Ailment: dead space standoff

About

"Ailment: dead space standoff" is a Casual game with an intriguing story and exceptional gameplay, featuring ingenious graphics and soundtrack. As a doom survivor, pick up your pixel gun to destroy hordes of zombies and their dead cells in a dense atmosphere. However, be prepared for frequent advertisements and occasional humor throughout your playthrough.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,340 reviews

story212 positive mentions

monetization79 negative mentions

The game has a captivating storyline with unexpected twists that keep players engaged.
The retro graphics and gameplay mechanics are well-executed, providing a nostalgic experience.
The ad system is well-integrated, allowing players to choose when to watch ads for health boosts without being intrusive.

The controls can be clunky and unresponsive at times, making gameplay frustrating.
The game can feel repetitive, especially with similar enemy encounters and level designs.
Some players experience lag and performance issues, particularly during intense combat situations.

story
304 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
28%
2%
The game's story is widely praised for its engaging and immersive narrative, with many players appreciating the plot twists and character development. While some found the storyline to be somewhat predictable or short, the overall consensus highlights its intriguing elements and the enjoyable blend of gameplay and storytelling. Additionally, players expressed a desire for multiplayer modes that could enhance the story experience with friends.
- “The story is engaging and the only controls are a joystick and interaction button.”
- “I love the story and the amount of work it takes to achieve a satisfying ending.”
- “The plot is very engaging and the whole thing is super fun to play!!!!”
- “The story is weird, badly written and just feels like a bad cheap horror movie.”
- “The story is so anticlimactic and poorly thought out and only played this for razor cortex rewards.”
- “Not a bad game but storytelling is not that impressive.”
gameplay
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
33%
2%
Overall, the gameplay is widely praised for its fun mechanics, variety of weapons, and engaging storyline, though some players note issues with repetitiveness, linear progression, and occasional technical problems like lag and framerate drops. While many appreciate the balance of challenge and accessibility, suggestions for improvement include enhancing aiming mechanics, adding more diverse gameplay elements, and refining controls. Despite some criticisms, the game is generally considered enjoyable and well-executed, especially for an indie title.
- “The gameplay is extremely fun and entertaining, despite the level design being a bit repetitive at times, and the back and forth between objectives such as computers and doors can be tedious here and there.”
- “Ailment is a top-down sci-fi shooter with an interesting story, fun gameplay, and lots of weapon variety to give you plenty of possibilities in handling enemies.”
- “Great graphics, simple mechanics, and overall satisfying gameplay.”
- “At first, I thought that the gameplay would be an open-world or have free access stages (which would have been cool), but it was a linear stage progression.”
- “There's no real challenge as you have infinite revives, and the gameplay is a little awkward as you don't really aim your gun, so you can't shoot enemies off-screen (and the screen FOV is noticeably below average).”
- “Framerate becomes an issue when entering combat, and that does impact gameplay.”
graphics
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
28%
3%
The graphics of the game have received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising the retro pixel art style and immersive environments. While some users noted issues with frame rates and occasional lag, the overall aesthetic and design were highlighted as appealing and well-executed, contributing to an enjoyable gameplay experience. However, a few reviews pointed out that the graphics could feel basic or repetitive at times, suggesting room for improvement.
- “The art style is fantastic.”
- “I love the retro graphics and the story is very immersive.”
- “Amazing performance, amazing graphics, and I am a big fan of top-down platform games, especially like Neon Chrome. Your game is story-based; you did a great job, thanks for giving us a great game.”
- “This would have been five stars except the frame rate is sketchy (like 15 fps) on both low and high graphics settings, and the camera jumping to the enemy is disorienting, making it arbitrarily difficult to dodge their attacks.”
- “The only problem I have is the low graphic settings still feel like 30 fps to me; choppy shoot 'em up gameplay isn't my cup of tea.”
- “Horrible graphics and horrible controls, and the timing of the dialogues and everything sucks... don't download this game and install Endurance, which is 10x better than this.”
monetization
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
6%
90%
The monetization model of the game primarily revolves around optional ads that players can watch to revive or gain health, which many users find acceptable as it allows for a free-to-play experience. While some players appreciate the non-intrusive nature of the ads, others feel that the frequency can be excessive and disrupt gameplay, leading to frustration. Overall, the game is praised for not forcing ads or in-app purchases, but the reliance on watching ads for survival can be seen as a double-edged sword.
- “An amazing indie title with a very fair form of monetization. One of the very few free-to-play games I actually play. The pixel graphics are really well made, and the gameplay is akin to a combination of Alien Shooter and Nuclear Throne with a slight Dead Space vibe.”
- “I say that this is a very good game. I saw your requests while playing it and I suggest that the prequel will still be free because the game is very nice and just has in-app purchases, but not pay-to-play or pay-to-win. This game is the best of all pixel games I've played. Thanks a lot.”
- “Good story, fun weapons, and fairly priced in-app purchases.”
- “Unfortunately for me, the balance is set too far in the 'watch ads to regain health' camp, which feels cynical when you get to a room full of shotgun zombies whose shots you can't really avoid.”
- “This game ends for you literally 5 minutes after start unless you start watching tons of ads.”
- “Great game but the advertising is invasive and interrupts the flow of the game too much to be enjoyable.”
music
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
32%
12%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, especially during encounters with enemies. However, some players find the repetitive nature of the battle music and its abrupt start-stop transitions to be annoying. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its retro style and immersive qualities, there are suggestions for improvement in variety and intensity during gameplay.
- “Sound effects and music are fantastic!”
- “Great usage of enhancing the sounds and music when close to an enemy.”
- “Really fantastic game, love the changes in the music and the theme of the game.”
- “The music does get a little annoying.”
- “It could use some music in the first few levels to make it more intense.”
- “Only negative thing is the fight music and how it comes on and off every time.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
10%
15%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive horror elements, enhanced by pixel graphics and a compelling soundtrack that evokes nostalgia. Players appreciate the intense environment created during frantic gunfights and room-to-room combat, drawing comparisons to titles like "Alien: Isolation" and "Dead Space." Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature for many reviewers.
- “I love 2D horror games, and this game has a good narrative with a great amount of atmospheric intensity.”
- “Great game, with a Dead Space feeling, plain great and atmospheric.”
- “Horror atmosphere and pixel art are weak.”
- “The atmosphere is very well done.”
- “Especially the atmosphere and the environment.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players noting funny monologues and amusing dialogue that enhance the experience. However, some critiques mention issues with translations and gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite these flaws, many find the humor to be a delightful aspect of the game, contributing to its charm.
- “Terrific responsive controls, sci-fi pixel graphics, fast-paced action, and the game dialogue is really funny.”
- “It is funny and the art style is really good.”
- “Delightful and funny!”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback from users. While some players report performance issues, particularly on lower-end devices, others praise the game's graphics and gameplay, suggesting that with further updates, it could become a standout title. Many users express hope for future performance improvements to enhance their experience.
- “I'll be waiting for the next performance update, great work and best of luck, gents.”
- “A good one, with good optimization and gameplay.”
- “The only thing is the optimization; I have a Redmi Note 8 with a Snapdragon 665, and sometimes the FPS drops below 15. It isn't perfect, but it just needs better optimization.”
- “Just a few performance issues on my not-so-capable phone, but this game is still one of the best, if not the best mobile games I've played.”
- “Once this game receives a performance update along with Bluetooth controller support, it will be a gem worth buying.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences several stability issues, including occasional glitches, unresponsive movement controls, delayed door interactions, and camera lag. While these bugs can disrupt gameplay, they do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment of the story and graphics.
- “As I played through, I found the following to be buggy: the movement control was occasionally unresponsive, the doors opening reaction was late, and the camera view was sometimes delayed.”
- “I encountered some glitches; I think it was on level 2 where I got stuck and had to restart the level.”
- “There were a couple of glitches.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its well-designed and emotionally engaging experience, offering a wholesome twist on the zombie genre. However, some users reported issues with character movement that may detract from the overall emotional immersion.
- “Well designed, carefully crafted, solid, and emotional.”
- “Wholesome, zombie-killin fun.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be manageable, with satisfying progression that avoids excessive repetition. While some level design can feel repetitive and certain objectives may become tedious, the overall gameplay remains enjoyable and engaging.
- “Decent storyline, solid gameplay, satisfying progression (not grindy), and overall great fun.”
- “The gameplay is extremely fun and entertaining, despite the level design being a bit repetitive at times, and the back and forth between objectives such as computers and doors can be tedious here and there.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is noted for its fun and engaging gameplay, but it suffers from a lack of replayability due to its short length and limited variety in weapons, which are poorly organized. Players express a desire for better inventory management and weapon selection systems to enhance the experience. Overall, while the game is enjoyable, its brevity and repetitive elements diminish its long-term appeal.
- “Good game, but very short with little or no replay value.”
- “Too many very similar weapons with no good way to sort or discard, and a very clunky, awkward selection system for an action game.”
- “Very short.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development is praised for being engaging and well-executed, with smooth controls that enhance the overall experience. The character design effectively complements the game's artistic style, contributing to a compelling narrative.
- “The character development is incredibly engaging, with each character's backstory adding depth to the overall narrative.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making their journeys feel personal and impactful.”
- “The way the characters grow and change based on player choices creates a truly immersive experience.”