Gynophobia
- July 31, 2015
- Gua
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam"Gynophobia" is a horror-themed shooter game with a unique premise, focusing on the main character Mark's abnormal fear of women. The game uses classic first-person shooter gameplay to convey the story, while providing high-quality music and low system requirements. With gamepad support for various controllers, players can expect old-school action and humor throughout the single-player experience.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a unique concept that explores the fears of women and spiders, providing an interesting narrative.
- Despite its short length, the gameplay is engaging and offers a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic FPS games.
- The soundtrack is surprisingly good for an indie title, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
- The game is extremely short, with most players completing it in under an hour, leading to a lack of content.
- There are numerous bugs and issues with gameplay mechanics, such as poor AI and hit detection.
- The graphics and overall presentation are subpar, resembling older games and lacking polish.
- story72 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story, centered around a protagonist grappling with gynophobia and arachnophobia, is often described as shallow and poorly executed, leaving many players confused and unsatisfied. While some appreciate the quirky premise and the effort put into the narrative, the overall consensus is that the story lacks depth and coherence, making it feel more like a collection of ideas rather than a fully realized plot. Despite its interesting themes, the brevity and simplicity of the storyline detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed reviews.
“A quirky delivery of a mostly clumsy but altogether well-meant story about a guy coping with his crippling fear of women and arachnophobia.”
“Overall great atmosphere, music, the final boss is hot, story is... life changing, good stuff, worth that dollar fam.”
“It's cool to play an indie that has a bit of a plot with a beginning and end.”
“The depth of this story will go over many people's heads.”
“Story makes no sense, I'm pretty sure gynophobia and arachnophobia can't be healed by a magic potion that makes you dream of being an FPS protagonist, killing your fears.”
“There is no story to speak of.”
- graphics43 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users describing them as outdated and comparable to early 2000s titles like Half-Life 1 or PS2 games. While some appreciate the retro aesthetic and atmospheric visuals, others criticize the graphics as poor and glitchy, detracting from the overall experience. Despite the low graphical quality, a few players found the visuals fitting for the game's style and enjoyed the nostalgic feel.
“I know the graphics aren't AAA standard by any means, but they have a good aesthetic and suit the game very well. I also like how there is an endless supply of ammunition, health, and regular checkpoint saves.”
“Fun little horror game with a nice atmosphere and PS2-esque graphics.”
“This game uses great visuals and sound to immerse yourself in the cartoon art style horror game.”
“The graphics are terrible.”
“Poor graphics, even at highest resolutions.”
“Buggy, unbalanced, shitty graphics.”
- gameplay40 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a limited selection of weapons and environments, featuring basic first-person shooter mechanics that many reviewers found to be mediocre and repetitive. While some appreciated the smooth controls and eerie atmosphere, the overall experience is marred by a lack of depth, short playtime, and a disjointed narrative, leading to a consensus that the game fails to deliver engaging or innovative gameplay.
“It has 3 weapons with multiple locations, each featuring different enemies and new gameplay mechanics.”
“Simple but solid mechanics, with an eerie soundtrack and visuals, and the occasional jumpscare make the game a tense and somewhat morbid ride through a series of nightmares and one (meta) instance of a game within the game.”
“The gameplay is typical run-and-gun, and overall pretty generic, but at the very least it functions better than a lot of indie FPS games out there.”
“However, the gameplay is mediocre and the storyline is not particularly compelling.”
“Awful story, awful gameplay, I want my time back...”
“Gameplay is pretty boring and takes place within two levels with some pretty average run-and-gun elements.”
- music13 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its eerie atmosphere and strong soundtrack, particularly during boss battles. While some players found the synthwave-inspired tracks memorable and immersive, others criticized the overall sound design, noting that the music was often loud and only present in specific scenarios. Overall, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's horror ambiance, despite some inconsistencies in quality.
“It genuinely has some of the best music I've heard from such a 'cheap' game developed by an independent team.”
“The soundtrack is really good and its only 40 minutes long.”
“This game uses great visuals and a soundtrack to immerse yourself in the cartoon art style horror game.”
“The music is loud, average, and only present in the nightmare scenario.”
“Music and sound effects are also absolutely terrible.”
“There's no music that plays in the video game Mark plays.”
- humor11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as hit-or-miss, with some players finding it amusing due to its absurd moments and quirky storyline, such as playing basketball with a zombie head and the inclusion of classic comedic elements like the Wilhelm scream. However, others felt that the humor fell flat at times and did not meet their expectations, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite its brevity, some players still found it worth a laugh for its low price.
“There are some hilarious moments like [spoiler]playing basketball with a zombie head[/spoiler] and [spoiler]hearing Wilhelm scream when a zombie in a cage is killed[/spoiler].”
“I highly recommend this game for people who want a short funny horror game.”
“This was a really unique game; at first, I thought the concept and title were funny.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging music and effective horror elements, creating a fun and immersive experience despite its PS2-era graphics. While some players note a lackluster storyline, the jump scares and overall ambiance compensate for this, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.
“Fun little horror game with a nice atmosphere and PS2-esque graphics.”
“I admit that the storyline is slightly lacking, but if you go in with the mindset that the game is meant to be a jump scare-based horror game, then the fun of these scares and the atmosphere made by the soundtrack (not the one in the trailer) makes up for the lacking story.”
“The atmosphere and story (so far) have been pretty interesting.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while players report no game-breaking glitches, there are notable issues such as buggy walking detection and unbalanced gameplay. The graphics have also been criticized, contributing to a less enjoyable experience.
“I didn’t encounter any game-breaking glitches, but the game overall is enjoyable for too short a time.”
“Buggy, unbalanced, and poor graphics.”
“To start, the game has some buggy walking detection.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews on replayability are highly polarized; some users find it very low, citing that each segment lasts about 15 minutes with no incentive to replay, while others consider it extremely high, expressing a strong desire to recommend it to friends.
“The replay value is extreme; I would recommend it to all my friends.”
“The game offers incredible replayability, keeping me engaged for hours on end.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh and exciting, making me want to dive back in again and again.”
“Replay value: low.”
“Each segment takes around 15 minutes, and after that, there's no replay value whatsoever.”
“Replay value is extreme; I would sell it to all my infidel friends.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, allowing it to run smoothly on low settings even on older hardware, such as a 2011 MacBook Air.
“Excellent optimization allows smooth gameplay even on low settings, like my MacBook Air 2011.”
“The game runs flawlessly on older hardware, showcasing impressive optimization.”
“I was surprised at how well the game performed on my budget laptop, thanks to its outstanding optimization.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users note that the emotional impact of the game, despite its brevity, evokes strong feelings reminiscent of their experiences with Postal 2, suggesting a powerful yet concise emotional engagement.
“It's really short, but it made me feel the way I felt when I played Postal 2!”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game appears to exploit its own poor quality for comedic value, potentially attracting attention from influencers like Jimquisition, which may lead to increased visibility and revenue despite its shortcomings.
“This is the kind of title that's bad enough to be amusing, and I suspect it capitalizes on that concept so people like Jimquisition (who gets referenced in this game) will give it free advertising and cash in value.”
