- Masterful retro survival horror experience.
- Offers varied playthroughs and high replayability.
- Features outstanding audio-visual presentation.
- Presents balanced puzzles and difficulty.
- Suffers from clunky controls and aiming.
- Boss fights can be repetitive.
Emotions
Players expressed satisfaction due to the game's exceptional execution of classic survival horror elements, including its tense atmosphere, effective visual and sound design, and well-balanced gameplay mechanics like combat and puzzles. The game consistently delivered on expectations for a retro-style horror experience, offering high polish, good voice acting, and excellent value for its price.
Players found enjoyment in the game's successful capture of old-school horror aesthetics and its unique visual style. The overall experience was described as fun, blending action, horror, and story with a distinct B-horror movie jank and humor, making the playthrough engaging from start to finish.
Excitement stemmed from the game exceeding expectations by delivering a classic Resident Evil-style experience with strong tension and atmosphere, reminding players why they love the genre. The thrilling gameplay, effective villain, and potential for future content like sequels or new campaigns generated significant enthusiasm, with many reviewers calling it a 'masterclass' and anticipating multiple playthroughs.
Players appreciated the game as a faithful and well-executed homage to classic survival horror, effectively creating genuine tension without relying on cheap jump scares. The detailed graphics, dynamic lighting, effective sound design, and charming retro visuals highlighted the developer's skill and deep understanding of the genre.
Frustration arose from various technical and gameplay issues, including finicky enemy lock-on, problematic controller support with unmappable controls, and the absence of a convenient manual reload option. Additionally, some players encountered bugs, crashes, resolution problems, and found the difficulty aggressively challenging due to bullet-sponge bosses and cheap enemy placements, leading to wasted time and ammo.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 96% · Negative 4%. Score: 4 / 100
Positives:
- Players overwhelmingly praise the game as a successful homage to classic survival horror, particularly the PS1-era Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Its deliberate use of fixed camera angles, tank controls, grainy visuals, cheesy B-movie dialogue, and a constant sense of dread without relying on jump scares creates an authentic, nostalgic, yet fresh and deeply immersive atmospheric experience.
- Beyond the intentional retro aesthetic, players laud the game's outstanding sound design, atmospheric soundtrack (with specific praise for synths and BGM), and high-quality voice acting, with specific actors noted. The graphics are detailed and clear, further enhancing immersion, despite some intentionally clunky animations that contribute to the retro feel.
- The game features well-balanced puzzles that are engaging without being overly difficult or obscure on normal settings. For those seeking a greater challenge, the hardcore mode provides a tighter experience with scarce resources, requiring careful planning and resource management.
- Reviewers consistently highlight the excellent design of enemies and bosses, noting their unnerving and grotesque appearances which perfectly fit the game's thematic madness. These encounters are challenging but fair, making each victory feel like a true accomplishment.
Negatives:
- Many players found the classic tank controls, fixed cameras, and aiming system to be outdated and frustrating. The absence of modern features like manual reload, effective aim-assist, and remappable controls led to a less fluid and convenient gameplay experience.
- Boss encounters were criticized for often requiring the same repetitive tactic, which quickly became boring. Issues such as weapon shots failing to register damage on close-range bosses and inconsistent ammo availability also detracted from the combat experience.
- Players frequently reported "cheap" enemy placements that led to unavoidable ambushes, stun-locks, or being easily cornered by hordes. The design of some encounters felt overly aggressive and frustrating, sometimes requiring players to exploit game mechanics to survive.
- The game's presentation suffered from dated character animations, such as absent blinking and lip-syncing during dialogue, which reduced player immersion. Furthermore, several players expressed disappointment regarding the lack of support for specific language localizations like Portuguese Brazilian, Polish, and Chinese.
- A significant portion of feedback indicated the game felt too short, with its length often cited as a primary drawback. Additionally, the two available campaigns were noted to be largely identical, offering minimal distinct content or experiences.
Gameplay:
- The game offers 5-10 hours per playthrough, featuring two distinct characters with differing health/inventory and unique scenarios. Natalie's campaign reuses some content but adds new areas and bosses, encouraging replay for collectibles, alternate routes, and different endings.
- The game faithfully adopts classic survival horror elements such as fixed camera angles, tank controls, limited resources, and inventory management. Gameplay emphasizes exploration, environmental puzzles, and resource conservation while confronting or avoiding dangerous creatures, reminiscent of early Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
- The game utilizes a mix of fixed and dynamic camera angles, often combined with tank controls and 'stop and aim' shooting mechanics. While some players find tank controls contribute to a nostalgic feel, others suggest making them optional due to potential awkwardness.
- The game's narrative centers around players acting as agents of the R.I.P. group, tasked with hunting down a mad scientist named Ripper. His dangerous experiments and creations form the core conflict of the story.
- Players must strategically conserve ammo and supplies, especially on higher difficulties, as combat with hordes and bosses is often unavoidable. While normal difficulty might offer sufficient resources, avoiding unnecessary fights is crucial for tougher encounters.
Performance:
- Players consistently praise the game for its smooth performance across different systems, highlighting particular satisfaction with its optimized and flawless operation on the Steam Deck.
Recommendations:
- The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy the classic PS1-era survival horror genre, particularly fans of early Resident Evil and Silent Hill. It effectively captures the nostalgia, fixed camera perspective, resource management, and retro-gore atmosphere, making it a must-play for genre enthusiasts.
- The game's appeal is strongly tied to its retro aesthetic, which includes embracing some 'flaws' reminiscent of older games. Potential players are advised to try the demo if unsure, as the experience might not suit everyone, especially those unfamiliar with the genre's specific quirks.
- A few players suggested additional features such as a mod menu and a randomizer mode. While not critical gameplay issues, these indicate interest in extended gameplay options and community engagement for future updates.
Miscellaneous:
- A reviewer reported encountering potential bugs or crashes but was uncertain if these issues stemmed from their computer setup or actual game faults. This indicates a very vague and unconfirmed technical concern.
- One reviewer found the game's fixed camera perspectives noteworthy enough to use them as study material for art, suggesting high-quality visual composition. This highlights a potentially strong aesthetic aspect of the game.
- The game incorporates voice acting from popular YouTubers, including Vtuber Layna Lazar. This is a factual observation about the talent involved, which might appeal to specific audience segments.
