Black Rose

About

Black Rose is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Sir Bedlam Productions and was released on March 15, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Black Rose is a first-person survival horror game in which you assume the role of Linda, an average girl who heard rumors about an old abandoned funeral home being haunted. No one knows what...

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 571 reviews

story23 positive mentions

gameplay8 negative mentions

Effective atmospheric horror with a strong sense of isolation and vulnerability.
Unpredictable enemy encounters that create genuine tension beyond standard jump scares.
Good sound design, including ambient noises and subtle audio cues that enhance the horror experience.
Free to play, runs smoothly on a wide range of systems with minimal technical issues.
Short and intense gameplay suitable for players looking for a brief, memorable horror experience.
Some players found the story intriguing and the pacing well done, with multiple endings and puzzles adding depth.

Frustrating checkpoint and save system, often requiring players to restart from the beginning after death.
Poor and sometimes confusing gameplay mechanics, including unintuitive controls and trial-and-error progression.
Dated and simplistic graphics with some empty or poorly designed environments and stiff enemy animations.
Lack of clear guidance or instructions, leading to confusion about objectives and puzzle solutions.
Annoying bugs and glitches such as clipping through floors or doors and resetting settings upon loading.
Some players found the jump scares predictable and the story underdeveloped or forgettable.

story
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
68%
8%
The story of "Black Rose" is atmospheric and creepy, delivered mainly through environmental details and scattered notes, creating an eerie, interpretive experience without a clear or deeply developed plot. While some players find it intriguing and immersive, others see it as confusing, minimal, or lacking emotional payoff, with a focus more on mood and ambiance than narrative depth. Overall, it suits fans of atmospheric horror but may disappoint those seeking a strong, coherent storyline.
- “The story is awesome, Sullivan and Myrtle are two frightening antagonists, and the events of the game fully immerse you right up to the end.”
- “Despite the limited resources of a single developer, the game delivers a gruesomely intriguing storyline with a compelling atmosphere.”
- “The story mode even has a hidden ending for those who can find it :) plus, the game is free so why not play it?”
- “The plot is as dry, boring, and overdone as all the others, this time in an abandoned spooky funeral home.”
- “Players looking for a clearly defined plot or emotional payoff may find the narrative somewhat lacking, as the focus remains firmly on mood rather than storytelling depth.”
- “The story is also very lacking, not really making a ton of sense as to why or how these things are happening, other than "because ghost."”
atmosphere
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
48%
5%
Black Rose is widely praised for its strong, chilling atmosphere that effectively builds tension and fear through ambient sound, music, and environmental design rather than relying solely on jumpscares. While some note occasional technical issues and repetitive scares, the game consistently immerses players in a creepy, unsettling environment that is considered a standout aspect, especially impressive for a free indie horror title.
- “Black Rose, developed and published by Sir Bedlam Productions, is a compact first-person horror experience that proves how effective simplicity can be when paired with strong atmosphere and unpredictable design.”
- “The video and audio match the dark atmosphere, creating an ambiance that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
- “The atmosphere is amazing and honestly your surroundings are scarier than the actual enemies.”
- “The game had a decent atmosphere, but it was so buggy it didn't convey it well.”
- “Decent lighting with an average atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere about 80% of the time doesn't really build up anything; the only exceptions being the basement with the coffin and the morgue, those areas actually felt like I was being stalked by a ghost somewhere.”
gameplay
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
72%
15%
The gameplay is largely simple and minimalistic, focusing on exploration, note collection, and basic puzzles without combat or defense mechanics, which creates tense but limited and sometimes frustrating experiences due to issues like poor checkpoint placement, unintuitive controls, and occasional bugs. While some players appreciated the creepy atmosphere and tension, many found the mechanics uninspired, repetitive, and detracting from replay value, with inconsistent design leading to mixed enjoyment.
- “The gameplay is intentionally minimal, focusing on exploration, note collection, and basic puzzle-solving.”
- “There are no weapons, no combat mechanics, and no reliable way to defend yourself, which makes every encounter with danger feel immediate and personal.”
- “Gameplay is basically your typical horror game you'd expect to go along with this kind of story: you're wandering around a building with a flashlight looking around for stuff; meanwhile, you need to avoid ghosts that haunt the place, otherwise it's game over.”
- “The door 'jammed' mechanics in the game during the Myrtle sequence are uncalled for, and are when a checkpoint should have been placed beforehand. Each time you are killed by that unavoidable ghost trying to open your last door to freedom, you go all the way back to the beginning, and have to reset all your option settings again. The game is also exceptionally loud and dark, requiring you to adjust those ahead of time, so having to go into options each time you die and reset those settings is something that just shouldn't happen. Fix these issues and update this game.”
- “The gameplay is unfair, there's weirdness regarding settings not being saved after death, the save points are useless during the most frustrating portions of the game, you can't see anything, and the textures are painful—literally for me as someone prone to motion sickness.”
- “This one fails primarily on visual quality, but the gameplay isn't enough to get players sticking around through more than part of a single playthrough.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
50%
24%
The graphics in "Black Rose" are widely regarded as dated, simplistic, and occasionally poor in quality, with many noting low-detail textures, empty environments, and jerky animations. However, while not visually impressive or modern, the game's atmosphere and smooth performance on low-end systems often compensate for its graphical shortcomings, especially given its free indie status. Overall, the visuals are passable but unlikely to appeal to gamers seeking high-end or surreal aesthetics.
- “This game is very immersive and scary for a free game, and does a great job with jump scares and speech. I play on a potato laptop and this runs as smooth as butter; the graphics aren't ground-breaking but are good.”
- “I love the storyline and the 3D graphics make it very realistic on the PC.”
- “Great game with some really cool visuals; the tension that builds up makes you think something is around every corner, which makes playing the game that much more intense.”
- “Visually, this has some fairly mediocre and dated looking graphics that will understandably be a turn off for a lot of gamers, and it's a big contributor to the failure of the game to attract gamers despite having no up-front cost.”
- “Let's start with the graphics: the graphics are atrocious, and the animation for the ghosts is really jerky and lacks fluid movement.”
- “This game is awful... bad graphics, initial atmosphere does kind of set a tense scene but the mechanics and the actual 'ghost' are cheap and laughable at best.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
The music in the game is widely praised for effectively enhancing the horror atmosphere, with creepy, unsettling, and well-timed tracks that contribute to jump scares and immersion. Some users note a standout, eerie violin piece and high-quality, varied sound effects, while a few find parts of the music generic or repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack significantly supports the game's tense and frightening experience.
- “An outstanding atmosphere and soundtrack.”
- “Ambience changes with each section, voice acting is pretty great, audio is recorded in high quality, non-repetitive sound effects, songs all sound good and change depending on events, consistent sounds that align with the lore, there's so much good stuff.”
- “The atmosphere and the music really sets the tone and draws you in.”
- “The music is meh and generic; the footsteps are godawfully loud though.”
- “(i.e., run for a scripted amount of time until the scary music stops and then proceed to the next objective.)”
- “There is so much stock music; also, the game is full of clichés.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with many players finding it more funny than scary due to predictable and cheesy jumpscares that provoke laughter rather than fear. Its blend of horror and humor creates an entertaining experience that often leads to genuine amusement.
- “I literally died when I saw her the first time and she killed me because I passed out from laughing!”
- “It wasn't scary at all, and I actually had to exit the game after I died the first time because I was laughing so hard.”
- “This game is not only horror and makes you scream, but also funny and makes you think and solve problems.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
89%
The game generally runs smoothly and delivers a solid atmospheric experience, but is occasionally marred by minor glitches such as character clipping, visual issues, and occasional enemy spawning problems. While these technical issues can disrupt gameplay, they rarely overshadow the game's core strengths and potential.
- “The game had a decent atmosphere, but it was so buggy it didn't convey it well.”
- “This game is okay... except for the fact that the girl glitches through walls.”
- “However, there are some bugs and glitches that need to be ironed out; such as getting stuck on doors, chairs, and the fact that enemies can spawn right on top of you.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
The game is highly optimized, running smoothly at a stable 60 fps without crashes or performance issues. Its technical simplicity ensures it performs well on a wide range of systems, making it accessible and reliable for players.
- “The game’s technical simplicity also contributes to its accessibility, as it runs smoothly on a wide range of systems without demanding significant resources.”
- “It runs at a smooth 60 fps and doesn't suffer from any random drops; it's a very well optimized title, which I commend the developer on.”
- “Black Rose is one of the better and more well optimized free indie horror titles to come about, and for that reason I am going to recommend it.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The emotional aspect of the game is generally viewed as weak, with a focus on mood over a clear narrative or emotional depth. Some players find the story boring and lacking meaningful payoff, detracting from the overall experience.
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is considered tedious and frustrating, with players needing multiple attempts and restarts that disrupt the flow. This repetitive challenge can make progression feel slow and annoying for some users.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Also last thing to say, this girl is just there to chase you, and it gets super annoying after a while, making the game super tedious.”
- “I didn't finish the game because it was really tedious to have to restart from the beginning every time I died.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has limited replayability, as familiarity with the layout and mechanics reduces its appeal over time.
- “This limits its replay value, especially once players become familiar with the layout and mechanics.”