1,000 Heads Among the Trees

About

In "1,000 Heads Among the Trees" , explore a 3D Peruvian desert town at night, capturing spirits on camera and sharing photos with locals for their free-association reactions. Experience a living, unsettling environment with ambient noises, voices, and textures, as you uncover secrets and follow mysterious figures. This game is based on the developer's personal experiences in a historical town known for its witchcraft practices.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

57%

Audience ScoreBased on 63 reviews

story8 positive mentions

graphics9 negative mentions

The game has an intriguing concept that allows players to explore a mysterious town and uncover its secrets through photography.
The atmospheric visuals and sound design effectively create a creepy and immersive experience, enhancing the overall mood of the game.
The unique narrative structure, where players piece together the story by interacting with townsfolk and showing them photos, adds an interesting layer to the gameplay.

The graphics are subpar, often described as low-poly and poorly executed, which detracts from the overall experience.
Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks clear direction, leading to confusion about objectives and progression.
The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs and performance problems, which can hinder the player's enjoyment.

story
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
71%
8%
The game's story is unconventional, relying on players to piece together the narrative through exploration and photography, which can lead to a unique but sometimes confusing experience. While some players appreciate the atmospheric and immersive storytelling, others find the execution lacking, with an abrupt ending and unclear progression. Overall, it offers a surreal and open-ended narrative that may appeal to fans of atmospheric horror, despite its graphical shortcomings and occasional bugs.
- “With its immersive storytelling, atmospheric visuals, and thought-provoking gameplay, it offers a chilling and mysterious journey into the unknown.”
- “What makes the game fairly unique is the way the story unfolds based upon what you have photographed and who you discuss the photos with.”
- “The story somehow has the paradoxical ability to be both subtle and specific at the same time.”
- “The story is open to interpretation, and could be about a murder conspiracy, witchcraft, or something less sinister but certainly not about everyday stuff.”
- “In its current state, however, I cannot recommend '1,000 heads' as its unfinished story and barebone graphics all act as deterrent factors.”
- “You must create the story, so every conversation behind closed doors that you walk away from is a potential story detail missed.”
graphics
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
48%
36%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players finding them underwhelming or poor, particularly in comparison to other titles. While some appreciate the hand-drawn and surreal art style for enhancing the atmospheric horror experience, others criticize the visuals as dated and lacking polish, which detracts from the overall immersion. Overall, the graphics are seen as a significant drawback, especially for those expecting higher quality in a more polished game.
- “The hand-drawn graphics and surreal art style add a sense of otherworldliness to the experience.”
- “The visuals effectively contribute to the game's ominous atmosphere.”
- “With its immersive storytelling, atmospheric visuals, and thought-provoking gameplay, it offers a chilling and mysterious journey into the unknown.”
- “It is basically a boring walking simulator with poor graphics and subpar repetitive sounds.”
- “Graphically, it is very underwhelming.”
- “In its current state, however, I cannot recommend '1,000 Heads' as its unfinished story and barebone graphics all act as deterrent factors.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
40%
12%
The atmosphere in "1000 Heads Among the Trees" is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, enhanced by minimalistic sound design and atmospheric visuals that evoke a sense of unease and curiosity. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a chilling environment that encourages exploration and personal narrative, despite some criticisms regarding graphics and gameplay mechanics. Overall, it offers a captivating experience for fans of atmospheric horror, making it a noteworthy title for those who value mood and ambiance in gaming.
- “Prepare to immerse yourself in a chilling and atmospheric adventure with 1000 Heads Among the Trees.”
- “The sound design in 1000 Heads Among the Trees is exceptional, with a haunting soundtrack that further elevates the eerie atmosphere.”
- “My favorite thing about the game is the haunting atmosphere, and the strangely immersive world.”
- “Alas, they are buried underneath clunky graphics, slipshod sound design and severe game design flaws that completely ruin all the atmosphere of the project.”
- “As you could already guess, it's not a 'horror game': the atmosphere is completely broken.”
- “The atmosphere, especially the busted and ugly graphics, was made to portray uneasiness and creepiness.”
gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The gameplay of "1,000 Heads Among the Trees" is primarily a first-person walking simulator focused on exploration and photography, where players uncover the story by interacting with NPCs using the pictures they take. While the game features an original camera mechanic and atmospheric storytelling, it suffers from linearity, lack of challenge, and technical issues, leading to a mixed reception regarding its overall execution and depth.
- “Gameplay in 1000 Heads Among the Trees revolves around exploration, puzzle-solving, and uncovering hidden secrets.”
- “In terms of gameplay, it's pretty straightforward - it's a first-person walking simulator where you take pictures of interesting people and things.”
- “The interesting thing about the gameplay is that you uncover the story by showing the pictures you've taken to random people that you meet.”
- “1,000 Heads Among the Trees is a creepy walking simulator where you take pictures to advance the story along. The gameplay is pretty mediocre, but the game is put together with low-poly, bad texture junk that doesn't really sell it.”
- “Gameplay is quite simplistic and very linear.”
- “There are no quest elements (despite some optional 'quests' from the journal where the game asks you to make photos of specific objects - they affect nothing but Steam achievements), no other goals, no challenge, and no 'real' gameplay in 1,000 Heads.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant bugs and glitches that can affect gameplay, including potential crashes to desktop (CTD). However, others note that it runs smoothly for a low-budget title, suggesting that experiences may vary widely among users. Overall, while some players find the game buggy, others are able to enjoy it without major issues.
- “Unfortunately, there are a few bugs and glitches, and some risk of crashing to desktop (CTD).”
- “The game is buggy, and I have no idea how to complete the first part of the quest, but I don't mind.”
- “It just felt weird and buggy.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The music and sound design in the game receive mixed reviews; while some praise the minimalistic and haunting elements that enhance the spooky atmosphere, others criticize the music as forgettable and lacking in quality. Overall, the sound effects contribute positively to the ambiance, but the musical composition falls short for many players.
- “The minimalistic music and sound effects of wind blowing and people chattering add to the spooky atmosphere.”
- “The sound design in '1000 Heads Among the Trees' is exceptional, with a haunting soundtrack that further elevates the eerie atmosphere.”
- “The music is also not good and sounds like the most forgettable royalty-free music.”
- “There's no music.”
- “Bad graphics, bad controls, and bad music.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while some players report smooth performance without issues, others highlight significant optimization problems that can lead to poor frame rates, even on capable hardware. Overall, the game's performance appears to vary widely depending on optimization quality.
- “I had no issues with gameplay, no stuttering, no walking through walls, sound works perfectly, no problems, nada.”
- “The game runs smoothly.”
- “It's a Unity game, and if not optimized well, those games will run at single-digit frame rates, even if your rig can handle it.”
- “- Abysmal optimization.”
- “The only drawback is the unoptimized performance.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally view grinding as a necessary component for farming in the game, particularly for acquiring cards. While some find it enjoyable, others may see it as a time-consuming task that detracts from the overall experience.
- “Recommended for game farming.”
- “The rest of my time played was spent on card farming.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The humor in the game is perceived as lacking, with players suggesting that while it may be enjoyable to share laughs with friends, the game's design fails to effectively incorporate humor, detracting from the overall experience. The attempt at humor is overshadowed by elements that disrupt the realism, leaving players feeling that the comedic potential is not fully realized.
- “Playing with a group of friends while commenting on everything you see and laughing at every silly thing you encounter makes the experience incredibly fun.”
- “The humor in this game shines through in unexpected moments, making even the most serious situations light-hearted and enjoyable.”
- “The witty dialogue and clever puns throughout the game keep the atmosphere lively and entertaining.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game's ending is complex and initially confusing, but once understood, it evokes a deep, unsettling feeling reminiscent of a Stephen King novel.
- “The ending is difficult to understand, but when I finally grasped it, it made me feel like I was in a Stephen King novel.”