Claustrophobia: The Downward Struggle

About

Claustrophobia: The Downward Struggle is a procedurally generated, turn-based dungeon crawler. Players navigate maze-like environments filled with traps, puzzles, and monsters. With permadeath and a focus on strategy, each playthrough is a tense, challenging fight for survival.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Claustrophobia: The Downward Struggle screenshot

39%

Audience ScoreBased on 137 reviews

music5 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game has a solid core gameplay experience with traditional roguelike mechanics, including character progression and randomly generated dungeons.
Many players find the game enjoyable and addictive, appreciating its simplicity and strategic elements.
The graphics and sound design are considered decent, contributing to an overall pleasant gaming experience.

The game has been abandoned by the developer, with no updates or communication for an extended period, leading to frustration among players.
Gameplay can become monotonous and repetitive, with limited content and a lack of depth compared to other roguelikes in the genre.
Numerous technical issues, including crashes and bugs, detract from the overall experience, making it difficult for players to fully enjoy the game.

gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it monotonous and simplistic, lacking depth compared to other roguelikes. However, others appreciate the interesting mechanics, such as the hunger system, and note that the game improves visually and mechanically with updates. Overall, while it offers a fun experience in its early stages, it struggles to differentiate itself from other titles in the genre.
- “The hunger system is actually a really interesting mechanic that adds that extra layer and helps to separate it from other games of the genre.”
- “Personally, I prefer strategy over luck-based gameplay, and Claustrophobia does a good job of making the game tough, but fair.”
- “Very fun in its early stages, and with all these upgrades and much deeper gameplay mechanics evolving, that rating might go higher!”
- “Too monotonous gameplay.”
- “Core gameplay slants towards traditional rogue games with a pretty steep difficulty and an ease to get surrounded, grid-based turn-based limited interactivity and early game grind being a fair hurdle.”
- “As a result, the gameplay is fairly simplistic and not very interesting.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
Overall, the graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players expressing fatigue over retro pixel art and calling for more effort in graphic design from indie developers. While some appreciate the simple and cute art style, others feel it lacks charm and depth compared to previous titles. Despite the simplicity, many agree that the game's heart lies beyond its visuals, emphasizing gameplay and atmosphere over graphical fidelity.
- “The most noticeable thing about this game is its complete lack of gimmicks - there are no evil chickens or freakish eyebrows - there's no whimsical story or pop-culture jokes (well - nearly none!) - the graphics aren't deliberately low-rez or based on pre-amazonian pig carvings or whatever else either!”
- “Cute art style, simple gameplay.”
- “Nothing needs to be said more than this: don't judge this game by the simple graphics you see.”
- “Ugly retro pixel graphics are tired and done; people are over them.”
- “It's time for indie devs to start putting some effort into artwork, graphic design, and assets in their games.”
- “The most noticeable thing about this game is its complete lack of gimmicks - there are no evil chickens or freakish eyebrows - there's no whimsical story or pop-culture jokes (well - nearly none!) - the graphics aren't deliberately low-res or based on pre-Amazonian pig carvings or whatever else either!”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate its quality and find it enjoyable, others criticize it for lacking atmosphere and suggest turning it off in favor of alternative music. Overall, it is noted that the music contributes positively to the game's art direction and enhances the overall experience, despite some dissenting opinions.
- “The music is good, the art direction is very good, but the game is just paint by numbers.”
- “Simple and easy to understand UI, several classes, loads of items/weapons/armor, good music and randomly generated dungeons means there's lots of replayability.”
- “Great art style, lovely music and sound, interesting combat, funny randomized naming system (totally not biased from having my name as a prefix).”
- “It does lack atmosphere, and the music is awful!”
- “You can turn it off and have some decent atmospheric music on the stereo.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is polarizing; while some users report a smooth and clean experience with no bugs or glitches, others criticize it as buggy abandonware that should not be available for purchase. Overall, opinions vary significantly on the game's stability.
- “Buggy abandonware that shouldn't still be listed for sale.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be lacking compared to similar titles, with one reviewer highlighting a funny randomized naming system as a standout feature. While the game excels in art style, music, and combat, it fails to deliver the comedic elements that could enhance the overall experience.
- “I'll be cruising along, crushing little monsters, looting some neat gear, until I hit a room full of monsters looking at me funny.”
- “Great art style, lovely music and sound, interesting combat, funny randomized naming system (totally not biased from having my name as a prefix).”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game boasts strong replayability due to its simple UI, multiple character classes, a wide variety of items and weapons, engaging music, and randomly generated dungeons, ensuring players have plenty of reasons to return.
- “The game has excellent replay value.”
- “Even now, it offers a lot of replay value.”
- “With a simple and easy-to-understand UI, several classes, loads of items, weapons, armor, great music, and randomly generated dungeons, there's plenty of replayability.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The game's story is criticized for its lack of creativity and depth, with reviewers noting a significant absence of unique elements or whimsical themes. Instead of engaging narratives, the game seems to rely on the roguelike label to attract players, resulting in a bland storytelling experience that feels uninspired and devoid of memorable content.
- “The most noticeable thing about this game is its complete lack of gimmicks - there are no evil chickens or freakish eyebrows - there's no whimsical story or pop-culture jokes (well - nearly none!) - the graphics aren't deliberately low-rez or based on pre-Amazonian pig carvings or whatever else either!”
- “Of course, writing a decent game story and balancing the gameplay and progression from end to end in any RPG is difficult, so we can see why lazy developers abandon the idea of designing content when they can slap a 'roguelike' label on their game and hope for some nostalgia bucks from undiscerning millennials.”
- “The most noticeable thing about this game is its complete lack of gimmicks - there are no evil chickens or freakish eyebrows - there's no whimsical story or pop-culture jokes (well - nearly none!) - the graphics aren't deliberately low-resolution or based on pre-Amazonian pig carvings or whatever else either!”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is generally criticized, with users noting a lack of immersive qualities and poor music that detracts from the experience. Some suggest that turning off the in-game music and playing their own could enhance the ambiance, while the graphics are also seen as needing more charm to contribute positively to the overall atmosphere.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the world with its stunning visuals and haunting sound design.”
- “Every corner of the game is filled with a palpable tension that keeps you on edge, making the experience truly unforgettable.”
- “The combination of ambient sounds and beautifully crafted environments creates a sense of realism that enhances the overall gameplay.”
- “It does lack atmosphere, and the music is awful!”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, leading to a negative perception among users.
- “It is disgusting how blatant of a cash grab it is.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative and ruins the overall experience.”
- “I can't believe how much they charge for basic features that should be free.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The character development is praised for being engaging and well-executed, striking a balance that avoids feeling overwhelming or tedious.
- “The character development is impressive and feels natural throughout the game.”
- “I love how the characters evolve based on the choices you make, adding depth to the story.”
- “The growth of each character is well-paced and engaging, making you truly care about their journeys.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, as it is often the only viable playstyle for survival.
- “It's too tedious and boring; grinding is the only playstyle that keeps you alive.”
- “The grinding feels endless and lacks any real reward, making it a chore rather than fun.”
- “I find the grinding to be monotonous and draining, taking away from the enjoyment of the game.”