FLATHEAD

About

FLATHEAD is a single player puzzle game with a horror theme. It was developed by DreadXP and was released on May 30, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

FLATHEAD is a single-player horror adventure game featuring an intriguing story, exceptional gameplay, and amazing graphics that create a fabulous atmosphere. You play a deceptively simple higher-or-lower number game while tension builds as sinister creatures known as the Sunken close in. This eerie blend of suspense and simplicity makes for a gripping, immersive experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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95%

Audience ScoreBased on 388 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features an incredible atmosphere and sound design that effectively builds tension and dread.
It's a unique and engaging horror experience that combines gambling mechanics with a creepy narrative, making it highly replayable.
For its low price, the game offers a polished experience with intriguing lore and a fun gameplay loop reminiscent of titles like Buckshot Roulette.

The gameplay can become repetitive and overly reliant on luck, which may frustrate players seeking a more strategic experience.
Some players have reported issues with game mechanics, such as delays in pulling the lever, which can detract from the overall experience.
The game may feel too short for some, leaving players wanting more content and variety in gameplay.

gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
72%
5%
The gameplay is characterized by a tense and nerve-wracking RNG-based loop that combines elements of gambling with horror mechanics, creating a unique and unsettling experience. While some players find the gameplay engaging and addictive, others criticize it for being tedious and overly reliant on luck, leading to frustration. Overall, the game offers a mix of challenging puzzles and replayability, with a strong atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
- “Gameplay is always high with tension, but it also feels well-balanced in terms of difficulty and available strategy.”
- “The gameplay is simple yet nerve-wracking: guess right to earn points and potentially escape, but guess wrong and face the terrifying consequences.”
- “The challenging puzzles were thoughtfully crafted, adding depth and engagement to the gameplay.”
- “Game is not fun, the gameplay is tedious and boring. It is not scary; you have to get lucky, otherwise it makes you start over. The story might be cool, but I don't know because RNG keeps messing me up.”
- “I've seen gameplay of it and decided to pick it up, yet for some reason when I try to play it, the basic functions seem to be completely unfair.”
- “The main gameplay loop is just gambling on numbers that don't mean much with a time limit (while a monster is walking towards you) and extra gameplay elements that make the monster walk faster for removing numbers on the screen that could be your guess.”
atmosphere
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
43%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie, tension-filled design, combining powerful visuals and sound to create a sense of dread and anxiety that enhances the gameplay experience. Reviewers describe it as a creepy masterpiece that effectively immerses players in its unsettling world, making even a simple premise feel profound. Overall, the game's atmospheric elements are considered its strongest feature, contributing significantly to its appeal despite some criticisms regarding gameplay difficulty.
- “The game's style, atmosphere, and graphical fidelity are superb, and the sound design is extremely good.”
- “For starters, I love the eerie and anxiety-inducing atmosphere from both the sound design and visuals, which fits into the main gameplay loop really well as it helps to build the tension you feel whilst playing it.”
- “I loved Flathead for its masterful use of atmospheric tension and immersive storytelling.”
- “I will sadly be refunding this, but keeping a close eye on future games or projects put out by Tim Oxton. I enjoy the style and think they have a knack for creating that kind of atmosphere, but need to see more out of a game to be convinced.”
- “Obviously running on influences from the likes of Inscryption and Buckshot Roulette, whilst it misses the mark on what makes those titles quite so compelling to play, there's just no one hitting the same atmosphere of dread in games like Tim Oxton right now.”
- “The scariness is in the atmosphere, the feeling that sticks with you after you've walked away from the game.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
42%
8%
The graphics and sound design of the game are widely praised for their superb quality, unique art style, and ability to create an eerie atmosphere that enhances the overall horror experience. Many reviewers noted the impressive graphical fidelity and attention to detail, which contribute significantly to the game's tension and immersive gameplay. Overall, the visuals and audio elements are considered standout features that elevate the game's aesthetic and emotional impact.
- “The game's style, atmosphere, and graphical fidelity are superb, and the sound design is extremely good.”
- “Fantastic atmosphere, tension, and graphics.”
- “I played on normal and put the game on the lowest possible graphics settings to get rid of any possible lag I could prevent, but issues immediately arose once I started playing.”
- “The visuals, sound design, and level of detail for a small project deserve to be commended.”
- “Powerful visuals, powerful atmosphere, powerful sound design...”
story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
20%
13%
The game's story has received mixed feedback, with some players finding it intriguing and well-developed, particularly praising its in-depth lore and atmospheric storytelling. Others, however, feel that the gameplay detracts from the narrative experience, citing tedious mechanics and randomness that hinder enjoyment. Overall, while many appreciate the compelling characters and multiple endings, the execution of the story may not resonate with everyone.
- “What really surprises me is how in-depth the lore goes for a game with such a low price point, and I found the story offered here to be rather intriguing.”
- “The compelling characters and intriguing plot drew me deeper into the game's mysterious world.”
- “Story is just weird.”
- “This game made me fall in love with the story it was trying to convey; the pieces are all there, and it allows a normal dude like me to timeline it all and figure out what the hell is even going on.”
- “Quite the gem if you are a fan of something like buckshot roulette. You'll feel right at home with Flathead; honestly, at times this game was able to make me more tense due to the RNG present with the numbers. Plus, for the price, you definitely can't go wrong. You have a decent amount of lore to dig through and story, plus several endings to get. Playtime can vary, but you'll definitely get at least 2 to 3 hours worth of content, well worth the asking price.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
30%
The game offers high replayability for its low price, with a fun and engaging gameplay loop that encourages multiple playthroughs. However, its short length limits the variety of experiences, primarily leading players to chase achievements and uncover bonus lore. Overall, while enjoyable, the replay value may feel constrained without additional content or mechanics to enhance the experience.
- “For just $1.99, this bite-sized horror experience offers high replayability and a unique thrill.”
- “Gameplay loop is devious and fun with a decent amount of replayability.”
- “Very fun gameplay loop and a good amount of replayability with bonus lore and secrets.”
- “This experience is so drastically short, and while replayable, there is not much to do in these replays other than hunt for Steam achievements.”
- “The game lacks depth, making replayability feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
- “After completing the game once, I found little incentive to go back, as the content doesn't change significantly.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unengaging, often feeling that it detracts from the overall enjoyment and narrative experience. The reliance on luck and repetitive gameplay leads to a sense of frustration, making victories feel shallow and unfulfilling.
- “Wanting to see what lies behind that objective, I've blasted through a couple of easy trials, but the wins are shallow and grindy feeling.”
- “Game is not fun; the gameplay is tedious and boring. It is not scary, and you have to get lucky; otherwise, it makes you start over. The story might be cool, but I can't tell because RNG keeps messing with me.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is praised for its incredible accuracy, significantly enhancing player immersion in the setting. Reviewers highlight the overall sound design, including music and creature design, as exceptional and integral to the game's atmosphere.
- “The incredibly accurate soundtrack immerses the player even more in the setting.”
- “The sound, music, creature design, and graphics are just amazing.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is frequently praised for its exceptional optimization, particularly as an Unreal Engine title, indicating that it runs smoothly and efficiently on a variety of hardware configurations.
- “This is the most optimized Unreal Engine game I've ever played.”
- “The optimization in this game is outstanding, making for a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
- “I was impressed by how well-optimized this game is, allowing for high performance even on lower-end hardware.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely absent, with players noting a lack of comedic elements and a pervasive sense of dread that overshadows any potential for levity. The comparison to "buckshot roulette" highlights the game's grim tone rather than any humorous aspects.