Bernie’s Nightmare

About

Bernie’s Nightmare is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Kevin Yang Games and was released on July 28, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "Bernie's Nightmare," players navigate surreal environments filled with perplexing puzzles and eerie encounters. As Bernie, a man struggling with anxiety and nightmares, you must confront your fears and find a way to wake up from this unsettling dream world. The game offers a unique blend of adventure and horror elements, exploring mature themes like mental health while challenging players with mind-bending riddles.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 45 reviews

atmosphere2 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Bernie's Nightmare offers an intense and immersive experience, with chilling visuals and suspenseful gameplay that keeps players on edge.
The game is praised for its simplicity and engaging narrative, making it a fun experience for horror enthusiasts despite its flaws.
Many players appreciate the effort of a young developer and find the game enjoyable for its low price, considering it a decent time-waster.

The game is criticized for being extremely short, buggy, and lacking depth, with many players feeling it is not worth the price tag.
The AI is described as poorly designed and inconsistent, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Numerous reviews mention technical issues, such as broken controls and a lack of options for adjusting sound and gameplay settings.

graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The graphics in Bernie’s Nightmare are described as basic and not particularly impressive, with some comparisons to well-known characters like Gollum. While the visuals contribute to the eerie atmosphere, they are generally considered tolerable rather than outstanding. Overall, the graphics do not detract significantly from the gameplay experience for many players.
- “Bernie's Nightmare is a captivating indie horror game that immerses players in a chilling world filled with eerie visuals and suspenseful gameplay.”
- “With its engaging narrative and unique art style, Bernie's Nightmare offers a thrilling experience for horror enthusiasts.”
- “There are three difficulties, each which give a more aggressive AI and darker graphics.”
- “While the graphics are almost tolerable, the gameplay is extremely shallow and there's no real serious kind of plot/story/reason to play this.”
- “The graphics aren't great; I mean, the game's enemy looks like Gollum from Lord of the Rings.”
- “Graphics, basic.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The reviews indicate that the game's story is lacking depth and coherence, with many players finding it shallow and unengaging compared to other titles in the genre like "Cry of Fear" and "Doki Doki Literature Club." The narrative, which follows the character Bernie navigating dark environments and facing nightmarish creatures, fails to provide a compelling reason to play, leaving players wanting a more substantial and meaningful storyline. Overall, the consensus is that the game suffers from a significant deficiency in storytelling quality.
- “The story revolves around Bernie, who must navigate through dark environments while solving puzzles and confronting nightmarish creatures.”
- “The storyline is short, but it adds depth to the overall experience.”
- “The game could benefit from a more developed story that makes the whole experience more cohesive.”
- “While the graphics are almost tolerable, the gameplay is extremely shallow and there's no real serious kind of plot, story, or reason to play this.”
- “There's no story.”
- “The storyline is short.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The music in the game is described as atmospheric and tension-building, but many users find it overly loud and repetitive, with a simple melody that lacks variety. While it contributes to the game's ambiance, the inability to adjust the volume can lead to annoyance, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The atmospheric sounds and haunting music heighten the tension, making every moment unpredictable.”
- “We enjoyed it though, but it had some bugs and I think the music was too loud.”
- “There's not even any scary music.”
- “The soundtrack is the same simple melody played over and over again too loudly, with no option to turn it down.”
- “The music is too loud and an obvious loop; listening to it is the opposite of scary.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The gameplay of Bernie’s Nightmare offers a suspenseful experience with a chilling atmosphere, but it suffers from shallow mechanics and a lack of depth in story. Players can expect around 15 minutes of gameplay, hindered by slow character movement and a limited "run" function, though it does include a hiding mechanic reminiscent of titles like Outlast.
- “Bernie’s Nightmare is a captivating indie horror game that immerses players in a chilling world filled with eerie visuals and suspenseful gameplay.”
- “While the graphics are almost tolerable, the gameplay is extremely shallow and there's no real serious kind of plot/story/reason to play this.”
- “There's roughly 15 minutes of gameplay, mostly because the main character's movement is so terribly slow; the 'run' function is barely 10% faster than base movement speed.”
- “The game also provides a hiding mechanic similar to games such as Outlast; in order to lose the enemy, you are able to hide in/under beds, tables, cabinets, and more.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs causing players to become stuck in the environment and hindering gameplay. While some users acknowledge the developer's age and effort, many feel that the presence of these glitches makes the game unplayable, especially given its price point.
- “It's very buggy and often you get squashed under a desk or something for no reason at all.”
- “I will say the hardest difficulty is insanity, and requires glitches and bugs to attempt to escape from Quasimodo.”
- “I appreciate that a 15-year-old guy made all this; however, I don't think this is an excuse for releasing an unplayable and buggy game, especially since it isn't free.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by atmospheric sounds and haunting music that create a tense and unpredictable experience. While the overall atmosphere is well-received, some users note that loading times are slightly slow but still manageable.
- “The atmospheric sounds and haunting music heighten the tension, making every moment unpredictable.”
- “The atmosphere is good; loading is a bit slow but still acceptable.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Bernie’s Nightmare is a casual simulation game.

Bernie’s Nightmare is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

Bernie’s Nightmare was released on July 28, 2018.

Bernie’s Nightmare was developed by Kevin Yang Games.

Bernie’s Nightmare has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its atmosphere but disliked it for its graphics.

Bernie’s Nightmare is a single player game.

Similar games include Home Sweet Home, Kraven Manor, Among the Sleep, Left Alone, Root Of Evil: The Tailor and others.

Bernie’s Nightmare

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