Chromosome Evil
- March 24, 2022
- S.C. 16 BIT NIGHTS S.R.L.
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Chromosome Evil" is a Real-Time Strategy Horror game with tactical squad-based controls and TBS management elements. Build and customize your team with soldiers, engineers, and medics to survive in a Lovecraft-inspired world overrun by nightmarish creatures and the undead. Make strategic decisions on quests, equipment, and skills to ensure your team's survival.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- A hidden gem buried under the algorithms, highly recommended for those up for a challenge.
- The game offers a unique mix of strategy, RTS, RPG, and horror elements, providing a highly replayable experience.
- The atmosphere and gameplay mechanics are engaging, with a strong sense of tension and decision-making.
- The game has numerous bugs and issues, including a frustrating save system that requires in-game resources.
- The UI is poorly designed, making it difficult to manage characters and resources effectively.
- Difficulty spikes can be punishing, often leading to a sense of despair and frustration for players.
- story140 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as simple yet engaging, featuring multiple branching paths and endings that encourage replayability. While some players find the narrative generic and the writing lacking, others appreciate the risk-reward mechanics and the atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. The combination of tactical gameplay and resource management adds depth to the storytelling, though some players note issues with mission pacing and UI elements that detract from the narrative flow.
“The atmosphere and depletion of resources work together to really sell the vibe of the story and setting.”
“Also, multiple endings, various things you think on your 2nd/3rd time through to try differently, 3 different storylines with the branch starting early so you do get a multitude of unique mission variety later in the game.”
“The story is cool and I love the Lovecraftian aspect of the game; it would be too generic if it was only zombies.”
“The story-telling is decent, though there are certainly some scenarios in the beginning that feel pointless.”
“The static, main story is just not good enough to justify multiple playthroughs.”
“The story is passable, writing is not great, but I'm also pretty sure neither of these guys went to school for writing, so I'll give that a pass too.”
- gameplay116 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mix of real-time strategy and RPG elements, featuring squad-based tactics, resource management, and a unique extraction mechanic. While the core gameplay loop is engaging and atmospheric, players have noted issues with basic mechanics, such as limited weapon selection and repetitive encounters, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite some design flaws and bugs, many find the gameplay enjoyable and recommend it for fans of tactical and resource management games.
“While the game style looks simple, the game itself isn't that easy. Other than the RTS gameplay as advertised, it has some RPG elements, resource management, and a little bit of that extraction mechanic like something from Escape from Tarkov or Zero Sievert. It's fun; the devs really created something that's enjoyable and atmospheric from all those ideas and components.”
“The gameplay loop is very fun and doesn't get boring as there is a lot of customization for each character, different maps, and a lot of choices to make.”
“Gameplay and atmosphere are amazing, and it's certainly something you need to try.”
“There is very little variety in the gameplay; all the maps and encounters are the same, and you will be going through 90% of the same gameplay loop every time you play.”
“I found the game to be slow, boring, and lacking any interesting features or mechanics that I wanted to explore.”
“Again, this really is an amazing game, but these few design flaws make it extremely hard to really survive, and not in a fun way, but in a 'I got screwed over by a mechanic that I don't understand/wasn't explained' way.”
- atmosphere30 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Chromosome Evil" is widely praised for its immersive and oppressive qualities, effectively blending elements from various genres to create a tense, post-apocalyptic setting. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke nostalgia reminiscent of classic titles like X-COM, while also incorporating resource management and tactical gameplay that enhances the overall experience. However, some players note that technical issues can detract from the otherwise superb atmospheric immersion.
“Great post-apocalyptic atmosphere and gameplay!”
“Tense, atmospheric, tactical squad-based survival horror RPG.”
“Chromosome Evil is a fine blend of the oppressive atmosphere of Darkwood, the intense difficulty of X-COM: TFTD, and just a dash of Jagged Alliance squad command and management.”
“For me, Chromosome Evil gets closer to the atmosphere of the original X-COM than some of the newer entries in the franchise did, and it does so by changing up its core mechanics.”
“The atmosphere and depletion of resources work together to really sell the vibe of the story and setting.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed feedback; while many players appreciate the art style and atmosphere, some report issues such as bugged visuals, including black squares on certain maps. Nostalgia for classic flash games enhances the overall perception of the graphics, but there are calls for improvements in visibility and variety in character designs. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, though some technical flaws detract from the experience.
“This game has a lot going for it, from the art style to the gameplay.”
“Graphics great as well!”
“Great game, I really like the atmosphere and the graphics.”
“One of the marketplace maps in the residential area seems to have bugged graphics and displays black squares over the ground.”
“Some things that I feel need improvement are better descriptions of items and upgrades, some better visuals (some fire, such as that from explosive barrels, can be a bit difficult to see, for example), better PC pathfinding (PCs will actively walk through hazards even if there's a safe path they can take), and some variety in character portraits since most are just the same guy but with different hair/helmet and facial expressions.”
“While players who enjoyed flesh-eaters will enjoy this game, those who might have been hoping for more out of Chromosome Evil aside from aesthetic changes may end up feeling that not much has changed.”
- music14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the ambient sounds and subtle soundtrack, others criticize the repetitive nature of the tracks, feeling that it detracts from the overall experience. There are mentions of potential in the music, but a lack of variety and originality, with some tracks being reused from other games, has left players wanting more. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a missed opportunity in an otherwise promising game.
“The ambient noises work well with the game as well as the subtle but nicely done soundtrack.”
“I also want to point out how great the music is in this game.”
“Like an RTS mixed with Fallout/Stalker system to mix things up, can't say enough good things about it plus the music.”
“There's potential here for a fun rogue-like RTS, but it's held back by a horrendous UI, poor controls, and a grating soundtrack.”
“A great example of this game being done on the cheap is the main music from the game Hostage Negotiator on the iOS App Store being used in this game!”
“The soundtrack is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its high replayability, offering numerous choices and multiple endings that encourage players to engage in multiple playthroughs. However, some users noted a lack of customization options for starting character equipment, which could enhance variety and replay value. Overall, players find the game enjoyable and challenging, with the potential for extensive playtime without repeating experiences.
“The game is relatively cheap, highly replayable, gives a challenge to the player and encourages being played multiple times due to many choices and endings.”
“This game has so much replayability that you could play for 50 hours and still not have the same playthrough once.”
“A bit low on customization and replayability, and definitely could use a bit more polish, but loved the game anyway.”
“You can't customize your starting character's equipment (only shotgun, pistol, and fist). It would be nice if you could customize your starting character's equipment through points (like the trait points from Project Zomboid, only for equipment). If the starting characters had different equipment, then every run would have more replayability and variety.”
“Multiple endings and moral choices also affect the replayability.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that the rush to progress is undermined by the slow pace of loot collection and farming. Many suggest that it requires an excessive time investment, likening it to needing a "second life" to manage the grind effectively.
“It's tedious and frustrating.”
“That's fine... but the game undermines itself by making this 'rush rush rush' playstyle actually feel slow and tedious.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- humor8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is met with mixed reactions; some players find certain elements amusing, such as the inability to close doors and the developers' inclusion of cheats, while others feel that the challenges, particularly in hive fights, are excessively frustrating rather than funny. Overall, the humor seems to be overshadowed by gameplay difficulties, leading to a lack of consistent comedic enjoyment.
“And you can't close the door once you open them... huh... very funny.”
“Looking forward to any future content the dev brings and still laughing that they added a trainer/cheats themselves.”
“Oh come on, this is not funny!”
“Oh come on, this is not funny!”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including a buggy interface and translation errors, which can disrupt gameplay. However, the small development team is noted for their responsiveness and commitment to addressing these problems, suggesting improvements may be forthcoming.
“The interface is a bit buggy, with characters frequently being deselected when you click to change weapons.”
“The game is fairly buggy and has some translation issues, but the devs (a team of two I believe) are very responsive and seem to work very diligently to fix them, so I imagine that won't be an issue soon.”
“Misspelled instructions, bad interface, buggy mess...”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with many users likening its performance to that of an early access or alpha version, indicating that it feels unfinished and lacking polish.
“It feels like a really early access game in terms of performance, like early alpha, not a completed game.”
