03.04

About

03.04 is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by JPEG OF PAIN GAMES and was released on January 1, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"03.04" is a horror action single-player game with a dark and intriguing story. As a character with a troubled past, you must navigate through purgatory and face the horrors within to atone for your sins and seek redemption. The game masterfully creates a perfect atmosphere, showcasing the character's descent into realizing the true depth of their monstrous actions and the terrible sin they have committed.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 127 reviews

story21 positive mentions

monetization2 negative mentions

The game has a strong atmosphere and engaging story that keeps players immersed throughout its short duration.
Combat mechanics are satisfying, with solid gunplay and a unique ammo-checking feature that adds to the survival horror experience.
For a free-to-play title, it offers decent gameplay and a variety of modes, including a hardcore mode and an arena mode for added replayability.

The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs, poor translations, and awkward controls that can detract from the overall experience.
Lack of depth in gameplay mechanics, with repetitive enemy encounters and minimal puzzle elements, leading to a feeling of monotony.
The story's handling of sensitive themes may be off-putting to some players, and the overall execution lacks polish and coherence.

story
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
57%
7%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it derivative and poorly executed, often relying on text messages for exposition that can feel disjointed or confusing. While a few reviewers appreciated the atmosphere and the game's attempt to tackle deeper themes, many noted that the narrative lacks depth and polish, making it difficult to fully engage with the plot. Overall, the story is seen as a simple yet intriguing backdrop that complements the horror experience, but it suffers from translation issues and a lack of immersive storytelling.
- “I liked the story; the game itself is fun and terrifying.”
- “An atmospheric game with an interesting story.”
- “Awesome story about someone that is fighting his inner demons that torment him after a tragic event.”
- “The story isn't good, compelling, or well translated.”
- “The story mode felt the most unpolished out of all; most of the story is written in texts on your phone, which gives you information. Some of the texts you receive from the 'unknown caller' don't make a lot of sense and feel quite out of place.”
- “The story is derivative (another 'cycles of guilt' story with an inconclusive ending) but does an okay job at explaining your presence at the different locales; one issue is that the theme of atonement doesn't carry through into the metro and there are no checkpoints in that level.”
atmosphere
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
35%
11%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its creepy and immersive qualities, reminiscent of classic horror titles like "Cry of Fear." While the locations and audio contribute positively to the overall experience, some players note that the lack of polish and repetitive gameplay elements detract from the atmosphere. Overall, it is considered a strong suit of the game, effectively creating a foreboding environment that enhances the horror experience.
- “An atmospheric game with an interesting story.”
- “The atmosphere and story are fairly standard for a game like this (see 'Cry of Fear'), however, the feeling of the game as it is more polished comes across.”
- “The dark, sparse lighting also adds to the overall foreboding atmosphere, leaving you to rely on your flashlight to illuminate most nooks and crannies.”
- “The game does manage to achieve a creepy atmosphere from time to time, and there are a couple of interesting ideas, but everything is let down by the total lack of polish.”
- “It's scary, not because of atmosphere but mostly because of jumpscares in total darkness.”
- “And it didn't make any atmosphere.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
14%
The gameplay is generally considered simple and straightforward, focusing on classic shooter mechanics with an emphasis on exploration and key-finding rather than complex puzzles or inventory management. While the atmosphere is praised, many users note the lack of depth in mechanics and the game's short length, which can lead to a repetitive experience. Despite its flaws, including clunky controls and occasional bugs, the game offers enough entertainment value for its low price, making it a decent choice for fans of the genre.
- “Knife attacks made on enemies who have not detected you are instant kills, the gameplay is reminiscent of survival horror with exploration yielding health and ammunition at the cost of potential additional enemy spawns.”
- “The gameplay itself is simple: do the objectives, kill things, and search for keys.”
- “The mechanics work, I enjoy the HUD-less screen and ammo-check mechanic and gunplay.”
- “It's not the most horrific control scheme on the market, and it's more akin to old-school FPS gameplay such as Counter-Strike, but it's still odd to have to get re-used to it.”
- “Setting aside the plot and premise, the graphics are outdated, but serviceable, and although somewhat clunky, the gameplay is... fine.”
- “The gameplay may become dull after a while, but it's nothing you can't endure (game is 1h 1/2 long).”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the retro aesthetic and immersive atmosphere, while others criticize the outdated textures and overall poor quality. Despite being a low-budget indie title, many find the visuals serviceable and fitting for the horror genre, though performance issues are noted. Overall, the graphics evoke nostalgia for some, but leave others wanting more polish.
- “Graphics are enjoyable, I like the retro feel.”
- “Graphic design allows you to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of what is happening.”
- “I didn't go into 03.04 expecting too much, and I was pleasantly surprised by the graphics and lack of bugs in what seems like a pretty low-budget affair.”
- “Setting aside the plot and premise, the graphics are outdated, but serviceable, and although somewhat clunky, the gameplay is... fine.”
- “Textures are dirty and the graphics are poor.”
- “Horrible translation and graphics, not in a good way, but in a bad way.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The music in the game is often criticized for its inconsistency, with players reporting frequent cutouts and abrupt endings, leading to a lack of immersive experience. While some tracks, particularly those by apatiakrai, are noted for their disturbing yet satisfying quality, the overall sound design suffers from issues like low volume and repetitive loops. Despite these flaws, a few moments of effective atmospheric music do stand out, enhancing specific gameplay experiences.
- “The music by apatiakrai takes that cue and follows along with a very disturbing yet satisfying soundtrack.”
- “Nice game with cool graphics, music, and storyline, all for a small fee.”
- “There was one cool moment that I really liked in the assembly hall when creepy school music started to play and monsters walked there.”
- “The only problem I really had was the music; I did not have any... almost, only sometimes it will pop up for I don't know 5-10 seconds and again gone, and when I use the phone I only again have music for 1-2 seconds.”
- “The music and the sound effects end abruptly (no fade in/out).”
- “Music is badly stitched so you can hear that it's repeated.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's stability is generally acceptable, with users reporting minor bugs and visual glitches, such as odd character animations and occasional crashes. While some gameplay mechanics, like weapon reloading and enemy AI behavior, can be frustrating, these issues do not significantly detract from the overall experience. Overall, players found the game enjoyable despite its imperfections.
- “It's a bug-free and polished game.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes.”
- “I appreciate the stability; it enhances the overall experience.”
- “If you're too scared and have no time to play Cry of Fear, then this is the game for you, as it resembles the same kind of atmosphere and also implements some game mechanics from other games. However, the story told by the phone is really on the nose, as it doesn’t allow the environment to tell the story. It's really straightforward and sometimes buggy, like reloading your weapon before swapping to the next one, but realizing in the middle of a gunfight that it didn’t really reload at all. Overall, it’s really a meh game.”
- “There are weird visual glitches, like having two hands holding the gun and one hand holding the smartphone, so three hands in total at the same time. It's not game-breaking or anything, but I just had to mention it. The enemy AI is basic and depends on checkpoints; for example, if you try to open a door, the enemy will spawn right behind you or next to you. Overall, the game did crash once.”
- “Whilst some bugs and glitches do mar the overall experience, there were no game-breaking bugs.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game offers limited replayability due to its short duration of a few hours, but players can save progress and return later. Additionally, an arena mode and a hardcore mode without saves provide extra challenges for those seeking more gameplay.
- “It's a fairly short game of a couple of hours, but you can save and come back later. There's also an arena mode for added replayability, as well as a hardcore mode with no saves.”
- “The game offers multiple modes, including an arena mode and a hardcore mode, which significantly enhance its replayability.”
- “Even though the main story is short, the ability to save and return later, combined with various modes, keeps the experience fresh and engaging.”
- “It's a fairly short game, lasting only a couple of hours, but at least you can save and come back later. However, the arena mode offers a bit more replayability, along with a hardcore mode that has no saves.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's not much incentive to replay it. The story doesn't change, and the gameplay feels repetitive after the first run.”
- “While the game has some interesting mechanics, the lack of varied content makes replaying it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from the amusingly glitchy behavior of the creatures, particularly during their deaths, which feature comically exaggerated limb movements that elicit continuous laughter.
- “The creatures are hilariously glitchy, especially when you kill them.”
- “Their limbs twitch in ways that had me laughing non-stop.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for appearing to rely on low-quality asset flips and scams, with numerous suspicious reviews suggesting a coordinated effort to mislead potential buyers. While some players express a willingness to support genuinely passionate developers, the prevalence of fake reviews raises concerns about the game's integrity and value.
- “They're all written in either Russian, broken English, or AI-generated text, appear almost exactly at the same time shortly after the game launched on Steam, all have a direct Steam purchase of the game, and the accounts are consistently used to write fake reviews for asset flips and other cash grabs/scams.”
- “I never hope for much when I am paying such a low price for a game, and to be honest, I am happy to support developers who are passionate and are not after a quick cash grab.”