Absence

About

Absence will have you checking over your shoulders and double looking at everything from the moment you get swept up in it. You've awakened in a bathroom, only knowing that someone has left to the main office to get you help. What were you doing there? Where is there? There is a strange sense of something missing around you.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

29%

Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

atmosphere3 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game offers an easy achievement, making it accessible for completionists.
Some players found the monster design, particularly the Demogorgon-like creature, to be a unique and interesting aspect.
For its low price, it can provide a brief hour of entertainment if approached with the right expectations.

The gameplay feels clunky, with mechanics that can lead to frustrating deaths, especially due to sprinting causing heart attacks.
The level design is criticized for being boring and lacking direction, leading to a tedious experience.
Many players noted that the game feels more like a poorly executed school project rather than a polished title, with numerous bugs and unrefined elements.

gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The gameplay is characterized as a simplistic walking simulator with minimal interaction, featuring poor controls and repetitive mechanics. Players experience a lack of engaging content, with some noting a unique health mechanic where sprinting can lead to in-game death, but overall, the gameplay is described as uninspired and lacking depth.
- “The stand-out mechanic here is that sprinting will eventually kill you.”
- “The health mechanic took a second for me to get used to; it seems this girl can scare herself to death, literally.”
- “About an hour of gameplay.”
- “Gameplay - a walking simulator where you can interact with very few things: keys, generators, and a flashlight.”
- “Extremely poorly designed game with bad looping sounds, terrible controls, and no gameplay whatsoever, just run forward.”
- “Uninspired gameplay.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The graphics have received mixed reviews, with some users noting that they appear dated and reminiscent of PS1-era visuals, while others appreciate the aesthetic in specific environments like woods and lanterns. Overall, the visuals are described as lacking innovation and being somewhat generic.
- “The graphics, by the way, look good in the woods, with lanterns and steam clouds.”
- “The writing is terrible, the controls are not remappable, and the graphics are very dated.”
- “PS1 graphics.”
- “Cookie-cutter graphics.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The story in Absence is considered somewhat lacking, with a short narrative that can be difficult to piece together, though it is not entirely without merit.
- “The game was a little short, and the story is a bit hard to piece together.”
- “The game was a little short and the story is a bit hard to put together.”
- “Absence surely doesn't shine in story writing, in gameplay, or in the tech field, but it's not that bad.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for its instability, featuring numerous bugs and an unpolished experience that can lead to frustrating difficulty spikes. While it may not be the worst in its genre, it suffers from a lack of cohesion and quality, often relying on pre-purchased assets that detract from the overall presentation.
- “A bit buggy and unpolished, with unfair difficulty at some points, but I liked it after all.”
- “It's far from the worst horror title out there, but it shares many of their traits: it's dull, sparsely plotted, ugly, buggy, and cobbled together with pre-purchased assets to the point where there are copies of 'The Daily News' lying around proclaiming that 'Unity magic is here to stay!!!'.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of "Absence" is characterized as a haunting blend of horror and exploration, drawing comparisons to "Cry of Fear." Players can expect an immersive experience that effectively evokes tension and unease throughout their journey.
- “Absence is an atmospheric horror exploration game reminiscent of 'Cry of Fear'.”
- “The game masterfully creates a haunting atmosphere that keeps you on edge.”
- “Every sound and visual detail contributes to an immersive experience that draws you into its eerie world.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the humor in the game to be highly entertaining and effective, often eliciting genuine laughter.
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The music in the game is inconsistent, with pursuit themes occasionally playing during chases but often absent when expected, leading to a lack of immersion in critical moments.
- “The soundtrack perfectly complements the game's atmosphere, enhancing every moment of the experience.”
- “I love how the music dynamically changes based on the gameplay, making each encounter feel unique.”
- “The variety of tracks keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging, making me want to explore every corner of the game.”
- “Sometimes the pursuit music would play when it was following me, but more often than not it wouldn't.”
- “The soundtrack feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The music doesn't match the intensity of the gameplay, which really takes away from the overall experience.”