Skip to main content

Hektor

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.
Hektor Game Cover
57%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
stability, grinding
60% User Score Based on 446 reviews
Critic Score 45%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

PCMac OSWindows
Hektor Game Cover

About

Hektor is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Rubycone and was released on March 13, 2015. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Experience terrors only madness can conjure in HEKTOR, a psychological horror game set in a world that literally moves with your every twist and turn.

Skip User Reviews

60%
Audience ScoreBased on 446 reviews
story28 positive mentions
stability17 negative mentions

  • Hektor features a unique mechanic where the environment shifts and changes, creating a disorienting and immersive experience.
  • The game has a strong atmosphere with effective sound design and voice acting that enhances the horror elements.
  • Players who enjoy psychological horror may find the unsettling themes and tension engaging.
  • The game relies heavily on cheap jump scares and lacks a cohesive story, making it hard to stay invested.
  • Many players experienced motion sickness due to the constant visual distortions and effects, which detracted from the gameplay.
  • The game is relatively short, with some players feeling it does not justify its price point given the limited content.
  • story
    110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with many players finding it confusing and poorly delivered, often relying on scattered notes and audio logs to convey its narrative. While some appreciate the intriguing and atmospheric elements, others criticize the lack of clarity and coherence, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the storytelling attempts to evoke psychological horror but often falls short, leaving players either captivated or bewildered.

    • “The story was interesting enough to capture my attention and I ended up playing the whole game through in one session.”
    • “The voice acting is fantastically done and part of what keeps the player so immersed in the harrowing events unfolding through the snippets of writings uncovered and a real sense of urgency, confusion, and terror can be heard with each increasingly dire development of the story.”
    • “Hektor is an amazing indie horror game that really draws you into the world and its story.”
    • “The experience leans more toward shock and confusion than structured storytelling.”
    • “The game is glitchy (graphics, settings not saving), the story makes no sense at all.”
    • “The story is so horribly delivered it may be incomprehensible; I'm not sure, it was too boring to even try to follow.”
  • graphics
    68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals and atmosphere as impressive and immersive, while others criticize them for being glitchy, bland, or poorly optimized. Many users report issues with graphical glitches and a lack of variety in environments, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, while some find the graphics to enhance the horror experience, others feel they detract from gameplay due to technical problems and uninspired design.

    • “The visuals are great and really set the tone.”
    • “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.”
    • “The game seems to revolve around distorting otherwise normal graphics for the sake of distorting it - it doesn't add to the gameplay whatsoever.”
    • “Slow game, old blurry annoying graphics, very few hints, kind of boring after 30 minutes of opening stupid doors.”
  • atmosphere
    67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its creepiness and immersive qualities, with many players noting its effective use of sound design and visual elements to create tension and unease. While some found the atmosphere to be inconsistent or lacking in cohesion, the overall consensus highlights a strong, dark ambiance that enhances the horror experience, reminiscent of classic titles like Amnesia. However, a few reviewers mentioned that the atmosphere could become repetitive or overly dark, potentially detracting from engagement.

    • “The atmosphere of the game is creepy as hell and is very dark most of the time.”
    • “The echoing of unnerving metal scrapes in the distance, the buzz and crackle of old and failing light fixtures all work together to create a heavy atmosphere that constantly builds tension only to all explode in your face with every twist of the plot and your psyche.”
    • “This game has done a fantastic job at creating a truly creepy atmosphere.”
    • “While the atmosphere has its moments, the lack of cohesion made it hard to stay invested.”
    • “The environment is empty, and while there's atmosphere, more detail is badly needed as it's too generic and bland.”
    • “Neither do games that are all about the long drawn out creepy atmospheres that eventually amount to nothing.”
  • gameplay
    64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Gameplay in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and frustrating due to nonsensical mechanics, repetitive environments, and a lack of clear objectives. While some appreciate the innovative concept of shifting hallways and the insanity mechanic, others criticize the execution, noting that it leads to disorientation and nausea rather than engaging gameplay. Overall, the game struggles with balancing its intriguing ideas against clunky controls and a lack of meaningful progression, resulting in a generally unsatisfying experience.

    • “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.”
    • “The core gameplay mechanic of the map being a constantly shifting, non-Euclidean space works very well at conveying dementia, often too well.”
    • “The random and deliberately confusing nature of the ever-changing hallways around you and the constant transformation of the mysterious facility is an incredibly innovative mechanic for the genre.”
    • “The progression, the mechanics, the puzzles... it is tedious.”
    • “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?”
    • “Hektor's procedurally-generated shifting rooms ultimately hurts the gameplay more than it helps it.”
  • music
    29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and tension, with many reviewers noting its chilling and professionally orchestrated quality. It effectively complements the horror elements, featuring creepy sound effects and voice acting that contribute to a deeply immersive experience. While some mention the repetition of tracks, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack is a standout feature that significantly elevates the game's psychological horror vibe.

    • “First of all, the music fits really well, which also helps with the tension, not to mention the addition of creepy voices to taunt you along your travels.”
    • “The beautifully orchestrated soundtrack is instantly chilling and ominous, worming its way through your ears and into your mind where you can feel every sharp note of the violin affecting your psyche.”
    • “Let me start this review off by saying this game has wonderful atmosphere and music.”
    • “And the music is so suitably depressing (and professionally recorded), I assumed it was simply canned music from some licensed collection.”
    • “And the music was repeated throughout the entire game.”
    • “Its music and art assets are frequently recycled throughout the entire game.”
  • stability
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous graphical glitches and bugs that hinder gameplay, such as getting stuck on objects and broken achievements. Players frequently report needing to restart the game to progress due to these glitches, which also include issues with collectibles and level design. Overall, the game's optimization is poor, leading to a frustrating experience marred by persistent technical problems.

    • “The game has plenty of glitches; most of them are of graphical nature, and we can get stuck in objects (just like the monster).”
    • “Optimisation in this one is bad, and the overall game is buggy.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unnecessarily prolonged, with repetitive mechanics and unclear progression leading to frustration. While the initial experience may be engaging, it quickly devolves into a monotonous cycle of backtracking and confusion, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

    • “But I cannot recommend it, as it is tedious and needlessly long.”
    • “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).”
    • “It's intriguing for the first 10-15 minutes, after which it becomes tedious as there's no real indicator to the jigsaw's pattern.”
  • optimization
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with users reporting consistently low frame rates (25-30 fps) regardless of settings, sluggish controls, and various technical issues such as stuttering, crashes, and unresponsive settings. Many players noted that the game requires a high-end PC to run adequately, which is surprising given its visual quality, leading to frustration and an inability to progress. A small minority, however, claimed to have a smooth experience, indicating a potential inconsistency in performance across different systems.

    • “+ controls are fine, so is the optimization, runs maxed out with no problems”
    • “All that will horrible optimization, all game I have around 25-30 fps no matter what settings I use, bad optimization.”
    • “It really looked like an interesting game but couldn't even play it long enough to get past the first area. Like others have pointed out, it's very poorly optimized. Controller support? Sure, but full support? Not at all. Had trouble just making the settings stick; I would change something, say resolution, click apply, go back, and nothing happened.”
    • “I thought it would be mediocre stuff from an indie developer, but the controls are sluggish. It needs quite a good computer to run properly (I am speaking about that compared to the visual quality; it is very, very unoptimized).”
  • humor
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is largely unintentional, with players finding the poor animations and repetitive audio more amusing than frightening. Many reviews highlight that the supposed horror elements often lead to laughter rather than scares, making the game feel more funny than spooky. Overall, the comedic aspects stem from the game's bugs and absurd monster designs, which detract from its intended horror experience.

    • “The first monster I encountered made me laugh because its terrible animations were the truly scary part.”
    • “This game is so funny.”
    • “Their presence is at best an irritating encounter, and at worst you might end up laughing in their face, especially when you see their ridiculous transition from person into a reddish spectre.”
  • emotional
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players highlight the emotional impact of scripted events in games, noting that these moments create unforgettable experiences that enhance the overall enjoyment. While some express feelings of fear and unease, leading to physical reactions like nausea, others find themselves deeply moved, even to the point of tears, showcasing the powerful emotional engagement that well-crafted games can evoke.

    • “I admit I'm a fan of well-implemented scripted events (such as our first meeting with Sarevok in Baldur's Gate or when we jump into the elevator in Dead Space after being attacked by the Necromorphs for the first time), but everyone should admit it: these key moments are what make single-player games an unforgettable experience, and this movie-like emotional sensation is the reason why we like to play computer games.”
    • “When I ran this game for the first time, bad models made me cry.”
    • “Yash is a very scary game; I cried in a corner when a monster jumpscared me, but I'm very good at this game, so I rate it 10/10.”
  • replayability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game has limited replayability, with many players feeling that once the story is completed, there is little incentive to play again. While some may find value in pursuing achievements, the overall consensus is that the game lacks depth for multiple playthroughs, leading to disappointment among users.

    • “As for replayability, there are multiple paths and choices that encourage you to play through again.”
    • “The game offers a variety of endings and challenges, making it worth replaying to experience everything.”
    • “Short, finished in less than 4 hours, but there is some replayability if you want to get all achievements.”
    • “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.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is criticized for being underwhelming and poorly executed, with players feeling a lack of meaningful connection to the characters. The experience is described as unnecessarily prolonged, leading to confusion rather than 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 always seem to know where you are.”
    • “The character arcs feel rushed and underdeveloped, leaving players with little emotional investment in their journeys.”
    • “Despite the potential for rich storytelling, the character development feels shallow and fails to engage players on a deeper level.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy is perceived as potentially manipulative, with some users feeling conflicted about the impact of low pricing and advertising on their experience.

    • “I can't decide whether she hates me or whether she fell for the advertising and $0.99 price tag.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
    • “It's frustrating that so many features are locked behind paywalls, which ruins the overall experience.”
Skip Critic Reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy Hektor

3h Median play time
4h Average play time
1-7h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Hektor
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Hektor is a action adventure game with horror theme.

Hektor is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Hektor.

Hektor was released on March 13, 2015.

Hektor was developed by Rubycone.

Hektor has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Hektor is a single player game.

Similar games include Visage, Blair Witch, Layers of Fear, Home Sweet Home, The Beast Inside and others.