BLACK DAY

"Black Day" is a single-player Sandbox tactical shooter, offering customizable variables for equipment, location, difficulty, and enemy encounters. With three game modes , 24 unique open-world maps, and diverse mission layouts, players can experience unlimited gameplay with stealth or action-focused approaches in exotic landscapes. Available now on Steam.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 382 reviews

story30 positive mentions

stability30 negative mentions

The game offers a lot of customization options for characters, missions, and gameplay styles, allowing players to tailor their experience.
The tactical gameplay is reminiscent of classic games like Ghost Recon and provides a fun sandbox environment with various mission types.
Despite being in early access, the developer is actively updating the game and addressing bugs, showing commitment to improving the overall experience.

The game has been abandoned by the developer, with no plans for further updates or a full release, leaving it in an unfinished state.
There are significant AI issues, with enemies sometimes spawning too close or behaving erratically, which detracts from the tactical experience.
The graphics and overall polish are lacking, with many players noting that the visuals do not match the promotional materials and that the game feels rough around the edges.

story
164 mentions
18 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional narrative, functioning instead as a sandbox where players can create and customize their own missions across various maps and difficulty levels. While this design offers significant freedom and replayability, many reviewers noted that the absence of a cohesive story or engaging plot may leave some players feeling unfulfilled. Overall, the focus is on tactical gameplay and mission variety rather than a structured storyline.
- “The concept of the game is rather enjoyable, with the main features I enjoyed the most being customization of your character and squad, commanding a variable squad size, and completing a set of randomized missions on a variety of maps.”
- “Since you create or choose your own missions and mission objectives, even the failure of a mission is fun without the frustration of a story-based game where you're stuck because you can't pass a specific mission.”
- “From killing VIPs to sabotaging high-value targets, you could always create your own story of a spec operation.”
- “In this regard, there is no plot or story per se.”
- “It's more like a huge sandbox to design your own missions, units, etc., and complete them in any way you see fit.”
- “If you expect an action-packed, fast-paced, story-driven triple-A title, you're definitely at the wrong spot.”
gameplay
97 mentions
21 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of potential and frustration, featuring a variety of maps and mission types, but marred by numerous bugs, clunky mechanics, and inconsistent AI behavior. While some players appreciate the tactical elements and customization options, many express disappointment with the execution, citing issues like poor animations, repetitive combat, and a lack of immersion. Overall, the game shows promise but requires significant refinement to reach its full potential.
- “The stealth mechanics work fantastic (despite the way detection works after being spotted, which is strange) and I especially love how XP is based on the difficulty you set for yourself.”
- “Have you noticed that all of my attention is on the gameplay (which is intense, tactical, and fun)?”
- “Lots of mission variance, good graphics, solid FPS gameplay with multiple possibilities/tactics.”
- “Extremely buggy and wonky gameplay.”
- “But with the way the gameplay is, mainly the bad AI, the sloppy and weird movement, the very unfriendly command menu, and the weird aim on some of the weapons I got to test, I do not want to dedicate much time to make my perfect gameplay environment.”
- “I really like the game, even with its slight clunky gunplay, but it's hard to be as 'tactical' in firefights as the game wants you to be when AI endlessly spawn all around and on top; it breaks the immersion and makes for repetitive and uninspiring gameplay.”
graphics
76 mentions
26 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals as solid for an indie title and noting smooth performance on high settings. However, many others criticize the graphics for being outdated, with issues like poor texture quality, clipping, and inconsistent lighting, leading to a perception that they fall short of modern standards. Overall, while some aspects are appreciated, significant improvements are needed to enhance the visual experience.
- “The graphics in this game are great for an indie game.”
- “Graphics are great and run really fast on epic settings on my laptop.”
- “+ Beautiful graphics on ultra, the landscapes and foliage look amazing for early access.”
- “Graphically, the game needs a lot of work; there is a lot of pop-in textures and things that make the game painful to look at at times.”
- “Even disregarding all other issues, the game is ugly, with clipping issues on character outfits and terrain, and graphics reminiscent of Arma 2 with poorly made models on many of the weapons.”
- “I now have a GTX 1080 and the graphics look terrible. Did they get a significant downgrade?”
stability
30 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is frequently described as highly enjoyable yet plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. Players report issues with AI behavior, animations, and frame rates, indicating that the game requires significant polish and refinement. While some users acknowledge the developer's passion for improvement, the overall consensus is that stability remains a major concern.
- “Extremely buggy and wonky gameplay.”
- “Many glitches make it basically unplayable.”
- “Super cool concept needs a ton of work, very buggy and unpredictable frame rate.”
replayability
10 mentions
80 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its offline sandbox nature, allowing players to utilize various tools and adjust difficulty levels. The semi-random map generation further enhances replay value, making each playthrough unique and engaging. Overall, players can expect an ambitious experience with virtually infinite replayability.
- “There's quite a bit of replayability to be had if you make good use of the numerous tools the game gives you.”
- “Because it is an offline sandbox game with bots, this game has infinite replayability.”
- “You can make them as easy or difficult as you want or as simple or complex, and the semi-random populating of the map makes for tons of replayability.”
optimization
10 mentions
40 % positive mentions
30 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and good visuals, others highlight significant issues, such as poor optimization in the main menu and a high field of view. Despite being in early access, there are indications that further improvements are needed before the game is fully polished.
- “Optimization: this game is really well optimized for an early access game.”
- “The game runs smoothly and looks good, even if the FOV is clearly set too high.”
- “This game is horribly optimized.”
- “It runs okay, but I literally get better performance in-game than in the main menu.”
- “There is still room for improvement and optimization, and although the game should have left early access a long time ago, it can be assumed that it will take quite a while until completion.”
humor
8 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its intentionally awkward animations and transitions, such as the exaggerated leaning in third-person view and the over-the-top mission intro screens that evoke laughter. Players find amusement in the game's quirky glitches, like characters floating and absurd healing animations, which contribute to a lighthearted experience without detracting from gameplay.
- “The level intro and exit transitions are hilariously bad; the obvious one is the enter mission screen, which is just a zoom in on a character's face with dramatic music that had me laughing out loud every time I saw it.”
- “Leaning while in 3rd person is hilariously awkward looking; you basically stretch your body.”
- “The leaning animation looks very funny in 3rd person!”
monetization
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of Zero Hour has drawn mixed reviews, with some users labeling it a "cash grab" while appreciating the absence of microtransactions, which allows for a more straightforward gameplay experience. However, issues with broken ads and problematic terrain have also been highlighted, indicating that the monetization strategy may not be fully polished.
- “Zero Hour is the next cash grab.”
- “The ads are broken and won't work if you click them more than once in rapid succession.”
- “Also, the lack of microtransactions means everything here is not developed around those pesky temptations.”
music
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with players finding the soundtrack to be poorly suited to the atmosphere and often annoying, particularly during stealth and combat sequences. The transitions between levels are described as comically bad, with a dramatic zoom-in on a character's face accompanied by music that elicited laughter rather than immersion.
- “The soundtrack is just god awful; you will hear annoying stealth/combat music 24/7 on your missions.”
- “Music doesn't really feel right atmospherically.”
- “The level intro and exit transitions are hilariously bad; the enter mission screen is just a zoom in on a character's face with dramatic music, which had me laughing out loud every time I saw it.”
atmosphere
6 mentions
67 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is a mixed bag; while it aims for a grand and immersive experience, many players feel it falls short due to poor visual quality and inadequate music that fails to enhance the mood. Despite being described as addictive and atmospheric, the overall execution leaves some fans frustrated.
- “Addictive, atmospheric, and slowly paced; COD fans will be pulling their hair out.”
- “The game tries to create a grand atmosphere, but it ultimately falls flat due to the lack of ambient occlusion and the presence of low-quality textures.”
- “The game attempts to establish an immersive atmosphere, yet it suffers from poor visual quality and inadequate lighting effects.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is noted to be impactful, though some mechanics may require refinement to enhance the overall experience. Players feel that while the emotional depth is present, it could be further elevated with improved gameplay elements.