Daylight

About

Daylight is a single-player Horror Action game developed using Unreal Engine 4, known for its pretty visuals and dense atmosphere. The game takes place in a procedurally generated abandoned hospital, with the player's only source of light being their phone. With every playthrough offering a different maze and eerie presence lurking in the darkness, Daylight provides limitless replayability and a constant tense experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

48%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,040 reviews

story66 positive mentions

gameplay45 negative mentions

The game has a creepy atmosphere that effectively builds tension.
Some jump scares are genuinely effective and can catch players off guard.
The graphics and sound design are impressive for an indie title.

The gameplay is repetitive, with the same objectives and environments throughout.
The story is weak and poorly executed, lacking depth and coherence.
Many players experience technical issues, including crashes and poor optimization.

story
339 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
65%
16%
The story in "Daylight" is often criticized for being thin, disjointed, and reliant on collecting scattered notes to piece together a narrative that lacks coherence and originality. While some players appreciate the atmospheric elements and find the story intriguing when fully explored, many feel it is overshadowed by repetitive gameplay and clichéd horror tropes, leading to a lack of engagement with the plot. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a weak point, with many reviewers noting that it fails to provide a compelling or immersive experience.
- “The story is very interesting, all the way through the end (which I found to be quite fantastic) - assuming you actually take the time to explore and find the story pieces hidden everywhere.”
- “Individual taste comes into play, but if you enjoy an ominous and dark story told through old letters and an immersive environment, then I cannot see how you can go wrong with this game.”
- “The insitute's peculiar location gives room for despair, and rarely in a game do I feel the way I did as I at one point emerged from the institute and gazed across the unruly sea to safety in the nearest city, wishing myself away from the island where this story takes place.”
- “The story is almost nonexistent (just some confusing papers you have to find)...”
- “The story felt rushed and didn't make sense half the time.”
- “The way the story was told was, frankly, awful.”
gameplay
234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
67%
19%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and uninspired, often likening it to a "fetch quest" reminiscent of titles like Slender. While some appreciate the atmosphere and unique mechanics, the overall execution is criticized for being shallow and lacking depth, leading to a sense of monotony throughout the experience. Despite some engaging moments, the gameplay ultimately fails to offer a compelling reason for replay or deeper exploration.
- “The gameplay is engaging and keeps you on your toes as you wander the creepy grounds and endless corridors, as you make your way around the haunted hospital in which you are trying to escape.”
- “The gameplay was enjoyable for me so far, didn't make much progress, but there was enough difference; I didn't have to see the same doors and walls over and over again. It can also be very scary when you know something's coming closer, but you don't know where it's coming from.”
- “Nothing needs changing about them because the gameplay is actually really decent.”
- “Ultimately the game is a little confused, what they term ludo-narratological dissonance - because while the design of the story and overall narrative is very much an on-rails experience like most other horror games, the thing that makes this project stand out - the technical and mechanical design of the RNG/procedural generation - is given so little love, and none of the game is built around or supports it - so it's meaningless.”
- “The thing is, the game itself is so lifeless and devoid of any actual gameplay, that it’s incredibly hard to justify experiencing the adventure for a second time at all.”
- “Unfortunately none of those are enough to carry the game through its stale & repetitive gameplay, predictable scares and incredibly poor writing.”
graphics
229 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising its impressive visuals for its time and the use of Unreal Engine 4, while others criticize the dated textures, repetitive environments, and performance issues. Many players noted that while the graphics can create a creepy atmosphere, they often fall short of expectations, especially when compared to other titles utilizing the same engine. Overall, the visuals are seen as decent but not groundbreaking, with significant room for improvement.
- “The real money went into the visuals, and the game does have some nice effects here and there and as one of the first games to use UE4 back in the day, it was extremely notable for its visuals.”
- “The graphics were very well done and it looked very beautiful.”
- “Very immersive and incredible visuals.”
- “But in 2023, the graphical power is let down by the sameness of the environments.”
- “Cupboards that won't open because the command doesn't work, ridiculous head sway while running, truly -spectacularly- bad graphics which absolutely no effort put into the light sources, no shadows to speak of, the dark areas are a light grey, so much grain in the image everything looks to have one texture which makes the environment look flat... I could go on.”
- “Daylight is the retail debut of Unreal Engine 4 but the graphics look shockingly outdated.”
atmosphere
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
44%
5%
The game's atmosphere is frequently praised for its creepy and immersive qualities, effectively creating a tense and eerie environment that enhances the horror experience. However, many players note that the atmosphere can become repetitive and is undermined by predictable gameplay and a lack of meaningful engagement, leading to frustration and diminished immersion over time. Overall, while the initial atmosphere is compelling, it struggles to maintain its impact throughout the game.
- “The atmosphere is amazing and makes you feel alone 24/7, the ghost/scary character is one hell of a jump scare when it hits you in the right spots at the right times.”
- “The atmosphere, the tension, and the creepy factor are amazing.”
- “It has a creepy atmosphere and can be outright terrifying at times.”
- “The gameplay has already overstayed its welcome, the visuals seem dated and the overall atmosphere just isn't as good as it seemed to be in the trailers.”
- “Daylight tries hard to scare you with its soundscape and atmosphere, but unfortunately it treads an all too familiar haunting ground that leaves you sitting impassively in your seat rather than at the edge of it.”
- “Daylight's horror atmosphere starts strong, but repetitive corridors and nonthreatening enemies squander it quickly.”
optimization
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
47%
33%
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting severe performance issues such as stuttering, long loading times, and crashes, even on lower settings. Many users noted that the game heavily taxes system resources, leading to overheating and poor performance across various hardware setups. Overall, it is widely regarded as poorly optimized, detracting significantly from the gaming experience.
- “Runs smoothly on higher (not highest) quality graphics.”
- “I hope devs keep pushing our cards like this with well optimized games so PC can stand above console legitimately, not just with ports.”
- “Excellent optimization.”
- “This game heavily overloads system resources, causing the GPU to overheat, long loading times, stuttering, hiccups, and more... and this is practically with the game on its almost medium to low settings.”
- “The gameplay and interesting story bits are there, but the game is so poorly optimized that it runs about as well as a fat kid in gym class.”
- “Unfortunately, the game has optimization issues on PC as many players have already reported, and it might run poorly on certain rigs.”
music
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
77%
6%
The music in the game is noted for its ability to create an eerie atmosphere, effectively enhancing the horror experience, though it suffers from a lack of diversity and repetitive loops that diminish its initial impact. While some players found a few memorable tracks, the overall soundtrack is criticized for being limited, with pre-order bonuses offering only a small selection of songs. Despite these shortcomings, the sound design and ambient effects are generally praised for immersing players in the game's dark world.
- “There is not a big diversity in the soundtrack, but it set the mood for me insanely well, and there is particularly one memorable track periodically recurring throughout the game which will be with me for a very long time.”
- “The game’s music and sound is frightfully amazing.”
- “It’s eerie and quiet, and the unsettling sounds mixed with the subtle but tense music really pulls you into the game’s world.”
- “This survival horror game leaves players in the dark with a serious lack of direction, but does contain music that will inspire the fear of darkness.”
- “Then you notice the music and sound effects are just a 5-minute loop that play over and over again and lose the creepy appeal quickly.”
- “Only got 3 soundtracks with the preorder bonus, of which 2 are the same but with lyrics thrown in.”
stability
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes, freezing during gameplay, and various glitches reported by users. While some players have experienced smooth performance at times, many others face persistent bugs that hinder their ability to progress. Overall, the game's instability detracts from the experience, making it frustrating for players despite its appealing graphics.
- “The game keeps crashing. I get into the beginning, walk around a little bit, and then it freezes up saying 'loading' in the left-hand corner of the screen. My computer passed all the tests to run the game. I don't know exactly what's happening; it's a great game though, but I'm sad it keeps freezing.”
- “Three reinstalls and diagnostics that say everything is fine on my PC tell me this game is just a buggy mess.”
- “Tl:dr: incredibly unstable and buggy (expect crashes), disjointed reactions from the character, lack of interesting plot dynamics, and huge system requirements but looks less impressive and runs worse than other games with similar requirements.”
replayability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
56%
26%
Overall, the game's replayability is highly variable among players. While some appreciate the procedurally generated elements and multiple difficulty levels that offer a degree of replay value, many others criticize the lack of substantial content and engaging mechanics, leading to a consensus that replayability is generally low. A few players find enjoyment in the changing mazes and achievements, but for most, the experience feels short-lived and repetitive.
- “The maze itself does change with each playthrough, so if mazes are your thing, this game will have infinite replayability.”
- “The replayability of it is part of the fun, as I can't memorize the maps and such.”
- “[Procedural generation and adjustable difficulty add replay value to a game already worth its price, creating a fear-filled atmosphere without relying too heavily on cheap jump scares; intensity ramps up nicely throughout.]”
- “The replay value of daylight is almost nonexistent, even when taking into account its procedurally generated nature.”
- “After playing through about 3 times, I realized there is no replayability whatsoever and not once did I find the game even remotely scary. I tried giving it a second go, I really did, but no, no matter how good I wanted this game to be, I was wrong... could have done so much more with this game.”
- “Unlike, for example, Slender, I don't see much replay value. Sure, the hallways may be arranged differently, but the enemy chasing you isn't nearly as fun.”
grinding
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with players expressing frustration over backtracking through monotonous environments in search of clues. The lack of meaningful context for collectibles, poor level design, and an ineffective map contribute to a sense of boredom, making the gameplay feel like a chore rather than an engaging experience. Overall, the game is described as lacking excitement and innovation, leading to a tedious experience that quickly becomes tiresome.
- “The game does not allow saving anywhere and has an unrelenting auto-save that will cause you to redo very tedious sections all over again.”
- “As such, the game becomes a tedious chore of looking around the current environment for letters that are marked with a red seal, though the game doesn’t provide any context as to why these letters are littered around.”
- “The game at its core is tedious at best, and a never-ending array of poorly placed areas won't change that. If the developers thought it would distract people from their lazy game design, they are dead wrong.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The humor in the game is described as unintentionally amusing, with players finding it "funny bad" due to its clichéd scare tactics and formulaic gameplay reminiscent of low-budget films. While some moments elicit laughter, particularly the absurdity of avoiding ghosts by not looking at them, the overall experience is disappointing and lacks genuine comedic value. Players suggest that it may be entertaining for those who enjoy a good laugh at poorly executed horror elements, but expectations should be kept low.
- “If you want a game so hilariously exploitable that you can avoid the ghosts simply by not looking directly at them, this is the game for you.”
- “It's funny bad too, like shaking a teddy bear, and I died wanting to cuddle a ghost. I am disappointed that there is no cuddle button.”
- “It felt like one of those hilariously bad special effects sequences in old low-budget films where they paused recording while the person or object was moved off camera while everyone else held still before continuing to record to give the illusion that they had vanished in an instant.”
- “What I got instead was an extremely formulaic find-the-hidden-object Slender clone, PewDiePie bait, with levels that all look the same; making it very easy to get lost and a lot of boring cheap scare attempts that are so cliché and poorly executed I would have thought that this game was supposed to be funny.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is criticized as being exploitative, with reviewers labeling it a "cash grab" that lacks originality and depth.
- “Pretty much a bog standard horror game that is nothing more than a cash grab.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a strong negative emotional response to the game, with one reviewer stating that just ten minutes of gameplay left them feeling overwhelmed, akin to having a hangover. This suggests that the game's emotional impact may be intense and potentially distressing for some players.