GARAGE: Bad Trip
- May 10, 2018
- Zombie Dynamics
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamIn "GARAGE: Bad Trip," players navigate a post-apocalyptic world overrun by mutated creatures. As a former KGB agent, players must use an arsenal of weapons and special abilities to survive and uncover the truth behind the apocalypse. With a focus on fast-paced action and dark humor, players will face off against challenging enemies and bosses in a thrilling, immersive experience.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique blend of horror and action, reminiscent of Hotline Miami, with a trippy grindhouse aesthetic and engaging boss battles.
- The sound design and soundtrack are highly praised, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience of the game.
- Many players find the gameplay satisfying, especially when utilizing various weapons and experiencing the creative enemy reactions to damage.
- The controls are often described as clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, particularly during combat and movement.
- The game suffers from balancing issues, especially with certain enemies like the rats, which can be overly difficult and detract from the enjoyment.
- Some players feel the story is convoluted and the gameplay can become repetitive, especially in the later stages, leading to a lack of engagement.
- story96 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, often described as a cheesy, over-the-top B-movie narrative that can be both entertaining and convoluted. While some players appreciate its quirky and bizarre elements, others find it predictable and lacking depth, with gameplay overshadowing the plot. Overall, the story is seen as a fun but flawed experience, appealing primarily to fans of campy horror themes.
“First, I would recommend buying this game on sale: the aesthetic is very nice, the music is enticing and sometimes really sets up a horrific atmosphere, the character design of some enemies is awesome, the story is interesting even if cliché...”
“You get a creepy feeling right from the start, and there are a few jump scares that caught me off guard :) to top it off, the story is absolutely bizarre, which is right up my alley.”
“To sum it up, the combat feels great, the story is fun, and the challenge and progression are perfect. I was skeptical because there are so many great top-down shooters already, but this game feels fresh and for me clearly stands near the top of its genre.”
“The story is convoluted and I don't even care to try to follow it at this point.”
“The plot is so plain and boring that I wish this game had no story at all.”
“Its no exaggeration to say they completely lost the plot of the game halfway through, where instead of it being a zombie horror game it just turns into a tedious 2D shooter like Hotline Miami, except without any checkpoints or interesting story, just pure frustration.”
- gameplay58 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some players finding it frustrating due to clunky mechanics, unbalanced difficulty, and issues like an erratic auto-lock crosshair. Others appreciate the satisfying gunplay, interesting mechanics, and the blend of horror and action elements, though many agree that it lacks the polish of similar titles like Hotline Miami. Overall, while the atmosphere and aesthetics are praised, the gameplay experience is often marred by design flaws and inconsistent execution.
“The gameplay felt satisfying to me, though the occasionally janky movement and human enemies with super accurate aim and reflexes get on my nerves sometimes.”
“The storyline is good and the gameplay is difficult and frustrating at times but rewarding.”
“Gameplay 7 – the smooth gunplay shooting and satisfaction as zombies explode in satisfying pixelated goo.”
“What frustrated me the most, however, is the stamina mechanic, or fear meter.”
“Having defeated the first boss (about 1 hour of gameplay, Steam lies), I see why many people enjoy this game, but the combat system ruins the whole experience for me.”
“The biggest problem for gameplay is the auto-lock crosshair that just seems to have a mind of its own on occasion when using a controller, and I really wish it could just be disabled.”
- music54 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its impressive soundtrack and sound design, which effectively enhances the atmosphere and tension during gameplay. Many players noted that the music fits well with various sequences, creating a cinematic experience, although some found the sound effects to be repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's aesthetic and emotional impact.
“Oh my, the sound design and soundtrack are amazing.”
“The soundtrack is also a high point here, often times perfectly fitting the sequences you play through and aiding the already cool atmosphere.”
“Each firefight feels like a stunt-filled scene from a genre film, and the game knows it, orchestrating each scene with the perfect music.”
“The music and sound effects are repetitive.”
“It's really odd no soundtrack is available and from the credits it looks to be maybe all original which adds to the impressiveness of the title.”
“No option to buy soundtrack.”
- graphics42 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their unique pixelated VHS aesthetic, which effectively enhances the horror atmosphere and pays homage to classic cult films. While the visuals and character designs are generally well-received, some players found the trippy aesthetic overwhelming at times, and the graphic options were noted as limited. Overall, the combination of great pixel art and sound design contributes to a compelling visual experience, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.
“The horror elements were seriously good and major props to the pixel artist/animator and artist, the visuals went together hand-in-hand.”
“Graphics 8 – pixelated VHS done to perfection elevate what could just be another pixelated good looking game to something quite unique.”
“Beautiful pixel art graphics.”
“However, graphic options are totally bare bones with only choices of resolution and quality (high/medium).”
“Bare bone graphic and keyboard options.”
“Despite the top down perspective and pixelated graphics, I somehow experience that small dread which I remember from Resident Evil, which is bolstered by great sound design and a VHS-like grain filter enhancing the creepy lightly lit area.”
- atmosphere34 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging aesthetic, enticing music, and effective horror elements, creating a spooky and immersive experience that rivals well-known horror films. While the character design and art direction contribute positively, some players note that gameplay mechanics can detract from the overall experience. Despite mixed opinions on certain aspects, the atmosphere remains a standout feature, enhancing the game's appeal.
“This game just oozes spooky atmosphere and its own weird sense of humor and style.”
“This game did a wonderful job at creating this bloody and creepy old-school horror atmosphere.”
“Many times the game exceeds the atmosphere and sense of dread that even the most highly acknowledged horror movies produce.”
“Also, the game has a VHS effect which does not really work for the atmosphere but just makes the game look worse than it looks in screenshots.”
“This wouldn't matter in a game built around slowness, stealth, and pure atmosphere.”
“Top-notch presentation, atmosphere, and music - garbage controls!”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its intentional blend of humor and horror, often referencing B-movie tropes and featuring a unique, spooky atmosphere. Players appreciate the mix of funny and meta jokes, as well as humorous elements like the chapter skip, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience filled with quirky moments and engaging gameplay.
“This game just oozes spooky atmosphere and its own weird sense of humor and style.”
“A fun twin-stick action-horror game with lots of humor.”
“Some of the jokes are pretty funny and meta; I love me some meta humor.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, particularly during boss fights that reset progress and force them to replay frustrating sections without checkpoints. The shift from a zombie horror theme to a relentless 2D shooter format detracts from the overall experience, leading to feelings of frustration rather than engagement. While some appreciate the attention to detail in sound and visuals, the grinding nature of gameplay overshadows these positives.
“Then once you've gotten through that frustrating slog, you have to spend the next hour trying to beat a boss who endlessly throws every enemy in the game (including minibosses) at you and can instant kill you if you get too close, resetting the entire damn tedious slog to the start.”
“It's no exaggeration to say they completely lost the plot of the game halfway through, where instead of it being a zombie horror game, it just turns into a tedious 2D shooter like Hotline Miami, except without any checkpoints or interesting story, just pure frustration.”
“There are tons of little details that are appreciated like the reloading of weapons, kicking in doors, and the simple sound and visual effect of your axe grinding against a wall.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is polarizing; while some players found the narrative capable of evoking strong feelings, even leading to tears, others criticized it as a wacky and boring experience that failed to engage them. Overall, the emotional impact seems to vary significantly among players, with some deeply affected and others left unimpressed.
“I held my ADHD self at gunpoint and forced myself to read any text I found, even if it made me cry.”
“I was hoping it would be like Hotline Miami, but it's a wacky, boring story-based game in my opinion, not worth it.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted for its interesting yet cliché story, with influences from popular titles like Resident Evil and Hotline Miami. While the character design, particularly of enemies, is praised for its creativity, the overall depth of character development may not be as strong, focusing more on aesthetic and atmosphere.
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game performs well, particularly at ultrawide resolutions like 2560x1080, achieving impressive frame rates of 144 fps. However, users have noted that the controls are not effectively optimized, which detracts from the overall experience.
“As for performance, ultrawide is supported and the game played fantastically at 2560x1080 and 144 fps.”
“But the controls are not optimized to be effective.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to its short length of 5 to 6 hours and somewhat obtuse puzzles; however, players can find some value in attempting to complete challenge stages for additional playthroughs.
“There is some replay value if you want to beat the challenge stages.”
“The game offers a variety of challenges that encourage multiple playthroughs.”
“Each playthrough can feel different due to the various strategies you can employ.”
“The only downside is that it's not really a long game, lasting roughly 5 to 6 hours, and while the puzzles can be a bit obtuse, there is some replay value if you want to beat the challenge stages.”
“The game is quite short, around 5 to 6 hours, and although the puzzles are somewhat challenging, the replayability mainly comes from attempting the challenge stages.”
