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Downward Spiral: Horus Station

Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a thoughtfully crafted VR game that puts the player in the shoes of an astronaut exploring the depths of the mysterious Horus Station on Mars.
Downward Spiral: Horus Station Game Cover
72%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
stability, grinding
81% User Score Based on 180 reviews
Critic Score 63%Based on 10 reviews

Platforms

PCPlaystation 5Playstation 4WindowsPlayStation
Downward Spiral: Horus Station Game Cover

About

Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a single player and multiplayer shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by 3rd Eye Studios and was released on May 31, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a single-player or two-player online co-op game set in a derelict space station. Players must piece together the story through environmental clues and interpret what happened to the crew, while engaging or avoiding station threats. The game also features eight-player PvP and PvE multiplayer modes for additional gameplay. Its electronic ambient soundtrack is composed by Ville Valo of HIM.

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81%
Audience ScoreBased on 180 reviews
story16 positive mentions
stability2 negative mentions

  • Highly atmospheric and immersive experience, reminiscent of classic sci-fi films.
  • Satisfying movement mechanics in zero gravity and enjoyable gunplay.
  • Great for co-op play, enhancing the overall fun and exploration.
  • Repetitive gameplay with similar puzzles and environments, leading to boredom.
  • Technical issues such as heavy aliasing, bugs, and poor co-op functionality.
  • Weak story with minimal narrative depth, leaving many questions unanswered.
  • story
    101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling, allowing players to piece together the narrative through exploration rather than traditional dialogue or text. While many players appreciate the immersive atmosphere and visual design, they note that the story can feel light and sometimes confusing, with minimal backstory and a lack of cohesive plot points. Overall, the experience is enjoyable, but those seeking a more direct narrative may find it lacking.

    • “The story is told via environmental clues; you see dead bodies, destroyed robots, parts of the station broken apart out the window, and a planet close by...”
    • “The developers drew inspiration from classic sci-fi movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey in designing the retro-futuristic station and letting the players discover the story through exploration and observation rather than through voiceovers, cinematics, or audio logs.”
    • “Story is told without a single spoken word (not even tablets of text), visuals are clean and stylish (retro-futuristic, akin to Alien or 2001: A Space Odyssey), great audio and retro-inspired music.”
    • “I have no idea what's going on with the story, to be honest.”
    • “The game is a bit light on story, and there is little information provided to help you work out what has supposed to have happened before the game starts.”
    • “What that really means here is the sheer lack of bothering to include any cohesive storyline or writing.”
  • gameplay
    58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay features competent movement mechanics, particularly in zero gravity, and satisfying shooting elements, but suffers from significant repetition in puzzles and environments. While the game offers enjoyable VR mechanics and immersive settings, many players desire deeper complexity and challenge as they progress. Overall, the gameplay is solid but could benefit from more variety and refinement to enhance the overall experience.

    • “Gameplay has you mostly grapple hooking in anti-gravity through a space station, opening doors, completing small tasks, and shooting or evading robots.”
    • “It has your average VR shooter mechanics, but the shooting feels good with a good amount of weapons and enemy droid types. Levels are immersive and awe-inspiring at times with that awesome zero-g movement. All I can say is this game is a gem playing co-op with a friend!”
    • “The mechanics of the game are top-notch, especially for an unknown developer, with excellent attention to the science.”
    • “It's like the developer wanted to have a game that was long, so he just kept repeating the same puzzles, rooms, and mechanics until it took a couple of hours to finish the game.”
    • “There's a lot of repetition in the gameplay.”
    • “I could have sworn at one point that I was repeating a section because the gameplay actions and the corridors looked exactly the same as a prior section I had been in.”
  • graphics
    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals, clean art style, and atmospheric environments, reminiscent of retro-futuristic themes. However, some users note issues such as glitches, a lack of variety in settings, and a perception of lower quality in larger locales. Overall, while the graphics are generally well-received, there are calls for improvements and more diverse visual experiences in future updates.

    • “The visuals are stunning, controls are perfect, lag free, great sound.”
    • “Story is told without a single spoken word (not even tablets of texts), visuals are clean and stylish (retro-futuristic, akin to Alien or 2001: A Space Odyssey), great audio and retro-inspired music.”
    • “The one thing that stands out about this game is the visuals, with cool graphics and effects.”
    • “The graphics are on the scrubbier end in the larger locales, but the scale itself is still very rewarding, with great layered verticality.”
    • “Graphics are PS2 quality.”
    • “Graphics: if you are looking for Lone Echo on Steam, you will be disappointed.”
  • atmosphere
    47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is widely praised for its exceptional atmosphere, characterized by immersive audio, level design, and striking visuals that create a mysterious and eerie environment. Players appreciate the combination of tight controls and engaging movement mechanics, particularly in VR, which enhance the overall experience. Despite some minor glitches and a relatively short playtime, the atmospheric qualities make it one of the standout titles in its genre.

    • “Highly atmospheric and immersive VR adventure with a pinch of shooting and a bit of horror.”
    • “Very atmospheric and (mostly) calm adventure into the oppressive silence of an abandoned space station.”
    • “That was a blank canvas that could easily have been utilized to lay things on thick and build mood/atmosphere very easily for minimal extra effort.”
    • “The sound design and accompanying music are top notch, adding an essential layer to an eerie atmosphere within the station.”
    • “Atmosphere: the folks who make the '2001: A Space Odyssey' comparison are pretty spot on, in my opinion.”
  • music
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music and sound design in the game are highly praised for their quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, featuring a retro-inspired soundtrack that evokes an 80s sci-fi mood. While the sound work is generally effective, some players noted a desire for more background music, as the strategic use of silence contributes to the tension of exploring desolate environments. Overall, the audio elements are described as top-notch, complementing the game's clean and stylish visuals.

    • “Story is told without a single spoken word (not even tablets of texts), visuals are clean and stylish (retro-futuristic, akin to Alien or 2001: A Space Odyssey), great audio and retro-inspired music.”
    • “The sound design and accompanying music are top notch, adding an essential layer to an eerie atmosphere within the station.”
    • “The 80s style mood and action music is very welcome (although occasionally it stays in high octane mode even after you've killed off all the threats in an area).”
    • “You'll come across audio recorders, which only play back one of two things - cliche classical music or static.”
    • “The first time you enter space, all the ambient music stops and you hear nothing.”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally solid, with good performance and a strong atmosphere created by audio and level design. However, players have reported occasional glitches, such as floating outside geometry, indicating some optimization issues that could be addressed.

    • “The sounds are good, the station looks decent, and performance is great as well.”
    • “Fairly short and occasional glitches (floating outside geometry, possible optimization issues) but great atmosphere from audio and level design.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game experiences occasional glitches, such as floating outside geometry and potential optimization issues, but these are relatively minor and do not significantly detract from the overall immersive atmosphere created by the audio and level design.

    • “Fairly short and occasional glitches (floating outside geometry, possible optimization issues) but great atmosphere from audio and level design.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, noting that the repetitive puzzles lack variety and logical integration into the game's setting, making the experience feel tedious and unfulfilling.

    • “The puzzles you encounter going forward are all the same, to the point where you feel like you're just grinding through something that exists purely for the sake of it, not because it's logical based on the setting.”
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11h Median play time
10h Average play time
8-12h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a shooter game with science fiction theme.

Downward Spiral: Horus Station is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 10 hours playing Downward Spiral: Horus Station.

Downward Spiral: Horus Station was released on May 31, 2018.

Downward Spiral: Horus Station was developed by 3rd Eye Studios.

Downward Spiral: Horus Station has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Downward Spiral: Prologue, Arizona Sunshine, Hidden Deep, Vertigo, ECHO and others.