Dread X Collection: The Hunt

91%
Game Brain Score Based on 564 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Dread X Collection: The Hunt Game Cover
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In "Dread X Collection: The Hunt," players assume the role of Artemis, exploring the abandoned ARK 2 research base after receiving a cryptic message. This horror shooter anthology features 7 short games from a diverse group of indie developers, each with 20 days to develop their ideas, resulting in a more polished and refined experience than previous entries in the series.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

91%
Audience ScoreBased on 564 reviews
gameplay82 positive mentions
optimization8 negative mentions
  • The collection features a diverse range of horror-themed shooters, with each game offering unique mechanics and experiences.
  • The hub world is atmospheric and engaging, providing a strong narrative connection between the games.
  • Standout titles like 'The Fruit' and 'Uktena 64' showcase creativity and polish, making them memorable entries in the series.
  • Some games, like 'Seraphixial' and 'Rose of Meat', received criticism for being confusing or poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.
  • The main character in the hub world is often seen as annoying and detracts from the tension of the narrative.
  • Technical issues, such as frame rate drops and bugs, were reported, impacting gameplay for some players.
  • gameplay256 mentions

    The gameplay across the reviewed titles is characterized as a basic first-person shooter (FPS) with unique twists, such as ghost hunting and manual reloading mechanics, which add tension and creativity. However, many players noted issues with slow animations, repetitive combat, and limited enemy variety, leading to a somewhat tedious experience. Despite these drawbacks, the atmosphere and innovative mechanics, particularly in certain titles, were praised for enhancing the overall enjoyment.

    • “It has a great atmosphere, good gameplay ideas, and manages to feel like a true survival horror.”
    • “The mechanics of the manually reloadable rifle and the book of runes are well thought-out.”
    • “I enjoyed the survival-horror gameplay and it had some really creative mechanics that really upped the tension - notably the way you can use incantations and the way you need to manually reload your rifle.”
    • “Overall, gameplay feels needlessly slow, with healing, reloading, and getting ammo having long animations.”
    • “The house of unrest in particular had bad gameplay and was a chore to finish - repetitive combat and a really cliché and dumb story with a cheesy ending.”
    • “Also, the gameplay is pretty repetitive and never really goes anywhere.”
  • story238 mentions

    The story across the various games in the collection is often inspired by classic horror themes, particularly "The Thing," and features a mix of intriguing settings and character-driven narratives. While some players appreciate the environmental storytelling and voice acting, others find the plots convoluted or lacking depth, with several games criticized for their linearity and pacing. Overall, the collection offers a range of storytelling experiences, from engaging and emotional to confusing and underdeveloped, reflecting a mix of creativity and execution challenges.

    • “The story is straightforward but this is certainly a refreshing and unique horror short that is quite enjoyable.”
    • “The story was the most complex of all in the collection and had some strong emotional depth to it.”
    • “Very interesting story that culminated in an eldritch horror ending.”
    • “The combat is boring and repetitive, enemies are all bullet sponges, the art design is ugly and inconsistent in a bad way, the level design is boring hallways, and the story is just nothing at all.”
    • “The main arctic base game: 3/10 the character's personal life story completely chokes the other larger story plot which is based on 'The Thing'.”
    • “Rose of Meat: 2/10 the story is very confusing and it's hard to know what's going on.”
  • graphics176 mentions

    The graphics of the games are a mixed bag, with many reviewers praising the unique retro aesthetics reminiscent of PS1 and N64 styles, which contribute to the overall atmosphere and charm. However, some players found the visuals to be overly pixelated or difficult to navigate, leading to frustration in gameplay. While certain titles like "Black Relic" and "Seraphixial" received accolades for their artistic direction, others were criticized for poor optimization and inconsistent quality, resulting in a varied visual experience across the collection.

    • “The graphics (especially the nature) look absolutely stunning!”
    • “Graphics are fantastic and very atmospheric.”
    • “The visuals here are fantastic leaning heavily into a darker colour palette that looks great with the low resolution PS1 fidelity level.”
    • “The graphics are pretty bad, and not in the 'bad on purpose for a retro style' kind of way.”
    • “Everything from the visuals to the gameplay to the story are extremely unpolished.”
    • “Middling and inconsistent frame rates, overtly boring world design, uninspired gameplay/mechanics and some of the most offensive visuals I've run into in a long, long time round out this bag of disappointment.”
  • atmosphere130 mentions

    The atmosphere across the games is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its effectiveness in creating tension and immersion, particularly in horror settings. While some noted that gameplay elements could detract from the overall experience, the visual design, soundscapes, and environmental storytelling consistently contribute to a compelling and often eerie atmosphere. Overall, the collection is recognized for its strong atmospheric qualities, making it a standout feature despite some gameplay shortcomings.

    • “Great atmosphere and even though the world design is simple it still feels interesting with enough surprises and variety.”
    • “It has a great atmosphere, good gameplay ideas, and manages to feel like a true survival horror.”
    • “The atmosphere is on point throughout the entire game, I like the open world quite a bit and the interactive reloading mechanic is also really cool.”
    • “1/5 for scares, but after the first 5 minutes the atmosphere is basically gone.”
    • “Because the unskippable character dialogue/story is so comically bad that any attempt at atmosphere is immediately ruined.”
    • “She's not funny, and she completely wrecks the tension and atmosphere almost every time she opens her mouth.”
  • humor62 mentions

    The humor in these games is a standout feature, often blending seamlessly with the horror elements to create a unique experience. Players appreciate the clever quips, unexpected comedic moments, and tongue-in-cheek dialogue that enhance the gameplay without detracting from the spooky atmosphere. While some humor may feel out of place, it generally adds charm and levity, making the games memorable and enjoyable.

    • “Ngl, spoilers: being a priest and pulling out dual machine guns at a demon, and the demon going 'oh shit' made me laugh my ass off.”
    • “The end boss was very funny and unexpected (was actually thinking while halfway through: 'where did those AK-47s go?').”
    • “Tongue-in-cheek dialogue keeps the humor of this game going, and it is nice and short.”
    • “She's not funny, and she completely wrecks the tension and atmosphere almost every time she opens her mouth.”
  • optimization26 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game collection has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including high CPU and GPU usage, frame rate stuttering, and bugs that affect gameplay. While some users noted improvements with recent updates, others found certain titles, particularly "Seraphixial," to be nearly unplayable on modern hardware due to poor optimization. Despite these challenges, a few games within the collection were praised for better performance and engaging gameplay.

    • “Okay so with the latest drivers it runs better, but the lighthouse is still abysmally optimized; realistically it should be simplified since it's difficult to see the details.”
    • “The good thing now is that the games seem more optimized (have full settings) and offer mostly longer gameplay than some previous collections.”
    • “I know a lot of people had issues with the performance, but I didn't have any.”
    • “An un-optimized mess that attempted to use 80% of my CPU and almost 100% of my GPU.”
    • “Seraphixial did not run properly on a 1660 due to abysmal optimization; I was softlocked by framerate until I looked away from the lighthouse. I love these collections, but when the first game I play is unplayable on modern hardware, I'm tempted to refund.”
    • “But since this hub is very resource demanding despite its visuals (like a lot of Unity games) and doesn't really pause when launching a game, your system is basically rendering two different games at the same time, which can make your performance drop by a lot in certain situations.”
  • stability22 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues that detract from the overall experience. While some collections feature solid gameplay with only minor glitches, others are described as feeling incomplete and unoptimized, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the inconsistency in stability across different games in the collection has left players disappointed, especially given the expectations for indie titles to be more polished and innovative.

    • “Unfortunately, this is easily the least well-made game of the bunch, feeling very buggy, incomplete, and nonsensical.”
    • “Decent games, not a bad hub world, but it seems to be a bit buggy. If you quit and come back later, certain things seem to be reset. It also seems very unoptimized; whenever you have one of the games open, the main game is still in the background using way too much CPU.”
    • “Most of them are made to be finished in one sitting (and I don't mean that they're short; most games just don't have saves and none are that replayable). They are buggy and absolutely shallow, which is disappointing for an indie game, because indies are supposed to be more experimental and creative than AAA games.”
  • emotional16 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the games is highlighted by their touching narratives and complex character development, often evoking nostalgia and introspection. Players appreciate the heartfelt stories, such as in Christopher Yabsley's "The Fruit," which combines occult themes with a surprising emotional core despite its brief runtime. Overall, the games convey profound messages and emotional depth, making them resonate with players on a personal level.

    • “All in all, a nice, 30-minute ghost hunter adventure, with an astonishingly wholesome message at the end.”
    • “My favorite of the games is Christopher Yabsley's 'The Fruit', an occult mystery with the scope of a AAA horror game, with a surprising emotional core, but with an extremely compact runtime of around an hour.”
    • “The story was the most complex of all in the collection and had some strong emotional depth to it.”
  • music16 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and effectiveness, contributing significantly to the overall atmosphere and nostalgia. Reviewers highlight the great soundtrack, likening it to the works of Jessica Curry, and appreciate the balance of humor and horror in the audio experience. The piano music in particular stands out, enhancing the game's appeal and immersion.

    • “A gradual descent into horror, a great soundtrack, a sense of humor, and plenty of nostalgia and references to tie it all together.”
    • “The piano music in the hub world slaps.”
    • “Not the most remarkable game, but there's an undeniable charm to the visuals, music, and humor.”
    • “The soundtrack really feels like something out of Jessica Curry’s work, and that is a huge bonus for me.”
    • “There's also a little humor to lighten up the mood with the hunter's one-liners and the happy music that plays after level completion.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    The game offers some replayability, particularly for players interested in unlocking all lore pages through photo recreation, but many levels are designed for single-session play without save options. While the inclusion of difficulty tracking and cheat codes adds to its replay value, the overall experience is hindered by bugs and a lack of depth, leaving players wanting more from an indie title. Enhanced difficulty settings and more varied gameplay mechanics could significantly improve its replayability.

    • “Something that's totally commendable about this game is the encouraged replayability, keeping track of difficulty levels you've played each level on, as well as having multiple N64-throwback cheat codes.”
    • “It has some replayability and is difficult to start, but fun.”
    • “Most of them are made to be finished in one sitting (and I don't mean that they're short, most games just don't have saves and none are that much replayable; there is no reason to come back to them). They are buggy and absolutely shallow, which is disappointing for an indie game, because indies are supposed to be more experimental and creative than AAA games.”
    • “If it had better difficulty settings that would change the levels in some way (like harder difficulty could add more enemies and so on; bigger health for enemies is stupidly lazy) and you could apply more than one cheat, it would have at least better replayability.”
    • “Also, this is one of the few games in the hunt that has replay value, at least when you want to unlock all the pages in the book of lore, which is done by recreating photos.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspects of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the need for backtracking and navigating a buggy hub. While some elements, like the flash recharge mechanic, add tension appropriate for a horror game, the overall experience is marred by repetitive tasks that detract from enjoyment.

    • “The hub is really what soils this one, which is buggy and tedious.”
    • “Needing to walk back to the car at the end of every level was a little tedious sometimes.”
    • “It wasn't terrible, but I found parts of the story hard to follow, and sometimes navigating around it was kinda tedious.”
  • character development2 mentions

    While the character designs are noted as good, the overall aesthetic is criticized for being unattractive, which detracts from the character development experience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

7hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
3-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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