Daymare: 1998

About

Daymare: 1998 is a survival horror game with a focus on exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving. Players control different characters as they navigate through a town infected by a mysterious chemical agent, facing mutated creatures and solving the mystery behind the outbreak. With a fixed third-person perspective and a grim color palette, the game aims to deliver a tense and immersive atmosphere reminiscent of classic horror titles.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,146 reviews

story134 positive mentions

stability42 negative mentions

Captures the essence of classic survival horror games, particularly the Resident Evil series.
Interesting reloading mechanic that adds tension to combat.
Richly detailed environments with numerous Easter eggs and references to 90s pop culture.

Awful voice acting and cringe-worthy dialogue that detracts from the experience.
Clunky controls and inventory management that can lead to frustrating gameplay.
Final boss fight is poorly designed, leading to cheap deaths and a frustrating experience.

story
484 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
61%
12%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it a blend of engaging and clichéd elements reminiscent of classic survival horror titles like Resident Evil. While some appreciate the campy dialogue and over-the-top plot twists, others criticize the execution, including poor voice acting and convoluted storytelling that detracts from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the narrative's ambition and nostalgic charm resonate with fans of the genre, making it a polarizing yet intriguing aspect of the game.
- “The story is engaging, the graphics are pretty good, and the puzzles... puzzle!”
- “The story kept me interested all the way through, and while the voice acting and writing can be pretty funny sometimes, it never affected my enjoyment.”
- “The story is compelling, the documents provide heaps of lore, the writing and voice acting is campy but honestly I think that adds to the charm of the game.”
- “I really did not care for this game's story, and I thought the characters and their dialogue were kind of bad and edgy.”
- “The story is generic, the dialogue is lame and laughable.”
- “The story and dialogue are atrocious.”
gameplay
424 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
63%
15%
The gameplay of "Daymare: 1998" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its homage to classic survival horror mechanics, particularly the unique reloading system that requires players to manage ammunition in a more realistic way. However, criticisms often focus on the clunky controls, tedious inventory management, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience. While some find the gameplay engaging and challenging, others feel it suffers from frustrating mechanics and a lack of variety in enemy design and combat.
- “The gameplay is solid with an optional, very interesting and anxiety-inducing reload mechanic where you must manually reload bullets from ammunition boxes into the magazines themselves rather than simply tapping R.”
- “I really enjoyed the novelty of the reloading mechanic.”
- “The gameplay feels just like the RE2 remake, and I love the reloading mechanic.”
- “The gameplay itself would be okay if it weren't for one of the worst reloading mechanics ever conceived.”
- “The gameplay is clunky, having to constantly go into the menu to reload an empty clip.”
- “Clunky controls, boring gameplay, and bad level design presented with a laughable, nonsensical story.”
graphics
178 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
48%
8%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the atmospheric environments and detailed textures, particularly for an indie title. However, criticisms arise regarding character models and animations, which some describe as outdated or lacking polish. Overall, while the game showcases impressive visuals in certain aspects, it struggles with inconsistencies and technical issues that detract from the experience.
- “The game has the mood, environments, and core gameplay with graphics being better than what I was expecting.”
- “But what sets Daymare: 1998 apart from other survival horror games is its modern gameplay mechanics and stunning graphics.”
- “The graphics are quite impressive for an indie title; I mean, don't expect Resident Evil level graphics here, but for a 3D indie game, they are well above par.”
- “Resident evil wannabe with 2008 graphics and 2003 animations.”
- “The engine literally carries this game (as long as it's not daylight and you're in a forest - then the graphics look like they're from 2008).”
- “Very poor graphics and even worse facial animations.”
atmosphere
119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
40%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its ability to evoke the classic survival horror vibe reminiscent of titles like Resident Evil, featuring tense environments, effective sound design, and immersive lighting. Many players appreciate the game's attention to detail, with well-crafted locations and a soundtrack that enhances the sense of dread, although some criticize the character models and dialogue. Overall, the game successfully captures a creepy and engaging atmosphere that keeps players on edge throughout their experience.
- “The soundtrack is great at creating a tense atmosphere of the zombie apocalypse.”
- “Invader Studios absolutely nails the atmosphere of classic survival horror, adding in some modern staples such as a third-person camera perspective, detailed environments, and exceptional lighting.”
- “The atmosphere is effective at keeping the player on edge, and the monster encounters can be genuinely tense.”
- “With battle music constantly blaring and no checkpoints, not only does this game mode utterly ruin whatever bit of atmosphere Daymare 1998 generates in the form of slow exploration now being offset by frantic running, if you die, you also die and have to restart the entire level.”
- “Maybe some crucial information was revealed in certain documents that refer you to a site (yes, you need to alt-tab out of the game to go to an outside site to actually read some of the documents in the game) hinting at the conclusion; sorry, I couldn't bother to halt my gameplay, therefore ruining the immersion and atmosphere, just to read some texts.”
- “For whatever reason, Invader Studios decided to kickstart Daymare: 1998 off with special agent Liev, who automatically gives the game a very action-oriented Operation: Raccoon City vibe, rather than choosing to immediately invoke any sort of creepy horror atmosphere.”
music
89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
42%
3%
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many praising its ability to create a tense and atmospheric experience reminiscent of classic survival horror titles. While the soundtrack is often described as enjoyable and fitting, some players noted that it could be underutilized or misaligned with gameplay moments. Overall, the sound design and music contribute significantly to the game's eerie ambiance, enhancing the sense of dread and immersion.
- “The soundtrack is great at creating a tense atmosphere of the zombie apocalypse.”
- “The music is really good too.”
- “The atmosphere and music is decent, except for the multiple random times that the music just decides to ramp it up to 11 for no apparent reason.”
- “With battle music constantly blaring and no checkpoints, not only does this game mode utterly ruin whatever bit of atmosphere Daymare 1998 generates in the form of slow exploration now being offset by frantic running, if you die, you also die and have to restart the entire level.”
- “The soundtrack is also a missed opportunity as it's really ambient so most of the time you won't notice there's even a score in the background.”
- “The sound design and music are blander than all-purpose flour.”
stability
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
98%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and clunky mechanics that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some players noted that the game runs well for an indie title, many experienced game-breaking issues, particularly with controls, animations, and save systems. Overall, the consensus is that the game is plagued by instability, making it difficult to recommend despite its potential.
- “Runs great for an indie game; looks fantastic, and the atmosphere and sound are awesome.”
- “The game maintains a smooth performance throughout, providing a stable experience that enhances immersion.”
- “I appreciate how consistently stable the game runs, allowing me to fully enjoy the gameplay without interruptions.”
- “I can't recommend this game on how buggy and choppy it is.”
- “The game is just really buggy.”
- “I had to refund this game after beating the first chapter due to the amount of bugs, glitches, terrible hit detection, and janky gameplay mechanics.”
grinding
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to cumbersome inventory management and reloading mechanics that require excessive manual input. Many reviews highlight that boss fights and puzzles often feel more like a grind than engaging challenges, detracting from the overall experience. While some mechanics are praised for their potential, they are frequently overshadowed by the tediousness of execution and navigation.
- “There are a couple of boss fights that feel more like a tedious grind than a tense battle for survival.”
- “The puzzles are so long and tedious that even the developers put in the option to skip them.”
- “It's so horribly tedious and it slows the game down, and if you are in the middle of a battle it can get you killed.”
humor
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
8%
The humor in the game is largely unintentional, stemming from poor voice acting, janky animations, and awkward dialogue, which often leads to hilariously bad moments rather than the intended horror experience. While some players appreciate the campy charm and tongue-in-cheek humor reminiscent of classic survival horror games, others find the writing and execution lacking, resulting in a mix of cringe-worthy and amusing interactions. Overall, the humor adds a unique layer to the game, making it more entertaining for some, despite its flaws.
- “This game, while not perfect, is a good attempt at the classic survival horror genre, with many tongue-in-cheek humorous things to be found throughout.”
- “The voice acting is hilariously bad but it adds to the campy atmosphere, so in a way, I actually like it.”
- “Dialogue constantly oscillating between hilarious and cringe-worthy, often being both at the same time.”
- “Not funny at all, just extremely boring.”
- “The humor falls flat and feels forced.”
- “I expected laughs, but it was just cringeworthy.”
optimization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
46%
29%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance at high settings, while others report significant issues such as poor graphics optimization, unresponsive controls, and a lack of satisfying gameplay mechanics. While certain setups run the game well, many users express frustration over the overall optimization, particularly in terms of voice acting quality and the effectiveness of game mechanics like shooting and puzzles. Overall, the game appears to require further optimization to enhance the player experience across a wider range of hardware configurations.
- “Performance was great, 60fps 100% of the time on max settings, played on a laptop, Win11, i5-11400H, 3050 RTX 16GB RAM.”
- “I like how the game was optimized and the fact that the game runs well in 4K surprised me, but I think that is because levels are tiny.”
- “Performance was fine for me, keeping stable 144 fps throughout the entire game, though I do have quite a machine so this may vary on different PCs.”
- “The biggest downside is that the game is absolutely not optimized to feel like a video game - shooting a gun lacks recoil and vibration, headshots don't do anything, and the puzzles are tedious and obtuse.”
- “Again another poorly optimized game for PC...getting tired of this.”
- “This game is just awful, terrible optimization, awful inventory system.”
replayability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its limited replayability, with many reviewers noting a lack of compelling reasons to replay after completing the main story. While some mention potential in modes like mercenary and horde, the absence of features like new game plus or varied gameplay elements leaves players feeling that replay value is almost nonexistent. Many recommend waiting for a discount due to the short single-player experience and minimal incentives for repeated playthroughs.
- “There is good replayability potential; you are graded after the playthroughs, and there is a mercenary mode with 4 levels and 4 different loadouts.”
- “Lasly, I would love some horde mode for replayability.”
- “This game needs some work to make it better and more playable, but if you use a guide and you are more patient than I am, then you will enjoy it.”
- “It has a hunk-like mini game, but the game does not have much replay value because there aren't any special guns to play with after you beat the game.”
- “- almost zero replay value outside of collectibles.”
- “- I beat the game in 8 hours, and the game encourages you to beat it in 4 hours and doesn't offer much in replay value.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the emotional aspect of the game received mixed reviews, with some players feeling a lack of depth in the storyline and character development, leading to a disconnection from the emotional moments. While certain music tracks effectively created a haunting atmosphere, many felt that the narrative did not evoke strong feelings or engagement. Players noted that while there were fresh plot elements, the overall emotional impact was underwhelming.
- “It had a few songs that made me feel like I was stepping into a nightmare I can't escape, and others that were just fantastic to listen to.”
- “Don't expect a super emotional ride or anything, but the plot beats are fresh and interesting.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The monetization aspect of the game is generally viewed positively, as it avoids common pitfalls like microtransactions, DLCs, and loot boxes, focusing instead on delivering a complete experience without additional costs. However, some critiques suggest that the game's difficulty could be better balanced, and there are concerns about the potential for cash grab tactics in comparison to larger titles like the Resident Evil series. Overall, players appreciate the absence of exploitative monetization strategies, highlighting the value of a well-crafted game.
- “This game proves again that we can count on a lot of smaller developers to create wonderful games without microtransactions, DLCs, season passes, or loot boxes. Sometimes, a good game is all you need.”
- “Don't go by the reviews comparing it to the RE series; I'm 100% sure the devs would have done a better job than what Capcom did with the cash grab that is the RE3 remake if they had the funds.”
- “Not a cash grab, but not a good game either.”
- “Quick disclaimer: no, this is not a Resident Evil 2 remake knockoff; the development of this game began as a fan RE2 remake project called Resident Evil 2 Reborn, and no, this is not a UE4 asset flip cash grab.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
Character development in this game is widely criticized for its lack of depth and emotional engagement, with reviewers noting generic character designs and a weak, overused storyline. Many feel that the characters come across as emotionless and poorly written, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The storyline is poor, with bad writing and a lack of emotional range, resulting in minimal character development.”
- “The character design feels emotionless, resembling plastic dolls that have come to life.”
- “Character designs are pretty generic and fail to stand out.”