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Disfigure

Disfigure Game Cover
98%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
optimization, story
98% User Score Based on 4,462 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Disfigure Game Cover

About

Disfigure is a single player arcade shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by coldbrewentertainment and was released on March 31, 2023. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Wishlist the full game on Steam! Short 10-minute introduction to the full game Disfigure. In this rogue-like, pay keen attention to your surroundings where monsters could be lurking. Switch between circle and cone vision: one allows you to see all around but not far, while the latter allows you to see far in one direction. Variety of Builds Choose from over 80 upgrades to create a unique build fo…

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Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
Disfigure screenshot
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98%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,462 reviews
gameplay216 positive mentions
optimization5 negative mentions
  • Excellent replayability with diverse weapons and upgrades, allowing many unique and fun builds each run.
  • Innovative and engaging vision mechanic (circle and cone light) that adds tension and fresh gameplay depth to the genre.
  • Highly polished visuals and sound design with atmospheric music enhancing the horror and action experience.
  • Completely free to play with consistent developer updates and no intrusive monetization, deserving player support through donation DLC.
  • Balanced difficulty scaling with challenging bosses and meaningful player upgrades, rewarding skill and strategy.
  • Many players praise it as a top game in the survivor/bullet hell genre, superior to many paid alternatives.
  • Can experience performance issues with lag or crashes during late or extended runs with many projectiles on screen.
  • Some players find endgame repetitive with limited build variety after unlocking all weapons and upgrades.
  • Certain weapon upgrades and perk paths feel mandatory, causing less viable choices and convergent builds.
  • Lack of meta-progression beyond unlocking weapons; after fully unlocked there are few things to spend currency on.
  • Maps are visually simple and static with limited variety and no interaction, making endless mode less engaging.
  • Limited health and lack of healing options can be punishing, making the game harsh for newer players or those who take early damage.
  • gameplay
    480 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is praised for its unique vision/light mechanic that adds tension, strategy, and a fresh twist to the roguelike bullet-hell genre. It features simple yet addictive mechanics with a variety of weapons, upgrades, and synergies that provide high replayability and engaging combat. While some find the core loop somewhat repetitive or the vision mechanic occasionally limiting, the overall smooth, fast-paced gameplay and solid design make it a standout, especially as a free title.

    • “The gameplay is mostly typical for a horde survival and bullet heaven game: you must survive for 20 minutes, defeat four bosses at set intervals, and then optionally continue afterwards in an endless mode for a high score on the leaderboards; however, it employs the use of a superb mechanic that adds a lot to the genre: telegraphing of boss attacks by way of a marker on the ground indicating strike areas. This causes you to react to attacks in the moment and adds another layer to what would otherwise be a mindless and generic core gameplay loop. Overall, the game has unique and novel gameplay which is well-balanced with high replay value and a strong horror theme.”
    • “The light and vision mechanic introduces a clever fog of war system where enemies are not visible until they enter your vision radius, which can be switched between a circle and a directed cone. This mechanic creates a great sense of tension and strategy, making the gameplay feel unique and legitimately challenging. Many weapons and upgrades interact with this mechanic, resulting in a variety of interesting builds and synergies that enhance the roguelike bullet hell gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay is both tight and smooth with meaningful upgrades and plentiful play style choices per weapon. The light/darkness mechanic is excellently integrated, adding a fresh and atmospheric twist to the genre. The variety of weapons, upgrades, and skill trees provide limitless unique runs which keep the gameplay engaging, challenging, and highly replayable.”
    • “While the gameplay is simple, it is difficult, and the atmosphere and tension are great!”
    • “The vision mechanic is monotonous and after 10-15 minutes I find myself spacing out and getting hit by enemies because of that.”
    • “The gameplay boils down to just two mechanics: running and shooting, offering little variation.”
  • music
    191 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its intense, atmospheric, and fitting soundtrack that enhances the dark, eerie, and fast-paced gameplay. Many users describe it as infectious, adrenaline-pumping, and perfectly matched to the art style and game mechanics, often calling it a standout feature. While generally well-received, a few mention the soundtrack can be repetitive and would benefit from more variety or higher intensity in some moments.

    • “The soundtrack is wonderful and modular, changing with each boss death as intensity ramps up.”
    • “The music is intense, sinister, and synth and guitar heavy and really helps build the 'fighting hordes of nightmare creatures' tone of the game.”
    • “The audio and the music of this game is an absolute bop, even to the point of me turning off the video essay playing in my background so I can jam to the beat while slashing insects in twain with my blade.”
    • “Audio design is on point, with the only exception being the music which is a bit generic and not nearly as adrenaline-inducing as I feel it should be.”
    • “The soundtrack is composed of decent but forgettable drum and bass songs which have a hint of sci-fi synth to them.”
    • “The music of the game could have been better; for example, there could have been a better sound while killing bugs.”
  • graphics
    158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are minimalist and stylized, often described as simple yet effective with a distinctive dark, Lovecraftian, and retro-inspired aesthetic that enhances its atmosphere and gameplay clarity. While some praise the unique art style and visual design for complementing the game's mood and mechanics, a few note performance issues, limited graphic settings, and that the visuals may feel outdated or basic compared to modern standards. Overall, the graphics are seen as fitting and immersive within the genre, contributing positively to the experience despite some calls for improved optimization and expanded options.

    • “The art style is very striking and complements gameplay by highlighting enemies and projectiles against the darkness, and the gameplay itself is spectacular.”
    • “Disfigure's excellent and distinct visuals, audio effects, music, and gameplay harmoniously create an experience that is scary, otherworldly, and cathartic.”
    • “The audio and visual design in this game is impeccable, with the darkness/light mechanic blending beautifully with the shadowy design of the monsters, and the different perks you can get to change the lighting in unique ways all blend into a wonderful display that connects gameplay with aesthetics.”
    • “Better optimization and graphics options to help the game run better would be a good idea.”
    • “The game is 2D with more or less simple graphics, and it still somehow drops to ~5 fps late into a run.”
    • “Only thing that I'd find wrong with is how it makes my PC sound like I'm running a game on high graphic settings, despite it having pretty simple graphics.”
  • replayability
    76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is widely praised for its high replayability, driven by a vast variety of unique weapons, upgrades, perks, and build combinations that create diverse playstyles and keep gameplay fresh. Frequent updates, balanced mechanics, and challenging elements further enhance its replay value, making it a compelling roguelike experience, especially notable for being free. Some users note occasional balance issues and limited content as minor drawbacks, but overall, the replayability is considered a standout feature.

    • “Plenty of replayability and tons of perks to change playstyles with every weapon and every run.”
    • “Very satisfying gameplay and huge replayability with many, many combinations of upgrades, skills, mutations and weapons.”
    • “Replayability is top notch, with how many unique weapons and upgrades there are the combinations are vast!”
    • “Would not recommend to people who like replayability.”
    • “For a free game it's a lot of fun though not very replayable.”
    • “It's a fun little casual game that doesn't have much replay value.”
  • atmosphere
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game’s atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, creepy, and ominous tone, heightened by effective sound design, minimalist graphics, and unique light/dark mechanics. This tense and immersive environment strongly enhances the survival horror experience, creating a stylish and engaging vibe that complements the gameplay’s intensity and challenge. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature that deeply enriches the game's identity and player immersion.

    • “A nod to the music and sound design - it's atmospheric and ominous as hell.”
    • “The atmosphere is awesome; the mix between the soundtrack and the actions united with a minimalist but effective graphic gives it a very stylish vibe.”
    • “All the elements in this game (the music, atmosphere, art, enemies, and sounds) synergize perfectly together, making it a phenomenal experience that is extremely addicting.”
    • “Elements of horror round out an oppressive atmosphere that's overwhelmed with darkness.”
    • “The graphics are extremely minimalistic and very lacking in detail, which detracts from the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The atmosphere feels empty and lacks immersion, making it hard to stay engaged.”
  • optimization
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from notable optimization issues, especially in mid to late-game when many entities and projectiles appear, leading to stuttering, FPS drops, and occasional crashes. While some performance improvements have been made through updates, many players still experience poor frame rates and CPU bottlenecks, indicating the need for further optimization efforts.

    • “Thanks to the Ophidian update, performance is not the issue anymore when playing the game.”
    • “Update 2: the dev worked on optimization, it's better now.”
    • “Although this game is really good it still has some shortcomings, one of them being that if there are too many entities spawned (enemies and projectiles) performance really suffers, mostly seen in the mid/late game when you have many upgrades that spawn projectiles such as firing speed and the missile upgrade.”
    • “The game runs horribly on my laptop; it is an old laptop but not by much, and I can play Vampire Survivors without much issue.”
    • “The game stutters with massive FPS drops, making the experience frustrating despite the game being good.”
    • “I reached level 50 with the boomerang scythe, had many upgrades multiplying the scythes, but around level 45-47 the game started stuttering and lagging badly, and at level 50 it crashed and didn't save progress, likely due to how many things were on screen.”
  • story
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story aspect is widely regarded as minimal or non-existent, with many users noting a lack of narrative depth or lore. While some appreciate the thematic elements like horror, most find the plot underdeveloped and feel the game relies heavily on gameplay rather than storytelling. Players seeking a rich story may be disappointed, as the game focuses primarily on mechanics and missions without substantial narrative content.

    • “Fun for a few hours, although short story mode (would take max 5 hrs to beat the entire thing on nightmare mode).”
    • “I love the plot where you're like a human trying to survive on an alien planet.”
    • “Story is minimal, but gameplay is well done, especially with the newer updates reworking a lot of the game.”
    • “The story is minimal, but gameplay is well done, especially with the newer updates reworking a lot of the game.”
    • “I would like more of a proper story, or lore of some sort in the game.”
    • “The story is non-existent but the theme of horror is somewhat refreshing because it is underused in the genre.”
  • grinding
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is described as a mixed experience: while some find it fun, quick, and rewarding with meaningful upgrades and infinite replayability, others feel it can be tedious and overly time-consuming, especially when unlocking new weapons or gathering resources. The need for repetitive actions like manual XP collection and costly unlocks leads to frustration for some players, though progression through skill rather than upgrades is appreciated by others. Overall, grinding appeals to fans who enjoy gradual progression, but it may deter those seeking more immediate rewards.

    • “No grinding upgrades - only unlockables are guns. I think it's a pretty good idea; your runs can aspire for high places on leaderboards from the very start. Progression comes from learning how to play the game better, not from getting extra perks to boost your base stats.”
    • “I appreciate that it's not grindy. Kinda wish it would have just gone all the way and made weapons unlocked from the start, but I get that most people like progression in their horde games.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The game can also be very grindy when it comes to unlocking weapons as you start with a pistol and have to grind 50,000 credits for each new weapon unlock, which just feels way too long and tedious.”
    • “Exp needs to be auto-picked up by default. The game is pretty tedious until you get a bunch of the auto pickup perks. Starting a new run is such a chore purely because of this; I don't mind losing all my other abilities and the early gunplay is just as fun, but the need to fetch every bit of XP and use the same XP grabbing perks every time gets old fast.”
    • “Then there is the unlock tree. Why does this game need unlocks and why do they have to be so grindy? Just let me have fun.”
  • humor
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is appreciated for its meta and absurd elements, often arising from overpowered weapon combos and upgrade interactions that create hilarious, chaotic gameplay moments. Players enjoy the funny sound effects, quirky weapon effects, and the overall lighthearted tone, with many finding the unpredictable, exaggerated mechanics both entertaining and addictive.

    • “Funny stuff, meta stuff, it all works well with the right execution.”
    • “Each weapon has its own feel and you can really break the system over your knee with some loadouts to hilarious degrees.”
    • “A lot of the gameplay is just stacking upgrades to make hilarious loadouts.”
  • monetization
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is highly praised for being completely free with no microtransactions, ads, or paid DLC, relying solely on voluntary donations for funding. This absence of monetization is considered a major positive aspect, offering extensive content without financial barriers. Players appreciate the fair, no-pressure approach to supporting the game.

    • “Oh plus the game is free with no in-game purchases; the only way they make their money is donations, which I greatly appreciate.”
    • “I love seeing this game grow. There's a lot to do, and it's hard to believe it's free for everything you get. I played this game when it had about 10 reviews, and it's so cool to see people hyping it now. 10/10 would recommend for a free-to-play game with no microtransactions, apart from the supporter donation.”
    • “The mere fact that this is free to play and contains not a single in-game purchase shows how much they deserve the €5 donation.”
    • “No microtransactions, no adverts, no gachas - 100% free.”
    • “The mere fact that this is free to play and contains -not a single- in-game purchase shows how much they deserve the €5 donation.”
    • “I can't believe something like this could exist on Steam, this kind of game would probably sell for $5 but instead it's completely free with no advertisements or microtransactions in-game.”
  • stability
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is reported to have notable stability issues, including frequent bugs, occasional freezes after around 30-55 minutes, and some run-ending glitches like boss parts not spawning. While gameplay and graphics are generally appreciated, the presence of bugs and performance hiccups, especially related to memory and graphics card heating, detracts from overall stability. Some users find the bugs manageable, but stability remains a key concern.

    • “Simple, bug free.”
    • “This is not the most stable game, and there are some run-ending glitches, such as some boss parts occasionally not spawning, causing them to become immortal ghosts.”
    • “Although I can't play over 50-55 minutes, the game just freezes, likely due to memory issues.”
    • “I have to set my graphics card fans to 50% speed or higher to prevent 'graphics card probably dying' freezes caused by overheating.”
  • emotional
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game provides strong emotional support, offering a comforting and satisfying experience through its sound design and gameplay. Its free release with optional donation fosters goodwill, while challenging deaths encourage growth rather than frustration.

    • “But Disfigure has been such a life-saver for these past weeks, I simply had to give it the heartfelt review it deserves.”
    • “The fact that devs decided to release it for free, giving you the chance of buying a donation DLC, is so heartwarming that I want to see these devs succeed and want more from them.”
    • “Deaths didn't make me feel like dropping the game; instead, they made me feel like I had grown and would be able to do better next run.”
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18h Median play time
34h Average play time
5-40h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 16 analyzed playthroughs
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Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Disfigure is a arcade shooter game with horror theme.

Disfigure is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 34 hours playing Disfigure.

Disfigure was released on March 31, 2023.

Disfigure was developed by coldbrewentertainment.

Disfigure has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its optimization.

Disfigure is a single player game.

Similar games include 20 Minutes Till Dawn, Yet Another Zombie Survivors, Soulstone Survivors, Rogue: Genesia, Halls of Torment and others.