FREAKHUNTER
- January 26, 2024
- goop lord
FREAKHUNTER is a grid-based dungeon-crawler-rail-shooter game, inspired by early FPS classics like Silent Debuggers and Shadow Over Innsmouth. Players navigate 24 levels, obliterating freakish enemies with four unique weapons across four distinct worlds. The game boasts smooth movement, special items, and a slightly blurry 640x480 upscale, with reviews praising its intensity and originality, but warning of potential motion sickness. Completion takes under two hours, making it a compact yet immersive experience for those with a strong stomach.
Reviews
- The game features a unique and captivating aesthetic, reminiscent of 90's 'boomer shooters', with creative level designs and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the experience.
- Gameplay is engaging and satisfying, with a mix of dungeon-crawling and shooting mechanics that provide a fresh take on the genre, making it fun to hunt down the 'freaks'.
- Despite some control issues, many players found the game to be a rewarding challenge, with a good balance of difficulty that keeps players engaged and coming back for more.
- The controls can feel wonky and frustrating, leading to a steep learning curve that may deter some players, especially during more challenging sections of the game.
- Level design issues, particularly in the later stages, can lead to tedious trial-and-error gameplay, with some players feeling that the difficulty spikes are unfair and detract from the overall experience.
- Some players reported technical glitches, such as a shotgun that damages the player, which can make certain sections of the game impossible to complete.
- gameplay20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a gradual introduction to mechanics and enemies, but it suffers from a significant difficulty spike after the initial levels, which may deter some players. While the game features intuitive and strategic mechanics, as well as engaging level design, the simplicity and occasional tedium of certain gameplay loops can be frustrating. Overall, it offers a unique and immersive experience, particularly for those who enjoy slower, dungeon-crawling gameplay, but may not appeal to everyone due to its abrupt challenges.
“Hella fun, intuitive gameplay and great level design with the right amount of challenge.”
“It has my favorite meaningful recoil mechanics in any game I've played, and never have I felt more nervous about pulling the trigger when I haven't perfectly lined up my shot.”
“Smooth and surprisingly strategic gameplay.”
“The very first levels of it do respect that concept of introducing you slowly to the brand new enemies and mechanics, but after the 4th level of this world, a massive difficulty spike makes its presence felt.”
“In a nutshell, a sudden and unexpected spike in what was a nice difficulty curve, combined with the counterproductive simplicity of its gameplay that makes some loops unbearably tedious, could scare away some players. However, if you manage to get through these particular but not soul-crushing aspects of the late game, you'll find a unique experience with a combination of concepts that will captivate you thanks to its smoothness and easy-to-learn mechanics.”
“I found it quite boring at the beginning, but as the mechanics were learned, the game started to ramp up. However, I must say I found the 'stealth' mechanic, which was supposed to be a tutorial for the 'purple mechanic', quite frustrating.”
- music9 mentions
- 78 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its haunting and immersive quality, effectively enhancing the player's experience as they navigate through creatively designed levels. Reviewers note that the ambient soundtrack complements the game's atmosphere, making it feel like a journey through an infested land, and many consider it a standout feature that significantly contributes to the overall immersion.
“The way the immersion is achieved in this game is one I haven't seen in a while, with shockingly good and well-designed backgrounds and layouts that make you feel like a traveler going around an infested land of monsters, and some haunting and ominous ambient music that waves upon your ears like the perfect soundtrack for these liminal spaces.”
“10/10... the haunting soundtrack just beckons you to dive into the game.”
“If you can get past that, there are some creative level designs (considering how simplistic it is) and the soundtrack is pretty awesome.”
- story7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is generally viewed as weak and lacking depth, with many missions, particularly those introducing items, being criticized as some of the worst. While the core gameplay is solid and has potential for a more developed narrative, the current storyline is considered minimal and unengaging. Overall, players feel that the game could benefit significantly from a more substantial story.
“The story is really nothing and meaningless to me.”
“For 1, the missions that introduce all the items you can use are some of the worst missions in the game.”
“A very neat almost-proof-of-concept, would certainly make for a great full-length video game with a little bit of story and more stuff thrown in: the core of what's here is already super solid.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that the grinding aspect of the game becomes increasingly tedious, especially in the late stages where difficulty spikes and longer levels are introduced, often leading to frustration. While some appreciate the unique challenges and gameplay mechanics that emerge, others feel that the simplicity of the gameplay combined with the extended grind can detract from the overall experience, potentially alienating players.
“In a nutshell, a sudden and unexpected spike in what was a nice difficulty curve, combined with the counterproductive simplicity of its gameplay that makes some loops unbearably tedious, could scare away some players. However, if you manage to get through this particular but not soul-crushing aspect of the late game, you'll find a unique experience with a combination of concepts that will captivate you thanks to its smoothness and easy-to-learn ways.”
“Otherwise, it's a neat idea and it works for a while, but the developers only really escalate it near the end with some mean tricks (e.g., turning the lights off, and the enemies that are floor traps that hold you still can get you really easily now) and by making levels longer and more tedious.”
“Another thing that makes the very next world haunting is the even bigger increase in difficulty, taking things further by now adding a timer to each stage (except for the penultimate one, which features a really strange maze puzzle, a very welcome pace breaker after all the grinding), and even more labyrinthine and monster-filled claustrophobic corridors where you'll end up getting overwhelmed.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are characterized by a nostalgic 640x480 resolution with a low poly aesthetic, featuring notable blood sprays and impactful shooting effects. Players who appreciate this retro style are encouraged to support the developers.
“And if the visuals speak to you, definitely throw your support behind the dev.”
“I liked the low poly graphics.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its inspiring and well-crafted design, featuring iconic and memorable elements that enhance the overall experience.
“Truly inspiring and the atmosphere is well crafted.”
“Incredible atmosphere and iconic freak designs.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing enemy designs and clever map challenges, which contribute to an engaging and varied gameplay experience. Players appreciate the thoughtful integration of humor within the shooting mechanics and diverse environments.
“Shooting feels good, enemies are funny, maps have some thought put into them with how each one is a different type of challenge, and the environments are surprisingly varied.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the strong replayability of the game due to the unpredictable movement patterns of enemies, which keeps each playthrough fresh and engaging.
“The game has great replay value due to the unpredictability of how enemies move through the maps.”
“There's excellent replay value stemming from the unpredictable movement patterns of the enemies across different maps.”
“The unpredictability of enemy movements adds significant replay value to the game.”