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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.

Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
Half Dead screenshot
+5

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,880 reviews
gameplay56 positive mentions
stability24 negative mentions

  • Fun and engaging gameplay, especially when played with friends.
  • Unique concept inspired by the Cube movies, providing a tense atmosphere.
  • Affordable price point makes it accessible for casual gaming sessions.
  • Repetitive gameplay with limited variety in traps and rooms.
  • Multiplayer servers are often empty, reducing the game's appeal.
  • Lacks depth and content, making it less enjoyable for long play sessions.
  • gameplay
    172 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Half Dead" is characterized by its simple mechanics, primarily revolving around navigating rooms with traps using a shoe-throwing mechanic to test for danger. While the game can be entertaining, especially in multiplayer settings, many players find it repetitive and lacking in variety, leading to a quick loss of interest after a few hours. Overall, the concept is intriguing, but the limited gameplay options and underwhelming graphics detract from the experience.

    • “The gameplay is funny, intense, and just fun in general.”
    • “The gameplay is inherently simple but a fun time when playing with friends.”
    • “There are a few different variations of the gameplay, such as having a time limit to how long you are allowed to stay in a room, or guaranteed traps in every room (but some are guaranteed death while others are avoidable/escapable) and see how long you survive.”
    • “Half Dead is an interesting idea, but the lack of variety in traps and the repetitiveness of the gameplay quickly become boring.”
    • “Good idea, but the gameplay truly is crap.”
    • “While you can play cooperatively or competitively, the game's novelty wears off quickly due to its limited mechanics and repetitive gameplay.”
  • graphics
    126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals as clean and appealing, particularly for a low-cost title, while others criticize them as basic, glitchy, or below average for its release year. Many comments highlight the presence of graphical glitches and performance issues, especially on lower-end systems, but some players appreciate the game's aesthetic and lighting effects. Overall, while the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they are often deemed satisfactory for the gameplay experience.

    • “The graphics and sound design were top-notch and added to the intense atmosphere.”
    • “The graphics and lighting are absolutely beautiful for a £1.59 game, and it runs very smoothly on high-end PCs - however, an optimization update is probably in order for people with rigs lower down the spectrum.”
    • “Amazing grid styled puzzle gameplay with awesome graphics.”
    • “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 bad for such a small and easy game to make.”
  • humor
    100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised, particularly when played with friends, as it leads to numerous hilarious moments and unexpected deaths due to traps. Players find the comedic elements, such as funny enemy sounds and absurd situations, to be a significant highlight, 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, and the gameplay can become repetitive over time.

    • “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”
    • “Not funny”
  • story
    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect receives mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of a coherent narrative or backstory, despite some hints of inspiration from the film "Cube." While a few users appreciate the potential for a gripping tale involving survival and character depth, most agree that the absence of a structured story mode detracts from the overall experience. Suggestions for improvement include the addition of a more detailed narrative and interactive elements to enhance engagement.

    • “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
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant lack of background music, leading to an eerie silence that detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the quality of the music present in the menu, they feel that a more extensive musical score is needed to enhance emotional engagement and break the monotony. Overall, players express a desire for more ambient soundtracks and a music slider to improve gameplay.

    • “This game is well made, great music and graphics but most of all it's fun!”
    • “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
    • “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
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting significant bugs and graphical glitches that can disrupt gameplay and make it unplayable at times. While some users found the glitches amusing and manageable, others noted that they detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game shows potential for improvement if future updates address these issues.

    • “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
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the random generation of levels and various game modes that offer a degree of replay value, many feel that the content is limited and lacks depth, leading to diminished interest after the initial playthrough. Despite some fun elements and laughter, several reviews indicate that the game could benefit from more diverse traps and improved maps to enhance replayability.

    • “It offers incredible replay value, easy to understand strategy, plenty of laughs, and an awesome sci-fi atmosphere.”
    • “Very fun, lots of replayability due to random generation, and a great way to laugh and freak out with your friends.”
    • “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
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its intense graphics and sound design, creating a sense of foreboding reminiscent of the Cube horror film series. While some players find it interesting and atmospheric, others note that the online experience is lacking. Overall, it is best enjoyed in a party setting, especially for fans of the source material.

    • “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.”
    • “Atmosphere 4/10”
    • “The atmosphere and general idea is obviously taken from the cube horror film series.”
    • “The maze is single-storeyed, unlike that in cube, but the atmosphere is pretty similar.”
  • optimization
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received largely negative feedback, with many users noting significant performance issues, including lag and slow speeds, particularly on older devices. Critics highlight unnecessary graphical effects that detract from performance, comparing it unfavorably to better-optimized titles. While some players report decent performance on lower-end hardware, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements.

    • “Impressive graphics but also seems to be well optimized.”
    • “Great game... but laggy or slow on the performance speed.”
    • “Also, I have a pretty bad laptop, and have high FPS only while the game shows its logo, so I will wait for optimization too.”
    • “This game is 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.”
    • “It is quite literally a 3D poorly optimized minesweeper.”
    • “This game is terribly optimized.”
  • grinding
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and monotonous, often feeling like an endless slog through mundane achievements. Despite some initial appeal, the excitement quickly diminishes, leading to a sense of relief upon completion rather than satisfaction. Overall, the grinding experience is criticized for lacking the engaging elements that could have made it more enjoyable.

    • “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
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, particularly highlighting the poignant narrative of "Half Dead," which explores themes of mental disability and isolation. The personal investment in the game is evident, as some users share their disappointment over technical limitations, indicating a deep attachment to the experience. Overall, the emotional resonance of the story and the players' experiences contribute significantly to their engagement with the game.

    • “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 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.”
    • “I became emotionally attached to my shoes.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy includes microtransactions that allow players to purchase additional in-game abilities, such as extra legs for enhanced gameplay mechanics. This approach has sparked mixed reactions, with some players finding it amusing while others may view it as a cash grab.

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2h Median play time
3h Average play time
2-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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