Ad Infernum
- February 29, 2024
- Entropy Phi
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreIn "Ad Infernum," you wake up at an abandoned gas station after a car crash and hear a voice on the radio. Together, you discover a missing cult, unholy rituals, and bloodthirsty creatures. As you witness horrors, your psyche deteriorates, leading to audiovisual hallucinations. Fight back with various guns and melee weapons, upgradable for increased power. Can you complete the cult's final ritual and escape the terrors before it's too late?
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PC
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PlayStation
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Reviews
- Engaging atmosphere and sound design that enhances immersion and tension throughout the gameplay.
- Offers a unique blend of immersive sim and survival horror elements, encouraging exploration and experimentation with various gameplay mechanics.
- High replayability with multiple paths, New Game+ options, and a points shop that adds depth and encourages players to revisit the game.
- The story is often confusing and lacks depth, making it difficult for players to become fully invested in the narrative.
- Gameplay can feel janky at times, with issues such as microstuttering, clunky movement, and inconsistent enemy behavior.
- The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content and a more fleshed-out experience.
- replayability11 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through features like a points shop, new game+, and various difficulty levels, encouraging players to revisit it for different experiences and challenges. Despite its short playtime, many users appreciate the incentives for replaying, such as weapon upgrades and modifiers, making it a worthwhile investment for those seeking extended enjoyment. Overall, the combination of unlockables and engaging puzzles enhances the game's replay value.
“Great replayability, has NG+ and a points shop with all kinds of modifiers and difficulties I'm yet to play with.”
“Interestingly, this game also has lots of replayability due to its extra and New Game+ (you keep weapon upgrade levels and purchased power-ups for the next run).”
“Wanna test your mettle on different difficulties with all your gear like in Dead Space? Go ahead, all the difficulties have a level of challenge that can spice things up even on NG+, plus it adds a lot more replay value.”
“Wanna test your mettle on different difficulties with all your gear like in Dead Space? Go ahead, all the difficulties have a level of challenge that can spice things up even on New Game Plus, plus it adds a lot more replay value.”
“Plenty of effort has been put into providing incentives for replayability.”
“Fun little game with a bit of a focus on replayability.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for effectively blending classic survival horror elements with immersive sim mechanics, creating a unique and engaging experience. While the core gameplay loop is well-executed and the distinct locations enhance the tension, some mechanics feel underutilized, leaving players wishing for deeper development and focus on the game's strengths. Overall, it showcases a fun and surreal survival horror experience, though it could benefit from more consistent implementation of its innovative features.
“I can say, in the best way possible, that the designer seems to have copied a lot of the best mechanics from that game and translated them into a fun and very surreal survival horror experience.”
“A nice combination and marriage between classic survival horror and classic immersive sim mechanics.”
“Ad Infernum is a really fun and tense showcase of just how well the core mechanics of traditional immersive sims can be married with survival horror themes.”
“I just wish it was developed more or more focused on its strengths instead of just having a bunch of mechanics that are underutilized.”
“The mechanic of creating your weapon is introduced in the tutorial but is ditched for the whole game after the tutorial.”
“The gameplay is where it is at though.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it confusing and minimal, lacking depth and investment. However, others appreciate its intriguing premise and exploration-driven narrative, drawing comparisons to films like "As Above, So Below." Overall, while the story has potential, many feel it could benefit from further development and clarity.
“It also has an interesting story with some surprising depth and reminded me of movies such as 'As Above, So Below'.”
“A fun story with a cool premise; my only regret is not seeing more.”
“The story is one driven primarily by exploration; finding out what the hell happened in this neglected, and then abandoned, gas station.”
“The story is confusing, other than the fact that you're supposedly checking out a vast underground system beneath the gas station itself.”
“There's only three enemy types and very little story to get invested in.”
“The story is minimal; it does not seem to take itself too seriously.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with some players finding them to have a "default Unity engine" aesthetic that appears shiny and plastic-like, while others describe the visuals as "ugly amateurish semi-realism." Despite the graphics being considered acceptable or lacking in quality, many reviewers appreciate the game's overall atmosphere, soundtrack, and voice acting, suggesting that the visuals are not the primary focus.
“The aesthetic of the game is amazing, as is its soundtrack, voice acting, and atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere and sound are great, while the graphics have their own charm.”
“It doesn't look like much at first, but it goes for an interesting semi-realism that sets it apart from many recent low-budget horror games.”
“Be aware that there is some jank and the game does have a very 'default Unity engine' aesthetic; all shiny plastic surfaces with crispy normal maps.”
“It doesn't look like much at first: unlike many recent low-budget horror games, it does not commit to a fitting low-fi aesthetic, but goes for, uhhhh, I guess ugly amateurish semi-realism?”
“Art style is clearly not the main draw here.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised as its strongest element, characterized by an amazing aesthetic, haunting music, and effective sound design that enhances the overall experience. While some players find the graphics merely acceptable, the immersive atmosphere successfully evokes fear and tension at various points.
“The atmosphere is excellent and is the single strongest element of the game.”
“The atmosphere and sound are great, while the graphics are acceptable (it has its own charm though).”
“The atmosphere is there and the game scared me at several points.”
“The music is haunting and sets the atmosphere well.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-executed, contributing to a haunting atmosphere and enhancing the overall aesthetic, particularly noted in the ending credits song. However, some players feel that the music's absence during much of the game and the choice in the final section may feel out of place, despite providing a welcome relief from the horror elements. Overall, while opinions vary, the soundtrack is appreciated for its atmospheric qualities.
“The music and soundscape is well executed as well; I really like the ending credits song.”
“The aesthetic of the game is amazing, as is its soundtrack, voice acting, and atmosphere.”
“The music is haunting and sets the atmosphere well.”
“Neither is music, which is gracefully absent for most of the game.”
“The feel and music choice of the last section of the game is a bit out of place.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been noted to have some jank and microstuttering issues, but players report that once they acclimate, the overall experience is enjoyable.
“There is a fair bit of jank and some issues with microstuttering, but once I got my bearings, I had a very good time with this.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding in the game manageable, with one reviewer noting it took about four hours to achieve 100% completion, although some challenges may require additional effort that they are not inclined to pursue.
“Probably took about 4 hours total to 100% the game, besides a few challenges that I don't feel like grinding out.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over just to progress, which really killed my enjoyment.”
