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Dread Templar

Dread Templar is a fun, retro shooter for those who want a modern take on a 90s gameplay formula. Simple, sweet, and bloody, this game is sure to entertain despite a few under tuned features.
Dread Templar Game Cover
80%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:music, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding
81% User Score Based on 1,190 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 13 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Dread Templar Game Cover

About Dread Templar

Dread Templar is a single player arcade shooter game with fantasy and violence themes. It was developed by T19 Games and was released on January 26, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Dread Templar is a fast-paced hardcore old-school FPS, combining classic 90s shooter and modern FPS elements. Unlock and combine dozens of weapon upgrades and skills, embrace the Dread Force and obliterate hordes of fiendish enemies. Become the scariest thing in hell and get your revenge!

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Dread Templar screenshot
Dread Templar screenshot
Dread Templar screenshot
Dread Templar screenshot
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Dread Templar screenshot
Dread Templar screenshot
Dread Templar screenshot
Dread Templar screenshot
Dread Templar screenshot
Dread Templar screenshot
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Reviews

81%Audience ScoreBased on 1,190 reviews
music210 positive mentions
stability8 negative mentions
  • Fast-paced, fluid, and satisfying gunplay with a wide array of weapons and fun to use weapon upgrades.
  • Level design is diverse with many secrets and super secrets, rewarding exploration and enhancing replay value.
  • The heavy metal soundtrack is energetic, well-composed, and complements the intense combat, enhancing the atmosphere.
  • Save system is clunky with manual save points and no quicksave/quickload, often leading to frustrating respawns.
  • Enemy and boss AI can feel repetitive or basic, with bullet spongy enemies, attacks through walls, and some overly punishing fights.
  • Some levels and secrets suffer from poor visual clarity, invisible walls, obtuse secret placements, and occasionally dull or rushed level design.

  • music

    494 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions

    The music in this game is predominantly a heavy metal soundtrack that effectively enhances the fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled gameplay and atmosphere. While widely praised for its intensity and fitting style, many reviewers note its repetitiveness, lack of dynamic variation, and short looping tracks, which can diminish immersion during exploration or longer play sessions. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, though improvements in variety and adaptive pacing could elevate the experience further.

    • “The music is probably my favorite aspect of the game as it is a blasting metal OST with different themes for each episode that melds well with the atmosphere of each level.”
    • “The soundtrack is incredible, the enemies are grotesque and varied, the weapons are chunky and satisfying, the levels flow perfectly, the aesthetic is early 2000s to perfection.”
    • “Everything Dread Templar does, it does right, from the pulse-pounding metal soundtrack, the sound effects, the guns, the enemy variety, the visuals, level designs, it's all exactly what you could want from a retro FPS.”
    • “In games like Doom 2016, the music dies down when you're out of combat, but here it's constantly cranked up to 11 even when the arena is empty and eventually it just sounds like jarring noise.”
    • “The music is incessantly loud and annoyingly repetitive which I believe they made it that way to divert your attention from the horrible sounding guns.”
    • “Dread Templar has maybe 1-2 music tracks per episode and loops them throughout entire levels, back-to-back, without breaks.”

  • gameplay

    310 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    40% positive mentions, 56% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    Dread Templar offers fast-paced, smooth, and satisfying boomer shooter gameplay that blends classic 90s FPS mechanics with modern elements like weapon upgrades, dash moves, and a bullet time slowdown. While the combat is engaging and the arsenal diverse, progression relies heavily on finding hidden secrets to unlock runes, which some players find frustrating or essential for gameplay variety. Overall, it delivers solid, addictive shooting and movement but can feel repetitive, with some underwhelming boss fights and pacing issues in later levels.

    • “To enrich these characteristics, Dread Templar borrows some mechanics that other modern games already have to diversify its gameplay: there's a character growth system through runes that represent modifiers and abilities for weapons and the player, the inevitable bullet time (time slowdown), and a useful dodge to escape the attacks of more agile enemies.”
    • “The gameplay is fast and fluid, the maps are expansive and packed with secrets, the art style is gorgeous and draws a lot of inspiration from Quake's expansions, the guns are fun to play with and have a lot of variety, the enemies also have a lot of variety and are fun to fight and the soundtrack is killer.”
    • “Smooth movement with air control using the mouse, running feels similar to classic Doom (taking a short time to reach full speed), satisfying meaty gun sounds and very good feedback with lots of gore, build variety that actually changes gameplay, bullet time, stylish awesome visuals, amazing soundtrack, atmosphere, very good enemy and level design, exploration with rewarding secrets to find, weapon swapping combos combined with positioning during combat.”
    • “The gameplay overall also gets very repetitive after episode 3, primarily because the levels there tend to be built around massive open spaces.”
    • “Dash's cooldown is way too long to be useful and I never use the slow-motion mechanic; I just don't see how it would help me.”
    • “The visuals are polished, the weapons are good, and the soundtracks are amazing but the level design is poor; the game design is extremely flawed because rather than naturally rewarding you upgrades for completing side quests, the game forces you to sidetrack from the main quest and gameplay loop to find highly obscure secrets that normal players who just want to enjoy the game don't have the patience or time for. You have to travel the entire map and find something 'might' be out of place to finally earn your collectibles to unlock new upgrades.”

  • graphics

    181 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    36% positive mentions, 58% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions

    The game's graphics evoke a strong retro 90s shooter vibe, blending low-poly, gritty textures with colorful, varied environments, though some find the visuals repetitive or lacking a distinct identity. While many praise the authentic, nostalgic art style and atmospheric effects that complement fast-paced gameplay, others note inconsistent level design and occasional janky collisions that can detract from immersion. Overall, the graphics suit the game's old-school aesthetic and run well on most systems, offering customization options like filters to enhance engagement.

    • “The art style, which fuses low-poly environments with gritty textures, straddles the line between nostalgic and modern, creating an aesthetic that feels true to the genre’s roots while avoiding the sense of being dated.”
    • “The graphics are suitably weird with lovely blood splatters aplenty and even the option to change the filter like a C64, old TV or pixelate as far as you want.”
    • “Graphics are retro and gory.”
    • “I personally love low-poly games, but this isn’t low-poly—this is just bad graphics.”
    • “Graphics and looks are kind of meh ugly low poly, would have been better with more doom pixel or just better 3d graphics.”
    • “Some areas here still feature decent amounts of aesthetically pleasing eye candy, while others feel like they were discarded maps which were dusted off and patched up for inclusion in the game at the last minute.”

  • story

    122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    15% positive mentions, 72% neutral mentions, 13% negative mentions

    The story in this game is minimal, often described as barebones, simplistic, or nearly non-existent, serving mainly as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. Voice acting and cutscenes are frequently criticized as poorly executed or cringeworthy, though some find the campy, edgy tone amusing. Overall, storytelling relies heavily on environmental cues and player exploration, but it is generally considered a minor, if not negligible, aspect compared to the core action-focused experience.

    • “The story is shockingly fine for it being written on a napkin.”
    • “Even though the game has no focus on the story, mostly combat, it does a good job immersing you into its world with pure aesthetics and environmental storytelling.”
    • “There’s a decent plot and some interesting puzzles, all handled in a way that doesn’t slow the pace of the combat or disconnect you from the game.”
    • “That combined with the basically non-existent story made me drop this game after a couple of hours, because honestly I was not invested at all and I found myself just sprinting through the levels, wanting to be done with the game.”
    • “The story is basically a simple revenge tale, it serves its purpose, but it's not explored nor compelling at all.”
    • “Fun mapping, cool music, great weapons, but the tacked-on story is embarrassingly poorly told (badly written and poorly delivered), in the English version at least.”

  • atmosphere

    37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    51% positive mentions, 41% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions

    The atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, gritty, and immersive design that effectively complements the retro, gothic, and eldritch horror themes. Strong sound design, including weapon sounds and ambient effects, along with a standout synth/metal soundtrack, significantly enhance the game's mood and intensity. While some note occasional repetitiveness or static moments, overall the atmosphere is considered a key strength that enriches the gameplay experience.

    • “The atmosphere is dark, grungy, and I feel like I can smell the dampness of the prison as I am moving through blowing demons away.”
    • “Killer soundtrack, awesome retro style graphics, guns that feel amazing to use, great atmosphere for the game's setting... this is a retro shooter done right.”
    • “Smooth movement with air control using the mouse, running feels similar to classic Doom, satisfying meaty gun sounds and very good feedback with lots of gore, build variety that actually changes gameplay, bullet time, stylish awesome visuals, amazing soundtrack, atmosphere, very good enemy and level design, exploration with rewarding secrets to find, weapon swapping combos combined with positioning during combat.”
    • “Also, I don't care for the neon fuchsia atmosphere of the "hell" levels.”
    • “There is no real sense of atmosphere within the soundtrack and with moments that are sometimes more quiet, it would have been good to have several layers of music move in and out to accommodate the current situation.”
    • “If your game does not absolutely excel at a mechanic, or is not original in some other way (level design, enemy design, presentation, atmosphere, music), it comes off as an overwhelming 'meh'.”

  • optimization

    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    42% positive mentions, 42% neutral mentions, 16% negative mentions

    The game is praised for its smooth and stable performance across various systems, including low-end laptops, with excellent optimization contributing to a pleasant gameplay experience. Some minor issues are noted during specific effects like bullet time, which can cause occasional performance dips, and there is a desire for deeper graphic customization to further enhance optimization. Overall, the technical polish is impressive, especially given the small development team.

    • “The game is stable and runs smoothly, thanks in part to its time in early access where player feedback helped shape the final product.”
    • “The performance and optimization are off the charts, with superb performance even on older laptops.”
    • “Performance is absolutely no problem; it runs extremely well on various setups, including laptops with integrated graphics.”
    • “However, bullet time did consistently tank my performance so that remains to be addressed.”
    • “The warping blur of this effect is quite neat stylistically, but it is a distraction and tends to cause some performance hiccups (talking from a rather low-end laptop).”
    • “I would personally really like deeper graphic customization to be added, mainly to boost performance and to turn off the graphic effects of the slow motion power.”

  • replayability

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers strong replayability through its flexible upgrade system, unique character builds, and challenging secrets that encourage multiple playthroughs. Additional features like New Game Plus, higher difficulty levels, and diverse mission exploration further enhance its longevity. Player customization and potential community content also contribute to its lasting appeal.

    • “This flexibility makes each run feel distinct, and it also gives the campaign a replay value that many retro shooters lack.”
    • “There is replay value since new game plus and difficulty has you going in on unlocking everything you could for the ultimate build.”
    • “Really fun and generally great boomer shooter, its upgrade system adds an insane amount of replayability and it's one of the few retro shooters where you can make your own full unique builds.”

  • stability

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    31% positive mentions, 7% neutral mentions, 62% negative mentions

    The game's stability is mixed, with some players experiencing smooth performance and no crashes, while others report bugs such as freezing, glitchy boss fights, and occasional save system issues. Although generally playable, several users note noticeable technical flaws and unfinished elements that detract from the overall experience.

    • “Kudos for a bug free experience, not a single crash all the game!”
    • “I didn't find any bugs of any kind except for a piece of geometry missing a texture and a delayed achievement grant; apart from those, it was entirely bug free.”
    • “The game is not buggy or anything like that.”
    • “Now, the first thing that I want to say is that this game is not finished. You can run through enemies, get stuck in enemies, there are glitches and bugs. Running through enemies like they are ghosts and getting stuck in enemies is unacceptable.”
    • “Moreover, the boss fights feel very buggy, with some of the bosses doing weird movements or not attacking.”
    • “Main gripes with the game is that the save system can be occasionally buggy.”

  • humor

    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of intentionally over-the-top, edge-lord storytelling and wacky, self-aware references, making it amusingly "so bad it's good." Players appreciate the funny weapon designs and quirky mechanics, though some system choices and upgrade effects come off as ironically underwhelming or awkward, adding to the game's tongue-in-cheek charm.

    • “The game’s ultimate weapon is extra hilarious – an armored, demonic gauntlet whose punches function as coned BFG blasts.”
    • “Fun game with fluid combat and some neat mechanics and some funny references and secret areas.”
    • “I've seen mentions of “builds” and I cannot think of a more hilarious way to describe what is an incredibly bare-bones system.”

  • grinding

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and slow, particularly when using certain weapons or saving progress. However, some players find aspects like level design engaging enough to offset the grind, appreciating the complexity and avoidance of repetitive backtracking. Overall, grinding can feel like a chore but is manageable with good level flow and exploration.

    • “This is not fun, it's tedious work.”
    • “There's a mine layer (the trap gun) which holds five shots and is so slow to fire that even with no enemies around it feels tedious to use.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”

  • monetization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game's monetization is intrusive, with ads unexpectedly appearing during gameplay, especially during boss fights, disrupting the experience and requiring players to focus on dodging ads while fighting.

    • “It was barely animated, there was no feedback as to where I was hitting it or not, and summoned ads out of nowhere. They literally pop up in the corners of the very small arena without any hint.”
    • “The boss in particular likes to spawn ads at several points, so you're usually better off ignoring or dodging them and emptying everything into the boss as fast as possible.”

  • emotional

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Users highlight that emotional impact in games often stems from aesthetic elements, which play a crucial role in fostering player attachment, sometimes even more so than gameplay itself.

    • “As much as people can speak about “gameplay is the most important thing,” aesthetics are a major element in which people emotionally attach themselves in media.”
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Critic Reviews

80%Critics’ scoreBased on 13 critic reviews
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Play Times

8h Median play time
8h Average play time
3-16h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dread Templar is a arcade shooter game with fantasy and violence themes. Common tags for Dread Templar include first-person, demons, indie, trading, pixel graphics and others.

Dread Templar is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 8 hours playing Dread Templar.

Dread Templar was released on January 26, 2023.

Dread Templar was developed by T19 Games.

Dread Templar has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Dread Templar for its music but disliked it for its stability.

Dread Templar is a single player game.

Similar games include Project Warlock, Prodeus, Forgive Me Father, INCISION, WRATH: Aeon of Ruin and others.