Decarnation

Despite several useless and unsatisfying gameplay elements, Decarnation still features one of the best stories I've seen in a horror game with a fantastically portrayed message both visually and narratively and lots of excellent references.

80%Game Brain Score

story, music

gameplay, optimization

90% User Score Based on 340 reviews

Critic Score 70%Based on 11 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $12.34

Buy NowGet on Steam€14.99

About

"Decarnation is a single-player Horror Role Playing game with an interesting plot and delightful graphics, inspired by surrealist works such as Silent Hill and Alice in Wonderland. As cabaret dancer Gloria, you'll face monsters and nightmares in a mesmerizing story of survival. Expertly combining classic horror and adventure elements, Decarnation features mini-games that require consideration and strategy."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 351 reviews

story125 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Incredible art direction and pixel graphics that create a haunting atmosphere.
Engaging and thought-provoking story that explores heavy themes with sensitivity.
Fantastic soundtrack that enhances the emotional depth of the game.

Gameplay is minimal, often feeling like a walking simulator with repetitive mini-games.
Some puzzles and rhythm sections can be frustrating and poorly executed.
The pacing can be uneven, with certain sections dragging on and feeling anticlimactic.

story
276 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The story of *Decarnation* is widely praised for its captivating and emotionally complex narrative, exploring dark themes of trauma, self-discovery, and empowerment through a visually stunning pixel art style. While many players found the storytelling masterful and engaging, some noted pacing issues and a lack of depth in certain character backstories. Overall, the game is recommended for those who appreciate story-driven experiences, despite its minimal gameplay elements.
- “The art is beautiful, the story, the way it develops and its narration is fascinating, how they play with the music for the different emotions, how they depict the emotions and sensations of the protagonist, everything!!”
- “At times it is incredibly demoralizing and bleak but it is also genuinely moving and uplifting story of self-discovery, acceptance, and empowerment.”
- “The story is overflowing with visual metaphors for trauma, compartmentalization, and what the mind is willing to do to itself to survive insurmountable odds, as well as the effort it takes to heal.”
- “The main story that enables all the psychological mumbo jumbo is infantile at best.”
- “Sometimes the plot does drift away from the main line into aspects of the story that weren't very engaging and I am not sure that the authors had a clear idea how to complete the game in a way that makes sense.”
- “The story becomes very predictable far too early on.”
music
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
34%
2%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, particularly for its emotional depth and fitting integration into the narrative, with many reviewers highlighting the contributions of renowned composer Akira Yamaoka. The soundtrack is described as both haunting and memorable, enhancing the game's themes of trauma and resilience, while the pixel art complements the auditory experience beautifully. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, elevating the game's artistic and storytelling elements.
- “The soundtrack is also excellent and perfectly fitting (the protagonist is a cabaret star).”
- “Great characters, great story, great themes, great art style, poignant atmosphere, incredible soundtrack, this game simply has it all.”
- “The music and leitmotifs were also really nice to listen to, I wish I knew more French than I do so I could understand them better but they were beautiful to listen to and complicated the emotional highs and lows of the story wonderfully.”
- “But...the inputs often did not make any sense in regards to the music, and the input timing was always off just slightly from the actual tempo.”
- “But this doesn't feel intentional, it feels like someone who doesn't even like music programmed the note patterns.”
- “The rhythm music sections feel bad to play and the whole thing was absurdly long for its story and just didn't land at all.”
gameplay
105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
79%
10%
The gameplay in "Decarnation" is largely minimal and serves primarily as a vehicle for its narrative, featuring simple mechanics such as walking, interacting, and light puzzle-solving interspersed with rhythm mini-games. While some players appreciate the atmospheric storytelling and artistic presentation, many criticize the gameplay for being repetitive, lacking depth, and at times frustrating, leading to a mixed reception overall. Ultimately, those seeking a robust gaming experience may find the gameplay lacking, but fans of narrative-driven experiences may still find value in its emotional journey.
- “Awesome story with a variety of gameplay and storytelling elements.”
- “The gameplay is fairly light and straightforward, but this allows the player to focus on the gorgeous and horrific artwork and the twists and turns of the narrative.”
- “The gameplay, while minimal, adequately serves the game's thematic purpose.”
- “Gameplay is primarily talking/interacting with a few puzzles and minigames thrown in; you should be able to fly through it fully in under 5 hours.”
- “Unfortunately, it seems to be the case that Decarnation feels like a real first effort in the gameplay department.”
- “The actual mechanics—the minigames, the puzzle solving, combat, etc.—are fairly limited and may leave the average player wanting more.”
graphics
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
32%
4%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning pixel art and unique visual style, which effectively convey a haunting atmosphere and enhance the storytelling. Many reviewers noted the juxtaposition of beautiful visuals with disturbing themes, creating a compelling experience that draws players into its psychological horror narrative. Overall, the art direction and attention to detail in the graphics are considered standout features, contributing significantly to the game's emotional impact.
- “The visuals are absolutely stunning; I took a lot of pictures of the environments as they were so pretty.”
- “Exceptional visuals and a great soundtrack; the story has a satisfying ending.”
- “The graphics and art direction are strong, and the music ties it all together.”
- “Though the graphics' pixels and looks friendly - - - it is absolutely not.”
- “Any other issues are technical--some typos here and there, graphical bugs, etc.”
- “It's not a horror game, it's a walking simulator with some simple minigames and dark visuals.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
38%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, featuring a blend of beautiful pixel art, a haunting soundtrack, and a poignant narrative that explores deep themes of trauma and identity. While some players find the atmosphere to be chilling and surreal, enhancing the horror experience, others note that certain gameplay elements, like quick-time events, can disrupt immersion. Overall, the game successfully creates a compelling and emotionally resonant environment that captivates players, despite some minor frustrations with gameplay mechanics.
- “Great characters, great story, great themes, great art style, poignant atmosphere, incredible soundtrack, this game simply has it all.”
- “Challenging, atmospheric, terrifying, and heartbreaking.”
- “Found this game a really gorgeous and compelling piece of work, the aesthetics, art direction, and atmosphere is incredibly well done with the subtle characteristics of the environments and both inner and inter-character dialogue paints something that feels genuinely human and nuanced when it comes to a surrealist narrative about trauma, collapse, the decomposition and assimilation of the self especially in relation to artists.”
- “There's a lot of content which does approximately nothing either for the plot or for the atmosphere.”
- “Quite a strong emotional journey, light on the gameplay, which is entirely at the service of the story and the atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is extremely well done, and the way the narrative weaves between reality, dreams, and nightmares is handled well.”
emotional
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with many players noting its ability to evoke deep feelings through a touching narrative, relatable characters, and beautiful music. While some found the gameplay lacking, the story's complexity and emotional depth resonated strongly, leading to moments of intense sadness and empowerment, particularly for those who relate to themes of female struggle and emotional trauma. Overall, it is described as a powerful emotional journey that can be both heartbreaking and cathartic.
- “Beautiful visuals, touching narrative, fleshed out characters, catchy music.”
- “This game made me feel a lot of emotions, especially since I grew so invested in Gloria and her struggles.”
- “Genuinely a heartbreaking, but empowering experience.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game is praised for its excellent performance, particularly in the classic horror theme, with users recommending it over Amnesia: The Bunker due to its poor FPS optimization. Additionally, it runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, with no reported issues regarding performance or controls.
- “Great performance of the classic horror theme!”
- “Also, played on Steam Deck, no problems whatsoever with performance and controls.”
- “Buy this instead of Amnesia: The Bunker (terrible FPS optimization).”
- “Performance issues are a major drawback for this game.”
- “The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspects of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with some mechanics feeling drawn out. While the subject matter is appreciated, the presence of game-breaking bugs further exacerbates the frustration with these repetitive tasks.
- “Although at times I found certain mechanics drawn out, repetitive, and tedious, the respect the subject matter was given is done so beautifully.”
- “Game-breaking bugs forcing tedious reloads.”
- “The mini-games, especially the rhythm game, became tedious and repetitive.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is praised for its engaging and participatory nature, allowing players to influence their characters' growth. The stylish designs and fluid animations contribute to an emotive and relatable experience, enhancing the overall connection to the characters.
- “I love how the player gets to take part in each step of the character development.”
- “Stylish character designs and fluid animations feel properly emotive, expressive, and at times even relatable.”
- “I love the art style and character design; the music is nice in places.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably compromised by a significant number of bugs and glitches, including distracting visual artifacts and softlocks that hinder gameplay. While players appreciate the engaging story and creative mechanics, the prevalence of technical issues has led to frustration and calls for patches from the developers.
- “I experienced a staggeringly high amount of bugs and glitches in my playthrough, chief among them was a dev option I presumably enabled by accident that permanently watermarked the corners of the screen with the build version and current level screen name. This was a real bummer as this text was not only distracting but often spoiled the narrative metaphor or upcoming twist of the gameplay, and I had to force myself to ignore it.”
- “Be aware of a couple glitches: some bugs, softlocks, and ill-calibrated rhythm minigames, reported many times in the forum. I hope the developers patch it.”
- “Some bugs and glitches.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game primarily revolves around the character of the funny cake girl, who serves as the central comedic element, drawing players' attention and eliciting laughter through her antics.
- “The funny cake girl is the main focus, though.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers limited replayability, with a playtime of 5-6 hours, but is considered a good value for its price.
- “Not much replayability here, but the game is a good price for its 5-6 hour length.”