Info about room13:

Official game description:
  
Pick a **FACE**. Build your **KILL MACHINE**. Slaughter the **DEAD**.  
room13 is a thrilling combination of violence, extreme gore, amazing graphics, simple controls, fun and humor. When you find yourself trapped in a mysterious house being overrun by the dead you do what anyone would. Slaughter them, collect their organs, build some guns and kill some bosses.
**Gameplay**
------------
Created by a one-man development team, room13 is an Action Platform horror game with heavy weapon building and customizing elements. You start each run with a basic gun and a raw, half rotten face. Travel room by room avoiding KillTraps, collecting weapon parts, and finding new faces to wear. Fight your way through 12 Bosses and unlock the secrets of room13.
**  
Additional Features**
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*   Nonstop pulse-pounding action  
*   13 uniquely dangerous rooms to survive with 13 even more uniquely dangerous bosses to battle  
*   The ability to defeat a Boss and then wear their face and gain their powers.  
*   32 total faces to earn, unlock and wear as your own  
*   2 Game Modes (Story and Arcade)  
*   A customable kill machine with THOUSANDS of possible weapon configurations to assemble each time you play  
*   Melee weapons  
*   Original soundtrack composed by Orb Soundwerx  
*   A reanimated Shark’s head because why not

Release date: Jan 13, 2017

Categories: Action Platformer, Roguelike, Weapon Customization, Horror, Wave-based Survival, Horde Shooter, Character Progression


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: Review evidence shows a split: some players find the game excellent even at full price, while others only consider it worthwhile on sale due to repetitiveness. The current price is described as cheap by one, suggesting it is already low. Combining these views yields a fair range where bargain-seeking players expect a discount (around $5) and enthusiastic players accept a higher full price (around $15).
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviewers report different playtimes (0.5h, 2.5h, 4h) without indicating game completion or story completion. One reviewer mentions 70% achievements at 4 hours but does not report full completion. No reviewer states total hours to finish the game. Session length is not explicitly defined (some mention single runs of ~2 minutes, others describe longer sessions, but no consistent metric). Endgame playtime is absent, and story mode is noted as planned but not implemented. Insufficient evidence to assign any playtime metric.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Despite initial friction from clunky controls and polish issues, most players report finding room13 addictive and fun immediately, highlighting challenging gameplay and variety.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Clunky controls; Poor tutorial with controller-keyboard mismatch; Bugs and missing polish (audio cues, enemy spawn cues); Spongy enemies with no damage indication; Little initial direction outside tutorial
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: Challenging difficulty appeals to some players; Randomized rooms and bosses provide variety; Customization with masks and weapons adds depth; Fast-paced horde gameplay is addictive for many; Unpolished early experience deters some players
- Player Archetypes:
  - Hardcore Reflex Junkie (buy)
    - Motivation: Thrill of extreme challenge and reflex testing
    - Playstyle: Reaction-based, intense, embraces death as part of learning
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Achievement Grinder (buy)
    - Motivation: Progression through achievement-driven customization and unlockables
    - Playstyle: Goal-oriented, completionist, methodically unlocking components
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Disappointed Skeptic (no buy)
    - Motivation: Seeking a polished and well-balanced game experience
    - Playstyle: Frustrated, expecting polish and fairness, but finds unfair surprises and poor design
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: completionist
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Retro Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia for classic arcade-style games and clean pixel art
    - Playstyle: Enjoys quick, nostalgic sessions with old-school platforming and shooting
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Game is fun and addictive (weight 0.55): Players consistently describe the game as fun, addictive, and highly replayable, with many noting its humor and overall appeal. The combination of simple yet challenging gameplay keeps players coming back for more.
- Great variety of weapons (weight 0.39): The game offers a vast selection of weapons and upgrades, each with distinct traits and customization options. Players enjoy experimenting with different combinations, such as shotguns that shoot arrows, and appreciate the balance where many builds are equally viable.
- Good replayability value (weight 0.32): The game's procedural elements, numerous unlocks, and variety of play styles ensure high replayability. Randomized rooms, bosses, and weapon combinations keep each run unique and engaging.
- Excellent visual style (weight 0.29): The game's distinctive black-and-white pen-and-ink art with red accents is widely praised as beautiful and appealing. Players appreciate the detailed backgrounds, creative monster designs, and overall cohesive aesthetic.
- Fast-paced action gameplay (weight 0.25): The gameplay is consistently described as fast-paced, action-packed, and heart-pumping, with constant engagement. The quick pacing suits both short sessions and extended play, keeping adrenaline high throughout.
- Quick session friendly (weight 0.24): The game is perfect for short play sessions of 15-20 minutes, making it easy to pick up and put down. Its simple structure and addictive nature make it a great time-killer for casual play.
- Creative and grotesque boss designs (weight 0.19): Bosses are imaginative, with disturbing and grotesque appearances that fit the game's horror theme. Their death scenes add to the narrative and contribute to the overall atmosphere.
- High-quality art direction (weight 0.19): The art style is described as exceptionally good, with hand-drawn graphics, detailed backgrounds, and a limited but effective color palette. The visuals are praised for being both beautiful and easy on the eyes.
- Satisfying combat and gore (weight 0.19): Combat is fast, brutal, and satisfying, with gore and mass slaughters providing excitement. The kill count feature and screenshaking enhance the feeling of impact and immersion.
- Great for stress relief (weight 0.19): The brutal, gory combat serves as an excellent stress reliever, offering mindless entertainment when needed. The simple objectives and easy-to-follow rules make it a laid-back yet exciting pastime.

Common complaints:
- Stair movement is frustrating (weight 0.82): Stair navigation is widely criticized as inconsistent, unreliable, and requiring precise stick or diagonal input, often causing players to fall through or get stuck. Many deaths are attributed to stair mechanics rather than enemies.
- Repetitive gameplay and grinding (weight 0.76): The game is criticized for being repetitive and grindy, with few enemy types, limited maps, and monotonous gameplay. Unlocking features requires excessive death counts or kill counts, such as 10,000 deaths or 50,000 kills, which discourages players.
- Clunky controls hinder gameplay (weight 0.65): Multiple clusters consistently report that controls are poorly designed, clunky, and non-intuitive, especially on keyboard and gamepad. This significantly impairs player experience and makes the game hard to get into.
- Multiple bugs and crashes (weight 0.63): The game suffers from various bugs including white screen freezes, crashes on item pickups, progression issues, and random failures. Some bugs force players to quit, and the game remains in early access with significant issues after almost two years.
- Unfair enemy spawning (weight 0.41): Enemies frequently spawn out of nowhere, including from above, below, crates, and even reward chests, leading to cheap damage and deaths. Players feel damage is unavoidable and the spawning is unfair.
- Stairs cause cheap deaths (weight 0.36): Stairs and platforming issues lead to many unfair deaths, such as falling through floors, getting stuck, or failing to jump. Some players report that more deaths are caused by stair controls than by enemies.
- Melee combat is frustrating (weight 0.35): Melee weapons require double tapping on keyboard, are riskier than guns, and can miss, leaving players vulnerable. The balance between melee and guns is criticized, with ammo often restricting effective combat.
- Interface and input issues (weight 0.33): Control settings do not save, tutorial shows keyboard prompts when using a controller, and the game sometimes forces keyboard input. These issues create confusion and hinder accessibility.
- Sound and audio problems (weight 0.3): The soundtrack is monotonous and not memorable, ambient sound is poor, and audio cues for enemy spawns are lacking. The game may not go silent even when music and SFX are turned off.
- RNG heavily impacts runs (weight 0.27): Many runs succeed only due to lucky RNG drops and upgrades, making success feel more about luck than skill. Some rooms rely on luck-based movement, and upgrades are random with many duplicates.
- Aiming and shooting issues (weight 0.26): Aiming is restricted to horizontal and vertical directions except on stairs, limiting combat options. The gun feels mindless to use, and ammo drops are either too abundant or too scarce, affecting balance.
- Difficulty spikes and imbalance (weight 0.26): The game is considered too difficult and unbalanced, with masks and weapons being imbalanced, and the game often boiling down to exploiting spots. This makes the experience more frustrating than challenging.
- Visual and platforming clarity (weight 0.25): Platforms are hard to identify, and level layouts are too much alike despite different traps. The screen shaking is overdone, and the mouse cursor doesn't disappear, contributing to a lack of polish.
- Boss and endgame bugs (weight 0.22): There are specific bugs related to bosses and endgame content, such as white screens after boss death scenes and crashes when starting a new game after beating the final boss. These force players to restart or lose progress.
- Progress loss on death (weight 0.19): Dying resets all progress except masks, leaving players with no sense of advancement. This design is seen as too punishing and discourages continued play.

Gameplay feedback:
- Room-specific traps and hazards (weight 0.47): Each room features unique traps and environmental hazards, such as lights going out or lethal mechanisms that can harm both enemies and the player. These traps add strategic depth and can be randomly activated, increasing difficulty and requiring careful navigation.
- Weapons extensively customizable (weight 0.47): Weapon customization is deep, allowing players to combine base, barrel, stock, and magazine parts to create unique firearms. Upgrades are unlocked over time, and players can modify guns between rounds or from random drops, enhancing replayability.
- Wave-based arena zombie combat (weight 0.46): The core gameplay involves fighting waves of zombies in various rooms or arenas. Enemies pour in from multiple directions, and players use randomized weapons, melee attacks, and resource management to survive until the passage is cleared.
- Roguelike progression with permadeath (weight 0.45): The game incorporates roguelike elements, where death resets progress but unlocks masks and weapon parts as milestones. Repeated runs allow players to acquire new equipment and skills, making future attempts easier, similar to titles like The Binding of Isaac.
- Masks grant unique abilities (weight 0.43): Masks are central to gameplay, providing special abilities like health boosts, eating enemies, toxic gas, charging, or airstrikes. They can be timed or passive and are often unlocked through progression or random drops, adding variety.
- Collect organs for progress batteries (weight 0.4): Players collect organs from slain zombies to fill a bar, which yields batteries that open passages to the next rooms. Three batteries are typically needed, and collecting enough triggers timed escapes before new waves arrive.
- Survival horror with crafting and resources (weight 0.35): The game blends survival horror with crafting mechanics, requiring players to manage resources like health, ammo, and collectibles such as flesh, brains, and batteries. Resource scarcity forces frantic scavenging and strategic decisions, especially when ammo is limited.
- Death unlocks content and persists (weight 0.32): Progression is tied to dying, with certain unlocks only counting after death, such as masks and weapon parts. This encourages repeated attempts and long-term meta-progression, as players can gradually acquire new tools.
- Classic static-screen shooter platformer (weight 0.31): The game is a side-on shoot 'em up platformer set in a single-screen environment, reminiscent of old static-screen games with stairs, platforms, and shooting. Players constantly move up and down stairs to avoid damage and engage in action-packed platforming.
- Challenging difficulty and controls (weight 0.28): The game is considered challenging, with difficulty stemming from random weapon loadouts and occasionally awkward controls, such as limited aiming directions and inconsistent stair climbing. However, unlocking tools gradually reduces the initial difficulty.
- Replay value from random elements and unlocks (weight 0.27): High replay value is driven by randomized content, including weapon drops, room layouts, and unlockable masks and weapons. This, combined with arcade-like quick sessions and story sections, keeps the experience fresh and engaging.
- Bosses offer unlockable faces and minigames (weight 0.26): Each room may have a specific boss that appears under certain conditions, and defeating them unlocks their faces with unique attack abilities. Boss fights include short minigames revealing their origins, adding narrative depth.
- Limited ammo necessitates melee mix (weight 0.23): Ammo is not plentiful, forcing players to alternate between gunfire and melee attacks. Searching for drops and using health as a last resort (e.g., spitting blood) adds tension and requires effective resource management.
- Rooms are connected and require key progression (weight 0.22): Progression is room-based, with players clearing areas and unlocking doors using keys or collecting batteries. After clearing, they can choose different directions, adding exploration and strategic choice to the run.
- Character has limited health and survival mechanics (weight 0.21): The player character can withstand only a few hits (about five from fodder enemies) and has limited life and ammo, which can be replenished through pickups. This fragility emphasizes the importance of evasion and resource conservation.
- Diverse melee weapons available (weight 0.18): Players can pick up a variety of melee weapons, including pipe wrenches, hammers, and crowbars, as well as throwable axes. These weapons degrade with use, adding a strategic layer to resource management.
- Unlock system via achievements and kills (weight 0.17): Achievements and kill counts unlock new gun components and masks, providing progression rewards. Additionally, leaderboards track multiple categories, encouraging players to improve their performance across different metrics.

Performance notes:
- Freezes after boss pickups (weight 0.15): Multiple players report the game freezing on a white screen after picking up a boss item or during boss death scenes. This appears to be a recurring issue tied to specific boss encounters.
- Numerous bugs reported (weight 0.09): Players have reported a high volume of bugs overall, indicating that the game may feel unpolished or unstable. This broad complaint suggests a need for extensive bug fixes.
- Shark head drops FPS (weight 0.08): Using the shark head ability can halve the frame rate, significantly impacting performance during gameplay. This appears to be a performance issue specific to that ability.

Recommendations:
- Recommend game overall (weight 0.47): Many players strongly recommend the game for its engaging gameplay and overall fun, often referring to it as an indie gem or a worthwhile purchase.
- Early access development promising (weight 0.29): Positive comments highlight active development and improvements, with some users upgrading their recommendation from not recommended to recommended due to the developer addressing issues.
- Controller improves experience (weight 0.25): A consistent theme is that using a controller provides a significantly better experience, with some stating it is necessary or at least preferable over keyboard controls.
- Recommended for niche audiences (weight 0.24): The game is often recommended for specific groups: fans of the Thing Thing series, 2D platformers, players who enjoy reflex and speed-based challenges, or those who like gory action games with humor.
- Recommend wait for sale (weight 0.19): Some users advise purchasing the game at a discount or waiting for a sale, indicating that the value is better when the price is reduced.
- Enjoyed as challenging game (weight 0.19): Players who enjoy a difficult challenge find the game appealing, with one giving it a 9/10 for early access and suggesting that others may not play it often.
- Not for sensitive players (weight 0.07): One review notes the game is not suitable for children, pregnant women, or those with certain mental health conditions, likely due to intense or disturbing content.

Other player notes:
- Extended early access period (weight 0.41): The game has been in Steam Early Access for nearly two years, with ongoing updates and development. Reviewers note that it is still being improved and will likely evolve before full release.
- Missing story mode (weight 0.27): The game currently lacks a story mode, featuring only arcade mode, though story content is planned for future updates. Reviewers mention the absence of narrative and boss death scenes.
- Comparison to Binding of Isaac (weight 0.27): The game is frequently compared to The Binding of Isaac in terms of aesthetics, gameplay, and room transitions. Players must think before picking up items, and the mix of platforming and roguelike elements is highlighted.
- Active developer communication (weight 0.22): The developer is described as active in the community and transparent about updates, with bug fixes addressing early-access concerns. However, some feedback notes that updates have ceased.
- Grindy achievement system (weight 0.22): Achievements are numerous and can be grindy, requiring significant time and patience to unlock. This is seen as a mixed factor, adding replay value but also frustration.
- Short completion time (weight 0.17): The game can be completed in about five hours, and its small size is acknowledged. This brevity contributes to a sense of limited content.
- Technical and engine aspects (weight 0.14): Built in Clickteam Fusion and running on any PC, the game has a small file size. These technical details are noted but not strongly critiqued.
- Setting and theme (weight 0.14): The game is set in an abandoned asylum, with content featuring faces, upgrades, and bosses. This setting adds to the horror vibe that players appreciate.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.24): Players reported that the game suffers from clunky controls, especially around stair navigation, leading to frequent cheap deaths. Additionally, numerous bugs cause crashes, progress loss, and unfair deaths from spawning enemies, undermining the challenge.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.16): The game is widely enjoyed for its addictive, fast-paced gameplay, extensive weapon and mask variety, and chaotic horror aesthetic. Players appreciate the brutal challenge, customization options, and fun wave combat mechanics.
- Excitement (weight 0.09): The fast-paced, gory action and tense boss encounters generate strong excitement, with players experiencing heightened heartbeats during gameplay. The excellent graphics, diverse elements, and anticipation for future content also contribute to this emotion.
- Annoyance (weight 0.07): Annoyance is driven by persistent bugs, problematic stair climbing mechanics due to inconsistent diagonal inputs, and unavoidable damage from dead enemies. Other annoyances include grindy achievements, forced keyboard input, and the inability to mute game sounds.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Satisfaction stems from the straightforward, gory killing gameplay that acts as a stress reliever and aligns with player expectations. Appreciation for the developer's responsiveness to feedback and the stylish art and customization options also enhances satisfaction.
- Irritation (weight 0.05): Irritation arises from the monotonous single soundtrack, numerous critical bugs, and a lack of ongoing updates. Additionally, poorly designed hitboxes leading to unfair damage, the extensive death requirement for unlocks, and the persistent mouse cursor contribute to frustration.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Players admire the game's hand-drawn pen and ink graphics with red details, deeming the visual style eye-catching and beautiful. The overall quality, including gameplay and music, also draws admiration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.04): Disappointment stems from a white screen freeze after the boss causing progress loss, and the underlying fun being undermined by poorly implemented controls that make platforming a source of frustration. The fragmented story, lack of multiplayer, and feeling like a beginner project further contribute.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Boredom results from repetitive gameplay that becomes stale after a few hours, focusing on the same monster-killing and resource management loop without enough variety.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement is evoked by the game's gothic boss imagery and creepy masks creating a mad yet cute atmosphere, along with the character's hapless amnesiac portrayal and the ridiculous face explosion mechanic, all wrapped in an old film style.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is driven by poor controls, especially stair navigation that causes many deaths, and the game's design choices such as limited two-way aiming despite telling players to use a controller, leading to frequent frustrations.
- Addiction (weight 0.02): The addictive gameplay and desire to unlock all masks keep players engaged, highlighting endless replay value as the primary cause of this emotion.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Enthusiasm is generated by the game's cool aesthetic, addictive gameplay, and the challenging reflex- and speed-based mechanics that players eagerly recommend to others.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement results from the game being a blast, with players returning frequently due to its compelling and addictive nature.
- Delight (weight 0.01): Delight arises from the game's atmosphere, which is simultaneously terrifying and adorable, creating an appealing and unique experience.
- Approval (weight 0.01): Approval stems from the game being deemed a very good and bloody experience, meeting the player's expectations for violent action.
- Fun (weight 0.01): The game is described as lots of fun and addicting, with the fun factor being a central reason for the overall positive sentiment.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret is tied to the feeling that the game is still missing something even after full release, making the purchase feel less worth it.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Happiness is derived from being pleasantly satisfied with the purchase and consistently returning to the game for more enjoyment.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love is inspired by the hectic, fast-paced gameplay involving scavenging and numerous upgrades, as well as the game being considered wonderful and innovative.}