Hand of Doom

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 375 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Hand of Doom Game Cover
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In "Hand of Doom" , play as an apprentice wizard in servitude to a powerful sorcerer, tasked with slaying Doomlords across realities to prevent universal disaster. With the master of death resurrected, choose to honor your contract by slaughtering or befriending shackled entities, shaping your story's outcome. This immersive RPG experience offers depth and flexibility in your choices and consequences.

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Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 375 reviews
gameplay53 positive mentions
stability26 negative mentions
  • Diverse collection of horror games with unique concepts and styles.
  • Standout titles like 'Summer Night' and 'The Pony Factory' showcase creativity and polish.
  • Affordable price for the amount of content and support for indie developers.
  • Some games feel rushed or unfinished, lacking polish and depth.
  • Titles like 'Rotgut' and 'Carthanc' are frustrating and detract from the overall experience.
  • Inconsistent quality across the collection, with some games being tedious or boring.
  • gameplay187 mentions

    The gameplay across the reviewed titles is notably inconsistent, with many players finding it either confusing, slow, or frustrating due to bugs and unclear mechanics. While some games offer intriguing concepts and engaging atmospheres, they often lack depth or polish, leading to a mix of basic mechanics and tedious experiences. However, a few standout titles are praised for their unique gameplay elements and potential for expansion, suggesting that while the collection has its flaws, there are moments of creativity worth exploring.

    • “The gameplay is unique and the visuals gave me a cool sense of nostalgia.”
    • “The gameplay loop doesn't overstay its welcome; the enemies and scenarios are varied enough not to become boring with quite a simplistic premise.”
    • “I enjoyed this game quite a bit, as I found the gameplay super interesting and the story intriguing.”
    • “Gameplay is almost non-existent and that's the reason I wanted to play this game.”
    • “The gameplay is mostly sloppy first-person platforming that's extremely frustrating.”
    • “The gameplay is slow and monotonous and the survival mechanics are tedious.”
  • graphics142 mentions

    The graphics in these games are a mixed bag, with many reviewers praising unique art styles and nostalgic aesthetics reminiscent of early PC and PS1 games, while others criticize performance issues and graphical glitches that hinder gameplay. Some titles feature visually appealing designs that enhance the atmosphere, but often at the cost of optimization, leading to lag and frustration. Overall, while the aesthetics can be captivating and immersive, they frequently come with technical drawbacks that detract from the overall experience.

    • “The art style of this game was a joy to behold, and the short soundtrack was ethereal.”
    • “Haunted PSX graphics paired with vibrant pinks and greens makes for one hell of a looker.”
    • “The visuals are really unique and great; I thought the method of casting spells was pretty funny.”
    • “These are very quickly produced and most are full of bugs, graphical glitches, weird balancing, etc. If you are okay with that, and you want to enjoy ten little bites of horror, this is your jam.”
    • “This is a really badly made Unity map with some random stuff thrown here and there. The lighting of the map is atrocious, there are graphical glitches everywhere, and it's also really buggy. I didn't even get the actual ending of the game due to a bug.”
    • “The graphics are really rough and it's in black and white, so even the art style can't save it.”
  • story130 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its intriguing concepts and world-building, while others find it vague, predictable, or lacking depth. Notable highlights include a charming narrative in "Mr. Bucket Told Me To" and a strong twist in "Outsiders," but many titles suffer from minimal storytelling or gameplay that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while some stories are engaging and well-developed, others leave players wanting more clarity and substance.

    • “Loved the world built with such a short game.”
    • “A simple, charming story about a lone shipwrecked man on an island, surviving and holding onto what is left of his sanity.”
    • “The theme and story is spectacular.”
    • “The end could be seen from the first 30 seconds, but it’s very little you can do about this straight track of a story.”
    • “All the textures and objects are just slapped together, all the sceneries glitch out, nothing has collision, the sound design is awful, there's no story, and you literally walk down a train tunnel with nothing in it for like 8 minutes straight, nothing happens aside from some monkepilled JPGs that fade slowly onto the screen then fade out, then you walk back, and nothing happens.”
    • “Glitches, no sense of direction, no story at all, no interesting gameplay, literally nothing about this is good.”
  • atmosphere87 mentions

    The reviews highlight a strong emphasis on atmosphere across various games, with many praising the effective use of lighting, sound design, and unique visual styles to create tension and immersion. Titles like "Pony Factory" and "Outsiders" are frequently noted for their chilling and engaging atmospheres, while others, such as "Shatter," are recognized for their unsettling music and world-building. However, some games are critiqued for having great atmosphere but lacking in gameplay depth, leading to a mixed reception overall.

    • “The atmosphere is phenomenal and I felt a chill as I explored the game.”
    • “This game had the best atmosphere of the bunch and the audio mixing was phenomenal in making you scared with sound alone.”
    • “The black and white color palette creates an amazing atmosphere, causing enemies to blend easily in the area, which can plunge you into darkness as you switch to your weapon to defend yourself.”
    • “Oh also there's these laser enemies making annoying noises chasing after you and they're just frustrating and ruin the atmosphere immediately.”
    • “In addition, despite the game's effective atmosphere and intrigue, the payoff is absolute garbage, not only making the whole experience unsatisfying but also retrospectively spoiling the entire experience of the game.”
    • “It ruins its own atmosphere almost right away, and holds no emotional investment.”
  • music38 mentions

    The music in the game has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising its ethereal quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere. While some found the intense music distracting or annoying, others highlighted specific tracks, particularly the end song, as beautifully composed and emotionally impactful. Overall, the soundtrack is often described as a standout feature that complements the game's visuals and setting effectively.

    • “The art style of this game was a joy to behold, and the short soundtrack was ethereal.”
    • “The song at the end was beautifully written; I teared up.”
    • “A visually pleasing PS1 era art style that, when paired with the soundtrack, makes for a great atmosphere.”
    • “I found the intense music to be annoying, and the game rushes you with oxygen-warning voice lines at scripted locations to give you an artificial sense of urgency.”
    • “The audio and music is okay...when I can hear it.”
    • “You walk slow-as-dirt down a straight, glitchy, flickery tunnel with MS Paint graffiti and no music or ambience while an occasional unedited stock photo of a person fades onto the screen.”
  • humor34 mentions

    The humor in these games is often highlighted as a standout feature, with many players appreciating the blend of comedy and horror. Titles like "Mr. Bucket Told Me To" and "Outsiders" are noted for their quirky, surreal narratives and unexpected funny twists, particularly in their endings. While some games may lean more towards humor than horror, the overall consensus is that the comedic elements enhance the experience, making for a memorable and entertaining gameplay.

    • “I spent the most time with this game out of any other on this list, and while the puzzle can be a bit unintuitive and frustrating at first, the hilarious ending made it all worth it.”
    • “Mr. Bucket Told Me To is a cute, funny story about a man stranded on an island.”
    • “It perfectly blends humor with scares, and honestly even gets pretty depressing.”
  • stability26 mentions

    The stability of the games in this anthology is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, graphical glitches, and overall poor performance. Many players experienced game-breaking issues that hindered their ability to complete the games, leading to frustration and disappointment. While some titles showed potential, the overwhelming consensus is that the games are poorly executed and riddled with technical problems.

    • “This is a really badly made Unity map with some random stuff thrown here and there; the lighting of the map is atrocious, there are graphical glitches everywhere, and it's also really buggy. I didn't even get the actual ending of the game due to a bug.”
    • “The former, rotgut, is a barely finished experience; extremely buggy and lacking any real narrative or mechanical drive. It feels almost like a Unity asset flip and served as a harsh reminder just how quickly the games for this anthology were turned around.”
    • “It's a buggy mess; I couldn't tell whether certain things were glitches or 'scares', and I could not get the game to end properly.”
  • grinding21 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of these games to be overwhelmingly tedious and frustrating, often describing the gameplay as slow, monotonous, and lacking in rewarding experiences. Many reviews highlight issues such as unclear objectives, excessive backtracking, and the need for pixel hunting, which detract from the enjoyment and immersion. While some games have creative elements, the repetitive nature of the tasks often leads to a tiring and unenjoyable experience.

    • “It was just really hard but also tedious, so it didn't feel rewarding enough to justify the difficulty.”
    • “Sadly, it is required to have you go through it in order to finish the collection, per tradition of doing a 100% completion, so be prepared for a tedious, boring journey.”
    • “I found it tedious, boring, and the fact that you can’t progress much without pixel hunting is beyond boring.”
  • optimization15 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with many users reporting significant performance issues that hinder gameplay, particularly during platforming and other mechanics. While some players found workarounds, such as disabling shadows, the general consensus is that the game suffers from poor coding and lacks quality control, leading to frustrating experiences. Despite these shortcomings, a few players still enjoyed certain aspects of the game, indicating that optimization remains a critical area for improvement.

    • “I understand it's the nature of these sorts of video game anthologies, but there really needs to be some sort of quality control to weed out some of the horrifically unoptimized, unfun, or downright unplayable games.”
    • “It runs a bit poorly performance-wise, but it has nice lighting effects either way.”
    • “Needs some optimization though.”
    • “Outsiders is not optimized well at all, but if you turn shadows completely off it runs fine.”
    • “You play as someone who just woke up with amnesia and is trying to escape from a house... this game deserves a very special award: the worst optimized game I have ever played in my life.”
    • “It is poorly optimized with no elements of any kind, horror or otherwise.”
  • emotional9 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is notably impactful, with some players praising its ability to evoke strong feelings and create a memorable experience despite limited resources. However, opinions are mixed, as others felt that certain elements detracted from the emotional engagement, leading to frustration rather than connection. Overall, the game demonstrates a capacity to elicit genuine emotional responses, though its execution may vary significantly among players.

    • “The emotional drive in this game is well directed, and I think this is one of the best games I've ever played in this collection.”
    • “The narrative and horror of this game is an emotional one, without spoiling.”
    • “Outsiders, a simple yet very effective game that actually gave me goosebumps and made me feel a sense of panic.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    The game offers solid replayability due to its multiple modes and straightforward mechanics, encouraging players to revisit it until they fully grasp its intricacies. Additionally, the game continues beyond completion, enhancing its replay value. Overall, players find it engaging and quick to pick up, contributing to its replay appeal.

    • “The game actually continues after you finish it, providing additional replay value.”
    • “The game actually continues on if you finish it, giving it some replay value.”
    • “There are multiple game modes, lending to replayability.”
    • “Certainly has some replay value and is pretty simple to learn.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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