Burn Me Twice

About

Burn Me Twice is a single player action game with fantasy and mystery themes. It was developed by Null Reference Studio and was released on May 28, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Burn Me Twice is a narrative adventure that combines investigation segments to explore the town of Düstenburg with trials that test your knowledge about the case.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 144 reviews

story45 positive mentions

stability17 negative mentions

The game features a captivating story inspired by real historical events, with well-developed characters and an engaging atmosphere.
The art style is charming, with beautifully designed locations and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the immersive experience.
The puzzles are logical and appropriately challenging, providing a satisfying gameplay experience without causing frustration.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs that can hinder progress, including softlocks and issues with item retrieval.
The controls can be clunky and unresponsive, particularly when using a keyboard, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
Some players have reported a lack of clear direction in the gameplay, leading to confusion and frustration during exploration and puzzle-solving.

story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
32%
4%
The game's story is generally praised for its intriguing narrative, rich lore, and engaging characters, with many players appreciating the unique premise involving a nocturnal witch and the realm of the dead. However, the experience is marred by significant bugs that can disrupt gameplay and prevent players from completing the story, leading to frustration despite the overall enjoyment of the plot. While the art style and atmosphere are well-received, some players noted that the story can feel predictable and the gameplay often devolves into fetch quests.
- “The story has its own lore and myths, which is fun to read.”
- “The developers obviously believed in the story and they put lots of effort into building it.”
- “The story is great and quite unique; the graphics are beautiful, and if you like low poly, you will be well served.”
- “The game itself, while having a promising narrative, boils down to a lot of fetch quests and simplistic puzzles; it's not engaging, it's not long, it is buggy, and once more... synty asset flip.”
- “I restarted, and progressed all the way until just before the game's end, only to learn further that myself and many other people are unable to complete it due to another, more devastating bug, which makes skeletons unkillable, and therefore prevents you from moving forward with the story.”
- “Most of the game just feels like a fetch quest walking simulator.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
28%
9%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cute and unique art style, reminiscent of the PlayStation 2 era, which complements the game's whimsical yet dark themes. While many players appreciate the beautiful visuals and atmospheric lighting, some report performance issues, such as lag and poor optimization, which can detract from the experience. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's charm, despite some technical drawbacks.
- “Fun, short, detective/fantasy game with a beautiful score and unique graphics.”
- “The graphics are beautiful (love the lighting) and if you like low poly, well, you will be well served.”
- “I actually really really like the art style of this game, and I think it looks fantastic and suits the game well.”
- “The graphics are terribly optimized and there's no way of changing their settings to compensate.”
- “Actually, I can't play the game because I have like 10 fps and there are no graphics options to change, so I can't do anything about it.”
- “Some mention the 'glitchy' graphics.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of investigation and exploration, drawing inspiration from titles like Phoenix Wright and Zelda, with players interviewing NPCs and collecting evidence. While the atmosphere and art are praised, some users report issues such as softlocks, bugs, and a lack of engaging mechanics, suggesting that the gameplay could benefit from more dynamic elements and refinement. Overall, the experience is described as smooth and enjoyable, albeit with some inconsistencies and a need for more interactive gameplay.
- “The art is gorgeous, the plot is super cool, and the gameplay is super smooth and interesting.”
- “The core gameplay consists of interviewing NPCs and collecting evidence for the various investigations.”
- “It seems to be heavily inspired by the Phoenix Wright series, similarly splitting gameplay into investigation phase, where you hunt for clues and evidence, and trial phase where you present what you've found in court.”
- “I stayed because of the Phoenix Wright style of gameplay, but I gave up because I got softlocked.”
- “It's a cute adventure game without too much gameplay involved.”
- “Clues and investigation are nice, but the gameplay is terrible.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as unresponsive controls and event triggers failing to activate. While some players managed to enjoy the game despite these problems, the overall consensus is that the game's potential is severely undermined by its instability, making it difficult to recommend without caution.
- “It would be an amazing game if it wasn't so buggy.”
- “This is a very buggy game!”
- “The idea of the game is pretty good, but the game itself is very buggy and glitchy; I can't even move to the next location due to a bug.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The music in the game has received positive feedback for its variety and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many players noting its stirring quality and suitability for the game's themes. Several reviewers expressed a desire to purchase the soundtrack separately, highlighting its appeal and integration with the storyline and environment. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that complements the game's edgy character responses and engaging narrative.
- “The medieval mystery game is perfect for those who enjoy a thorough magical investigation, it has an adorable and spooky art style and the soundtrack fits perfectly.”
- “The music is varied and really quite stirring at times.”
- “There is also quite a lot of drama and even comedy conveyed from the music.”
- “Background music suits the atmosphere and I do like the concept that witches carry blessings and curses.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-received, with players appreciating the funny characters, witty dialogue, and amusing situations, such as getting stuck in walls. The blend of humor with the game's witch-themed narrative and puzzles adds to its charm, making it an enjoyable experience overall.
- “I didn't expect much from a free game, but I actually enjoyed the original story, the funny characters, and the graphic style.”
- “A short storytelling indie game that has a mix of witch drama, humor, and puzzles.”
- “Very 'witchy', chill, investigative indie game with parts of funny dialogue and stealth.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's optimization has received criticism, with players noting that it requires high-performance settings to run smoothly, which is unexpected for a short free title. Many users experienced lag and bugs, indicating that the game may not be well-optimized for a range of systems.
- “I had to push my settings to high performance (the same used for AAA games) to be able to play the game smoothly, which I was not expecting for a short free game.”
- “When you first boot the game, you can tell the visuals will be stunning, although you may need a pretty decent computer for it to run smoothly.”
- “I had to push my settings to high performance (same used for AAA games) to be able to play the game smoothly, which I was not expecting for a short free game.”
- “I don't know if it's my PC or poor optimization, but this game was also laggy as hell, which made the little puzzle sections so much worse.”
- “Additionally, there are some bugs and a glaring lack of optimization.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its captivating and enjoyable qualities, enhanced by fitting background music and a unique concept involving witches carrying blessings and curses. Reviewers find the overall ambiance stunning, though some express a desire for more depth.
- “The atmosphere of this game is incredible; it's highly enjoyable and captivating. I only wish there was more to it.”
- “The atmosphere of the game is stunning.”
- “Background music suits the atmosphere, and I do like the concept that witches carry blessings and curses.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the innovative ghost/normal switch mechanic and the inclusion of a hat feature, which together help to alleviate the tedium often associated with grinding in the game.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I find the grinding mechanics to be overly tedious, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress is frustrating and feels like a chore rather than fun.”