Astray

About

Astray is a single player puzzle game with a horror theme. It was developed by Aegon Games Ltd and was released on February 3, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Astray is a single-player Horror Adventure game set in a creepy, abandoned museum in 1909. As the nephew of the museum’s missing curator, you must survive and solve puzzles to unravel the mystery of the museum and the mysterious artifact that your uncle has acquired. With its good plot, game mechanics, pretty visuals, and dense atmosphere, Astray offers an immersive and thrilling experience for players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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68%

Audience ScoreBased on 160 reviews

story17 positive mentions

stability9 negative mentions

The game features a well-crafted atmosphere that effectively instills a sense of unease and tension.
Puzzles are engaging and not overly complicated, allowing players to progress without excessive frustration.
The visuals are impressive for an indie title, with detailed environments that enhance the overall experience.

The game is relatively short, taking only a couple of hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more.
Enemy AI is simplistic and not very threatening, reducing the horror element once players learn how to avoid them.
The story is underdeveloped, relying heavily on scattered notes that may not fully engage players.

story
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
75%
6%
The story of *Astray* is primarily conveyed through scattered notes, revealing a Lovecraftian narrative that, while intriguing, often feels generic and underdeveloped. Players appreciate the atmospheric setting and puzzle design, but many criticize the lack of character depth and a cohesive plot, leading to a mixed reception regarding the overall storytelling experience. Despite its flaws, some find the story engaging enough to maintain interest throughout the game.
- “Astray is a first-person horror puzzle game that sends the player through a series of interesting and eerie environments to solve puzzles which culminate into a well-done story that borders on the realm of insanity.”
- “The story unfolds in notes being left by others where you have to piece together what's happening in order to follow along.”
- “The backstory builds slowly through various notes found throughout the environments.”
- “Overall, I think this game's strengths lie in its puzzle design, but it isn't enough to rise above the poorly conveyed story and generic horror elements.”
- “The story is just too generic, and the puzzles require little thought.”
- “You would think the main goal was to find your uncle since it says so in this game's description; however, this objective gets dropped by the end of the game, which leaves you wondering what happened and why none of the story makes sense.”
atmosphere
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
49%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively creating a moody and foreboding environment that enhances the exploration experience. While some players note that it lacks intense scares, the combination of well-designed locations, ambient sound, and a creepy setting—particularly within the museum—successfully maintains tension and intrigue throughout the gameplay. Overall, the atmospheric elements are considered the game's strongest aspect, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of atmospheric horror.
- “The atmosphere is moody and foreboding.”
- “The game's strongest points are its atmosphere and setting - using a museum is a great idea that I haven't really seen done in a game like this before, and most of the areas are very pretty and eerie.”
- “The atmosphere in the museum was incredibly creepy and unsettling.”
- “I blame the atmosphere: although the game's setting is actually quite interesting, you don't feel like you're in much danger, nor is there a sense of dread hanging about you like in other horror games.”
- “Overall, while astray succeeds in building an atmosphere of dread, it is somewhat lacking in story and overall content.”
graphics
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
52%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the atmospheric visuals and museum aesthetic, while others criticize them as outdated and lacking detail. Many players appreciate the art style and environmental design, noting that certain areas stand out, but also mention issues like clunky movement and empty rooms that detract from immersion. Overall, the graphics are considered decent, with some highlighting their appeal despite not reaching triple-A quality.
- “The graphics are really pretty for a game developed by only two people, and each area of the museum has nice details that differentiate one another.”
- “The visuals are top notch and the puzzles are pretty good.”
- “The graphics are generally excellent and the sound design is superb, providing the majority of the chills as you progress.”
- “The graphics are outdated; the game starts in Steam VR, movement is clunky, there are lots of issues with crushed blacks and gamma, there are tons of loading screens, no manual save, crouching is extremely abrupt, you cannot remap the side mouse buttons, rooms are very bare, and gameplay is insanely boring.”
- “Overall, I'd say the graphics are on par with the average games' graphics from 2010-2012.”
- “The graphics are pretty to look at but nothing truly horrifying, and many rooms felt like fillers with a lack of details.”
gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
52%
10%
The gameplay is primarily focused on exploration and puzzle-solving, reminiscent of titles like "Amnesia: The Dark Descent," but often criticized for being overly simplistic and lacking depth. Players navigate dark environments while avoiding predictable AI threats, with some mechanics feeling derivative and the overall experience described as short and occasionally tedious. While the graphics and atmosphere receive praise, many reviews highlight issues such as clunky movement, frequent loading screens, and a lack of meaningful interaction, leading to a mixed reception of the gameplay experience.
- “The narrative itself is well implemented into the gameplay, and the great visuals wrap it up nicely to a well-rounded and thoroughly enjoyable experience.”
- “I love the smoothness of the gameplay - the game has its creepy moments, and you can literally outwalk the few enemies you encounter.”
- “Gameplay is solid and enjoyable.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it is over-simplified, with a rather dumb AI and not much to do other than walk and evade monsters.”
- “The puzzle mechanics are all basically ripped from other games (circle puzzles from The Room, pipe puzzles from BioShock & other games).”
- “Gameplay is basically walking around the museum solving puzzles and avoiding the asthmatic monsters that lurk in the hallways in very predictable patterns.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The music in the game is described as atmospheric and mood-setting, effectively enhancing the eerie environment, though it often becomes repetitive and lacks variety. While some players appreciate the ambient audio and sound effects that contribute to a sense of tension, others feel the absence of dynamic musical cues during key moments detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered decent but not exceptional, with some tracks sourced from free music sites.
- “Level design is not very good in a technical manner, but absolutely rocks in the artistic one; exploring is always an adventure, especially since the music makes the atmosphere on point.”
- “On the brighter side, the music seemed appropriately chosen for mood-setting and atmosphere, though the atmosphere loops were highly repetitive.”
- “It has good visuals and an eerie atmosphere, supported greatly by its soundtrack.”
- “The game doesn't use music, relying entirely on ambient audio.”
- “There aren't even any musical bits letting you know you solved a puzzle.”
- “But, like with most horror games, when you encounter the monster, you feel cheated: the design is pretty bland and not scary, and the music that plays while you are being chased doesn't make you feel as if you were in real danger, also because it is pretty easy to outrun the monsters.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting numerous glitches and bugs, including issues like falling through the floor. While some players find the glitches amusing and feel the game is worth its low price despite these issues, others highlight the need for significant optimization and polish. However, a few users noted that they experienced no bugs at all during their gameplay.
- “A lot of glitches too - I found myself falling through the floor and into oblivion a lot.”
- “Horribly optimized, and extremely buggy.”
- “However, it needs a lot of polish, and there are quite a few annoying glitches.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many users noting the simplicity of puzzles, a single enemy type, and a generic story. Despite some players finding enjoyment in the experience, the consensus is that there is little incentive to replay the game.
- “Such unbelievable replay value that I could spend hours playing through this beautiful masterpiece of a game.”
- “Very short, with no replay value.”
- “Little to no replay value.”
- “Short, no replayability, easy puzzles, only one enemy type that is easily avoidable, simple generic story.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted as being unexpectedly entertaining, with users finding the AI more amusing than frightening. Additionally, the absurdity of the museum's design, particularly the nonsensical Atlantis exhibit, adds to the comedic experience.
- “The AI is honestly more funny than scary.”
- “Hilarious! Seriously, the design of the museum makes absolutely no sense, and it's amazing. The Atlantis exhibit fills up with water?”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the emotional impact of the game is lacking, with frustrations stemming from gameplay mechanics overshadowing any intended horror elements. Players noted that while there are moments of unease, they are often undermined by cheap jump scares and the eventual trivialization of enemies, leading to a diminished emotional experience.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game's optimization is mixed; while it maintains a good frame rate, it suffers from significant bugs and crashes, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
- “The game is well optimized for frame rate, providing a smooth experience overall.”
- “Horribly optimized and extremely buggy.”
- “The game suffers from severe performance issues that ruin the experience.”
- “Optimization is a major flaw; the game frequently lags and crashes.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with players expressing frustration over not even knowing the names of the characters they control. The repetitive storyline further exacerbates this issue, leading to a feeling of disconnect and a missed opportunity for deeper engagement with the characters.
- “Zero character development (I don't even know the name of the character I played as).”
- “The storyline is yet another 'we found a mysterious artifact with evil powers' that we have all played a thousand times before, one of them being Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but what really ruined it for me was the huge lack of character development.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players found the puzzle-solving aspect in "Astray" to be overly simplistic, with many solutions being painfully obvious, leading to a sense of tedium and a lack of challenge in the grinding process.
- “The solutions to most of the puzzles in Astray were painfully obvious, to the point where some almost felt tedious.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users have noted that the monetization model has led to an increase in ads appearing in their YouTube videos, indicating a shift towards more aggressive advertising strategies.
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive and intrusive.”
- “I can't enjoy the game without being bombarded by constant ads.”
- “It seems like every feature is locked behind a paywall.”