DON'T SCREAM
- October 28, 2024
- Digital Cybercherries
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"DON'T SCREAM" is a short horror experience built in Unreal Engine 5, inspired by '90s camcorder found footage. The objective is to explore Pineview Forest for 18 minutes without screaming, as your microphone is calibrated to detect even slight sounds. With dynamic scares, each playthrough promises a unique fright.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- graphics179 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their impressive use of Unreal Engine 5, delivering a realistic and immersive experience that enhances the horror atmosphere. Many players appreciate the found footage aesthetic, which adds to the game's creepiness, although some have noted performance issues and a lack of optimization for lower-end PCs. Overall, while the visuals are a standout feature, opinions vary on the game's overall execution and gameplay depth.
“I think it makes good use of Unreal Engine 5 to deliver a great found footage aesthetic.”
“The graphics are incredible and the VHS found footage style just adds to the atmosphere.”
“The graphics and overall presentation are top-notch, making it feel like you're right there in the middle of a terrifying situation.”
“The graphics are decent, that's about all it's got going for it.”
“And the graphics are complete garbage on high settings.”
“From the uninspired graphics to the lackluster storyline, this game fails to create an atmosphere of suspense or fear.”
- atmosphere151 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its creepy and immersive qualities, enhanced by impressive graphics and sound design that evoke a sense of dread. However, many reviewers feel that the reliance on cheap jump scares undermines the potential for a more psychologically engaging experience, with calls for a greater focus on building tension and atmosphere over frequent, predictable scares. Overall, while the game successfully creates a haunting environment, there is a consensus that it could benefit from a more nuanced approach to horror.
“The atmosphere, especially in the first 2-3 times you play the game, is absolutely phenomenal.”
“The graphics are incredible, and the VHS found footage style just adds to the atmosphere.”
“There's constant tension; the ambient noises and the graphics are almost real, the camcorder filter helps a lot, creating the perfect atmosphere for the game.”
“The atmosphere felt building up to a state of frightening more efficient in that way.”
“The scares felt forced, and the game failed to establish a sustained atmosphere of fear and tension that is essential for a memorable horror experience.”
“Despite it being in the woods, I never actually felt scared; the atmosphere is a bit dull.”
- gameplay134 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this early access title has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating its unique mechanics, particularly the microphone interaction, but criticizing its repetitiveness and lack of depth. While the initial experience can be engaging and atmospheric, many find the gameplay ultimately tedious, with limited content and predictable jump scares leading to a short overall playtime. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements and additional content to justify its price and enhance player engagement.
“I really do love how this game used UE5 and made the gameplay and graphics almost photorealistic.”
“The cleverly crafted gameplay mechanics kept me on my toes, constantly testing my reflexes and problem-solving skills as I navigated through the various levels.”
“While I didn't experience the expected scares, the game more than made up for it with its engaging gameplay, clever mechanics, and atmospheric setting.”
“The gameplay consists of walking and waiting for something to happen so you can feel a bit scared.”
“Overall, the game has potential, but at the time of purchasing, it lacks gameplay (needs more structures), has repetitive jumpscares, has many microphone detection bugs, takes only 20 minutes to complete from start to end, and is way overpriced.”
“The idea of the game is cool, but it is presented horribly, with boring gameplay and pretty mediocre jumpscares.”
- story117 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is widely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many reviewers noting that it feels more like a walking simulator than a narrative-driven experience. While some environmental storytelling elements exist, they are insufficient to engage players, leading to a repetitive cycle of jump scares without meaningful context or objectives. Overall, players express a strong desire for a more developed storyline and clearer objectives to enhance the gameplay experience.
“I think this game really shines in the interactive environments like the mini mart or the homestead, where you need to open doors or play recordings to discover the story behind the setting.”
“While there is little story, the environment kept me guessing as to what's going on.”
“A good story and scares linked to the story could really make this game a classic.”
“There's no real story line.”
“Game was not even scary, repeated the same jump scares 80% of the time was predictable and there was no story in the game at all nor objective and not even a sense of danger in my opinion.”
“From plane crashes to graveyards and entire slaughters of people/animals, I found myself wanting a story to find out what exactly is going on in these woods.”
- optimization43 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 47 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, frequent stuttering, and low frame rates even on mid to high-end systems. While some users managed to achieve stable performance, the general consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements, particularly for those using lower-end hardware. The reliance on Unreal Engine 5 has been noted as a contributing factor to these performance issues, leading to frustration among players.
“With uevr, you're further able to change various settings to get the absolute best performance, such as resolution scale and sharpening.”
“Zero performance issues on my beloved computer, which is about four years old now.”
“My Ryzen 5 5600X, RTX 3060 Ti, and 32 GB of RAM did do the trick on high quality while I had OBS running in the background, but I believe that there could be better optimization for lower-end PCs if they decided to add graphics settings that could get rid of possibly unnecessary graphics settings that can help boost performance.”
“The big 'made with UE5' seems like a copout for bad asset optimization and level streaming.”
“Performance is really bad; playing at 1440p with a 6950 XT and a 5800X3D, I barely get 40 FPS.”
“It's optimization is very bad, and I could hardly stream it to my friends (it had a 30-second latency).”
- humor42 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a prominent aspect, with many players finding themselves laughing more than being scared, often due to the predictability and cheesiness of the jump scares. While some moments are genuinely funny, the overall execution leads to a lighthearted experience rather than a terrifying one, making it enjoyable for casual play and streaming. Players frequently report dying from laughter rather than fear, highlighting the game's comedic potential amidst its horror elements.
“Once you realize that your character cannot die (aside from you laughing too loud), it's really not that scary.”
“So much so that when I hit play to do the whole 18 minutes over again, I forgot to stop laughing and had to restart.”
“Jump scares were so funny I laughed too loud and died.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players find it lacking and view it as a one-time experience, others see potential for increased replay value with future updates and exploration elements. Many reviewers note that the lack of engaging scares and clear objectives diminishes the incentive to replay, though a few appreciate the variety of content available for exploration. In summary, the current state of replayability is generally seen as insufficient, but there is hope for improvement.
“Furthermore, the game's replay value is through the roof.”
“Summing this up, I have had a tremendous amount of fun and even though a playthrough itself is very short, the replay value is already high.”
“Keeping it recommended and not refunding as I feel like this concept could form into something more replayable, rather than a 1-2 time 'experience' or 'proof of concept' type thing.”
“No replay value, cool on the surface level but super easy to beat; jumpscares are really cheap as well.”
“Not that scary, not much replay value.”
“Currently, the replayability is certainly lacking unless you wish to discover other portions of the map.”
- stability12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
User reviews on stability are mixed, with some players reporting a smooth experience free of bugs, while others encountered significant issues such as glitches, screen blackouts, and freezing timers. Overall, the game shows promise but is marred by technical problems that detract from the gameplay experience.
“My actual gameplay experience was smooth with no glitches or bugs, which is great.”
“I've gone through all troubleshooting on your Discord to end up with no fix.”
“Yea, this was way too buggy to even play.”
“The game looks very nice and promising, but it's really not what I expected and it's buggy.”
- music11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for enhancing the atmosphere and contributing to the tension, effectively keeping players on edge, though some find it less impactful compared to other horror experiences. Suggestions for improvement include making music cues more prominent in specific locations and adjusting the soundtrack to better align with gameplay dynamics, as some players feel it detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while the music has its moments, opinions are mixed on its effectiveness in heightening fear.
“In combination with the music, atmosphere, and jump scares, it winds up keeping you on the edge of your seat and fearing your surroundings effectively.”
“The atmosphere is even more unsettling and the music is absolutely awesome.”
“I liked the intense music in the end.”
“Granted, I've ghost hunted in real life, so this was kind of the same old song and dance for me.”
“I'm more afraid of a Korn song than this game.”
“More on that, the music is more of a detriment than it is an advantage to get people to scream.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with players feeling it lacks genuine engagement and often relies on exaggerated reactions for entertainment. Many found the gameplay frustrating due to technical issues that detracted from any potential emotional impact, contrasting it unfavorably with other titles that effectively create a tense atmosphere. Overall, the game seems to cater primarily to content creators rather than delivering a meaningful emotional experience for players.
“A great way to learn from this is to take from Demonologist; they did the ambiance beautifully and made me feel that I could have a heart attack at any moment.”
“In all honesty, I think this game was made for one target audience and one target audience only: content creators who over-exaggerate their emotional response to whatever happens in a game for entertainment purposes.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with initial excitement diminishing over time. While the mechanics are enjoyable and the jump scares are initially effective, the need for extensive grinding can detract from the overall experience.
“I like the mechanics of this game; although it seems a bit tedious and repetitive, it was definitely fun and scary the first few go-arounds, but then you get used to the same jump scares.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with mechanics designed to manipulate playtime and discourage refunds, such as requiring players to adjust microphone sensitivity to artificially extend gameplay duration.
“This is just an asset flip cash grab, and the 'sensitize your mic so that every noise counts as a scream' is just a method to ensure you play for 2 hours to avoid refunding the game.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems designed to squeeze every penny from players rather than enhance the gaming experience.”
“I can't believe how much they charge for basic features that should be included in the game. It feels like they are prioritizing profit over player satisfaction.”
