Chordosis
- September 15, 2023
- AdamDubiGames
Get on Steam"Chordosis" is a cosmic survival sci-fi horror game set in the small, remote Hungarian village of Dunahont. Take on the role of Sadie, searching for her missing twin sister while being ignored by authorities. Solve physics-based puzzles, manage your inventory, and survive encounters with otherworldly creatures to uncover the truth behind the overwhelming number of alien abductions in the area.
PC
Windows
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a haunting atmosphere and impressive graphics, creating a deeply immersive experience.
- Puzzles are engaging and provide a satisfying challenge, enhancing the overall gameplay.
- The narrative, while abstract, offers a personal and emotional journey that resonates with players.
- The game is plagued by numerous technical issues, including frequent crashes and game-breaking bugs that hinder progress.
- There is a lack of direction and clarity in gameplay, leading to frustrating backtracking and confusion about objectives.
- The story feels disjointed, with two competing narratives that do not cohesively connect, leaving players unsatisfied.
- atmosphere72 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie, oppressive quality, masterful sound design, and unsettling visuals that create a genuinely chilling experience. While many players find the atmosphere to be beautifully crafted and immersive, some note that it can lose its impact due to linear gameplay and repetitive puzzles. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a highlight, evoking strong emotional responses and enhancing the horror elements throughout the game.
“The game's masterful blend of unsettling visuals and haunting sound design crafts an atmosphere that's genuinely chilling.”
“I'm blown away by how intensely dreadful and amazingly crafted the atmosphere and the scares are.”
“What a beautifully crafted horror game and a very creative and atmospheric way of telling this story.”
“At this point of the game, I just wanted it to be over; I had no thrill, no appreciation for the atmosphere nor the ending.”
“Unfortunately, the game falls short with puzzles back to back and problem after problem; by the end, the atmosphere and sense of horror were starting to wear off.”
“The atmosphere initially is strong but it loses itself before even the midpoint.”
- story72 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as deeply personal and impactful, focusing on themes of child abuse, but many players found it hard to follow and lacking in coherence. There is a notable dissonance between the main narrative and the sci-fi elements, leading to confusion and a sense that the two stories do not connect well. While some appreciated the emotional depth and artistic expression, others felt the storytelling was thin and overly explicit, diminishing the mystery and engagement.
“The story hits hard the idea of being a stranger in your own home.”
“What kept me playing was getting to know more of Adam's story, however he wished to tell it.”
“What a beautifully crafted horror game and a very creative and atmospheric way of telling this story.”
“The story was lacking, and a good amount of the puzzles made zero sense.”
“Barely any story exists, and what is there feels like two completely distinct stories, and neither really do much to emphasize child abuse.”
“The story seems split in half between alluding to the developer's personal story and the story of some sci-fi expedition gone wrong.”
- graphics46 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning detail and atmospheric design, particularly in the industrial sci-fi and steampunk settings. Players appreciate the distinctiveness of each environment, which enhances the chilling atmosphere and complements the horror elements. However, some users noted issues with optimization that affected performance, despite the overall high quality of the visuals.
“The game's masterful blend of unsettling visuals and haunting sound design crafts an atmosphere that's genuinely chilling.”
“The visuals are fantastic, I love the industrial sci-fi setting, and every room and hallway is distinct and visually striking.”
“I've been streaming it on Twitch for a few days and I was genuinely very impressed with the atmosphere and horror aspects of the game, but the optimization is pretty bad. Even with all my graphics at minimum, I am unfortunately unable to finish the game.”
“As people tend to favor meme horror games, instant jumpscares, and the usual PS1 graphics and aesthetics for the lazy nostalgia factor.”
“What drew me in were the graphics since I'd never seen many games that had the level of detail this one advertised.”
- gameplay32 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a lack of bugs and crashes, but it suffers from linearity and a lack of engagement, leading to feelings of boredom rather than fear. While the atmospheric elements and puzzles are commendable, the survival horror mechanics fail to deliver genuine tension or excitement, leaving players questioning their objectives and ultimately feeling unfulfilled. Despite some redeeming qualities, such as a satisfying ending, the overall experience is marred by frustrating gameplay that does not effectively convey its intended themes.
“It seeks to establish itself with atmospheric locations, puzzles, survival horror gameplay, and an autobiographical narrative that unfolds.”
“I came across a playthrough of an early build of the game done by the YouTuber John Wolfe and was instantly drawn to the Amnesia-esque gameplay.”
“For only one person who made this, I'm impressed but do not expect a cat and mouse chase gameplay; it's more about fun puzzle-solving objectives.”
“Survival horror gameplay is neither truly survival based nor particularly horrifying.”
“While the atmosphere in sight and sound works overtime to intimidate and horrify the player, the gameplay itself is so linear, straight-jacket, and blunt as to numb the participant to any sharp incisions it would otherwise make.”
“I would also note that the gameplay had me annoyed while I played it as I was constantly asking myself 'where am I going and why am I doing this?' and near the end I was just trying to finish it to be done with it.”
- emotional14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its deeply emotional and unsettling narrative, likening the experience to emotional abuse without visible scars. Reviewers highlight the impactful ending and the game's ability to evoke a sense of heartbreak and reflection on personal experiences, all set against a visually stunning steampunk/apocalyptic backdrop. Overall, it is described as a compelling and emotionally gripping horror experience that stands out in the genre.
“The ending was decent as well, maybe a bit overt but it was actually quite emotional and very unlike most horror game endings I've come across.”
“The whole atmosphere is very creepy, and also heartbreaking knowing that he is reflecting on his own experiences.”
“Very steampunk/apocalyptic future aesthetic, composition within every turn was really pretty to look at, the colors, the architecture; I love the meaning behind this game, it makes it so much more real and emotional.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, including frequent crashes and bugs, even at minimum graphics settings. While some found the performance acceptable and were able to enjoy the atmosphere and gameplay, others were frustrated enough to abandon the game due to these technical problems. Overall, optimization appears to be a notable drawback for many users.
“Performance was good.”
“The performance does buckle quite a bit, but for me the optimization wasn't that huge of an issue.”
“The frustrations I have had with this game are a huge turn off for me and although Chordosis was great, I don't think I'm going to give any other games of his a shot because even in Chordosis there were bugs galore and performance issues in spots.”
“I've been streaming it on Twitch for a few days and I was genuinely very impressed with the atmosphere and horror aspects of the game, but the optimization is pretty bad, even with all my graphics at minimum, and unfortunately, I am unable to finish the game.”
“I had multiple crashes, maybe around 10 or so, the performance isn't great but that's not that big of a deal, then I would have preferred to have a real story and then the puzzles.... those can be quite hard, I mean most of those are just find item X and use it at location Y but the levels are quite big and non-linear.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. While a few users reported hard crashes and FPS drops, others noted that they were fortunate enough to avoid major game-breaking issues. Overall, stability appears to be a significant concern for many players.
“I have played this game for 7 hours total over two solid attempts (chapter 4 in my second attempt), but I can't get past the bugs, glitches, frustrations, and crashes, and I wish I hadn't even tried to play this game.”
“I did, however, have 3 hard crashes which obviously are a buzzkill, and early on experienced some FPS drops, but didn't encounter any game-breaking glitches I noticed all over the forums; maybe I got lucky.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is minimalistic, lacking loud accents, which enhances the overall atmosphere and contributes to effective jump scares, proving to be more impactful than those found in traditional horror games.
