DREADTOME

About DREADTOME

DREADTOME is a single player shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Tinfoil Rats and was released on June 12, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Enter a corrupt and hostile library with the task of extracting forbidden knowledge from its tomes. Triumph over the entities that linger within, in this short Action-Adventure FPS made by a team of third-year university students.

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Reviews

95%Audience ScoreBased on 194 reviews

gameplay18 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Great atmosphere with strong audio-visual design, evoking a dark, eerie, and richly detailed world.
Engaging and creative gameplay mechanics, especially the repulsor ability and portal-based puzzles.
Surprisingly polished for a student project with responsive controls, solid level design, and interesting lore, all offered for free.

The game is very short, typically lasting around 30-45 minutes, leaving players wanting more content.
Some technical issues including bugs, occasional game-breaking glitches, and performance drops on some systems.
Combat and weapons feel underwhelming or weak, with limited enemy variety and lack of depth in gunplay.

gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 42% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its engaging mix of survival horror, action, and unique portal and gravity-flip mechanics, delivering solid shooting and combat systems within a well-designed, immersive world. While mechanics and level design receive high marks, the short duration—around 30 to 45 minutes—and limited content leave players wanting more depth, upgrades, and longer playtime. Overall, it offers a fun, polished experience that feels more like a compelling tech demo than a full game.
- “Great mix of survival horror and action mechanics!”
- “The no-bs gameplay, the visuals, the otherworldly atmosphere, movement and shooting/repel stuff or enemies all hit the spot pretty well.”
- “Fps with such great graphics is quite rare among student projects, let alone they also nail all other aspects, sound, story, and most importantly the gameplay.”
- “I enjoyed the game, don't get me wrong, however it has less than an hour of gameplay. I get that the game is still being worked on, but this isn't really a game, more like a tech demo. I will not recommend the game until there is way more gameplay time in it. Also, the story doesn't really make sense; it gives you a little intro but the rest of the story is absent, making it feel like you're just there with no real reason.”
- “Would be a 10 but it's like 30 minutes of gameplay that leaves you itching for more.”
- “The only downside I have is that I wanted more; it was too short and I wanted more gameplay, more upgrades, more monsters, guns, and whatever else this developer could come up with.”
story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26% positive mentions, 61% neutral mentions, 13% negative mentions
The story is generally seen as concise and somewhat minimal, conveyed largely through scattered logs and environmental hints that create an immersive atmosphere. While many appreciate the intriguing setup and well-written snippets, others feel the narrative is too short or underdeveloped, leaving motivations unclear and the experience feeling more like a tech demo than a full game. Overall, players express interest in a longer, more fleshed-out story to build on its promising foundation.
- “It has a nice little story that wraps itself up well, alongside multiple scattered logs that are well-written and show glimpses into the world you are exploring.”
- “You experience mind-altering events, and as you move further in your mission, the very fabric of your reality starts to warp.”
- “You play an unknown character, with no backstory, and it's really up to you to piece together what happened and who you are.”
- “While there isn't much of a story, there are scraps of notes or journals you'll find that tell what happened to the academy you run through; not the deepest, but a nice bonus.”
- “I enjoyed the game, don't get me wrong, however, it has less than an hour of gameplay. I get that the game is still being worked on, but this isn't even really a game, more like a tech demo. Even then, I still don't have an opinion about it because of how short it is. For now, I will not recommend the game until there is way more gameplay time. Also, the story just doesn't really make sense. It gives you a little intro, but the rest of the story is absent, making it feel like you're just there with no real reason.”
- “You're most important mission isn't the missing squadron or finding out what happened; your sole objective is these tomes.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80% positive mentions, 20% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its rich, intriguing, and often spooky atmosphere, effectively enhanced by stylish visuals and a well-crafted soundtrack. Players find the immersive mood pulls them into a tense, otherworldly environment, supported by engaging sound design and lore. While generally lauded, a few minor sound design choices received some criticism.
- “The atmosphere is intriguing and spooky, enhanced by a well-conceived soundtrack.”
- “This experience pulled me in right away with its tense atmosphere and rich lore.”
- “The no-bs gameplay, the visuals, the otherworldly atmosphere, movement and shooting/repel stuff or enemies all hit the spot pretty well.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 31% neutral mentions, 19% negative mentions
The graphics are generally praised for their distinctive and immersive art style, with some comparing it to well-known aesthetics and appreciating the atmospheric visuals. While most find the visuals impressive and on par with higher-budget titles, a few note minor graphical glitches and occasional issues likely tied to the engine used. Overall, the game’s graphics effectively enhance the gameplay and horror elements.
- “FPS with such great graphics is quite rare among student projects, let alone they also nail all other aspects: sound, story, and most importantly the gameplay.”
- “An absolutely stunning game with perfect visuals, an immersive world and story, spectacular gameplay and captivating sounds!”
- “I genuinely got scared multiple times, it's a great horror game with excellent visuals.”
- “Low graphics for a game.”
- “Some minor graphical glitches here and there.”
- “Low but decent graphics.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 28% neutral mentions, 29% negative mentions
The music effectively enhances the game's dark and spooky atmosphere, with many users praising its ability to set the mood and complement the overall environment. While generally well-received and integral to the immersive experience, some find it decent rather than exceptional.
- “The environment and music was perfect.”
- “The music is cool and the atmosphere is dark and dreadful, and I got quite invested in some of the lore.”
- “The music is decent.”
- “The atmosphere is intriguing and spooky, enhanced by a well-conceived soundtrack.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The humor in the game is often surprising and genuinely funny, featuring playful jokes, amusing easter eggs, and entertaining secrets that enhance the overall experience. While straightforward, the comedic elements add charm, though some quirky aspects like the useless sprint add a layer of lighthearted silliness.
- “Really straightforward, but when you play you don't really know that, and it's hilarious at times.”
- “I'd love to know more about the one book I read about the "elevator entity," because I'm fairly sure it referenced issues while developing the game surrounding the elevators, and if so that is hilarious!”
- “The game also has some funny secrets which I enjoyed, and it was an overall fun experience.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 80% negative mentions
The game runs smoothly with no lag or major issues, and achievements unlock properly. While there are occasional minor glitches, such as mobs clipping through walls and minor graphical quirks, these do not significantly impact gameplay or stability. Overall, the game's performance is stable and reliable.
- “Runs great, no lag or anything whatsoever.”
- “Had a few glitches with mobs going through walls when shooting them, but if you put that aside, it's safe to say it's a good game.”
- “Besides some small glitches that don't really affect the gameplay, there's barely anything negative to say about the game.”
- “Some minor graphical glitches here and there.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60% positive mentions, -20% neutral mentions, 60% negative mentions
Optimization is inconsistent, with some players experiencing noticeable frame rate drops and choppy performance even on mid-range hardware, while others find the game runs smoothly and intuitively. Overall, performance issues are present but manageable, suggesting room for improvement.
- “Finished the full game — runs smoothly and feels much more intuitive than the demo.”
- “The only thing I'd maybe work on is the performance - I've played the game on a 75Hz monitor, and while it seemingly never went below 60 fps, at times there were noticeable drops in framerate when looking in certain directions.”
- “Some performance issues but a good time regardless.”
- “Game is horribly optimized even on a 3050 8GB, I had to turn down settings to low. On top of that, I beat the game in under 15 minutes on my first run. There are short games and there are games that are demos of what a short game could be... this was the latter.”
- “The only thing I'd maybe work on is the performance. I've played the game on a 75Hz monitor, and while it seemingly never went below 60 fps, at times there were noticeable drops in framerate when looking in certain directions.”
- “Game runs a bit choppy for me; maybe optimization, maybe my PC.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, mainly through an unlockable special mode and difficulty settings, but lacks significant changes or variety between playthroughs.
- “The game has some slight replayability due to an unlockable special mode and difficulty settings it offers, but nothing changes between playthroughs.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Players note a missed opportunity for deeper emotional impact, such as including poignant elements like farewell letters to add more heartfelt storytelling, but acknowledge that no game can be perfect.