Crying is not Enough

About

"Crying is not Enough" is a Third-Person Action Adventure/Survival Horror game, where players face enemies and solve puzzles to uncover a mysterious story. The game follows Jacob Helten, whose wife Claire goes missing in the hospital after a car accident. As Jacob, players will embark on a dark journey to find Claire, uncovering a larger mystery in a distant, unknown location.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

56%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

story4 negative mentions

The game features detailed environments and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere.
The combat mechanics are functional, and the enemy designs are unique and varied, providing some memorable boss battles.
The developers have shown dedication by addressing many of the initial issues through updates, making the game more enjoyable than its original release.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including poor voice acting, awkward animations, and frequent loading screens that disrupt gameplay.
There is excessive backtracking and a lack of clear objectives, making navigation frustrating and tedious.
The story and dialogue are often incoherent, with many cutscenes feeling unnecessary and poorly executed.

story
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
74%
15%
The story has received mixed to negative feedback, with many reviewers criticizing its pacing, writing, and voice acting, describing it as convoluted and often laughable. While some players find elements of nostalgia and potential in the narrative, the overall execution is seen as lacking, with many feeling disengaged or confused by the plot. Despite its flaws, a few players express interest in the story, suggesting that it may have redeeming qualities worth exploring further.
- “As I have progressed in the main story, I walk into every area with confidence.”
- “What kept my interest is the story.”
- “As someone who has always loved Silent Hill/Resident Evil and other like-minded games, I can see a lot to love about it, and feel like everyone needs to understand that a team of just two motivated, inspired, and inspiring people are behind it. It's a fantastic, scary, and immersive game, and I am engaged in the story completely.”
- “The voice acting is okay at best, but the character models, animations, writing, and story are terrible.”
- “The story pacing is atrocious, the voice acting is bad even by indie standards, the character models are hard to look at, the default graphic settings make the game look hideous, none of the puzzles are fun, the arcade game is unnecessary, there are not enough survival elements, there's no scare factor, the enemy AI is just terrible, and the story is needlessly convoluted and quite honestly unappealing.”
- “With maybe a half dozen incomprehensible cut-scenes in the entire game, which are made even more incomprehensible by the all-too-sparse and horribly written notes and memos, I could barely follow the plot, so bear with me as I try to give a brief synopsis of the story's premise.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
52%
22%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the environmental visuals, atmospheric effects, and overall graphical enhancements, while others criticize the character models, animations, and default graphic settings that detract from the experience. Many users note that while certain areas exhibit stunning graphics, others feel outdated and reminiscent of earlier console generations, leading to an inconsistent visual quality. Overall, the game showcases both impressive and subpar elements, resulting in a divided reception regarding its graphical fidelity.
- “There's new cutscenes, graphical enhancements, a whole new map system, as well as a laundry list of bug fixes and tweaks.”
- “On the better side of the graphics, I actually enjoyed the fog, rain, and lighting effects.”
- “Just to be clear, there is also loads of fantastic graphics and environments that are full of atmosphere.”
- “The graphics were bad for 2008, which leaves little excuse for it to be this bad in 2018... oh, wait... it was the best Greece and Athens could produce... or was it...?”
- “Seriously, the character visuals and audio wouldn't have been above average on the PS2.”
- “The default graphic settings make the game look hideous; none of the puzzles are fun, and the character models are hard to look at.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with players noting a lack of enemy variety and repetitive mechanics, such as backtracking and unclear objectives. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements reminiscent of classic survival horror games, others criticize the aiming mechanics, frame rate issues, and the lengthy introduction before engaging in actual gameplay. Overall, the experience is described as fun at times but marred by significant flaws that detract from its potential.
- “Overall, the gameplay is always fun.”
- “The atmosphere is dark and heavy, the radiation adds that extra element to stress about, and the gameplay is very reminiscent of the good old Silent Hill titles.”
- “As for now, it seems like an old-school horror survival game, including puzzles and gameplay.”
- “And then there is the gameplay, where you are forced to do a lot of backtracking, often not knowing where to go or where to use an item.”
- “When you finally get to the gameplay, things don’t get any better, with a very uneven frame rate, stuttering, and even freezing.”
- “This game clearly wasn’t ready for release and whilst it evokes some nostalgia for classic survival horror games through its visuals, the gameplay and story actually take a huge step back.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
38%
23%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, creepy ambience, drawing inspiration from titles like Resident Evil and Silent Hill while maintaining a unique identity. Players appreciate the chilling music, detailed environments, and effective sound design that contribute to a tense and immersive experience, though some note that the overall impact can be overwhelming. Despite mixed feelings about gameplay, the atmospheric elements consistently stand out as a highlight.
- “The atmosphere and ambience along with the thuds and clangs make for a surprisingly jumpscare time.”
- “Amazing atmosphere, chilling music and locations.”
- “The atmosphere is dark and heavy, the radiation adds that extra element to stress about and the gameplay is very reminiscent of the good old Silent Hill titles.”
- “The atmosphere is dark and heavy; the radiation adds that extra element to stress about, and the gameplay is very reminiscent of the good old Silent Hill titles.”
- “The atmosphere is okay, and there's definitely a heavy Silent Hill vibe going on, especially with the references to Mary, James, and Sylvia... but other than that, not much is going on.”
- “Deep atmosphere, creepy scenery, and some evil-looking monsters!”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
13%
38%
The music in the game is widely praised for its fantastic quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many players finding it catchy and memorable. However, some users noted a lack of options for adjusting music and sound effects volume, which detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's immersive environments and tension-building moments.
- “The environments are detailed, and the music is fantastic.”
- “It's a little arcade gem with addicting music located inside the save system (which is also an arcade machine).”
- “Amazing atmosphere, chilling music, and locations.”
- “Sound and music 5/10.”
- “It would be nice if there was both a 'music volume' and 'sound effects' setting.”
- “Music built tension.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report occasional screen tearing and minor glitches, others have experienced significant bugs that hinder gameplay. Despite these issues, there are commendations for the developers' efforts to ensure a playable experience, though many feel the game still falls short of being polished and complete.
- “Originally releasing in June of 2018, the game set itself up to look like a decent survival horror title, but instead, it fell short due to a massive plethora of bugs, glitches, and issues that completely broke it.”
- “The title is indicative of the product in many ways, one being that if you somehow leave the game on in the background for two hours and start to play it, only to realize what an unfinished, bland, buggy mess of a game it is, crying will indeed not be enough to sate the anguish you will feel playing it.”
- “Plus I think $15-$20 is a lot to ask from a buggy game that is not quite ready either.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its unintentional comedic moments, particularly in its absurdly funny ending and the quirky situations players encounter, such as dealing with a persistent poison effect. Additionally, the game's cult status, partly due to its removal from Steam, adds to its humorous legacy, despite the voice actors not being compensated for their work. Overall, the humor is described as both amusing and bizarre, contributing to the game's unique charm.
- “One of the most unintentionally funny endings to a horror game I've ever played.”
- “Now it's like one of those legendary cult games thanks to removing it from Steam, which is funny.”
- “If you are poisoned, you constantly lose health, and the funny part is I didn't find a way to get rid of it.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report good performance with smooth loading and minimal bugs, others experience significant issues such as uneven frame rates, stuttering, and freezing. Improvements are needed to enhance the overall gameplay experience.
- “The optimization is pretty darn good, no frame drops, no enemy glitches, and the levels load smoothly.”
- “Enjoyed this survival horror game; it has its moments. A couple of small bugs here and there, but nothing game-breaking, and the performance was pretty good with decent graphics, except some of the animations and player models were a bit subpar compared to the rest of the graphics.”
- “It is extremely interesting, but there are just some performance issues that need updating.”
- “The game needs better optimization.”
- “When you finally get to the gameplay, things don’t get any better, with a very uneven frame rate, stuttering, and even freezing.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly noting the repetitive backtracking and unskippable cutscenes that detract from the overall experience. While some enjoy the horror elements, the execution often feels average and can lead to a frustrating gameplay experience.
- “Tedious backtracking toward the end of the game.”
- “The cutscenes, especially those near the beginning, are among the most stilted and tedious that I've ever endured (and seem to be unskippable, at least when playing with a keyboard and mouse).”
- “I know this is a minor and tedious correction, but it would be good to see these minor errors cleaned up.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is described as highly atmospheric, evoking strong feelings that can lead to tears; however, some players feel that certain key moments lack the necessary emotional depth, with characters delivering lines in a monotone manner that detracts from the overall impact.
- “It is very atmospheric... but it was a horrible experience; it made me cry.”