Dying Flame

About

Dying Flame is a single player role playing game with horror and mystery themes. It was developed by RTGSGames and was released on March 22, 2021. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Dying Flame takes the tradition of Japanese horror RPGs with their heavy emphasis on jump scares and puzzle solving and ramps it up by taking away the consistent source of hope and comfort: - Light. Dying Flame is designed to leave the player plunged in darkness, while solving puzzles to not only escape the twisted mansion, but also uncover the full story of addiction, guilt and marital loss. Dy…

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100%Audience ScoreBased on 13 reviews

story4 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Effective and suspenseful use of darkness and limited light source, creating a unique and terrifying atmosphere.
Strong storytelling centered on themes of addiction and a troubled marriage, with character development that engages the player emotionally.
Well-designed sound effects and jump scares that significantly enhance the horror experience.

Puzzles can be frustratingly difficult with limited hints, sometimes leading to confusion or trial-and-error gameplay.
The monster encounters and darkness mechanics, while suspenseful at first, can become annoying and hinder progress over time.
Limited saving system tied to an in-game item restricts players' ability to save frequently, adding additional challenge and potential frustration.

story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The story of Dying Flame unfolds gradually as you explore an abandoned house, uncovering journals to fully understand the haunting narrative of James, a smoker searching for his missing wife. It effectively blends themes of devotion, addiction, and suspense with clever plot twists and a strong atmospheric audio design, creating a compelling and eerie experience. The storytelling is praised for its depth and integration with gameplay, though some find the lack of saving options frustrating.
- “A haunting story about one man’s devotion...and his demons.”
- “After finding his wife’s journal, James sets off on a desperate quest to find her.”
- “If you're looking for a great story line with a creepy, suspenseful, and haunting feel, this is the game for you!”
- “I know that it has a certain significance to the story, but the fact that you are forced to finish the game without saving too much isn't fun.”
- “This also means that you will only understand the whole story if you fully explore the house and collect all journals.”
- “The story will reveal as you play the game.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The game’s retro pixel graphics, rated 8/10, effectively create a dark and eerie atmosphere enhanced by detailed shading and limited lighting. Despite its simple visuals, the art style evokes strong feelings of vulnerability and successfully delivers unexpected scares.
- “Pixel graphics have a wide range of shading and realism, but Dying Flame sits comfortably on the upper end of that spectrum.”
- “Moving around a black screen with only a lighter to guide you doesn’t afford many opportunities to show off the developers’ artwork, but it does evoke a powerful sense of vulnerability as you traverse the largely unseen expanse of the mansion.”
- “Ever-present darkness conceals detailed pixel graphics.”
- “I can't believe I got jump scared in a pixel graphics game!”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay features a clever and unique mechanic that effectively immerses players in the challenge of resisting nicotine, complemented by realistic characters and strong audio design. This combination creates a memorable and atmospheric experience that aligns well with the game's story.
- “Dying Flame’s visual mechanics, realistic characters, and fantastic sound design create a creepy and memorable experience.”
- “The unique mechanics work perfectly with the game story and the star of the show would be the audio design.”
- “This clever mechanic lets the player get a sense of what it must be like to resist the nagging need for nicotine.”
- “Dying Flame's visual mechanics, realistic characters, and fantastic sound design create a creepy and memorable experience.”
- “Given the mechanics of DFM and the tongue-in-cheek title, I really should've seen it coming.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The game's dark visuals and subtle background sounds effectively create a tense, suspenseful atmosphere that keeps players on high alert. The audio design enhances the horror experience, aligning with the developer's goal to produce a game that keeps you awake at night. Overall, the atmosphere is immersive and engaging, especially for fans of horror RPG Maker games.
- “Everything looks dark and the subtle sound in the background does a good job to increase the overall atmosphere in the game.”
- “roundtable games studio's motto 'make games to keep you awake at night' is exactly what the Malaysian developers did with their debut Dying Flame (DFM), a horror RPG maker with a huge emphasis on storytelling, puzzles, and antsy atmosphere.”
- “I have streamed this game for about 14 hours now and have never played any RPG maker horror games before (unless one counts Lisa the First). I really got into the atmosphere of the game.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The music in the game is impactful but sparse, primarily featured during key scenes and puzzle-solving moments. The varied musical elements, such as the music box tune and ballroom waltz, contribute to a tense atmosphere rather than relaxation. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the game's mood and puzzle immersion.
- “The music scores were amazing, perfectly complementing the scary atmosphere of the beast monster.”
- “Music is mostly absent except during important scenes or when it plays a role in solving puzzles, adding to the game's immersive experience.”
- “The wonderfully variable puzzles include musical statues, which enhance the gameplay with unique musical elements.”
- “Music is mostly absent except during important scenes or when it plays a role in solving puzzles.”
- “There was the music box tune and the ballroom waltz piece but they're more stressful than relaxing because of the way they're worked in~”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised for its exceptionally well-crafted plot, particularly highlighting the touching and believable relationship between James and Maria.
- “Plot is exceptionally done, especially the relationship between James and Maria, which is touching and believable.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers rich character development, especially for the main character, within a multi-ending narrative framework, providing an engaging and varied experience for players.
- “If you like multi-ending narrative games with a heavy focus on main character development, this game provides plenty of interesting experiences to explore.”