Apocryph

About

"Apocryph" is a single-player, fantasy hack and slash game with excellent atmosphere, good graphics, outstanding music, and perfect mechanics, despite being full of bugs. Players explore a brutal dark fantasy world filled with magic, traps, and dangers, armed with up to 9 weapons, including spells and artifacts. Carefully handcrafted levels contain secrets, monsters, and traps, while health potions, mana vials, and combat items aid in survival.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 239 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

optimization8 negative mentions

The game captures the nostalgic feel of classic shooters like Heretic and Hexen, providing a fun experience for fans of the genre.
The weapon variety and gore mechanics are enjoyable, with satisfying enemy dismemberment and impactful shooting.
The graphics and atmosphere, while not perfect, have a certain charm that evokes the spirit of 90s FPS games.

The game is very short, with only a few levels available, leading to disappointment regarding its content and replayability.
There are numerous bugs and performance issues, including poor AI behavior and graphical glitches, which detract from the overall experience.
The level design is often criticized as bland and uninspired, lacking the complexity and memorability of classic shooters.

gameplay
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
4%
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with many players finding it clunky, repetitive, and unoptimized, leading to crashes and inventory issues. While some appreciate the nostalgic old-school shooter elements and enjoyable weapon mechanics, others criticize the overall execution, citing a lack of polish and memorable level design. Despite its potential, the game feels unfinished and fails to deliver a consistently engaging experience.
- “The gameplay it proposes is straightforward and really old-school in style: expect levels filled with static health/ammo pickups, enemies appearing in 'batches' after opening gates, doors, or just when passing through, and also increasingly difficult levels as new enemy types appear.”
- “Of the many throwback shooters out there, I feel it does a great job of capturing the aesthetic and frenetic gameplay of games like Heretic, Hexen, and Blood.”
- “The actual feel of the gameplay and the atmosphere is great.”
- “Gameplay is just awful, clunky, repetitive, and boring.”
- “The game struggles to maintain framerate even on modern hardware due to horribly unoptimized assets, crashed three times during the first 17 minutes of my gameplay, weapons were disappearing from my inventory on map change, and there are multiple areas where you can get stuck in level geometry.”
- “The developers sold the game as a modern 'old-school shooter' just like the classics, but all the game does is embarrassingly insult them with their wannabe hardcore heavy metal stuff and gameplay.”
graphics
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
72%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the art style and aesthetic reminiscent of classic titles like Hexen, while others criticize the visuals for being muddled, blurry, and lacking detail. Many users note issues such as graphical bugs, poor optimization, and ineffective retro filters that detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the game shows potential in its visual design, it currently suffers from significant technical shortcomings that hinder its appeal.
- “I love the graphics and variety of monsters.”
- “Hexen meets newer graphics and effects, a true nod to classic FPS for sure with newer aesthetics.”
- “Definitely captures an old school design taken to new heights with some fantastic heavy metal music and graphics.”
- “It has neither retro nor modern graphics; it looks like something from 2007 or a mobile game.”
- “The built-in pixelating and color reduction filters don't really produce any retro look either, just make already messy visuals even more unintelligible.”
- “There are also severe problems with the visuals; depth of field has been implemented for some unholy reason and the color saturation is sickening. I'm not sure if this was a deliberate effort or ineptitude.”
music
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
50%
6%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the heavy metal soundtrack that enhances the action, while others criticize it as generic and poorly balanced with gameplay. Many recommend adjusting the volume due to its loud default setting, and some feel that the music can feel out of place or repetitive. Overall, while the soundtrack has its moments, it often detracts from the overall experience rather than elevating it.
- “This game has a lot of issues, but it is fun to play, has a good soundtrack, and in my opinion has generally good levels and interesting areas to explore.”
- “During maps, we hear distant diegetic sounds which really add to the ambience, while the great metal soundtrack accentuates the kick-assery.”
- “Definitely captures an old school design taken to new heights with some fantastic heavy metal music and graphics.”
- “I can't tell how many of the game's assets are original, but the music sounds like it's royalty-free stock music and the enemy animations are stock mocap animations.”
- “Music to gameplay is way off balanced, and always pulls you out of the game.”
- “Also the music feels out of place and it confuses a bit the whole tone of the game.”
atmosphere
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive art style, dark fantasy elements, and engaging enemy design, creating a sense of exploration and tension throughout the levels. Players appreciate the combination of atmospheric music, detailed textures, and the thrill of unexpected encounters with monsters, reminiscent of classic titles like Hexen and Heretic. Overall, the game is noted for its strong atmospheric presence, though some reviewers express a desire for further development to enhance this aspect.
- “The levels are also pretty fun to explore, especially the indoor areas because they ooze atmosphere.”
- “Scary sometimes, as monsters come at you from behind from hidden rooms or corridors and scary monster growls and noises, nice atmospheric feel.”
- “So thank you Bigzur Games for creating a wonderful atmospheric look that straight away reminded me of Hexen and Strife, especially the town level.”
optimization
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
43%
35%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players experiencing severe framerate drops, crashes, and various technical issues even on high-end hardware. While some users report no performance problems, the overall consensus is that the game feels unfinished and poorly optimized, detracting from the experience. Many suggest that the graphical assets need significant improvement to enhance performance and stability.
- “This game looks like Hexen, and it has good graphics, but it needs to be optimized.”
- “Also with some great graphics that could be optimized and touched up on a bit, like a gauge for how much pixelation I get when turning on the feature and just how fractured of the animation I want it to be with that feature, basically emulating sprite movements; I get it, it's sweet.”
- “The game struggles to maintain framerate even on modern hardware due to horribly unoptimized assets, crashed three times during the first 17 minutes of my gameplay, weapons were disappearing from my inventory on map change, and there are multiple areas where you can get stuck in level geometry.”
- “Inconsistent performance, with occasional severe frame drops, even on high-end systems, for apparently no reason.”
- “Everything else is just unfinished, and between the poor performance, technical issues (the game tops out at 1080p), lack of content, and buggy AI, Apocryph doesn't earn a mostly positive rating at this point in time.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its instability, featuring numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as issues with enemy AI, time tracking, and graphical performance. While some players noted that recent updates have addressed certain problems, many still find the game unoptimized and unfinished, leading to a generally negative reception regarding its stability. Overall, the consensus is that the game struggles significantly with technical issues, making it difficult to recommend.
- “Really buggy, does not work on new hardware.”
- “I played it through, and can confirm it's an unfinished, buggy, and overall rather bad game.”
- “Unoptimized, very buggy, would not recommend in the slightest.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The story in the game is perceived as incomplete and largely inconsequential, with minimal narrative elements scattered throughout the levels. Players noted that while there are intriguing story bits, they ultimately lead to a lackluster conclusion, leaving the impression of an unfinished product. Overall, the game may be enjoyable for those who prioritize gameplay over story, but expectations should be managed due to its narrative shortcomings.
- “Now I won't really focus on the good, as I think it is pretty obvious by just looking at the trailer, but some things done well are the music, the maps, textures (generally), the smaller, more easy-to-familiarize-yourself-with inventory items, a couple interesting power-ups you only get to see once, in my opinion great weapons (the rocket launcher is one of my favorites ever), very Heretic-like gameplay, pretty cool story if the game ever gets finished, great atmosphere overall.”
- “Sadly, it looks unfinished - every few levels there is some text with story bits (though the story doesn't matter much; at the end, you just kill stuff). After the last available level, you get some text that seems to imply there will be more, but there isn't a 'continue' button.”
- “Overall, pick it up really cheap and limit your expectations, as this is a good time if you're okay with no story, some bugs, and a poor ending.”
- “Sadly, it looks unfinished - every few levels there is some text with story bits (though the story doesn't matter much; at the end, you just kill stuff). After the last available level, you get some text that seems to imply there will be more, but there isn't a 'continue' button.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by an edgy, niche appeal that resonates with a specific audience, reminiscent of teenage humor. Additionally, the poor translations contribute to its comedic value, making the experience unintentionally amusing.
- “The translations are so terrible, they're funny.”
- “Like the game my edgy 14-year-old self would have liked, even though I'd only show it to my closest friends who share the same humor.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to repetitive combat and overwhelming enemy numbers, despite appreciating the weapon selection and gore system. It is noted as suitable for farming, but the overall experience can feel monotonous.
- “The weapon selection is adequate and the gore system gives their application a visceral edge, but the combat itself is tedious and the enemy aggregate is obscene.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of Apocryph has been criticized as a cash grab by a Russian mobile company, which fails to deliver on its promises and seeks to exploit the current nostalgia for 90s-style games.
- “tl;dr - Cash grab by a Russian mobile company that underdelivered on promises to capitalize on the 90s nostalgia craze.”
- “Developed by a Russian mobile company, Apocryph is purely a cash grab designed to capitalize on nostalgia and the surge of 90s style throwbacks that have been gaining popularity on Steam in recent years.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Users consistently express that the game's replayability is currently low, indicating limited incentive to revisit the experience after the initial playthrough.
- “The issue that I have with it is that the replayability right now is pretty low.”