Door in the Woods
- December 4, 2019
- teedoubleuGAMES
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Door in the Woods" is a narrative-driven adventure game with psychological horror elements. You play as a journalist investigating a mysterious door that appeared in the woods, uncovering supernatural secrets and grappling with your own mental health. The game features puzzles, multiple endings, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and immersive roguelike experience with a rich atmosphere and clever use of ASCII graphics.
- Players appreciate the challenging gameplay that encourages strategic thinking and decision-making, often leading to intense moments of survival.
- The developer is active in the community, frequently updating the game and engaging with players, which adds to the overall enjoyment.
- The lack of a save feature frustrates many players, as it forces them to restart after every run, leading to a sense of lost progress.
- Some players find the game excessively punishing, with random encounters and difficult mechanics that can feel unfair and lead to frequent deaths.
- The game suffers from a lack of audio and sound design, which detracts from the overall horror experience and immersion.
- gameplay60 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of intriguing mechanics and a dark, atmospheric experience, though many players find it lacking in depth and variety compared to other roguelikes. While the game offers a unique approach to survival and sanity, with mechanics that encourage death and experimentation, it often leads to a repetitive loop that can diminish long-term engagement. Overall, it presents a challenging yet frustrating experience, with some players appreciating its minimalist design and potential for future updates, while others criticize its lack of content and clarity in gameplay objectives.
“It's chock-full of subtle, hidden mechanics that make each run (not to mention each scenario) an altogether different but always engaging and delightfully painful experience.”
“The gameplay is intuitive and challenging and really can provide an atmosphere of dread.”
“What we have here is a gem of a game: aside from the obviously awesome 2.5D ASCII engine, it's packed with great writing, awesome atmosphere that leaves room for imagination, a slick minimalist UI, and several mechanics that make choices relevant (e.g., inventory management) and runs rewarding even if in the end you'll die in true roguelike fashion.”
“When I saw this game, I expected something really akin to C:DDA, but instead I was just teased with the game's mechanics in a lackluster game.”
“But there's honestly just not much there, besides a mechanic-bare roguelike, trying to boost playtime with tedious grind mechanics wearing a paper-thin 'lovecraftian' theme where the big gimmick is to kill yourself so you grind less.”
“The real problem, however, is that the game also has a mechanic wherein this currency is erased if you die at zero sanity, encouraging the player to save one bullet for themselves if they are about to go insane, because you will lose hours and hours of progress.”
- graphics45 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are characterized by a unique neo-retro aesthetic, primarily utilizing ASCII art to create a moody and atmospheric experience. While some players appreciate the minimalist design for its imaginative potential and nostalgic value, others find the lack of detailed visuals detracts from exploration and immersion. Overall, the graphics effectively contribute to the game's eerie tone, though they may not appeal to everyone, particularly those unfamiliar with ASCII aesthetics.
“Don't let the game's bare-bones (but oh-so-beautiful) neo-retro visuals deceive you.”
“The visuals too are really nice and add a great deal of depth and detail to the world while leaving a lot up to your imagination.”
“The art style is gorgeous.”
“The lack of graphics means there's literally nothing to see, no creepy scenery or unsettling imagery, which greatly detracts from any sense of exploration or discovery.”
“I was full of expectations, was wondering how are they going to surprise me with the lack of graphics and audio... I played it for 30 minutes and honestly I was pretty disappointed.”
“While people might say the graphics are bad, it really isn't a problem, but there is clever usage of letters, such as 'z' and 'z' zombies being different; 'z' zombies are much easier to kill, probably because they are kiddo zombos.”
- atmosphere28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its oppressive, bleak, and creepy qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience despite its simplistic graphics and minimal audio. Many players appreciate how the game's design evokes feelings of loneliness and dread, with some suggesting that additional music or content could further enrich this atmosphere. Overall, the combination of minimalist visuals and engaging mechanics creates a compelling and immersive environment that resonates with players.
“For such a simple interface and simple game mechanics, this is surprisingly engaging and atmospheric.”
“The atmosphere is bleak and the monsters are dangerous.”
“This game conveys a great horrifying atmosphere through its simplistic graphics.”
“As much as I enjoy this game for the gritty and nihilistic atmosphere it provides, the dev has no intention of adding any further development despite it being a game with some good potential.”
“The ASCII graphics only add to this unnatural atmosphere of hopelessness; its simplicity allows your mind to fill in the blanks.”
“The game's atmosphere is definitely Lovecraftian; quite dark, foreboding, and quite off-putting.”
- story15 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as a mix of intriguing elements and shortcomings; while some players appreciate its well-written narrative and horror themes, others find it lacking depth and coherence, with minimal connections between scenarios. The experience is often seen as a bleak horror simulator where players are encouraged to explore the story with little prior knowledge, but many feel that the narrative could benefit from a clearer structure and more engaging content. Overall, opinions are divided, with some praising the story's potential and others criticizing its execution.
“A true horror rogue-like where each run plays out like a bleak horror story.”
“Go in as blind as possible and discover all the awesome interactions and story.”
“It's very much a horror short story simulator, emphasis on the short.”
“There's little to no story at all.”
“I feel like the game would be better if the developer picked a more clear theme and thought of an actual story and gameplay loop instead of just having the player go around in a map with no content.”
- music11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is criticized for its limited variety, featuring only one track that leads to awkward silences, which detracts from the overall atmosphere. While the existing ambient sounds contribute to a creepy and moody environment, players express a desire for more diverse and immersive musical elements to enhance the experience. Overall, the sparse music and sound design leave players feeling that the game could benefit significantly from additional atmospheric audio.
“Moody music, moody graphics, moody scenarios, moody mechanics.”
“Creepy music, lonely atmosphere, deadly as heck, and while I would not say the graphics are the most advanced I've ever seen, they are quite effective.”
“What little ambient sound/music there is adds to the dread.”
“Unfortunately, one of my biggest gripes is that the game's music has one track, and when it finishes, you hear dead silence for a while until it kicks back on.”
“I just wish that there was more music or ambience within the game; it's a tad awkward to butcher a body of a fellow human being in complete silence.”
“The only thing I hear is the SCP menu music on loop.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's content is heavily gated behind tedious grinding mechanics, leading to a repetitive and unenjoyable experience. The minimal content available is described as lacking depth, with the grind feeling more like a chore than an engaging gameplay element. Overall, players find the grinding aspect to be a significant detractor from the game's enjoyment.
“The little content that is there is locked behind grinding.”
“But there's honestly just not much there, besides a mechanic-bare roguelike, trying to boost playtime with tedious grind mechanics wearing a paper-thin 'Lovecraftian' theme where the big gimmick is to kill yourself so you grind less.”
“This game is a grindy, boring mess.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is reported to have significant performance issues, indicating a strong need for optimization to enhance the overall experience.
“It really needs optimization.”
“There are performance problems.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The first scenario is considered highly replayable, while the subsequent scenarios offer some replayability but to a lesser extent.
“The first scenario is highly replayable; arguably, the others are too, but in my opinion, they are less so.”
“Each playthrough offers new choices and outcomes, making it a game you can enjoy multiple times.”
“The variety of paths and strategies keeps the game fresh, encouraging you to dive back in for another round.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from the juxtaposition of maintaining sanity through quirky activities like reading and drinking alcohol, alongside the option to embrace madness for quicker experience gains. This playful approach to sanity management adds a comedic layer to the gameplay, making the experience both entertaining and engaging.
“You can either play it safe (like I do) - making sure your sanity stays high by avoiding monsters or restoring it through reading and/or drinking alcohol (which is hilarious), or you can choose to deliberately (or not) go insane, racking up experience faster, with the intent being to regain sanity before you die.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a profound emotional impact from the game, highlighting its ability to evoke strong feelings and resonate deeply with their experiences.
“I've never been more emotionally impacted by a game on my screen than today.”
