Half Dead

About

"Half Dead" is a first-person shooter horror game where players navigate through a dark and ominous asylum filled with supernatural creatures. The game features permanent death, forcing players to start over with each demise, and a variety of weapons to fend off the enemy hordes. With permadeath, rogue-like elements, and a grim atmosphere, "Half Dead" offers a challenging and intense experience for horror enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,440 reviews

gameplay28 positive mentions

stability12 negative mentions

The game is a fun and challenging experience, especially when played with friends.
It effectively captures the tense atmosphere of the Cube movies, making it enjoyable for fans.
The shoe-throwing mechanic adds a unique twist to the gameplay, allowing players to test rooms for traps.

The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with limited variety in traps and rooms.
Multiplayer servers are often empty, making it difficult to find games with other players.
The game lacks depth and content, feeling more like a simple mini-game than a fully developed title.

gameplay
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
58%
9%
The gameplay of "Half Dead" is characterized by its simplicity and repetitiveness, with players often finding the mechanics limited and the traps overused, leading to a quick loss of interest. While the game can be fun in short bursts, especially with friends, many reviewers noted that it lacks variety and depth, making it feel stale after a few hours. Despite its unique concept and some engaging mechanics, the overall experience is hindered by basic graphics and a lack of substantial content.
- “The game's unique mechanics and challenging levels kept me engaged throughout.”
- “The gameplay is inherently simple but a fun time when playing with friends.”
- “Gameplay can best be described as simple and casual, with the option of going for advanced room selection tactics should you wish to do so.”
- “Half Dead is an interesting idea, but the lack of variety in traps and the repetitiveness of the gameplay quickly become boring.”
- “The traps haven't been updated in months and the gameplay is stale.”
- “While you can play cooperatively or competitively, the game's novelty wears off quickly due to its limited mechanics and repetitive gameplay.”
graphics
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
44%
14%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals as "good" or "decent," highlighting clean designs and appealing effects, while others criticize them as "ugly," "basic," or "below average" for the release year. Many comments note the presence of glitches and performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while some players appreciate the aesthetic and atmosphere, others feel the graphics do not meet expectations, especially in a multiplayer context.
- “The graphics and sound design were top-notch and added to the intense atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are fine, but it gets so laggy on public servers that you can barely get above 10 fps.”
- “The graphics and lighting are absolutely beautiful for a £1.59 game, and it runs very smoothly on high-end PCs.”
- “The graphics are ugly and the sounds are not good.”
- “Graphics are terrible and gameplay does not make up for it.”
- “Less than 10 traps, almost all the rooms look identical, the music sucks and the graphics are shit for a so small and easy game to make.”
humor
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
6%
The humor in the game is widely praised, particularly when played with friends, leading to numerous hilarious moments and unexpected deaths due to traps. Players find the comedic elements, such as funny enemy sounds and absurd situations, enhance the overall experience, making it a great choice for group play, especially at its low price point. However, some note that the humor may diminish when playing solo, as the game relies heavily on social interaction for its comedic impact.
- “This game is hilarious to play with friends.”
- “With a group of friends, this game is so funny that I can't concentrate half the time.”
- “Hilariously funny to play with friends as you watch them burn to death in lava with no escape.”
- “Not funny.”
- “The humor falls flat and feels forced.”
- “I expected more laughs, but the jokes just didn't land.”
story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
57%
13%
The reviews highlight a significant divide in player experiences regarding the story aspect of the game. While some players appreciate the emotional depth and moral lessons embedded in the narrative, many express disappointment over the lack of a structured story mode, backstory, or character development, feeling that the game could benefit from a more linear and immersive storytelling approach. Overall, the absence of a compelling narrative detracts from the experience for those seeking a richer storyline.
- “Gripping you into its world with its powerful story and immersive characters, this will surely be an experience you will never forget.”
- “Half Dead is a touching story of a man/woman who suffers from a mental disability and lives their life mostly secluded in a mental institution.”
- “This incredibly rich story has it all!”
- “I had hoped there was a story mode or something, but it's not.”
- “There is no flavor text or story.”
- “Wow, I wanted to start off by mentioning the complete lack of story, but then I read the description of this game and now I must say it's a shame that that story never actually gets told in the game.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
19%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of background music that contributes to a sense of boredom and silence during gameplay. While some appreciate the sound quality and find the music enjoyable, the consensus is that a more extensive musical score is needed to enhance the emotional experience and overall atmosphere of the game. Players suggest that adding ambient tracks could significantly improve engagement and enjoyment.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “This game is well made, great music and graphics, but most of all it's fun!”
- “Well, the music is pretty cool...”
- “It definitely has some great potential... one of the few issues I had with it at the time was... there was no background music... just an eerie silence.”
- “Music, there is no damn music which makes it get boring quicker.”
- “Also needs some kind of ambient soundtrack, something to break up the silence, otherwise it gets extremely boring.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant bugs and graphical glitches that disrupt gameplay, making it frustrating at times. However, some players found the experience enjoyable, especially when playing with friends, and noted that the glitches could lead to humorous moments. Overall, while there are issues with stability, the potential for improvement and fun in multiplayer settings is acknowledged.
- “The idea of this game is pretty good, but it's just very buggy and not very interesting to play.”
- “I've also managed to find some pretty painful graphical glitches that make the game unplayable, which is annoying when playing with friends.”
- “The game was buggy and it really disrupted the gameplay.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the random generation and various game modes that enhance replay value, others find it lacking after the initial playthrough due to limited content and repetitive mechanics. Despite its fun concept and occasional laughs, many reviewers suggest that the game could benefit from more diverse traps and improved maps to sustain long-term engagement.
- “There are several game formats and difficulty adjustments (such as a map which records trap discovery, or doesn't) so the game offers a fair bit of replay value.”
- “It offers incredible replay value, easy to understand strategy, plenty of laughs, and an awesome sci-fi atmosphere.”
- “The random generation of levels gives it great replayability with unexpected surprises.”
- “Very little replayability after you win the first time.”
- “The different game modes do very little to add replayability.”
- “It's fun and funny for a little while, but since it's not much more than random guessing a few quick decisions, it has almost no replay value despite being randomly generated...just too few trap types that (some of which) don't even matter that they are different since you aren't trying to survive them specifically but get them to activate and wait them out or run past them regardless of which trap it is.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its high-quality graphics and sound design, creating an intense and immersive experience reminiscent of the "Cube" horror films. While some players note a lack of online activity, the overall ambiance is described as intriguing and filled with a sense of foreboding, making it particularly enjoyable in a social setting. Despite its simplicity, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's replay value and enjoyment.
- “The graphics and sound design were top-notch and added to the intense atmosphere.”
- “It offers incredible replay value, easy to understand strategy, plenty of laughs, and an awesome sci-fi atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere and general idea is obviously taken from the cube horror film series.”
- “Atmosphere 4/10”
- “The atmosphere and general idea is obviously taken from the Cube horror film series.”
- “If you're a fan of the Cube movies at all, you'll enjoy the very literal and deceptively simple atmosphere the game gives you.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game's optimization has received largely negative feedback, with users noting significant performance issues, including lag and slow speeds, particularly on older devices. Many describe it as poorly optimized for its simplistic design, likening it to a basic 3D minesweeper, while a few mention impressive graphics that still struggle with performance. Overall, players are hoping for improvements in future updates.
- “Impressive graphics but also seems to be well optimized.”
- “Poorly optimized, with lots of unnecessary effects like bloom (aka vaseline on screen) for being what it is - essentially a cube game with one room. Think about it.”
- “Pretty much a hardware-dependent game, of which there are hundreds out there that are much better optimized and presented.”
- “Also, this game is terribly optimized.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, often feeling like a long slog through repetitive tasks without much excitement or engagement. While the game may initially seem appealing, the novelty quickly wears off, leading to a lack of motivation to continue playing.
- “After nearly 18 hours of grinding through what seemed like an endless barrage of mundane achievements, I'm relieved to finally be finished.”
- “But be warned: the journey to completion may be more tedious than thrilling.”
- “Boring, tedious, and without any of the anxiety, anticipation, or intelligence that goes along with the movie 'Cube', which this game is fashioned after.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting its touching narrative about a character with a mental disability living in isolation. The experience evokes feelings of attachment and even disappointment, as one user shared their emotional reaction to the game's unavailability on their platform. Overall, the emotional depth of the story resonates with players, making it a memorable experience.
- “Half Dead is a touching story of a man/woman who suffers from a mental disability and lives their life mostly secluded in a mental institution.”
- “So I found this game and it looked like something my friends and I could play and have a giggle, so I bought, sold a bunch of my cards, and saved up. Luckily, I only bought it for myself and one of my friends. Then I found out it isn't out on Mac, and I'll be completely honest, I cried a little on the inside.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviews indicate that the game includes microtransactions that allow players to purchase additional features, such as extra legs and punches, enhancing gameplay by enabling more interactions with traps.
- “The game is riddled with microtransactions that feel necessary to progress, making it frustrating for players who don't want to spend extra money.”
- “I feel like the monetization strategy is designed to push players into spending more, rather than enjoying the game.”
- “It's disappointing to see that so many features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to fully experience the game without spending extra.”