Deadlight

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Deadlight is a single-player Horror Platformer game with a good plot and amazing gameplay, set in a decaying 1980s Seattle. As survivor Randall Wayne, you'll navigate a beautiful yet deadly world, solving puzzles and avoiding zombies in a 2.5D Cinematic Platformer. Despite some bugs, delightful graphics, perfect soundtrack, and dense atmosphere create a wholesome story, although it's not very replayable.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,970 reviews

story792 positive mentions

stability179 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and art style that create an immersive atmosphere.
Engaging story with emotional depth, despite some predictability.
Fun platforming mechanics that provide a mix of action and puzzle-solving.

Clunky and unresponsive controls that can lead to frustrating gameplay.
Frequent trial-and-error deaths due to poorly designed sections and unclear objectives.
Short playtime, with many players completing the game in under 5 hours.

story
2,111 mentions
38 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The story of "Deadlight" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it to be a generic and predictable zombie apocalypse narrative that lacks depth and originality. While some appreciate the atmospheric presentation and the emotional weight of the protagonist's journey, others criticize the plot for being filled with clichés and inconsistencies, often feeling rushed or poorly executed. Overall, the game is noted for its engaging visuals and sound design, but the story often falls short of expectations, leaving players wanting more substance and coherence.
- “Despite its short length and occasional frustration with trial-and-error gameplay, its engaging story and tense atmosphere make for a memorable experience.”
- “The game's narrative is told through a combination of in-game cutscenes and journal entries, which add depth and emotion to the story.”
- “Its unique art style, engaging story, and satisfying gameplay make it a standout game that's well worth the investment.”
- “The story feels generic and lacks depth, often failing to maintain consistency.”
- “Such glaring plot holes detract from immersion and make the narrative feel half-hearted.”
- “The story is predictable and kind of dumb; the gameplay isn't horrible or terrible, but it does feel like you're going through the motions after a while.”
gameplay
1,084 mentions
34 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Deadlight* is a mix of platforming, puzzle-solving, and combat, set against a visually striking backdrop. However, many players find the mechanics frustrating due to clunky controls, trial-and-error gameplay, and inconsistent enemy behavior, which detracts from the overall experience. While the game offers engaging moments and a compelling atmosphere, its repetitive nature and technical issues often lead to a less satisfying gameplay experience.
- “The game's platforming mechanics and puzzle-solving elements add depth to the gameplay, requiring players to navigate treacherous environments while avoiding the undead.”
- “Its unique art style, engaging story, and satisfying gameplay make it a standout game that's well worth the investment.”
- “Gameplay was fantastic and really dragged me into some of the tense moments, requiring a combination of basic puzzles and quick reflex jumps, gunshots, and zombie beatings with an incredibly useful firefighter's axe!”
- “Deadlight attempts to combine stunning visuals with a compelling narrative in a post-apocalyptic world, but it ultimately falls short due to numerous gameplay issues and design flaws.”
- “The one way to suck the fun out of any game is to have to replay segments over and over due to poor mechanics, which in this case would be climbing over walls and certain timed events.”
- “The gameplay is a mix of platforming and survival horror, but the mechanics are poorly explained, leading to trial-and-error gameplay.”
graphics
987 mentions
64 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics in *Deadlight* are widely praised for their stunning, atmospheric quality, featuring a unique 2.5D art style that effectively conveys a post-apocalyptic world. Many reviewers highlight the game's beautiful hand-drawn visuals and detailed environments, which create an immersive experience, although some note that the graphics can occasionally obscure gameplay elements. Despite the visual appeal, several players express frustration with gameplay mechanics and controls, suggesting that while the graphics are a strong point, they do not fully compensate for the game's shortcomings.
- “With its atmospheric visuals and haunting soundtrack, it immerses players in a world filled with danger and despair.”
- “Deadlight features high-quality, hand-drawn graphics with detailed environments and character designs.”
- “The graphics are beautiful -- they are so beautiful and realistic that at times I wished I could have explored the environment more.”
- “The graphics quality is low and zombie animations are clunky.”
- “The only major fault in the game is that the graphics make it hard to see what's there.”
- “The graphics are quite choppy and resource-intensive, at least on my PC.”
atmosphere
543 mentions
71 % positive mentions
27 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Deadlight" is widely praised for its stunning visuals and haunting soundtrack, effectively immersing players in a bleak, post-apocalyptic world filled with tension and danger. Many reviewers highlight the game's artistic style, which combines graphic novel aesthetics with atmospheric sound design, creating a memorable and engaging experience. However, some criticisms arise regarding gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall atmosphere, such as clunky controls and frustrating level design, which can disrupt the immersive experience.
- “With its atmospheric visuals and haunting soundtrack, it immerses players in a world filled with danger and despair.”
- “The atmosphere is phenomenal; the music, the main character, the society, the zombies—everything in this game makes you feel like you're in an apocalyptic environment.”
- “Deadlight offers an atmospheric and immersive survival platformer experience set in a post-apocalyptic world.”
- “I was excited for the gritty atmosphere and the story, but I couldn't enjoy those two because of the incredibly clunky controls, the bad port, the bad voice acting, shitty pacing, inconsistent parkour, bad level design, and the forgettable storyline.”
- “The grim, unforgiving atmosphere is not very well conveyed, despite the aesthetics indicating otherwise.”
- “The atmosphere is ruined by horrible controls that have you jumping around in the wrong direction, and getting countless times because of it.”
music
260 mentions
52 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and haunting quality, effectively enhancing the overall experience and immersing players in the post-apocalyptic setting. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack complements the gameplay, with tracks that shift in intensity to match the action, while others highlighted its emotional depth during key narrative moments. Despite some criticisms regarding the game's mechanics, the music remains a standout feature, often described as beautiful and fitting for the game's tone.
- “With its atmospheric visuals and haunting soundtrack, it immerses players in a world filled with danger and despair.”
- “The game's sound design is also top-notch, with a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that perfectly captures the game's atmosphere.”
- “The music, lighting, and overall atmosphere make the game very eerie but beautiful.”
- “The soundtrack is generic, the characters aren't any good, the guns are fun to use, but you can't use them because you run out of ammo.”
- “For 90% of the game there is no music!”
- “The music was okay but, it isn't really anything worth mentioning and most of the time just seemed to get lost.”
stability
181 mentions
1 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
99 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and unresponsive controls that significantly hinder gameplay. Players frequently experience issues such as freezing during pauses, character glitches, and frustrating combat mechanics, leading to a consensus that the game feels unfinished and poorly optimized, particularly on the PC version. Overall, while some find enjoyment in the game, the overwhelming presence of technical problems detracts from the experience.
- “The game is fairly bug-free and smooth, however.”
- “This game can be frustrating at times when your character glitches through objects, doesn't grab ledges, or refuses to let go of ledges.”
- “The game is a hot buggy mess, glad it was on sale because full price to redownload patches in order for it to work is not my idea of a decent product.”
- “The game is extremely buggy beyond act 2, it becomes near impossible to get by and do the required puzzle due to non-stop spawn of shadows.”
replayability
68 mentions
12 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers some incentives like a nightmare mode, collectibles, and alternate endings, many players find its short length (around 3-6 hours) and linear gameplay limit its overall replay value. Some players appreciate the additional challenges and secrets, but others feel that the lack of alternative paths and character options significantly detracts from the experience. Overall, it may appeal to completionists but leaves many players wanting more depth and variety.
- “The game has multiple collectibles, so it has some replayability. Once you try the nightmare mode (which is like Minecraft's hardcore survival mode), you would get about 14 hours of gameplay, which is good for a game if it is under sale for a few quid.”
- “Grab it on a sale; it will give you a nice afternoon/weekend of entertainment, and there's also some replay value in it: an alternate ending, minigames, and many other things to discover that you can miss on one or two playthroughs.”
- “Absolutely brilliant game, for £9.99 it is well worth it, with some replay value.”
- “There is no replay value in this game, especially when there are no alternative characters to unlock or choose from, no alternative game paths or locations to explore.”
- “Overall, this game excels in its atmosphere; however, due to its short length and limited replay value, I recommend buying this game on sale.”
- “The nightmare mode as a reward for finishing doesn't offer much in the way of replayability, but overall the game is worth picking up for the single playthrough.”
emotional
45 mentions
78 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
22 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding the story touching and immersive, particularly in its portrayal of loss and familial bonds in a post-apocalyptic setting. However, many criticize the execution, citing poor voice acting, a lack of character development, and a predictable storyline that diminishes emotional impact. Overall, while there are moments that resonate, the game's technical issues and uninspired narrative often overshadow its emotional potential.
- “Excellent game with an emotional and beautiful story.”
- “Nice game, with a touching story about a father searching for his daughter in a broken world, without rules.”
- “This is one of those few games that truly is an emotional experience, even for how simple this game really is.”
- “However, the poor controls, incredibly banal and campy voice acting, and boring storyline made this more annoying than enjoyable to finish.”
- “It feels like the engine, gameplay, etc. has a big potential, but the boring story and foreseeable end really made me dislike the game.”
- “You never get a sense of why you are being told this boring story.”
grinding
43 mentions
2 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often exacerbated by poorly designed checkpoints that force them to replay sections and dialogues. Many reviews highlight clunky controls and repetitive gameplay that detract from the experience, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge. While some moments are enjoyable, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game becomes a tedious slog, particularly in later chapters and during puzzle-solving segments.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Checkpoints often force players to replay tedious sections of the game, including all the dialogue and challenges they have already completed.”
- “The story elements are mostly boring and tedious, even when you have cutscenes you have to redo because you died; this game could have done without them.”
- “The gameplay is fun for a few minutes, then gets tedious and repetitive.”
optimization
42 mentions
7 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, freezing, and bugs that disrupt gameplay. Many users noted that despite having high-end PCs, they experienced poor performance, suggesting it may be a poorly executed console port. Overall, the combination of clunky controls and inconsistent performance detracts from the gaming experience, making it frustrating for many players.
- “Sound design is excellent and immersive overall, and controls are well optimized for both keyboard & mouse and controller.”
- “The performance is decent.”
- “I have heard people have performance issues running this game but so far I have had no problems; I highly recommend this, just make sure your computer can run it.”
- “The optimization is very bad and you need to crank the resolution down by tons to make it run smoothly.”
- “The game itself is pretty good - but it's a bad console port that's ridden with annoying bugs (such as not being able to progress until restarting the game or cutscene sound not working), clunky controls, and performance issues.”
- “The game is just plain bad on performance; it randomly decides to start making my PC chug away, eating up all that processing power, and even just plain crashing if it really feels like it!”
humor
24 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a notable aspect, providing a balance to its otherwise bleak setting and serious themes. Players appreciate the witty moments and absurd character interactions, particularly enjoying the comedic elements that arise from glitches and voice acting. However, some find the humor inconsistent, with certain aspects feeling more frustrating than funny, leading to mixed reactions overall.
- “But while the game's setting may be bleak, there are plenty of moments of humor and wit to be found as well.”
- “And while the game's setting may be serious, the humor helps to balance out the tension and drama, making for a more enjoyable overall experience.”
- “One character in particular, 'the rat', is particularly hilarious, like a character straight out of a sci-fi direct-to-DVD zombie film, which I appreciated!”
character development
18 mentions
22 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
39 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting it as mediocre or lacking depth, primarily focusing on the main character while neglecting others. The storyline fails to engage players emotionally, often leaving them feeling disconnected from the characters due to minimal development and predictable narratives. Despite high-quality visuals and gameplay, the overall impression is that the game misses opportunities for meaningful character exploration, resulting in a disappointing experience for those seeking deeper storytelling.
- “Not just fab and great storytelling but decent gameplay and amazing character development.”
- “The character development is done well through inserts in the game, the narrative, and the cut-scenes.”
- “The graphics and artwork of a destroyed post-apocalyptic Seattle were stunning and the character development and pacing are well done.”
- “The storyline leaves a little to be desired; it's not worth writing home about and character development is mediocre at best, but it's the gameplay that shines.”
- “There's not much character development, which is probably a byproduct of having a short game that tries to do too much.”
- “The ending is supposed to be a dramatic twist, but given that there's no character development, and really no reason for you to care about these characters at all, the only real emotion it's going to conjure up in you is disappointment that you spent $15 on a game that caps out at 2 hours of gameplay.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is perceived as a frustrating cash grab, leading to disappointment among players who feel it fails to deliver on its premise and instead prioritizes profit over quality.
- “I thought it would scratch the itch for a side-scrolling zombie horror game, but it is nothing more than a frustrating and annoying cash grab.”
- “I had forgotten the premise of Deadlight and quite honestly couldn't even recall why I bought it (cue Steam summer/winter sale advertisement), but there I was, gaming hybrid laptop in hand (seriously though, look it up, it's incredible!), ready to knock a peg off the ever-scrolling Steam library... annnnnnnd.... here we go!”