of retro FPS, boomer shooters, and early 90s titles like Blood. Reviews note that it may not appeal to a wider audience, but it hits the right nostalgic notes for genre enthusiasts.

Not worth full price: A few reviewers explicitly do not recommend the game, calling it not worth its full price and impossible to recommend. These negative opinions appear to stem from perceived shortcomings in gameplay or content relative to the cost.

Play better alternatives: Some reviewers recommend alternative games such as DEAD TRASH, Slayers X, or Cultic as better examples of the genre, arguing they cost more but last longer and are more fun. This suggests the game may be overshadowed by other titles.

Buying context

Community fair range: $0.00 - $3.00.

Game completion: 1.5h.

Reverend becomes enjoyable after the player completes the tutorial and adapts to its simple design, but early friction from simplicity and confusing level navigation causes many players to quit before reaching that point.

Friction: simplicity feels off-putting initially; confusing level navigation with key-hunting; boring early gameplay for some.

Unlock drivers: acclimating to the game's simplicity; completing the tutorial; persisting through early confusion.

Player profiles

Retro Boomer Shooter Fan: Traditional run-and-gun with strafing and shooting, reminiscent of 90s shooters. Motivation: Nostalgia for classic boomer shooters and appreciation of retro visual style. Stance: sale.

Quality-Conscious Critic: None specified; focuses on polish and functionality. Motivation: Expects a technically sound and polished experience, unwilling to overlook bugs or poor value. Stance: no buy.

Casual Completionist: Casual, achievement-focused, playing through quickly without challenge. Motivation: Easy 100% completion and low time investment for a cheap price. Stance: sale.

Other review notes

Game is very short: Multiple reviews state the game is short, with completions ranging from under an hour to about three hours. This is the most frequently mentioned characteristic.

Comparisons to Blood: The game is frequently compared to the classic FPS Blood, with some calling it a lighter or indie version. This indicates strong genre inspiration.

Achievements are easy: All achievements can be unlocked by simply completing the game, with no misses. This makes achievement hunting straightforward.

Inspired by classic FPS: The game draws inspiration from classic FPS titles like Blood, Duke 3D, and Rise of the Triad. This sets player expectations for retro-style gameplay.

Game is inexpensive: Reviews mention the low price, often noting it is cheap and appropriate for the short length. This is a positive aspect for budget-conscious buyers.