Cassiculus

About

"Cassiculus" is a single-player simulation horror game with a dense atmosphere, set in the terrifying Oberon Cave. As a spelunker searching for your missing brother and his friends, you'll face isolation, fear, and claustrophobia through atmospheric environments, disturbing audio, and horrifying visuals. The game emphasizes exploration, cutscenes, and item discovery, with no combat involved.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 152 reviews

story12 positive mentions

optimization2 negative mentions

The game features excellent sound design and atmosphere, creating a tense and immersive experience.
The voice acting is solid and contributes positively to the overall narrative.
As a free game, it offers a decent experience for those looking for a short horror adventure.

The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and low frame rates, which can disrupt gameplay.
There is a lack of meaningful player interaction, with many sequences being scripted cutscenes that remove player agency.
The game is very short and may leave players wanting more in terms of story depth and gameplay mechanics.

story
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
The story of "cassiculus" is described as engaging yet simplistic, offering a chilling atmosphere enhanced by impressive visuals and sound design. While some players appreciate the immersive experience and tension-building elements, many criticize the lack of depth and player interaction, suggesting that the narrative could benefit from more complexity and engagement. Overall, it is seen as a fun, free horror short-story that may appeal to those who enjoy atmospheric storytelling, but it leaves room for improvement in its narrative structure.
- “If you appreciate a game that builds tension through its environment and storytelling rather than action, 'cassiculus' will deliver a chillingly memorable journey.”
- “The progression in the game flowed well, with the player easily moving through the story without hindrance.”
- “It's free and was a fun little story to experience; definitely appreciate the creator's work, the theme/story they went for, the fact they offer it for free, and as someone developing their own game dev skills, it was fun to see how this creator implemented certain aspects into their designs.”
- “We see a lack of story which limits the emotional connection or even tension for us to experience during the game.”
- “Worth a try solely because it's a free game but brings nothing of value to the table story-wise.”
- “While the game does have decent effort placed into the aesthetics and writing, with a pretty okay visual style, decent voice acting present, and an okay story, the biggest reason why I can't recommend this game is that the game offers far too little in terms of player interaction or influence, in that there's far too little for the player to really do in the game.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
72%
14%
The gameplay is criticized for being overly linear and lacking depth, with minimal interactive elements and no combat mechanics, resulting in a passive experience that feels more like watching a movie than playing a game. Players spend most of their time following a set path and watching cutscenes, with little opportunity for puzzle-solving or meaningful choices. While the atmosphere and suspense are appreciated, the overall lack of engaging gameplay mechanics and variety detracts from the experience.
- “The difficulty is modest, rated by me at about 3 out of 10, thanks to its straightforward, linear gameplay and clear objective: finding your missing brother and his friends.”
- “There's no combat, although there are some mechanics with breaking rocks or catching something on fire to clear your path. You can't die, and all the danger is in cutscenes. There's no way to die from a fall or get mauled by an animal, but I really like that. It's very linear, but realistically linear; there's no choices. The fate of your character is sealed, making the game feel like a movie you're just watching, and it's terrifying. The ending itself was beyond nightmarish, and I really liked it.”
- “The game emphasizes atmosphere and suspense, with no combat mechanics involved.”
- “Boring gameplay.”
- “The unclear theme makes the mechanics of this game (which is the exploration of the cave part) somewhat uninteresting.”
- “Most of your time will be spent walking along one specific pathway and watching cut-scenes play out; not much in terms of actual puzzle solving, combat, or any other gameplay mechanics.”
atmosphere
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
19%
12%
The game excels in creating a deeply immersive atmosphere, characterized by its engaging story, impressive visuals, and exceptional sound design that enhances feelings of paranoia and dread. Players appreciate the tense and creepy environments, particularly outside the cave, which contribute to a sense of loneliness and suspense. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature, making it feel more like a visual novel or atmospheric walking simulator than a traditional game.
- “This game features an engaging story, atmospheric environments, well-crafted horror sounds, and impressive visuals.”
- “Tense atmosphere throughout, excellent sound design and ambient soundtrack, nice little narrative with solid voice acting to go with it.”
- “The game fantastically surrounded us within a soundscape that built an atmosphere of emptiness and loneliness and also occasionally drew us to the fact that we weren’t alone.”
- “The game emphasizes atmosphere and suspense, with no combat mechanics involved.”
- “It features suspense, atmosphere, and voice acting.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
19%
6%
The graphics in 'cassiculus' are generally praised for their quality, particularly in creating atmospheric environments and immersive visuals, especially in forest settings. While some reviewers note that the visuals may not be the absolute best, they commend the effective use of resources to achieve a cohesive aesthetic. Overall, the game's impressive graphics, combined with strong sound design and lighting, contribute significantly to its engaging horror experience.
- “This game features an engaging story, atmospheric environments, well-crafted horror sounds, and impressive visuals.”
- “As a free game, 'cassiculus' excels in creating a deeply immersive experience with its meticulously crafted environments, eerie sound design, and spine-chilling visuals.”
- “The game was absolutely amazing, graphics, lighting, sound effects, general sound direction, how the scenes are set up, the voice acting, the actual tension and pacing of the narrative, and both outside and inside the cave were just incredible.”
- “While the game does have decent effort placed into the aesthetics and writing, with a pretty okay visual style, decent voice acting present, and an okay story, the biggest reason why I can't recommend this game is that the game offers far too little in terms of player interaction or influence, in that there's far too little for the player to really do in the game.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the game suffers from a lack of story, which significantly hampers players' emotional connection and tension, ultimately detracting from the overall enjoyment of the experience.
- “The emotional connection is crucial for enhancing the gameplay experience.”
- “Without the emotional connection or even dread we require during the gameplay, it becomes difficult to enjoy more of the experience.”
- “A strong narrative is essential to foster the emotional engagement that players seek.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features appealing scenery and some well-executed elements, but overall, it suffers from poor optimization, resulting in a sluggish and boring experience for players.
- “While the scenery is good in the beginning and I loved the wolves and rabbit stuff, it has a decent effort made in some areas; however, it's a very boring, sluggish, and not very optimized game.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the presence of a comical spider character, which users find amusing and entertaining. Overall, the lighthearted and whimsical elements contribute positively to the game's comedic appeal.
- “Haha, the spider is hilarious!”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music and sound design in the game create a consistently tense atmosphere, complemented by an excellent ambient soundtrack and solid voice acting that enhances the narrative experience.
- “Tense atmosphere throughout, excellent sound design and ambient soundtrack, nice little narrative with solid voice acting to go with it.”