Disparity of the Dead

About

"Disparity of the Dead" is a single-player Horror Platformer game with unique story and mechanics, delightful graphics, and a spectacular soundtrack. It's a 3d platformer/detective game hybrid where you investigate why people are dying and not reaching the afterlife. Despite some bugs, the game offers a unique atmosphere that will make you laugh while keeping you on your toes. The game was originally created for the Dread X Collection 3.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 247 reviews

story36 positive mentions

stability15 negative mentions

The Dread X Collection 3 features a diverse range of unique and creative games, showcasing the talents of various indie developers.
The hub world, designed by Kira, is visually appealing and adds an engaging narrative element that connects the games.
Many games, such as Submission and Disparity of the Dead, offer compelling stories and gameplay mechanics that keep players invested.

Some games suffer from bugs and control issues, which can detract from the overall experience.
The collection leans more towards a cute and lighthearted theme, which may disappoint players looking for traditional horror elements.
Certain games, like Nice Screams at Funfair and Soul Waste, feel underdeveloped or frustrating, impacting the enjoyment of the collection.

story
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
58%
6%
The story aspect of the game collection receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and well-developed, particularly appreciating the unique themes and twists. However, others criticize it for being confusing, lacking depth, or having a rushed conclusion, leading to a disparity in overall enjoyment. While some entries are praised for their intriguing narratives and emotional impact, others are deemed nonsensical or overly simplistic, resulting in a varied experience across the collection.
- “The story is intriguing and has multiple endings.”
- “Disparity of the Dead is the crown jewel here, combining not only excellent gameplay but unique world-building, storytelling, and a satisfying arc.”
- “The story is where this one shines - I'm really impressed by the writing, voice acting, and development of the mini-plot in the hub game.”
- “The storytelling got a little lazy at the end though, as all endings just cut to black with the ending name instead of actually concluding anything.”
- “It sucks because the story and visuals seemed interesting, but the game was such a pain to play that I was barely able to finish it, let alone explore and enjoy it.”
- “The story of this collection is absolute garbage.”
graphics
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
61%
5%
The graphics across the reviewed games showcase a strong emphasis on nostalgic aesthetics, particularly reminiscent of PS1 and N64 styles, often blending spooky and cute elements. While many players appreciate the unique visual designs and atmospheric qualities, some also note issues with performance, clarity, and repetitiveness in gameplay that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are generally well-received, with a mix of charming and unsettling elements that enhance the thematic depth of the games.
- “I really enjoy the biblically accurate angel designs and some of the visuals.”
- “The graphics nail the PS1 aesthetic pretty well.”
- “The visuals make you feel right at home in the land of the dead, and searching for clues/piecing the mystery together kept me engaged the whole way.”
- “First off, the visuals and camera almost made me hurl in the first five minutes, and when your accessibility setting is hidden through a repetitive press of a button, as well as the instructions to get them hidden behind the UI, that’s just a big no-no.”
- “It sucks because the story and visuals seemed interesting, but the game was such a pain to play that I was barely able to finish it, let alone explore and enjoy it.”
- “The graphics and controls made this a slog, and repeating the same three actions for six floors really felt like it just wanted to be a time sink.”
gameplay
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
51%
10%
The gameplay across various reviews is characterized by a mix of innovative mechanics and frustrating elements, with some players appreciating unique concepts like investigation and coding, while others criticize repetitive loops and clunky controls. Many found the gameplay to be either too simplistic or lacking polish, leading to a disconnect between the intriguing story and the execution of gameplay mechanics. Overall, while some games offer engaging experiences with interesting twists, others suffer from jankiness and a lack of depth, resulting in a varied reception.
- “The mechanics were interesting and unique, and the story was awesome.”
- “Puzzles are fun, gameplay is innovative, and horror is on point.”
- “Disparity of the Dead is the crown jewel here, combining not only excellent gameplay but unique world-building, storytelling, and a satisfying arc.”
- “I really enjoy the biblically accurate angel designs and some of the visuals, but the game is both difficult to figure out as well as rather boring as the gameplay loop wasn’t very interesting.”
- “I really hate platforming games where all your movements feel like you're walking on ice, and the jump mechanic wasn’t innovative, just frustrating.”
- “The gameplay is padded with these annoying segments, and the actual gameplay felt tedious and unresponsive.”
music
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
23%
8%
Overall, the music in the games reviewed is consistently praised for its quality and ability to enhance the gaming experience, with many users highlighting standout soundtracks that complement the visuals and gameplay. Titles like "Soul Waste" and "Reactor" receive specific commendations for their exceptional music, while others note that even games with less engaging gameplay can be elevated by their soundtracks. Despite some criticisms regarding repetitiveness or gameplay mechanics, the music remains a strong point across the board, contributing significantly to the atmosphere and enjoyment of the games.
- “I really liked the music in Soul Waste!”
- “The music is an amazing banger, and the character designs are well done.”
- “The dynamic music changing to the situation is nice, however, as well as some of the visuals being neat to look at.”
- “It's not great, but the music (which is of a genre I usually don't like) is catchy, and the intro and three loading screens take longer than the game itself takes to play, so I didn't dislike it as strange as that may sound.”
- “And this music combined with graphics straight from PS1.”
- “I thought this one was going to pretend to be cute judging by the character's design and the fact that the title screen has Hatsune Miku music.”
humor
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in these games is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting their comedic elements and clever writing. While some games blend humor with horror effectively, others are noted for their silliness and parody, making them enjoyable despite basic gameplay mechanics. Overall, the humor is described as a standout feature, contributing significantly to the fun and charm of the experiences.
- “This game is just flat out hilarious and awesome.”
- “Pokes fun at children's educational games with a horror twist; while its gameplay is really basic, the concept and style makes it absolutely worth a playthrough. Loved the humor.”
- “Submission: very good, both funny and creepy.”
atmosphere
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
29%
11%
The atmosphere across the Dread X collection is characterized by a blend of lighthearted spookiness and unsettling elements, effectively creating an engaging and immersive experience. Many reviewers appreciate the well-crafted settings, music, and visual design, which evoke feelings of isolation and nostalgia, while some games successfully balance humor with horror. However, a few critiques mention a lack of depth in atmosphere and writing in certain titles, indicating a mixed reception in this aspect.
- “It achieves a great atmosphere with very little.”
- “The atmosphere in general is very well done and overall I would call it a nice time; this dev can do these visuals very well.”
- “This game has amazing atmosphere.”
- “The horror atmosphere of the hub in 2 is now replaced with a hub that feels like a mockery of the best part of 2, especially with the dumb bromance of the characters in this collection.”
- “The atmosphere in general is very well done (even if I would've liked a few more textures rather than primarily pretty colors) and overall I would call it a nice time; this dev can do these visuals very well.”
- “A novel approach to horror, this collection uses horror mostly as a fun gag in many of the games, and with an unsettling atmosphere in others.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the games is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and unresponsive controls leading to a frustrating experience. Many players encountered significant issues, such as soft locks and game-breaking glitches, which detracted from overall enjoyment. While some elements show potential, the pervasive instability renders most games effectively broken or unenjoyable.
- “Of the games on offer here, only a few are fun, none are scary, and a couple are so buggy that they're effectively broken.”
- “Further still, almost all of the games are shoddily made and poorly tested with constant issues and glitches.”
- “I had to restart this game three times due to random glitches and soft locks.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and uninteresting, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging experience. While some appreciate the plot enough to endure the repetitive segments, many agree that the gameplay can become frustrating and unresponsive, particularly in the later stages.
- “The gameplay is padded with these annoying segments and the actual gameplay felt tedious and unresponsive.”
- “Interesting experience, but more tedious than fun.”
- “Though it did get a bit tedious at points, especially after cleaning the sixth table.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The optimization of the collection is generally seen as lacking, with reports of occasional performance issues and sluggishness, particularly on lower-end computers. While the games themselves are strong and visually appealing, some users suggest that additional optimization, such as a vsync function, could enhance the experience.
- “Some games might need just a bit of extra optimization; it can also be done by implementing a VSync function for lower-end computers.”
- “This collection has some of my favorite games from all the collections thus far. While it is extremely strong with its games, the meta-game world is a little lacking. It looks nice and has nice puzzles, albeit easy, but it can chug a bit at times and feels a little poorly optimized.”
- “Some games might need just a bit of extra optimization; it could also be improved by adding a VSync function for lower-end computers.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
While the game features creative and well-executed character designs, the overall character development is overshadowed by the bleakness of the world. Players appreciate the solid gameplay and engaging map design, but the depth of character growth may not be as prominent.
- “The music is an amazing banger, and the character designs are well done.”
- “Gameplay is solid, map design and character design are fun, and it accomplishes its goal excellently.”
- “The world is very bleak, but the character designs are creative.”
- “Character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression.”
- “I found the characters to be one-dimensional and unrelatable.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that certain elements of the game, such as specific splash screens, evoke strong feelings of unease, contributing to an emotionally charged experience.
- “One of the splash screens in particular made me feel really uneasy.”