Caligo

About

Caligo is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Krealit and was released on September 22, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Caligo" is a single-player Horror Adventure game with an intriguing story, excellent graphics, and a sensational soundtrack. As a "walking simulator," it offers a unique atmosphere and 100% voiced dialogs that form the protagonist's full story. With various characters, unusual settings, and a choice to help understand yourself better, the game provides a thought-provoking experience, although it is poorly optimized.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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67%

Audience ScoreBased on 519 reviews

story121 positive mentions

optimization25 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and art design that create an immersive atmosphere.
Thought-provoking themes that encourage introspection about life and death.
Engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.

Poor voice acting and dialogue that detracts from the narrative experience.
Extremely short playtime, with many players completing it in under an hour.
Lack of interactivity and slow movement speed that can make gameplay feel tedious.

story
354 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
60%
6%
The story of "Caligo" is a philosophical exploration of life, death, and self-discovery, presented through a walking simulator format that emphasizes atmosphere and immersion over traditional gameplay mechanics. While some players found the narrative intriguing and reflective, many criticized it for being vague, poorly executed, and lacking depth, with dialogue that often felt stilted or pretentious. Overall, the game offers a visually stunning experience, but its storytelling may leave players wanting more in terms of clarity and engagement.
- “Rather than presenting puzzles or combat, it focuses on immersion—on the slow, deliberate act of walking through strange and beautiful places while unraveling fragments of a story that feels both personal and metaphysical.”
- “Each area feels like a self-contained short story, and the pacing—slow and meditative—encourages you to absorb the scenery and reflect on the dialogue rather than rush through it.”
- “By the time the story reaches its quiet conclusion, the player is left not with closure but with reflection, as the ending depends less on what you’ve done and more on how you’ve interpreted what you’ve seen.”
- “The story is very, very meh.”
- “The story is vague, which is not a bad thing, but it didn't hold my interest well enough, although this aspect is highly subjective.”
- “The story attempts to be deeply philosophical, but falls very short in the time allotted.”
graphics
235 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
38%
2%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning beauty and imaginative art style, often described as surreal and atmospheric, reminiscent of gothic dreamscapes. However, many players note significant performance issues, including poor optimization that can hinder the experience, even on high-end systems. While the visuals are a standout feature, they are sometimes seen as compensating for a lack of engaging gameplay and narrative depth.
- “The art direction clearly draws inspiration from surrealist painters and gothic dreamscapes, giving the game a timeless aesthetic that often compensates for its limited interactivity.”
- “The graphics are absolutely beautiful, and the music is excellent.”
- “The visuals are stunning, and the soundtrack - the soundtrack is to die for.”
- “The graphics are poorly optimized as well.”
- “The game is visually really beautiful but not very optimized; it really tanked my graphics card even in standstill positions, so that was a bummer.”
- “While this game might certainly be visually really good, it's overly GPU intensive, and lowering the graphics settings doesn't improve it much.”
music
158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
35%
2%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many players describing it as beautiful, immersive, and fitting for each environment. The soundtrack features a mix of somber piano and ethereal strings, contributing to the emotional depth of the experience. However, some players noted that the music can become repetitive, and there is a strong desire for a soundtrack DLC to further enjoy the compositions.
- “The soundtrack, meanwhile, leans on somber piano and ethereal strings that swell gently as you move between chapters, reinforcing the feeling that the journey is more emotional than physical.”
- “The music adds to the scenery very well.”
- “The visuals are amazing, the music is absolutely perfect, and the characters are unique and interesting looking.”
- “Each chapter plays one song, and each song ends much faster than you complete the chapter, which makes it a very boring experience once the song is over.”
- “I don't want to say bad things, since a lot of time and effort goes into making games, regardless of genre, but I basically had to turn the sound way down so that the voice acting and music wouldn't annoy me as much.”
- “The environments are well done, the music is decent, but the writing is just awful.”
atmosphere
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
26%
4%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its surreal and immersive qualities, effectively blending beautiful visuals, haunting soundtracks, and a contemplative mood that invites players to reflect on themes of memory and self-discovery. While some critiques mention the story and voice acting as weaker elements, the overall ambiance captivates players, creating a unique and engaging experience that resonates emotionally. Despite comparisons to other titles, many agree that the atmospheric design stands out, making it a compelling choice for fans of walking simulators.
- “The game invites players into a surreal afterlife where memory, regret, and self-reflection intertwine in a sequence of atmospheric vignettes.”
- “The game never tries to overwhelm the player with spectacle or complexity; instead, it creates an intimate space for contemplation, where silence and atmosphere do most of the storytelling.”
- “The atmosphere is incredible.”
- “Even worse, voices are plain and unremarkable, too often they destroy the atmosphere created by the scenery and the music.”
- “I especially find this sad, since I really loved the first few sections of the game, with its great mystery and atmosphere, but sadly once the game comes to ask its core question, I lost more and more interest in it the further I went.”
- “Can't recommend it because different from other reviews not even the atmosphere did it for me, unfortunately.”
optimization
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
44%
45%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including low frame rates and stuttering, even on high-end systems. Despite its visually appealing graphics, the lack of effective optimization detracts significantly from the overall experience, making it difficult for many users to play smoothly. Overall, the consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, requiring significant improvements to enhance performance.
- “It's unfortunate that it has optimization issues, which distracts not only from how well-crafted of a tale it presents, but also from its lavish scenery.”
- “Although this game looks beautiful, it is poorly optimized.”
- “The game is visually really beautiful but not very optimized; I experienced it really tanking my graphics card even in standstill positions, so that was a bummer.”
- “The game is terribly/not at all optimized, and even higher-end computers might have trouble having it run smoothly.”
- “The game ran so poorly for me that it was painful to play; constant lag and clipping that seemed unaffected by any attempts at optimization.”
- “Unfortunately, this game is very unoptimized.”
gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
75%
15%
The gameplay of "Caligo" is primarily a linear walking simulator, where players navigate from point A to point B while experiencing cutscenes and collecting optional drawings. While the atmospheric visuals and music are praised, many reviewers find the gameplay dull and repetitive, lacking interactive elements such as puzzles or meaningful choices, which contributes to an overall underwhelming experience. Despite its simplicity, the game may appeal to fans of the genre who appreciate narrative and ambiance over traditional gameplay mechanics.
- “The gameplay is easy to learn; we go and occasionally pick up drawings that are scattered throughout all our memories of our hero.”
- “Interesting and beautiful locations, good atmosphere, story with deep philosophical overtones, and good music help to immerse yourself in the plot of the game with very simple gameplay, which will help you while away one evening.”
- “It's good to give a break from frantic gameplay, too.”
- “The gameplay was unexpectedly boring.”
- “The gameplay is nearly completely linear, with hardly any room for exploring a bit or to get lost for a while.”
- “Gameplay wise, you follow a linear track most of the time.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of *caligo* is deeply resonant, with each location evoking feelings of guilt, nostalgia, and longing, enhanced by a carefully crafted color palette and a somber soundtrack. While some players may find the game's brevity and lack of interactivity limiting, the focus on emotional storytelling and thematic depth creates a lasting impact that lingers beyond gameplay. Overall, *caligo* successfully captures a poignant mood, even if it doesn't reach the heights of other genre-defining titles.
- “Every location carries emotional weight, reflecting guilt, nostalgia, or longing.”
- “The color palette shifts from soft blues and greys to violent reds and glowing golds depending on the emotional tone of each scene, and the lighting—subtle yet deliberate—casts long, shifting shadows that make every location feel alive.”
- “The soundtrack, meanwhile, leans on somber piano and ethereal strings that swell gently as you move between chapters, reinforcing the feeling that the journey is more emotional than physical.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely criticized for its cringe-worthy writing and poor dialogue, which many players find distracting rather than engaging. While some voice acting is deemed hilariously bad, it fails to enhance the overall experience, leading to a mix of unintentional laughter and frustration. Despite these shortcomings, a few players appreciate the game's low price, suggesting that the humor may still appeal to some.
- “The voice acting is terrible and hilarious all at once.”
- “And the Rambo for most hilarious voice acting goes to........”
- “Caligo is great, and at a price tag of $6 (you can probably get it for $3 on a sale) I think it's kind of funny to see complaints.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is generally criticized, with users reporting numerous glitches and buggy controls that can significantly hinder gameplay. While some players may not encounter issues unless actively seeking them, the overall experience is marred by frustrating technical problems that test patience.
- “Mix that with buggy controls, and you have a game that may test a player's patience.”
- “The game glitches out like crazy and you'll have an annoying time maneuvering with your controls.”
- “Bad voice acting, many glitches, super slow movement, too short, and a story that fails to make the player understand or care about it.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with many users noting that it offers little incentive to play again due to its short length and limited choices. While some appreciate the simple controls, the overall consensus is that the game does not provide enough variety or depth to warrant multiple playthroughs.
- “Simple controls, and total replay value.”
- “Cons: no replayability, distracting voice acting, graphics sometimes become choppy and that can cause a headache fast, very short, only one choice that does anything.”
- “No replay value whatsoever.”
- “As such, it offers zero replay value.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, often exacerbated by interruptions during dialogue that hinder progress. The overall experience is described as frustrating, particularly for those who have invested significant time in card farming prior to gameplay.
- “This was more tedious and boring.”
- “The acting, along with the need for the player to stop moving when dialogue is sometimes spoken, creates an almost tedious experience when trying to progress the game.”
- “By the way, long before I played the game, I was card farming, so that is why the time is so long.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the reviews highlight impressive visual elements such as lighting, shaders, and high-quality textures, they do not provide specific insights into the character development itself. Overall, the focus seems to be more on the aesthetic aspects of character design rather than their growth or depth within the narrative.
- “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing players to form a genuine connection with each character's journey.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making their growth feel authentic and rewarding.”
- “The backstories and personal arcs of the characters are well-crafted, adding layers of complexity to the overall narrative.”