Hektor
- March 13, 2015
- Rubycone
- 3h median play time
Hektor's level design mind games are cool, but its 90 minutes of jump scares would be better spent on so many other horror games.
Get on Steam"Hektor" is a single-player Horror Action game with a good plot and impressive graphics, but held back by numerous bugs. As a former research subject, you must escape a shifting, monster-filled facility in Greenland, using pills to manage your psychosis and procedurally generated corridors adding to the fear. The eerie atmosphere and dark past of HEKTOR create a haunting, immersive experience.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a unique premise with shifting rooms that creates a disorienting and immersive experience.
- The atmosphere is creepy and the sound design is excellent, contributing to genuine scares.
- The story, while vague, has intriguing elements that keep players engaged and wanting to uncover more.
- The monster mechanics are poorly implemented, making encounters frustrating rather than scary.
- The game is short, lasting only about 2-3 hours, which many players feel is not worth the price.
- Gameplay can be confusing and repetitive, leading to feelings of ennui rather than tension or fear.
- story111 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its intriguing and deep narrative, while others find it confusing, vague, and poorly executed. Many note that understanding the plot often requires external resources, as the gameplay mechanics and glitches detract from the storytelling experience. Overall, while there are elements of a compelling horror narrative, the execution leaves much to be desired, leading to a sense of frustration among players.
“Furthermore, the story is so open-ended that I'll certainly be returning to play this again at some point to try and understand it better.”
“It has a deep story, clever level progression, and is darn creepy too!”
“The story is really amazing if you ask me.”
“The game is glitchy (graphics, settings not saving), the story makes no sense at all.”
“It's really hard to understand why you are in this facility, etc. You have to read on the internet to get the core of the story.”
“It has a nonsensical story that is neither as sophisticated as it thinks it is, nor as interesting as it tries to be.”
- atmosphere71 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently described as intensely creepy and immersive, effectively creating a sense of suspense and dread that enhances the horror experience. Players appreciate the dark, claustrophobic settings and atmospheric sound design, which contribute to a chilling ambiance that keeps them on edge. While some note that the pacing can be slow, many feel that this only adds to the overall atmospheric tension, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The story, taking place during the 1950s apparently, has a great Cold War atmosphere that history buffs like me will love; indeed, this added so much to the experience and I loved it.”
“This game has done a fantastic job at creating a truly creepy atmosphere.”
“When played at night, by yourself, with headphones it will freak you out, but only if you let yourself become immersed in the atmosphere (with great sound and good graphics it's not hard to do this).”
“Hektor is an interesting game with a very well put together atmosphere and concept; however, what it makes up for in looks, it completely lacks in playability.”
“Furthermore, even though the monster might not be chasing you all the time, the eerie and terrifying atmosphere and sound effects make it seem like they're behind every corner, which frankly scares the hell out of me.”
“Neither do games that are all about the long drawn out creepy atmospheres that eventually amount to nothing.”
- gameplay64 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Hektor is characterized by its unpredictable and dynamic mechanics, which aim to convey a sense of madness through non-euclidean spaces and an "insanity" mechanic that distorts the player's vision. However, many players find the mechanics confusing and frustrating, with issues such as nonsensical progression, repetitive level designs, and a lack of clarity in controls detracting from the overall experience. While some appreciate the horror elements and challenge, the execution of these ideas often leaves players feeling disoriented and disengaged.
“I screamed out loud at one point and I think the key to this game's horror is its unpredictability; so many horror games, even the greats like Amnesia, can become all too predictable once you know how the game mechanics work, and this breaks the illusion of the game world.”
“That never happened to me in Hektor because the gameplay is so dynamic that I never knew what to expect.”
“The mechanics of having a lighter with unlimited fuel and a torch with limited battery create a great dilemma... do you stay with a very short range of vision and end up running into a creature or do you use the torch to see further ahead?”
“The mechanics with the insanity, the changing hallways, and the predator that chases you don't make enough tangible sense for them to be stimulating and motivating.”
“Gameplay is nauseating; the more 'scared' your character gets, the more the screen blurs and distorts, causing headaches and nausea.”
“Hektor's procedurally-generated shifting rooms ultimately hurts the gameplay more than it helps it.”
- graphics54 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the stunning visuals and atmospheric effects, while others criticize the unoptimized performance leading to glitches and blurriness. Many noted that the graphics can enhance the horror experience, but issues like frame rate drops and inconsistent quality detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, while there are moments of impressive design, the graphical experience is often marred by technical problems.
“It's graphically stunning and doesn't resort to cheap jump scares.”
“From the sheer beauty of the graphics, to the suspense of not knowing what that sound around the corner is (or if it's even real), this game will blow you away.”
“The graphics are crisp and clean; I was never confused about what anything was appearance-wise with the exception of the can-shaped objects.”
“While I would like to give this game a better review, the visuals at one point in the game became so unbearable I had to stop the game while I was streaming.”
“I also had to turn down the graphic settings to make the game run smoother, which just made everything even more blurry, so that didn't help much.”
“Anyway, the story is meh, the graphics are okay (the game is very unoptimized, I got ugly FPS drops on a PC which can run twice as modern games way better) the gameplay is annoying.”
- music36 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its professional quality and ability to create a suitably eerie atmosphere, enhancing the overall horror experience. Many players noted that the soundtracks effectively complement the game's themes, with well-executed voice acting and sound effects that contribute to the immersive ambiance. However, some found the repetitive use of certain music and sound assets to be a drawback, though the overall impact of the music remains highly regarded.
“The music really fits and sets the mood of the game.”
“Let me start this review off by saying this game has wonderful atmosphere and music.”
“The use of sound and music is effective, though I have to say that the trippy, tilting screen effect throughout the entirety of the game gets a little annoying.”
“Its music and art assets are frequently recycled throughout the entire game.”
“After having the orchestrated music playing and then to stop, it really creeps you out.”
- stability18 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous glitches, bugs, and freezes that hinder gameplay progression. Players have reported broken achievements, unreachable collectibles, and instances where they became trapped or fell through the world, necessitating frequent restarts. Overall, the game's stability is described as problematic from the very beginning, impacting the overall experience.
“I had to close and restart the game several times to allow myself to progress due to glitches; for instance, once I got trapped on the wrong side of an NPC and there was just nothing I could do.”
“Game is buggy and broken from the first act.”
“Then there's the glitches, like being unable to interact with in-game items that are necessary for you to proceed further, causing you to have to reload your game.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with players noting that once the story is completed and the mechanics are understood, there is little incentive to play again. Many express disappointment in the absence of new content or challenges that would encourage multiple playthroughs.
“There is no replay value to the game, as once you've beaten it and figured out what's going on (as best you can), there's no incentive to play through again.”
“But when you finish the game and start all over... well for me it has no replay value.”
“No, and I'm disappointed that I can't :( ... 'One Night' is more playable than this.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization, with players experiencing significant issues such as sluggish controls, frequent FPS drops, and various technical glitches like stuttering and crashes. Despite being run on capable hardware, the game's performance is deemed unacceptable compared to its visual quality, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.
“The controls are sluggish, it needs quite a good computer to run properly; compared to the visual quality, it is very, very unoptimized.”
“The game is very unoptimized; I experienced ugly FPS drops on a PC that can run modern games much better.”
“If you're into constant stuttering, loss of sound, main menu crashing, random permanent black screens, and having to utilize Windows Task Manager to force quit the game, then this is the game for you!”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its bugs and the absurdity of its monsters, which many players find more amusing than frightening. While initial encounters can be shocking, the repetitive audio and comical transformations of enemies lead to laughter rather than fear as the game progresses. Overall, the humor is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the unintentional comedy while others find it frustrating.
“The first time you encounter one of these characters is a decently shocking experience, but towards the later part of the game, their presence is at best an irritating encounter. At worst, you might end up laughing in their face, especially when you see their ridiculous transition from person into a reddish specter.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is criticized for being ineffective and lacking depth, with players feeling disconnected from the characters. The experience is described as unnecessarily prolonged, leading to confusion rather than meaningful engagement.
“Character development and connection misses its mark, and what should probably be a 30-minute experience is thinly stretched to a 2-hour confusing roller coaster of level design and encounters with AI that just kind of always know where you are.”
“Character development feels shallow and unengaging, leaving players disconnected from the characters and their journeys.”
“The lack of meaningful character progression makes it hard to invest in the story or care about the outcomes.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game initially engaging due to its unique shifting and looping corridors, but this novelty quickly turns into frustration and tedium as repetitive tasks force them to revisit locations unnecessarily.
“What is unique about this game is that it's constantly shifting/looping corridors, which is interesting and perhaps even fun at first, but becomes annoying and tedious later on in the game (especially when you know what you must do, but the game thinks you need to visit that location for the 5th time).”
