EL PASO, NIGHTMARE
- October 25, 2022
- Strange Scaffold
Get on Steam"El Paso, Nightmare" is a first-person shooter game set in a surreal, alternate reality version of El Paso. The player must navigate through a nightmarish landscape, fighting off grotesque enemies and uncovering the mysterious circumstances behind their arrival in this strange world. With a variety of weapons and abilities at their disposal, players must use their wits and reflexes to survive and escape the endless nightmare.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of stealth and horror in the first half, creating a tense atmosphere.
- The wave shooter mechanics in the second half provide a chaotic and engaging experience, with a variety of enemies and weapons.
- The soundtrack and overall art style are praised for enhancing the game's mood and atmosphere.
- The game is very short, feeling more like a demo than a full experience, which leaves players wanting more.
- Gameplay mechanics are frustrating, with poor enemy AI, lack of mobility options, and confusing level design that can lead to getting stuck or overwhelmed.
- Technical issues such as bugs, poor optimization, and a lack of a save system detract from the overall experience.
- music40 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising the phenomenal soundtrack and its ability to enhance the game's atmosphere and personality. While some find the music engaging and a key draw to the game, others criticize issues like poor sound mixing and an overwhelming volume in certain areas. Overall, the soundtrack is often described as a standout feature, with several players declaring it "amazing" and "banging."
“Number 1, the first thing that drew me to this game was the music in the trailer.”
“Very soon though you're introduced to the game's phenomenal soundtrack and the whole game has this atmosphere and personality that makes me want to keep trying to see more.”
“Unironically, this game bangs and the soundtrack rules.”
“There's no FOV slider, known and unresolved Unity bugs with ragdolls, a really annoying voiceover, and bad sound mixing that makes some things like the menu music uncomfortably loud over everything else.”
“I can't enjoy it; I love the style and its music, but ultimately I find it way too awkward and frustrating overall. Enemies are a lot faster than you in terms of attack and movement, and they are in abundance, constantly spawning and right up against you. Landing consistent headshots is absolutely necessary, but you're frequently overwhelmed.”
“This is not how you do a music soundtrack for a video game at all.”
- story24 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story in "El Paso, Elsewhere" is largely criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, often described as an afterthought that fails to enhance the gameplay experience. While some players appreciate the cliffhanger ending as a fitting conclusion for a horror narrative and hint at a larger universe, many find the overall storytelling weak, with sub-par voice acting and frequent glitches detracting from the intended atmosphere. Despite these shortcomings, a few reviewers note moments of emotional resonance that suggest potential for future installments.
“Some reviews have criticized the ending being a cliffhanger, but I personally think it's a rather fitting end for a horror story and a good introduction into the larger universe the devs are trying to build.”
“There's clearly something more emotionally resonant and complex going on with the story, if a particular moment at the end is any indication, so I look forward to El Paso, Elsewhere when it drops.”
“Nice and spooky and not full of cheap scares, the world and story made for something unique I don't see in many games.”
“As for the story part, well there really isn't any.”
“The story is just 'ahh I'm scared' and not interesting.”
“The voice acting is sub-par, the glitches are constant (it's hard to have a sense of dread wondering what is on the other side of the door when the creature is stuck half in and half out of the wall), and what story there is comes across as an afterthought at best.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it overwhelming and poorly executed, particularly criticizing the lack of variety in weapons and animations. While it features a wave-based survival mechanic typical of indie horror games, some appreciate its charm and atmosphere, suggesting it has redeeming qualities despite its basic mechanics and short length. Overall, the gameplay is seen as lacking depth but may appeal to those who enjoy the genre.
“While the gameplay does seem very typical 'indie horror', the dialogue, music, and general vibes elevate it above the pack.”
“While short in length and basic in mechanics, there's a certain homemade charm to the experience that ultimately pushes me to recommend it, even though there are games that offer better value for the price.”
“The wave-based survival mechanic can actually get pretty overwhelming at times, especially in the tighter areas.”
“It barely has a story and the gameplay is just not very well put together.”
“All the guns I found felt similar (the shotgun doesn't seem to have any spread at all), animations can be pretty lackluster, and the gameplay is just annoying.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised as its strongest feature, characterized by a phenomenal soundtrack, unique design, and a creepy, immersive environment that captivates players. Reviewers appreciate the blend of stealth and horror elements, which contribute to a compelling experience that keeps them engaged despite some gameplay issues. Overall, the atmosphere is described as intriguing and memorable, making it a standout aspect of the game.
“Very soon though you're introduced to the game's phenomenal soundtrack and the whole game has this atmosphere and personality that makes me want to keep trying to see more.”
“Love the atmosphere, soundtrack, voice acting and design.”
“Super creepy, amazing atmosphere and $5?”
“It's strength is based entirely upon its atmosphere, but beyond that, there's very little going for it.”
“All in all, it's a great game, I did have some times where I couldn't throw my molotov or I died and then I picked up the pistol and couldn't shoot it for some reason, but for a basically survival mode horror game, it's fun and keeps my attention with the weird atmosphere and monsters that attack you.”
“Its unique premise - a bit of stealth with a horror atmosphere in the first part, and then a wave shooter centered around a nightmare realm for the second part - works well and provides intrigue for its final incarnation.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's graphics showcase impressive talent in modeling and lighting, with a notable retro art style that some players appreciate. While the visuals contribute positively to the overall experience, opinions are mixed, with some players feeling that the graphics alone aren't enough to compel them to return to the game.
“It shows off a lot of talent from the artists who did the modeling, lighting, and other visuals.”
“The gunplay is pretty decent and the game has some nice retro graphics.”
“Overall, not a bad game; I enjoyed the retro graphics and the gunplay, I just wish there was more to it.”
“I am not going to return to the game. Maybe you will find the art style, the horror, the music, or anything to make you want to play it, but for me, it is a no-go.”
“So overall, not a bad game. I enjoyed the retro graphics and the gunplay; I just wish there was more to it.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through its short campaign and a "nightmare wave mode," allowing players to engage in endless combat against hordes of enemies. However, the experience is hindered by poor controls and uninspired enemy AI, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of replaying these sections.
“The replayable second half of the game will have you finding weapons to shoot an endless hell hoard as you make your escape.”
“It's a short and sweet introduction to the El Paso, Elsewhere setting with a fairly reasonable price tag given the short campaign and replayable nightmare wave mode.”
“The replayable second half of the game will have you finding weapons to shoot an endless hell horde as you make your escape.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is severely lacking, with users reporting significant performance issues such as unstable frame rates capped at 144 fps, long loading times, and severe drops in performance during intense combat scenarios. Additionally, the clunky arsenal and lack of mobility contribute to a frustrating gameplay experience, further exacerbated by missing graphical settings like anisotropic filtering. Overall, the optimization problems make it difficult to recommend the game.
“Your arsenal is too clunky and weak, and you have zero mobility to make up for it, making it a very frustrating ordeal for me. It's also got a lot of UE4 jank with poor performance scaling on modern hardware. It's hard capped at 144 fps but impossible to keep stable even on high-end hardware, with frequent dips and harsher stuttering while shooting and hitting monsters. A lack of anisotropic filtering, among other missing settings, basically makes it a stripped-down survival mode in first person to the upcoming game, but without bullet time, dodging, and quick melee. It's just so awkward and clumsy; sorry, but I can't recommend it.”
“However, it is very badly optimized; I mean, it takes a long time to load.”
“The game also needs better optimization because when there are a lot of enemies, the framerate tanks really badly.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent glitches that disrupt gameplay and immersion, particularly during critical moments. Players report that these technical problems, such as creatures getting stuck in walls, detract from the overall experience and can lead to frustrating interruptions in progress.
“After reaching wave 7 or 8 multiple times, only to have runs killed by glitches, I started using them.”
“The voice acting is sub-par, the glitches are constant (it's hard to have a sense of dread wondering what is on the other side of the door when the creature is stuck half in and half out of the wall), and what story there is comes across as an afterthought at best.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding experience in horde mode to be frustrating due to issues like enemy hit detection and the overwhelming nature of multiple foes, which can lead to quick deaths. The design seems tailored for players seeking to earn recognition within the community, but these mechanics detract from the enjoyment of grinding.
“Enemies seem to hit you before their attack even winds up, and you're basically dead if you get cornered by more than two enemies, but these minor gripes are only frustrating when you're grinding on the horde mode.”
“You can totally see this was made for farming 'reddit internet points' from fellow anime avatar whacky people.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight the emotional depth of the game, particularly praising the impactful voicemail recording at the end, which encapsulates the game's tonal essence. They suggest that the story contains layers of emotional complexity, leaving them eager for the upcoming release of "El Paso, Elsewhere."
“The voicemail recording at the end was very well done, and I think it had the emotional 'heart' of what the game should be, tonally speaking.”
“There's clearly something more emotionally resonant and complex going on with the story. If a particular moment at the end is any indication, I look forward to El Paso, Elsewhere when it drops.”
