Distrust

55%
Game Brain Score Based on 819 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Distrust Game Cover
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
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"Distrust" is a horror action game that offers both single-player and multiplayer/co-op modes for 2 players. The game features good mechanics, delightful visuals, and good music, but can be very grinding and buggy. Players must guide a group of explorers stranded in the Arctic, fighting off exhaustion, nightmares, and a terrifying force that threatens their lives. The game's atmosphere is phenomenal, with random anomalies and a creepy abandoned research station adding to the suspense.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

55%
Audience ScoreBased on 819 reviews
gameplay70 positive mentions
stability46 negative mentions
  • The game has a strong presentation and excellent setting, creating a tense atmosphere.
  • Gameplay involves interesting resource management and strategic planning, making it engaging.
  • The random generation of levels and unlockable characters adds replayability.
  • The survival mechanics can feel punishing, with rapidly depleting meters for hunger, warmth, and stamina.
  • Co-op mode is plagued with bugs and connection issues, making it frustrating to play with friends.
  • The enemies (anomalies) are underwhelming and do not provide a significant threat, reducing the horror element.
  • gameplay238 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and tedious, primarily revolving around scavenging and managing survival needs. While some appreciate the mechanics and atmosphere, others criticize the lack of depth and engaging narrative, leading to a sense of boredom after a few hours of play. Overall, the game features interesting concepts but struggles with execution, resulting in a gameplay experience that can feel unbalanced and lacking in variety.

    • “I adored the gameplay, art style and overall mood of this hidden gem.”
    • “The well-refined gameplay mechanics aren't just fun, they promote the thematic trappings of a suspenseful horror movie.”
    • “Brilliant little game that you can instantly jump into with easy to understand mechanics and can be a whole lot of fun while playing with friends.”
    • “Gameplay amounts to walking around buildings and awaiting lengthy rummaging operations, then dying of starvation or sleep deprivation.”
    • “The sloth-like pace mixed with the repetitive environments and gameplay easily leads to boredom within an hour to an hour and a half.”
    • “There really isn't much gameplay other than scavenging, scavenging, scavenging and keeping your survivors warm, fed, and rested.”
  • graphics102 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique art style and atmospheric design, effectively capturing the intended mood and setting. While many reviewers appreciate the beautiful visuals and immersive environments, some note issues with optimization and performance, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's appeal, though opinions vary on their execution and impact on gameplay.

    • “The art style and the atmosphere are gorgeous; it captures the frozen hellscape feeling.”
    • “It does a great job creating atmosphere, with pretty graphics, good music (although a bit repetitive), nice animations, and characters that feel different from each other.”
    • “Unique mysterious atmosphere, beautiful graphic style, interesting tasks, and unexpected solutions - it's all waiting for you in Distrust.”
    • “It would crash on the menu screen, mess up the graphics, even crashed my Mac a few times.”
    • “Even with low graphics and frame rate settings, the animation skips everywhere.”
    • “- boring graphics”
  • story84 mentions

    The game's story is generally viewed as underwhelming, lacking depth and engagement, with many players expressing a desire for a more compelling narrative. While some appreciate the survival elements and the atmosphere, the repetitive gameplay and sparse storytelling detract from the overall experience, leaving it feeling like a missed opportunity. Despite some interesting ideas and mechanics, the execution falls short, resulting in a narrative that feels more like an afterthought than a central feature.

    • “It's an excellent choice for those who enjoy survival gaming with some narrative-driven experience/story.”
    • “Fun survival type game with a storyline that's actually interesting and not super easy.”
    • “Lead your party through 6 levels (30-45 mins each once you get the hang of it), learn the story of the base, and resolve the situation as best you can.”
    • “There is nothing that keeps me playing, no lore, no story, nothing that keeps my attention.”
    • “There's virtually no story to be interesting, and it feels like it's supposed to be a part of something much bigger.”
    • “The amount of character interaction with the story and scripting for things like cut scenes or exposition just aren't there.”
  • atmosphere84 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique art style, immersive sound design, and ability to evoke a tense, desperate environment reminiscent of classic survival horror. Players appreciate the beautifully crafted visuals and the game's ability to create a chilling, frozen setting that enhances the overall experience, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics and pacing. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a key strength, making it particularly appealing to fans of atmospheric survival games.

    • “The art style and the atmosphere are gorgeous; it captures the frozen hellscape feeling.”
    • “But while it can be relentless, once you master its emphasis on timing, teamwork, and rationing, Distrust manages to capture a tense atmosphere of desperation and sacrifice.”
    • “I am really enjoying the art style of this game; combined with the music, it creates an awesome atmosphere.”
    • “This is totally not the atmosphere I was hoping for.”
    • “Except for the atmosphere, this is nothing like 'The Thing' game.”
    • “Terrible realization (multiplayer laggy, bad management of inventory, more into rushing than heavy atmosphere, poor balance).”
  • stability52 mentions

    The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, with many players reporting game-breaking issues that significantly hinder gameplay, especially in co-op mode. While some users find the game enjoyable and relatively polished, the overall consensus is that stability is a major concern, leading to frustrations such as freezing, unresponsive controls, and problematic multiplayer experiences. Potential buyers are advised to be cautious until these issues are addressed.

    • “I wouldn't recommend it if it cost 20 € or even more, but it's really polished and surprisingly bug-free, so as it's just 12 €, I say get it if you like atmospheric survival games.”
    • “Looks great, runs great, and has great atmosphere.”
    • “It's really polished and surprisingly bug-free.”
    • “Incredibly buggy game.”
    • “The only problem is, there are some game-breaking glitches that need to be resolved.”
    • “Gets to the loading screen for a new game, reaches 33% then freezes completely.”
  • replayability52 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it features random level generation and unlockable characters that enhance replay value, many players feel it is limited due to repetitive puzzles and a relatively short playtime of 1 to 3 hours per run. Some players appreciate the variety and challenge offered by different characters and endings, but others find the overall replay value lacking, wishing for more content or a sequel to extend their experience. Overall, the game is considered fun with decent replayability, though it may not hold long-term interest for everyone.

    • “Definitely replayable due to random level generation and a mix of playable characters and unlockables.”
    • “It was challenging enough, had enough going on to keep us interested, and there's more than a few hours' worth of replay value through unlocking different characters in each playthrough, as well as the randomization of item placements, zone layouts, and what you'll get in each zone.”
    • “15 unlockable characters, 1 unlockable party slot, 4 endings, and each zone has the possibility of one out of several different exit quests, which means the replayability is there.”
    • “Taken together, this severely limits the replayability of a game which is meant to be played several times.”
    • “There's just no play value, let alone replay value.”
    • “- very frustrating difficulty, with 2 specific characters alright, with all others no way (at least for me), this reduced replayability significantly.”
  • music46 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric synth soundtrack that evokes an 80s horror vibe, reminiscent of John Carpenter's work. However, some players find the music repetitive and lacking variety, suggesting it can become monotonous over time. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the game's ambiance, it may not satisfy everyone due to its limited range.

    • “The game is atmospheric to boot, with a downbeat electronic soundtrack that carries the urgency you are driven forward with.”
    • “It's dark, it's cold, you're all alone, and the music and ambience make it sound like something spooky is afoot.”
    • “Very good soundtrack, fits and emphasizes the mood perfectly.”
    • “This game has game-breaking bugs, and some of the music is stolen from Silent Hill.”
    • “The devs obviously didn't spend money on a music guy, as it's the same goddamn song/notes over and over again that gets old quick.”
    • “Music gets boring after a while - tip: listen to synthwave/darkwave (e.g. Dance with the Dead, Perturbator...) while playing this game!”
  • grinding16 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players finding the survival mechanics unbalanced and the gameplay style frustratingly slow. While some players managed to enjoy the experience despite its grindy nature, the overwhelming sentiment is that the time spent on tasks like scavenging and resource management becomes excruciatingly dull, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “Survival mechanics were unbalanced feeling and quickly became tedious.”
    • “The time that it takes for your arctic exploration team to rifle through crates, lockers, boxes, lockpick doors, shovel away debris, and break down items for fuel and wood is excruciatingly tedious.”
    • “Tedious and repetitive, kinda disappointing when comparing to their other two games.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from the absurdity of survival challenges, such as the struggle for food and the comical consequences of fatigue, like falling into a coma from injuries. Players find amusement in the quirky mechanics, such as the effects of alcohol on characters, which can lead to humorous situations like stumbling around with funny drunk portraits. Overall, the blend of dark themes with lighthearted moments creates a unique comedic experience amidst the game's survival elements.

    • “First coop run was a painful yet funny experience since I fell into a coma multiple times from a bloody cut and there were no clean bandages around.”
    • “Ok, so this game has an issue where if you don't sleep/are very tired, you get the darkest dungeon status effects, and when you do sleep, purplish balls of light (that hate light, funny enough) will slowly come after you.”
    • “Possibly add bottles of liquor for characters to drink; it can make them warmer and influence their mood, but make them stumble around, walk slower, give them a funny drunk face on their portrait, and they can sleep off all the effects.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some users experiencing severe frame rate drops from 70 to 1 without clear cause, despite the game running smoothly at times and featuring impressive visuals and music. Additionally, inventory management is criticized as poorly optimized.

    • “It runs smoothly, has great visuals and music.”
    • “Bad optimization and FPS drops from 70 to 1 with no reason.”
    • “Terrible inventory management and optimization.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization strategy relies heavily on advertising that emphasizes the game's inspiration from the cult classic "The Thing," but many users find this approach misleading.

  • emotional4 mentions

    The game effectively evokes strong emotions, particularly through its challenging mechanics and unique debuffs, such as the manic laughter that can drive players to frustration. This emotional intensity is a standout feature, making it a compelling choice for fans of tactical games who appreciate a deeper psychological experience.

    • “Recommend to all fans of tactical and emotional games with a pretty difficult level.”
    • “The debuffs from not sleeping are just plain to make the game a misery. This is the first game I've taken my headset off due to the sheer annoyance of the maniacal laughter debuff, which is just beautiful because no other game has made me feel like I'm going crazy in a game.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is praised for its engaging designs and the dynamic portrayal of characters, with portraits that reflect their emotional and mental states, enhancing the overall narrative experience.

    • “I also liked the character designs and the fact that portraits change based on the character's condition and mental state.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

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Play time

8hMedian play time
13hAverage play time
5-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 22 analyzed playthroughs

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