GHOST at DAWN
- October 5, 2023
- Blue and Red Games
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Ghost at Dawn" is a survival horror game that pays homage to 90's classics. Explore an abandoned hotel, solve puzzles, and face supernatural entities while managing your resources to maintain sanity. With randomized elements, multiple endings, and unlockable content, each playthrough tells a unique disturbing detective noir story. Permadeath and autosave features add intensity to the gameplay. *Note: The character count for this summary is 213 characters, including spaces.
Reviews
- The game features impressive visuals and a strong atmosphere reminiscent of classic survival horror titles like Resident Evil.
- The developer is highly responsive and actively works to fix bugs, enhancing the overall experience for players.
- The gameplay mechanics, including permadeath and resource management, create a tense and engaging survival horror experience.
- The combat system is frustrating, with unavoidable damage and clunky controls that detract from the overall enjoyment.
- Sound mixing issues lead to inconsistent audio levels, making some sounds too quiet and others painfully loud.
- The game suffers from bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including instant kills from enemies and performance issues.
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the smooth inventory mechanics and nostalgic elements reminiscent of classic survival horror games, while others criticize the repetitive combat and frustrating enemy spawns that detract from the overall experience. The inclusion of a permadeath mechanic adds tension, but can lead to unfair deaths that disrupt engagement. Overall, while the game offers fun moments, its gameplay may not satisfy all players.
“The game mechanics remind me of the first Resident Evil game, which I love.”
“The inventory mechanics are well done, and the items you pick up interact well when they are used in the right place (e.g., keys to locked doors - you don't have to constantly click on the key, then the door, and back and forth... smooth, I tell you!).”
“I love survival horror, but this game's gameplay is really bad.”
“The gameplay is this: walk into a new room, instantly start taking unavoidable damage, shoot, swap target, repeat until all enemies are dead.”
“The game employs an auto-save feature (no save scumming!) coupled with a permadeath mechanic—you get five lives, and if you lose that, your file is gone.”
- story6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story is characterized as dark and engaging, with a well-executed narrative that unfolds through fully voiced notes and environmental clues found throughout the game. While some users noted occasional camera issues, the overall storytelling is considered thoughtful and enjoyable.
“And that's the same about the story: it's dark and fun.”
“Nothing crazy, but it felt like a well thought out and executed storytelling.”
“So very dark story; sometimes the camera messes with things.”
“As is tradition, the story is largely told through (fully voiced!) notes that can be found scattered throughout the hotel and environmental clues.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a striking anime aesthetic that initially raised some doubts, but the execution has won over players. The character design, particularly Ben's expressive features, is enhanced by a film-noir style that effectively utilizes heavy shadows, contributing to the overall visual appeal.
“The visuals are stunning and truly immersive.”
“When I first saw the trailer, I was a bit unsure about the use of the anime aesthetic, but as with anything, it's all about the execution.”
“Ben's character is very expressive (especially when low on sanity), and he looks great under the heavy shadows of the setting's film-noir aesthetic.”
“The visuals are underwhelming and lack detail.”
“When I first saw the trailer, I was a bit unsure about the use of the anime aesthetic, but the execution ultimately fell flat.”
“The character designs feel outdated and do not match the expectations set by modern gaming standards.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is its standout feature, effectively capturing survival horror elements with a chilling ambiance and resource scarcity. While combat may be somewhat lacking, the well-designed enemies and effective jump scares contribute to an immersive and spine-tingling experience.
“Combat is a little rough, but the enemies are well designed, the jump scares are creepy, and the atmosphere is spot on.”
“The atmosphere is the selling point of the game.”
“It oozes the same survival horror vibes, from the spine-chilling atmosphere to resource scarcity.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its great and eerie quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere. Players particularly enjoyed the unique experience of being "murdered" by a ghost jazz band, which added a memorable and entertaining twist to the gameplay.
“The music is great and eerie, which I feel adds to the whole vibe.”
“I particularly enjoyed getting murdered by the ghost jazz band, who played excellent music while they killed you.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively balances humor and horror, making it a standout in the survival horror genre. Fans of classic titles like Resident Evil and Silent Hill will particularly appreciate this blend.
“Amazing survival horror with just the perfect balance between humor and horror, highly recommended if you're a fan of classic survival horrors like Resident Evil and Silent Hill.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report a decline in performance since the game's original release, indicating that recent design choices by the developers have negatively impacted optimization, leading to a worse gaming experience for some players.
“Honestly, I never had any of these performance issues before its original release, so it saddens me to say that whatever design choices the devs have made or implemented have made the game run significantly worse for me.”
“The optimization in this game is a mess; I experience constant frame drops and stuttering, which completely ruins the experience.”
“After the latest update, the game runs like a slideshow on my system, which was perfectly fine before. It's frustrating to see such a decline in performance.”
