Betweenside
So far, so good! A chilling and intriguing little Gothic tale with some innovative ideas on interactive storytelling. I will update this review as I keep playing and have more things to say.
– Real player with 2.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gothic Dark Games.
5.5/10
Although I recall writing a paper on “Gothic” literature in college, I can’t recall any hallmarks of the genre. I thought the idea of “rewriting the story” was a neat one, and was amused by the way that some of my revisions were then featured in the game’s environments (on a trophy or on posters). The game involves moving from object to object revealing brief vignettes, choosing whether to rewrite this part of the history and which of Victor’s family members to bequeath the item to.
However, I had difficulty figuring out who was speaking during the game’s vignettes, and therefore had difficulty choosing exactly how I might want to rewrite the situation. In addition, the game did not communicate exactly how much of each story I would be rewriting. I might want to alter one line, but upon choosing the rewrite option, almost the entire vignette was erased. Lastly, I just didn’t like the personality of the family lawyer that I was playing. His views on the importance of a military career and the incompetence of a more sedentary career clashed somewhat violently with my own.
– Real player with 1.8 hrs in game
The Lost Souls
I don’t know where this bloody influx of FPS Creator titles has come from and, frankly, it doesn’t matter so long as we can assemble a team to burn it to the ground but, in the meantime, I sure hope you like your stages like an eight year old girl likes her bowling lanes: separated by GIANT CRASH BARRIERS.
Without fail, every area transition (of which there are only a merciful four) sent me hurtling back to the desktop with the gratingly familiar “FPSC has stopped working” taunt that is becoming far more familiar in my gaming pursuits than is acceptable. Occasionally you get a “root system error” when you try to save as well which I guess is the closest thing this abomination is going to get to variety.
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gothic Horror Games.
2/10
… I have NO idea how, but this game managed to be worse than its predecessor. Which is quite surprising, given how the predecessor is by far not a good game.
The Lost Souls is the sequel to White Mirror. Supposedly, this time you’re playing with a different character, since the one from the first game seemingly managed to escape. Once again, the one good thing about the game is that it looks good. Everything else is just as bad: barely any challenge, barely any story, barely any sense, barely… Anything.
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game
Belladonna
I love Point&Click games with dark themes and beautiful artwork, Belladonna has that but failed in many other aspects. The story about a corpse girl rising from dead, she doesn’t know who she is and how she ended up in a laboratory. With the aid of the scattered journal pages which belong to doctor Wolfram von Trauerschloss and his wife Belladonna, she’ll start to piece the story and events together. The ending is weak and sudden in my opinion.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1551909424
– Real player with 8.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gothic Adventure Games.
Pros and Cons list at the bottom of the review.
Belladonna is a decent point-and-click adventure, and it’s low price tag makes it easier to recommend.
The story is not exactly inspired, somewhat of a generic “Frankenstein’s Monster” story, but it is passable. About halfway through the game you will likely have guessed the rest of the plot.
The game itself is only about 75-90 minutes long, depending on how fast you read and how much backtracking you have to do to grab items you didn’t see the first time. Luckily, the game levels are not very large, so backtracking isn’t much of a pain. The puzzles themselves are not too bad, I had an easier time with this game than some other point-and-click’s where what you have to do next is very obscure.
– Real player with 5.9 hrs in game
Shining Hotel: Lost in Nowhere
Since I’ve opted to thumb this game up, I should start this review with a highly emphatic disclaimer, namely:
DO NOT BUY THIS GAME AT FULL PRICE, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I bought it in a pack with another game for a smidgen under ten dollars, and it was still FAR TOO MUCH. This game is very, VERY short (twenty minutes, tops), and worth maybe two bucks at best. That said: I’ve never thumbed a game down purely on the basis of its price, and I’m not about to start here. You have, however, been warned. On with the review, then…
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game
nice experience, good story.. but very bad gameplay!
what is horror to these developers? seriously, is this even scary?
it’s more than a walking simulator!
I’m ok with the game length that everybody’s complaining about, but it’s not horror at all
it doesn’t worth this amount of money..
I’m sorry, but this is the truth
– Real player with 0.9 hrs in game
D1896
This is a pretty tough, albeit short game driven by strict platforming, difficult combat that requires precise timing and positioning, a challenging puzzle segment, and a story delivered via dialogue between NPCs. This game is apparently the 2nd in a trilogy, but my playing it 1st by mistake didn’t detract from my experience.
The art and presentation of the game are both really, really cool and I’m glad I was able to stick with it through to the end. It had this almost body horror, mystical fever dream kind of feeling to it. I highly recommend giving it a go if that sounds interesting to you.
– Real player with 19.5 hrs in game
Brutal game with great narrative that makes me want to come back for more.
– Real player with 13.4 hrs in game
Pawn of the Dead
Nice change on chess games, waiting for new scenarios
– Real player with 5.7 hrs in game
If you’re a chess fan, don’t miss Pawn of the Dead. New rules totally reinvigorate the game (but the original’s still there if you want it). Campaign is a series of 64 challenges but as if that wasn’t enough there’s also an arcade-style “queen vs zombies” mode.
You probably have to be a chess fan to enjoy this, but if you are, this is mindblowing. Features a campaign with 64 challenges, a “queen vs zombies” mode, 2p mode and both classic and zombie rules.
For more niche curation, follow me at: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/27440015-CSH-Picone/
– Real player with 4.8 hrs in game
The Land of Crows
One of the best portrayals of Cthulhu Mythos and Poe out there. Definitely a perfect lovecraftian game in my opinion. The game offers an amazing atmosphere of a desperate land full of polish culture. In fact, one can learn so much from playing this game. Inspirations are very promising and the game provides everything it claims. A really well-written and grim interactive book to read, so to speak.
The somber tale of a very romantic and “curious” polish nobleman filled with a lot of suffering and sorrow for melancholy fans. The most underrated game, I would say.
– Real player with 10.1 hrs in game
An interesting adventure game that’s filled with Polish history, strange entities and ghosts, but there are a few areas that could be improved upon.
Intro
The Land of Crows is an indie side-scrolling horror adventure game that’s heavily inspired by gothic writer’s of old, such as Edgar Allen Poe and Goete. It was also inspired by classic thriller adventure games of the 90’s, which is why it utilizes an old school art style. When I first discovered the game it immediately reminded me think of games like Downfall or The Cat Lady due to its art style but this is a very different entity in its own right. Do read on to see what I thought of the game.
– Real player with 8.8 hrs in game
Darkbolt
Play as the survivors of a Lovecraftian apocalypse, where resources are scarce and horrors abundant.
Darkbolt is:
A gothic, Lovecraftian, Top-down shooter.
Rogue lite: character permadeath and procedural world.
Persistent Base, resource management (Think this war of mine)
Ghost Cash Collect
An old but funny indie game, you can play while something else is loading, despite the fact that I won more than 1kkk points, I still have not discovered a secret character
– Real player with 3.4 hrs in game
enjoying it
maybe in the future we might get more content to keep us playing for longer
– Real player with 2.2 hrs in game
Goetia
One of the most complex, innovative puzzle adventures of the last decade. In a genre which has largely given way to hackneyed point and click, hidden object and inventory combination puzzles, Goetia takes a step sideways and harks back to an era that did not play dumb to its audience. While frustrating at times due to some issues in puzzle design, Goetia should be on every puzzle adventure enthusiast’s wishlist.
The graphics and gameplay are simple but atmospheric and engaging. The audio is rudimentary, but is underpinned by a haunting soundtrack that adds depth to the mystery of Blackwood Manor. Particularly innovative is the use of object possession by the protagonist (Abigail, a spirit). The player must switch between playing as incorporeal Abigail, to functioning in the world as a physical object - each option changing the possibilities and physics of the game.
– Real player with 38.7 hrs in game
Valiant effort bogged down by catastrophic bottleneck puzzles
Any adventure I start I ask myself: how long will it take before a guide is required? Most important question in this genre that refuses to die. Few achieved the feat of being beatable while maintaining challenge and enjoyment, through carefully designed puzzle systems (and hints if you must, for nubs).
13 hours is the answer here - out of which 8 were enjoyable, 5 were retracing my steps, and the rest is regret. Yeah I thought I wasn’t going to be one of those that will get stuck like in other reviews. That’s on me. In my 30 years of adventuring I learned one thing: 120 of guesswork combinations is 120 too much. God I F’ing have every hour spent carefully reading your well worded but with extremely poor font choice written journals, believing it will lead somewhere…
– Real player with 20.1 hrs in game