FLATHEAD

About

"FLATHEAD" is a game where players pull levers to see numbers and guess if the next one is higher or lower, aiming to gain points before a timer runs out and the Sunken approach. With potential rewards of extra time or points, the game aims to distract players from the grim reality of their existence in this strange, oppressive world. The game's atmosphere is grim, but its mechanics focus on simple, engaging gameplay as players hope for a chance at escape.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 482 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and unsettling atmosphere, effectively combining horror with a simple gambling mechanic that keeps players on edge.
Visually impressive with great sound design, the game successfully creates a sense of dread and curiosity, encouraging replayability to uncover its lore.
At its low price point, the game provides a compelling experience that feels like a steal, making it accessible for fans of horror and gambling themes.

The gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth after a few rounds, leading to predictability and diminishing excitement.
Some players found the mechanics frustrating, particularly the time it takes to activate actions, which can detract from the suspenseful experience.
While the atmosphere is praised, the jump scares and overall horror elements may not be effective for everyone, with some feeling they become stale quickly.

gameplay
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its tension and unique mechanics, while others find it repetitive and lacking depth. The core loop often revolves around a gambling mechanic under pressure, which can be both engaging and frustrating due to its reliance on luck. Overall, the atmosphere and art design enhance the experience, but many feel that the gameplay could benefit from more variety and customization options.
- “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.”
- “One of the most innovative, fear-inducing, and tension-creating horror games I've ever played with such creative gameplay and an infinitely intriguing story; definitely the best horror game to come out this year.”
- “The only downside is that the core gameplay lacks enough depth for more than a few rounds; after that, it becomes predictable.”
- “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 main gameplay loop is just gambling on numbers that don't mean much with a time limit (that a monster is walking towards you) with extra gameplay elements like making the monster walk faster for removing numbers on the screen that could be your guess.”
atmosphere
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its ability to create a deeply unsettling and immersive experience, relying on tension and dread rather than cheap jump scares. Reviewers highlight the impressive sound design, artistic direction, and world-building that contribute to a sense of anxiety and anticipation throughout gameplay. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature, elevating its simplistic mechanics into a compelling horror experience.
- “What an amazing experience! It's such a mind-blowingly uncomfortable horror game that doesn't rely too much on jumpscares; the atmosphere and setting alone get you creeped out enough.”
- “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 while playing it.”
- “I loved Flathead for its masterful use of atmospheric tension and immersive storytelling.”
- “Despite the simplistic game mechanics, there's an abundance of atmosphere and the tension slowly builds as you feel those footsteps approaching.”
- “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
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
39%
7%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their atmospheric and unique art style, drawing comparisons to titles like Inscryption and Buckshot Roulette. Reviewers highlight the superb visual fidelity and sound design, which together create an eerie and tension-filled experience that enhances gameplay. Overall, the game's aesthetics and graphical quality are commended, making it a standout for those who appreciate immersive visual storytelling.
- “The game's style, atmosphere, and graphical fidelity are superb, and the sound design is extremely good.”
- “Powerful visuals, powerful atmosphere, powerful sound design...”
- “The visuals, sound design, and level of detail for a small project deserve to be commended.”
- “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 and sound design are pretty kino though, so if you only care about that stuff, play it for a couple of runs and see how you like it.”
- “The unique art style and eerie sound design kept me on edge, heightening the horror experience.”
story
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
19%
12%
The game's story has received mixed feedback, with some players finding it intriguing and well-developed, particularly praising its in-depth lore and immersive storytelling. Others, however, feel that the story is overshadowed by tedious gameplay and random elements that detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, many agree that the narrative adds value, especially considering the game's low price point, and some players appreciate the multiple endings and the atmospheric tension it creates.
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “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. Introducing additional mechanics could enhance its replay value further.
- “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
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the intriguing world-building and unsettling atmosphere provide some motivation to endure the repetitive gameplay, many describe it as tedious and boring. The reliance on luck and RNG can lead to frustrating setbacks, making the grind feel shallow and unfulfilling despite the potential for an interesting story. Overall, the grind is seen as a necessary but unenjoyable part of the experience.
- “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 RNG keeps ruining the experience.”
- “Wanting to see what lies behind that objective, I've blasted through a couple of easy trials, but the wins feel shallow and grindy.”
- “Intriguing world-building and unsettling art design make it worth grinding through 20 to 30 sessions of the same monotonous gameplay.”
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 gaming experience.
- “The incredibly accurate soundtrack immerses the player even more in the setting.”
- “The sound, music, creature design, and graphics are just amazing.”
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. Overall, the experience is described as more grim than amusing.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
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've never seen such efficient use of resources in a game built on Unreal Engine.”