At the Mountains of Madness

About

At the Mountains of Madness is a single player shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Team Clockworks and was released on March 25, 2016. It received neutral reviews from players.

"At the Mountains of Madness" is a lovecraftian horror adventure game. Players explore an ancient Antarctic city, solving puzzles and fighting off monstrous creatures. The game features a rich atmosphere and a gripping story, inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+15

Skip User Reviews

44%

Audience ScoreBased on 72 reviews

story22 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game has a visually stunning atmosphere that captures the essence of Lovecraft's lore.
There are some interesting building blocks and concepts that show potential for a deeper narrative.
The game evokes a sense of Eldritch horror, reminiscent of classic horror stories.

The game appears to be abandoned, with no updates or development for years, making it feel unfinished and unplayable.
Gameplay mechanics are severely flawed, with numerous bugs and issues that hinder progress and enjoyment.
Voice acting and dialogue quality are poor, detracting from the overall immersion and experience.

story
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
75%
3%
The game's story, inspired by Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness," is praised for its atmospheric setting but criticized for its vague narrative and lack of coherent storytelling. Players note significant gaps in the plot and insufficient guidance, leading to confusion and frustration, despite the potential for a compelling Lovecraftian experience. Overall, while the atmosphere captures some essence of the original tale, the execution of the story leaves much to be desired, prompting many to recommend caution before purchasing.
- “Great atmosphere, good storytelling, and also based on 'The Mountains of Madness' as it plays after the events in the story.”
- “Suspense, good storytelling, constant fear of the unknown.”
- “The story is compelling and will have you devouring page after page from the midpoint to the end.”
- “The game has the worst voice narration, animation, loading times, and major holes in the story to the point of being incomprehensible.”
- “No narrative guiding you through the story, no notes explaining anything.”
- “There is a bit of dialogue and a bit of text, but it's not enough for telling a story.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many users noting that while the environmental design and lighting are commendable, overall quality is often described as sub-standard or mediocre. Animations are frequently criticized as dreadful, and some players find the graphics distracting enough to detract from the overall experience, despite the engaging story. Overall, the visuals seem to be a low-budget effort that some players can overlook if the narrative is compelling.
- “The graphics are decent and the lighting is really good.”
- “The one positive I have for this game is that it has great graphics when it comes to the environment.”
- “But even he cannot avoid slipping into admiration for the architecture and artwork.”
- “After starting the game, I could overlook the mediocre graphics and sloppy movement of the character, the buggy HUD, and interaction with the environment because the story matters, right?”
- “The graphics are sub-standard, but I could get past that if the story were engaging.”
- “The longer you wander...the more fragile and thin your desperate mind becomes...as the insipidness of the graphics, terrain, and animation wear you down...you realize you've truly reached the mountains of madness!”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
The atmosphere of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its effective recreation of Lovecraftian elements and storytelling, while others criticize it for lacking depth and immersion due to poor voice acting and gameplay mechanics. Although there are glimpses of a compelling atmosphere, many feel that significant improvements are needed to fully realize its potential, especially for fans of Lovecraft's work. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as a strong point, but it is overshadowed by other shortcomings in the game's execution.
- “In terms of atmosphere, I think the dev team did a great job of recreating the atmosphere of Lovecraft's story.”
- “Great atmosphere, good storytelling, and also based on 'The Mountains of Madness' as it plays after the events in the story.”
- “Yes, there was a bit of action in 'The Mountains of Madness' (the novella), but it should be only a small aspect, where story, setting, and atmosphere should be the focus.”
- “Atmosphere, scares, gameplay...even the ability to finish the game are all sorely missing from the experience; and seeing as the last update was years ago at this point, it seems safe to say that it will remain this way.”
- “The voice acting is terrible, and if this is more than a placeholder, it is a big minus, as atmosphere is so important in H.P. Lovecraft games in my opinion, and this ruins any immersion.”
- “Yes, there was a bit of action in the novella, but it should be only a small aspect, where story, setting, and atmosphere should be the focus.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game's optimization is currently poor, with players reporting severe performance issues, including low frame rates averaging around 22 FPS, even on capable systems. Many users express disappointment, feeling that the game is not ready for release and that the current state does not justify its price, despite the potential for improvement in future updates. Overall, the initial impression is that the developers have significant work ahead to enhance performance and fix bugs.
- “Of course, this is something that could be fixed in early access via optimization, but it leaves the initial impression that the developers have no idea how to go about doing that.”
- “I will keep an eye on this, and hope it can get improved a lot, as in another half a year or year of changes to the performance, layout, voice acting, mechanics, UI, etc. If it does perform better eventually, I might change my review.”
- “I am aware that optimization doesn't usually happen until the very late stages of development, and it might improve the performance, but right now, it runs terribly on a system that can run many current or very recent triple-A titles at medium to high settings.”
- “I am aware that optimization doesn't usually happen until the very late stages of development, and it might improve the performance, but right now, it runs terribly on a system that can run many current or very recent triple-A titles (Division, Witcher 3, GTAV, Hitman, etc.) at medium to high settings.”
- “I am sorry, but if this is considered close to being ready for release, it really deserves a downrating, especially at the current price. I don't mind big problems in an early access game if I know it's the very early stages, but 18 EUR to get into early access for a game that has severe performance issues and other bugs just isn't okay.”
- “Even though I paid a dollar, this feels like I wasted that money because since July the game is still a buggy, unoptimized mess.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay has received largely negative feedback, with users finding the mechanics bland and frustrating, particularly criticizing the "freezing" mechanic as eventually annoying. Many reviewers express disappointment in the overall experience, citing a lack of atmosphere and engaging gameplay, and some are hopeful for future improvements but currently deem the game not worth its price.
- “The 'freezing' mechanic is kind of neat, but after a while, it just gets annoying.”
- “Once you collect the plot-mandatory flashlight and walking stick and get into the main gameplay, you're dumped in a dark, hideous-looking ice cave.”
- “I will keep an eye on this and hope it can improve a lot, as in another half a year or year of changes to the performance, layout, voice acting, mechanics, UI, etc. If it does perform better eventually, I might change my review.”
- “The 'freezing' mechanic is kinda neat, but after a while it just gets annoying.”
- “Atmosphere, scares, gameplay...even the ability to finish the game are all sorely missing from the experience; and seeing as the last update was years ago at this point, it seems safe to say that it will remain this way.”
- “I found the gameplay extremely off-putting to the point where I couldn't go on.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, a broken HUD, and poor optimization, leading to a frustrating experience despite any redeeming qualities in the story. Many feel that even at a low price point, the game's unfinished state renders it a waste of money.
- “Unfinished, buggy, and completely broken.”
- “After starting the game, I could overlook the mediocre graphics and sloppy character movement, the buggy HUD, and interaction with the environment because the story matters, right?”
- “Even though I paid a dollar, this feels like I wasted that money because since July, the game has been a buggy, unoptimized mess.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the novella is minimal, with some reviewers noting a tedious recounting of the extensive history of space aliens competing for Earth, which detracts from the depth of the characters.
- “There is not much character development in this novella, and the recounting of the billion-year history of space aliens jousting for Earth feels tedious.”
- “The characters lack depth and growth, making it hard to connect with their journeys.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, leaving me wanting more complexity.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music and sound effects in the game are generally well-received, with players noting their quality and contribution to the overall experience.
- “The sound effects and music are pretty good.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is primarily derived from its amusing bugs, but many users feel that this aspect does not justify its price of $21.99 CAD.