Crimson Snow

About

Crimson Snow is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Steppe Hare Studio and was released on March 29, 2023. It received very positive reviews from players.

In Crimson Snow, survive a Christmas night stalked by a supernatural being while trying to escape with your girlfriend. Your choices and actions determine your fate in this story-driven horror game set in a festively decorated yet menacing house. Uncover the secrets of your past before they destroy you.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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94%

Audience ScoreBased on 822 reviews

story122 positive mentions

optimization12 negative mentions

The game features a compelling story with multiple endings that are influenced by player choices, enhancing replayability.
The atmosphere is well-crafted with excellent graphics and sound design, creating a tense and immersive horror experience.
The jump scares are effectively placed and contribute to the overall suspense without being overused.

The game is quite short, typically taking around 1-2 hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content.
There are reports of performance issues and bugs, including frame rate drops and AI pathing problems.
The gameplay can feel linear and predictable, with some players finding the stealth mechanics overly simplistic.

story
184 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
32%
2%
The game's story has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players appreciating its engaging narrative, intriguing twists, and multiple endings. While some found the plot basic or thin, others praised its relatability and the effective use of jump scares to enhance the horror experience. Overall, it is recommended for those who enjoy a well-crafted horror story, particularly in a Christmas-themed setting.
- “The story is solid so it keeps you entertained throughout, the environments are detailed, the graphics are great, and the voice acting is surprisingly good given the low-budget nature of the game.”
- “The story intrigued me from start to end and I actually felt a sense of tense atmosphere from start to finish.”
- “The narrative will keep you playing as the idea of the story is really cool.”
- “The plot is very basic and the voice acting is fair at best, but good for a Christmas time playthrough.”
- “The story was a little thin.”
- “The only negative part was, it really didn't have much of a backstory to the villain.”
graphics
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
22%
3%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising their quality, detail, and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. While some users noted issues with optimization and frame rate drops on certain hardware, the majority found the visuals stunning, particularly for an indie title, contributing significantly to the immersive horror experience. Overall, the graphics are frequently rated as excellent, often receiving scores of 8/10 or higher.
- “But the atmosphere, the visuals, the music, it's all amazing, and it makes it so much worth playing.”
- “The graphics and sound design are excellent here, helping to add to the atmosphere.”
- “The voice acting overall was superb, story was well written, and the graphics are gorgeous.”
- “I experienced constant frame rate drops when turning and moving using an RTX 3080 and i9 processor no matter what I changed the very few graphic settings to.”
- “While I really like the idea, the level design and the graphics, this can't be considered a finished game.”
- “The first one my PC has meets the requirements of the minimum specification, but the game is still running on low FPS although I just got the minimum graphics on settings.”
gameplay
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
51%
9%
The gameplay is primarily focused on simple stealth mechanics and basic puzzles, which some players found engaging and well-executed, while others criticized it for being repetitive and overly limiting. The game is described as a short horror experience with decent graphics and effective jump scares, but opinions vary on its depth and challenge, with some reviewers noting a lack of complexity and predictability. Overall, while the gameplay has its strengths, it may not satisfy those looking for a more intricate or challenging experience.
- “It's a stellar game with a good premise and nice mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is simple and the graphics are stunning.”
- “For this experience being as short as it is and presumably not a crazy production budget, it was beautifully written, outstanding visuals, polished mechanics, well-ordered gameplay, and most importantly, had me invested from beginning to end.”
- “However, after the introduction part, the overly limiting gameplay ruins everything.”
- “The gameplay is highly repetitive and predictable, which is not fun.”
- “Overall, highly limiting gameplay makes this game a very shallow and unsatisfying experience, unfortunately.”
atmosphere
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
44%
4%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive visuals, sound design, and effective use of jump scares, creating a tense and spooky experience. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a strong sense of claustrophobia and dread, particularly within its well-designed settings that enhance the horror elements, especially during the Christmas theme. Overall, the combination of eerie ambiance and attention to detail contributes to a captivating and enjoyable atmospheric horror experience.
- “The atmosphere, vibe, and the smallest attention to detail are praise-worthy.”
- “The majority of it is a great atmospheric horror game that understands how to build dread/suspense and a few jump scares.”
- “The atmosphere was mostly eerie and I found the jump scares to be nicely placed.”
- “Not all is crimson news: the graphics for an indie studio are decent and detailed enough, and the sound effects are the best part as they pull the most weight in creating the dreaded and claustrophobic atmosphere.”
- “Accompanied by the immersive sound design and eerie ambience, it brings together a familiar yet unsettling atmosphere that suspends the immersion in this Christmas horror setting.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
30%
10%
The music in the game has received high praise for its atmospheric and thematic integration, particularly with its dark Christmas motifs that enhance the horror experience. Reviewers noted the impeccable sound design, well-timed musical cues, and the effective use of silence to build tension, making it a standout feature that complements the visuals and overall gameplay. Many described the soundtrack as both enjoyable and fitting for horror fans, contributing significantly to the game's immersive quality.
- “Ambiance was on point, the musicless sections were tension-inspiring and were followed by strategic bursts of music that were skillfully done, and the jump scares were well placed and not overdone.”
- “The festive music and environment drowned out by absolutely insane and evil undertones left a very, very rich aftertaste for this game.”
- “The sound design was impeccable; the darkened, minored versions of popular Christmas songs was just the icing on the cake.”
- “Atmosphere and music were very well themed for the holidays while maintaining the horror.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
31%
55%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware, leading to low frame rates and stuttering. However, some users with higher-end systems, like the RTX 4050, experienced smooth gameplay, suggesting that optimization may vary widely depending on the hardware configuration. Overall, there are calls for developers to address specific performance drops in certain areas of the game.
- “Played well with no crashes and no real performance issues that affected gameplay.”
- “The graphics are good, the controls and performance are good, and the voice acting is good.”
- “Maybe the developers can improve the performance in certain areas of the game since there are some frame drops.”
- “This is easily one of the worst optimized games I have ever played.”
- “Horrible optimization despite playing on the minimum requirements; I got a GT 1030 and the FPS on 1024x768 lowest is barely 15 FPS.”
- “Terrible optimization, please fix it, and I'll give it a try again.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
28%
29%
The game offers notable replayability through multiple dialogue choices that lead to four different endings, encouraging players to explore various outcomes. While some players find the experience short and repetitive, others appreciate the ability to replay for different endings, making it a worthwhile investment for its price. Overall, opinions on replayability are mixed, with some praising it and others finding it lacking due to boredom and slow progression.
- “The game has replayability in that you can make different dialogue choices, affecting your ending.”
- “It's a short game, you should be able to get it done anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half, but that's enhanced by the fact that there are 4 endings you can achieve through different dialogue choices, providing some nice replayability.”
- “Not too terribly long, so it doesn't overstay its welcome, but it offers a good bit of replayability to explore different endings and choices.”
- “The game is not replayable; it's too boring, repetitive, and slow progressing for replaying.”
- “There's a little replayability with multiple endings (4, I believe), so I'd say this is a solid 7/10 and well worth the price.”
- “It also has different endings, which adds replayability value.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
83%
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with most players reporting smooth performance and minimal glitches. Some users noted minor bugs, such as characters getting stuck, but these did not significantly detract from the experience. The game runs well on Linux using Proton Experimental, and while a few players expressed a desire for more glitches, they still found the gameplay enjoyable.
- “Played on Linux using Proton Experimental, the game works and runs great. The graphics are assets, but thanks to the way the devs have used them, it's not so noticeable. The house/map is not a default asset and has been remapped to look and feel very different.”
- “The sound is pretty good overall, a bit loud when caught by the girl, but the devs picked some good ones from free sound resources. The gameplay is kind of hide and seek; you hide, and the girl seeks.”
- “It's not a hard game to play once you figure out the girl's pattern, and the game takes about an hour or more to complete the first time around.”
- “There are some buggy parts, I would say, but it didn't really annoy me.”
- “I liked this game; I mean, I escaped death more times than I can count because of the glitches, but I enjoyed the story.”
- “Little buggy (the enemy got stuck on a door and wouldn't look at me for a while) but still a solid scare game.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its absurd and silly elements, particularly the comically exaggerated villain and her over-the-top death scenes. Players find the combination of jump scares and janky physics amusing, contributing to an overall lighthearted experience despite the game's brevity.
- “Funny story, I didn't even realize I bought this game when I found it in my library and decided to play it. I thought it was one of those free games you find sometimes that are like student projects or something... turns out I did buy it.”
- “A lot of jump scares, so it was fun and funny!”
- “Janky hair physics (pretty funny, not gonna lie) and the game itself is very short (beat it in about 1.5 hours).”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted as a wholesome and heartwarming experience, particularly resonating with players who appreciate tender narratives about relationships. It is especially recommended for those who may be sensitive to emotional storytelling.
- “Absolutely recommended for those with a weak heart; it's such a wholesome and warm story about a couple.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players indicate that grinding in the game is so demanding that it may require a second life, suggesting it is a time-consuming and potentially tedious aspect of gameplay.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that the character design is impressive, suggesting a strong visual appeal, but do not provide insights into the depth or progression of character development.