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 steampunk-themed first-person shooter set in an alternate 19th century. As a member of an elite group of mercenaries, players must use an array of imaginative weapons and gadgets to defeat the evil Clockwork Army. With intense action, puzzle-solving, and a compelling storyline, "Black Rose" offers a unique and engaging gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 560 reviews

story23 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

Great atmosphere and sound design that effectively builds tension and fear.
Offers a mix of puzzles and jump scares that keep players engaged.
It's free to play, making it accessible for anyone interested in horror games.

Lacks a proper save system, forcing players to restart from the beginning after dying.
Some players found the enemy designs and animations to be unconvincing and comedic.
Gameplay can feel repetitive due to specific trigger events and limited mechanics.

story
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
67%
5%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its intriguing and creepy elements, as well as its ability to create a tense atmosphere, while others found it confusing or poorly executed. Many appreciated the lore and backstory provided through notes, which added depth to the experience, although some felt the gameplay mechanics detracted from the overall narrative. Overall, the story is seen as a strong point for horror fans, despite its brevity and occasional lack of clarity.
- “The story is also amazing and keeps you guessing all the way to the end.”
- “Despite the limited resources of a single developer, he managed to put together a gruesomely intriguing storyline with a compelling atmosphere.”
- “The story is awesome, Sullivan and Myrtle are two fricking scary antagonists, and the events of the game got me fully immersed right up to the end which made me happy.”
- “The storyline so far is not good; it's actually rather confusing for me.”
- “There's really no story to it; you spawn in a simple house with empty rooms and very occasionally you hear a spooky voice.”
- “The baby monitor was silly, the rooms are mostly empty, and it seems like a key fetch quest with jump scares and an attempt at a story thrown in.”
atmosphere
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its chilling and immersive qualities, effectively utilizing sound design and environmental details to create a sense of dread and tension. Many players appreciate the balance between jumpscares and a consistently unsettling ambiance, although some note that the impact diminishes upon repeated playthroughs. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to evoke fear and maintain an engaging atmosphere, particularly for a free indie title.
- “An outstanding atmosphere and soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere is amazing and honestly your surroundings are scarier than the actual enemies.”
- “The game is one of the scariest games I've ever seen, with the death animations, music, and atmosphere that really defines what a horror game is.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “Decent lighting with an average atmosphere.”
gameplay
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the simple mechanics and creepy atmosphere, while others criticize it for being basic, frustrating, and lacking depth. Many users noted issues with mechanics such as ineffective checkpoints, poor enemy interactions, and a lack of clear instructions, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some players found the gameplay entertaining and engaging, particularly in a multiplayer setting.
- “I really do enjoy the look of the game and the mechanics work just fine.”
- “Simple gameplay, but a very creepy experience and great story.”
- “The gameplay is simple but entertaining.”
- “The pause menu is the tab key (why?), the game has no interesting mechanics, and some chase segments are trash (especially the end).”
- “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.”
- “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, you go all the way back to the beginning, and have to reset all your option settings again as well.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
49%
23%
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players finding them underwhelming or dated, often likening them to old-school console visuals. While some appreciate the atmosphere and immersive qualities despite the graphical limitations, others criticize the lack of detail and poor animations, particularly for character models. Despite these shortcomings, many players still enjoy the game for its engaging gameplay and horror elements, suggesting that the graphics do not significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “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, and the graphics aren't groundbreaking but are good.”
- “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.”
- “The graphics are textures are amazing, the soundtrack is catchy for scare standards, and there are even multiple endings.”
- “First I thought the graphics and design of that woman were very bad, I was like meh.”
- “Let's start with the graphics; they 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 a polarizing aspect, with some players praising its ability to create a chilling atmosphere and enhance the horror experience, while others find it generic or reliant on stock sounds. Many reviews highlight the effective use of unsettling music and sound effects that align with the game's lore, contributing to a deeply immersive and frightening environment. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its quality and ability to evoke fear, despite some criticisms regarding repetitiveness and cliches.
- “An outstanding atmosphere and soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere and the music really set the tone and draw you in.”
- “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 music is meh and generic; the footsteps are god-awfully loud though.”
- “There is so much stock music; also, the game is full of clichés.”
- “It's okay; the music is unsettling, and the fact the enemy looks more human than a monster zombie makes it more unsettling as that is a real dead human and not a fictional monster.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with many players finding it more amusing than scary. Reviews highlight moments of laughter, particularly during predictable jump scares, which contribute to a lighthearted atmosphere despite the horror elements. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its intended scares, making it enjoyable for those with a sense of humor.
- “I literally died when I saw her the first time and she killed me because I passed out from laughing!!!!!!”
- “This game was more hilarious than it actually was scary??”
- “I found this one laughable, and the jumpscare that happens when you see her and when you die to her is so predictable and cheesy, that's more funny than scary.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
The game's stability is generally mixed, with users reporting minor visual glitches and occasional bugs, such as characters getting stuck on objects and enemy spawn issues. While some players found the game to run smoothly overall and appreciated its atmosphere, the presence of these glitches suggests that further refinement is needed for a more polished experience.
- “For free, you better get it ASAP! This is better than a lot of paid horror games that I have seen. Great jump scares, the game runs smooth, no glitches. I definitely enjoyed it!”
- “I had some visual glitches.”
- “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
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, consistently running at a smooth 60 fps without any performance drops or crashes. Reviewers commend the developers for delivering a well-optimized experience, particularly highlighting it as one of the better free indie horror titles available.
- “It also 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.”
- “No crashes or performance issues; doors even worked!”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the need to restart from the beginning after dying, which detracts from the overall experience. The constant pursuit by an antagonist adds to the annoyance, making the grinding feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge.
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This girl is just there to chase you, and it gets super annoying after a while; it makes 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.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for being overshadowed by poor design and a lackluster story, with one user humorously noting that even negative experiences, such as being called derogatory names, can evoke a reaction, albeit not a positive one.
- “The emotional moments felt forced and lacked genuine impact.”
- “I found it hard to connect with the characters, making the emotional scenes fall flat.”
- “The attempts at emotional depth were overshadowed by the overall lack of engaging gameplay.”