Dread X Collection 2

About

The Dread X Collection 2 is an indie horror anthology featuring 12 games inspired by Lovecraftian themes. Each developer had 10 days to create their game, resulting in a diverse collection of terror-filled experiences. You'll find yourself in eerie situations, from supernatural investigations to unsettling crafting activities, all within a limited timeframe. Can you survive the horrors that await you? Play to discover the secrets hidden in the darkness.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 451 reviews

story68 positive mentions

stability19 negative mentions

The collection features a fantastic variety of gameplay styles and art, making it an engaging experience.
The hub world with puzzles adds a unique layer to the collection, enhancing the overall experience.
Several standout games, such as Squirrel Stapler and Sucker for Love, provide memorable and enjoyable gameplay.

Some games, like The Toy Shop and The Thing in the Lake, suffer from frustrating mechanics and poor design choices.
A few titles feel incomplete or lack polish, leading to a less enjoyable experience.
The overall quality is inconsistent, with some games being significantly better than others.

story
184 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
54%
9%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and well-integrated with gameplay, while others describe it as confusing or lacking depth. Many appreciate the horror elements and unique concepts, but several critiques highlight issues with clarity and coherence, suggesting that the narrative could benefit from better development and structure. Overall, while there are standout stories within the collection, the execution varies significantly across different games.
- “It's a really well told story, it's creative and it makes for a perfect short horror experience that's inventive and entertaining.”
- “The story is great, the gameplay really adds to the horror and just overall a solid horror experience.”
- “The diving bell is good, has a nice story, enjoyable music, a great environment and some really nice ideas.”
- “The story made no sense, the mapping of where to go was confusing, and the game itself feels like a total mess.”
- “The story is a little hard to follow, and the characters are written to be overly apathetic to reanimating dead corpses and people dying right in front of them, which made them extremely unlikable by the end of the story.”
- “It doesn't feel much like a game and the story is kind of meh because it wasn't really developed and was over too soon which does not work for a narrative game.”
gameplay
140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
The gameplay across the reviewed titles is characterized by a mix of simplicity and frustration, with many players noting unpolished mechanics and a lack of depth. While some games offer engaging puzzles and unique mechanics that enhance the horror experience, others suffer from tedious gameplay loops, confusing controls, and unfair enemy encounters. Overall, the collection showcases varied gameplay styles, but many players feel that the execution often falls short, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “Fun mechanics and light gameplay juxtaposes with the general sense of impending doom.”
- “The gameplay is simple, but feels quite good.”
- “Love the graphics, gameplay is fun and challenging and the story is pretty wild.”
- “I was fully prepared to love this game from Pantstasz, a developer behind the world of horror, but while visuals and story were everything I hoped it’d be, the gameplay was the most frustrating experience.”
- “The gameplay is slow and boring, and you just don't do much.”
- “The thing in the lake -- frustrating mechanics and unclear items/locations makes this interesting pixelated game unfun and a chore to complete.”
graphics
87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
49%
8%
The graphics across the reviewed games vary significantly, with some titles praised for their unique art styles and atmospheric visuals, while others are criticized for low-quality or janky graphics that detract from the experience. Games like "Touched by an Outer God" and "Solipsis" are noted for their appealing aesthetics and engaging designs, whereas titles such as "The Diving Bell" and "The Toy Shop" suffer from poor visuals and technical issues. Overall, while many games showcase creative and nostalgic art styles, inconsistent quality and execution often impact gameplay and immersion.
- “The best part of the game is easily the graphics, as I do like some good pixel art.”
- “The art style is very well done and probably nostalgic for a lot of people.”
- “I love the aesthetic, graphics, and sound design of the game.”
- “It's atrocious graphics and slippery controls make it an absolute bore to play.”
- “The diving bell: the graphics are hideous with ugly textures and models, but the atmosphere is creepy.”
- “Crap graphics, tedious gameplay, pointlessly unforgiving enemies, and hey, what's that?”
atmosphere
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
32%
5%
The atmosphere across the reviewed games is consistently praised for its engaging and often eerie qualities, with many titles successfully creating a sense of tension and otherworldliness. Players highlight the effective use of sound, visuals, and environmental design to enhance the overall experience, making it a key aspect of enjoyment. While some games excel in atmosphere, others struggle with gameplay mechanics, yet the immersive settings remain a standout feature throughout.
- “The atmosphere is great and it really has an otherworldly vibe.”
- “It's absolutely phenomenal and has the best atmosphere I've ever seen in a video game.”
- “The diving bell definitely has the strongest atmosphere out of all of these games, because I'm sure most people have a fear of what lurks under the ocean and this game definitely ticks all the boxes to freak you out.”
- “The atmosphere and paranoia as the game progresses is great; it really lets off an otherworldly terror.”
- “The diving bell: the graphics are hideous with ugly textures and models, but the atmosphere is creepy.”
- “Undiscovered is a game with a great premise and excellent atmosphere ruined by horrible controls and sound design.”
humor
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in these games is often described as a blend of dark and absurd comedy, with many reviewers highlighting the effectiveness of witty banter, quirky concepts, and unexpected punchlines. Titles like "Sucker for Love" and "Squirrel Stapler" are particularly noted for their ability to mix humor with horror, creating a unique experience that elicits both laughter and unease. Overall, players appreciate the clever writing and comedic elements that enhance the gameplay, making for an entertaining and memorable experience.
- “This isn’t scary per se, because the archeologist couple’s banter keeps it light (not to mention a little secret that is plain funny), but it still has a nice spooky vibe in some places, and the soundtrack adds some tension towards the end.”
- “Sucker for Love: this one is my pick of the lot award, I love that this game got a full release as it is just perfect, making an excellent job mixing comedy with scares, I 100% recommend you buy the full game and strap on to have a wild and funny ride.”
- “There's something about the idea of stapling squirrels to a dead body as the driving plot element that's absurdly funny.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
48%
11%
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many players praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and tension, particularly in horror contexts. While some found the soundtrack fitting and enjoyable, others noted instances where it clashed with the game's tone or became repetitive. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's experience, with standout moments that elevate gameplay despite some mixed opinions on specific tracks.
- “The music is so creepy.”
- “The art is nice, the music is fitting, and the story is definitely self-aware.”
- “Great sound design, including the music.”
- “Whenever you die (which will probably happen a lot due to a monkey coming out of nowhere and ripping your head off or a guy with a knife going 30 mph towards you cause you stepped on one pixel of grass), you immediately go to the beginning of the chapter with no sort of checkpoints, which coupled with the music gets really annoying.”
- “Why is synth retrowave music playing that competes against the tone of what this game is trying to convey?”
- “The combat music is awful enough that I turned it off.”
stability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews consistently highlight significant stability issues, with many users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and overall poor performance across various games. While some players express a willingness to overlook these problems due to the game's charm or potential, the overwhelming sentiment is that the games are poorly tested and frustratingly unstable.
- “Unfortunately, it's really buggy and ugly.”
- “Very buggy, short and overall not great.”
- “Further still, almost all of the games are shoddily made and poorly tested with constant issues and glitches.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of several games, particularly "Squirrel Stapler," is marked by tedious gameplay and excessive text, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. While some concepts are intriguing, the prolonged and repetitive nature of the gameplay detracts from the overall experience, making encounters with enemies feel more like a chore than a challenge. Overall, players feel that these games could benefit from more refinement to alleviate the tedium.
- “It was too long and tedious with way too much text to read through.”
- “This is not scary, this is just tedious and extremely frustrating.”
- “The enemies that pursue you are introduced as powerful and terrifying, but avoiding them in the later chapters becomes a tedious chore.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with reviewers noting significant performance issues, including crashes, lag, and clunky mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While the creative concepts and surreal environments are praised, they are often overshadowed by rough visuals and inconsistent performance, making the game feel unfinished.
- “As a whole, I've had some optimization issues with the game where it has crashed a few times once inside the home and while walking around, or has been extremely laggy.”
- “It also had some major performance issues despite looking worse than a lot of games in the collection.”
- “Weird performance issues here as well hindering the experience further.”
- “A very cool concept along the 'reality glitch' trope, where the fabric of reality is being consistently punctured, and not everything is as it seems (plus a bit of Alice in Wonderland-ish world you navigate as a toy soldier) that was severely dampened by performance issues, clunky platforming, and 'untuned' enemies.”
- “This is the most 'indie' a horror game can be – creative ideas, crazy concepts, surreal stories, and wacky worlds right along with shaky performances, rough visuals, and a chance that all that creativity won’t work as a finished game.”
- “As a whole, I've had some optimization issues with the game where it has crashed a few times once inside the home and walking around or has been extremely laggy.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's replayability is highlighted by the ability to upgrade weapons and explore multiple endings, offering players a chance to engage with the content for 12-14 hours. However, some experiences, particularly shorter ones like dating simulators, lack significant replay value beyond a quick exploration of alternative outcomes. Despite some criticisms regarding length, many players find enough variety and upgrades to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “Using the enemies' loot, you can upgrade both of your hands for more firepower with some mutually exclusive upgrades, which increase the replay value.”
- “Amazing stuff here; my only complaint is that it is a little short, but it has great replayability!”
- “You can get probably 12-14 hours out of this game, and many of the games have multiple endings, which gives them significant replay value.”
- “It's well made, but again, we're talking about a 15-minute dating simulator type experience, so it's really not that fun, and certainly has no replay value beyond quickly seeing the alternative ending.”
- “You can get probably 12-14 hours out of this game, and a lot of the games have multiple endings, which gives them some replay value.”
- “The game's enemies and player hands get downright disgusting looking, and even if the game is slow to start, it's got replayability.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized as heartwarming, evoking feelings of warmth and connection that resonate deeply with players. This emotional engagement enhances the overall experience, making it memorable and impactful.
- “Heartwarming and deeply moving, the story left me in tears.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters made me feel connected to their struggles.”
- “I was completely immersed in the narrative; it tugged at my heartstrings.”