DeathWatchers

About

DeathWatchers is a single player and multiplayer action game with a horror theme. It was developed by Swain Games and was released on July 12, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

DeathWatchers is a 4-player, online co-op horror game and the sequel to DEATHWATCH. Using various tools you must find and log a wide variety of different events all while trying your best to not aggravate whatever dangerous entities that may reside within. Once you've figured out the ingredients needed to perform the banishing ritual, build your ritual and try to banish the entity. But be warned a…

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 361 reviews

gameplay29 positive mentions

stability17 negative mentions

Unique blend of ghost hunting and observation duty mechanics providing a fresh and engaging experience.
Developer is highly responsive, actively fixes bugs, and engages positively with the community.
Multiple game modes and randomized elements offer strong replayability and fun cooperative multiplayer experiences.

Steep learning curve and somewhat complicated interface can overwhelm new players.
Presently suffers from bugs and technical issues, especially affecting multiplayer and some gameplay mechanics.
Some aspects like lighting, controls, and scanning interface feel clunky or underdeveloped, requiring further polish.

gameplay
89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
64%
3%
The gameplay of this early access ghost-hunting game offers a unique and engaging blend of investigation, anomaly detection, and entity confrontation mechanics that many players find fun and refreshing compared to similar titles. While the core loop is praised for its suspense, replayability, and multiplayer appeal, the experience is often hindered by bugs, clunky controls, and a steep learning curve due to complex and sometimes unclear mechanics. Nonetheless, ongoing developer support and innovative features provide strong potential for improvement and refinement.
- “It ticks all the boxes for me: investigation puzzlework, skill-based gameplay, spooky atmosphere and chases, and a sense of progression.”
- “Deathwatchers is a unique spin on the ghost hunting genre, combining traditional methods of anomaly finding with 'spot-the-difference' gameplay mechanics to keep each playthrough fresh and interesting.”
- “Super fun ghost hunting game with tons of different mechanics.”
- “The interface, while functional, sometimes lacks clarity, and minor mechanical quirks—unintuitive controls, missing prompts, or unclear tool interactions—can lead to confusion.”
- “So basically the game is bugged to hell, and its whole mechanic of deducing what you need for the ritual is critically flawed.”
- “The level design is surprisingly great, but the gameplay and controls are so clunky.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The game is notably buggy with occasional minor to game-breaking glitches, reflecting its early access status. However, the developer is highly active, responsive, and dedicated to quickly addressing issues, fostering a positive and improving stability experience. Despite the bugs, players find the gameplay enjoyable and appreciate the ongoing efforts to enhance stability and overall quality.
- “Ran into two glitches, one minor and the other gamebreaking.”
- “Mixed with the buggy controls, the limited number of maps and content available, and some game breaking bugs such as not being able to look around at random times, I really can't recommend this game.”
- “But atm it's both quite buggy, some evidence types are annoyingly hard to scan (such as entity sighting), and the biggest issue, hunts are far too lethal; one time I literally had the ghost spawn on top of me with no warning and just start mauling me on easy. There needs to be more warning before a hunt or some way to deal with the entity outside of carrying a void stick at all times, especially in solo where carrying equipment is rough because you basically only get 2 inventory slots unless you want to die. Inventory could be more lenient, and the event logger could probably have its own inventory slot. All stuff that is totally understandable for an early access game and can be improved over the development time.”
atmosphere
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
27%
20%
Deathwatchers delivers a gripping and tense atmosphere that effectively blends investigative ghost-hunting with intense, reactive AI threats, creating a deeply unsettling and spooky experience. Its solid visuals and sound design further enhance the haunting ambiance, keeping players engaged and on edge throughout. While there is room for more variety and polish, the game's core atmospheric foundation is compelling and immersive.
- “Deathwatchers is an atmospheric and tension-driven cooperative horror experience that takes the familiar framework of ghost-hunting and transforms it into something more methodical, investigative, and deeply unsettling.”
- “The AI feels reactive and genuinely threatening, adding to the game’s oppressive atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is great and it really keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to collect evidence while under the threat of an entity hunting you.”
- “While it may lack polish in places and has room to grow in terms of variety, its foundation is strong, and its atmosphere is gripping.”
- “The graphics are solid, and the sound design generally supports the atmosphere.”
- “It is intense, great in atmosphere, and gameplay (sometimes buggy); furthermore, the potential with this game is enormous.”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated for its blend of funny horror elements, chaotic moments, and hilarious character interactions, especially during multiplayer sessions. Players enjoy the witty announcements, playful trolling, and amusing bugs, which add a lighthearted charm that balances the spooky atmosphere. Overall, the humor creates a refreshingly fun and entertaining experience, both solo and with friends.
- “The sheer amount of things constantly happening made it less scary and more funny because of the pure chaos that was ensuing.”
- “With inspirations from games like Deathwatch and I'm on Observation Duty, and similarities to Phasmophobia, Ghost Watchers, and many others, the dedication and effort put into this game create a refreshingly fun, hilarious, and spooky experience that you and your friends are bound to enjoy!”
- “From posting funny memes, to giving fun sass at players who keep asking him about rebinding their keybinds, and even he laughs along with some of the funny bugs that the players find in the game.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The game offers strong replayability through its randomized gameplay and multiple modes, keeping each session fresh and engaging. While lacking a progression system may reduce long-term motivation for some players, the overall variety and value make it highly replayable and enjoyable.
- “I've only played the Deathwatchers mode, but even that has tons of replayability with each round not the same as the previous.”
- “Every game is random, including the logs you need to work out the herbs, so the replayability is superb.”
- “Not only do you get a great game with high replayability for the price, but you get a second game in the classic style for free.”
- “The last real complaint is the lack of a leveling system and rewards, resulting in a lack of a progression system. The only progression is unlocking two maps, which limits replayability and offers little reason to return once they are unlocked. A player leveling system with milestone rewards could improve this.”
- “It proposes a concept known from Phasmophobia and adds randomness, allowing for a bit more replayability, but the base idea lacks depth.”
- “Quick to pick up, packed with replayability and RNG, though randomness can affect the consistency of the experience.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The story is minimal and not very complex, fitting an arcade-style gameplay focused on short, cooperative missions rather than deep narrative. While the tutorial provides basic guidance, some players found it lacking in depth and clarity. Overall, the emphasis is more on gameplay experience than on storytelling.
- “Play your tutorial missions, make sense of them and go and have a blast!”
- “The tutorial did a pretty good job at explaining use of the equipment but it could have used a bit more depth, like a tutorial mission or more examples of evidence so you knew what to look for; however, I was able to work it out after a few games pretty easily.”
- “Not super complex or deep, good for 'arcade' style play with some friends (play a couple missions for an hour or so).”
- “The tutorial did a pretty good job at explaining use of the equipment but I feel like it could have used a bit more depth like a tutorial mission or more examples of evidence so you knew what to look for; however, I was able to work it out after a few games pretty easily.”
- “No story.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The graphics are praised for being clean, solid, and well-suited to the game's genre, contributing to an immersive and atmospheric experience with smooth visuals and fitting art style. Minor bugs are noted but do not detract from the overall quality.
- “Load of fun with friends, great graphics and smooth gameplay... also a bit different than others out there, definitely worth it!”
- “So clean, minor bugs, an art style that suits the genre perfectly!”
- “The creepy sounds and spooky visuals make it really immersive.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Users appreciate the inclusion of different game modes that help prevent the gameplay from becoming monotonous during grinding. However, some note that grinding can still be demanding, sometimes requiring extra effort or resources to progress.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music aspect received criticism due to the main menu music not playing initially, requiring users to manually adjust audio settings to enable it.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users found the emotional experience mixed, as overwhelming informational complexity in the lobby contributed to feelings of frustration and intimidation despite some gameplay potential.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game shows strong potential despite a few bugs and optimization settings that need improvement. Overall, optimization is decent but could benefit from further tweaks.