Horror Tales: The Wine
- July 30, 2021
- Carlos Coronado
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Horror Tales: The Wine" is a survival horror game set in a Mediterranean archipelago abandoned after a pandemic. Players must explore the forsaken city, solve puzzles, and evade a relentless stalker. The game features intense challenges and jumpscares, aimed at horror enthusiasts. Note: The developer has confirmed the presence of jumpscares but emphasizes that the game is designed for horror enthusiasts and offers a challenging experience with a memorable storyline.
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics and beautiful environments that enhance the overall experience.
- The story is intriguing and well-told through environmental storytelling and notes scattered throughout the game.
- The game offers a variety of accessibility options, allowing players to tailor their experience, including the ability to disable chase sequences.
- The puzzles can become repetitive, often relying on the same mechanics throughout the game.
- Chase sequences can be frustrating, with limited stamina for the protagonist making it difficult to escape while solving puzzles.
- Some players found the lack of clear direction and the need to read numerous notes for the story to be tedious.
- story120 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Horror Tales: The Wine" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its environmental storytelling and intriguing backstory, which unfolds through scattered notes and collectibles. While some found the narrative compelling and atmospheric, others criticized it for being overly reliant on text and lacking depth, leading to a somewhat predictable and unsatisfying conclusion. Overall, the game offers a unique horror experience, but its storytelling approach may not resonate with everyone.
“This game does such a good job at telling a story with the environment and notes, of course.”
“The backstory and lore are super interesting, and there are tons of things with this game that make it unique and not an average horror game.”
“The story is intriguing from the start and it never got boring.”
“The story is essentially one giant hook with a boring and cliché payoff that negates everything that occurred.”
“The story does not advance far from 'these winery people were assholes and a bunch of people got sick and were quarantined' until the literal epilogue.”
“While the backstory is fairly elaborate, there is barely any plot to the game.”
- gameplay57 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by exploration, light puzzles, and chase sequences, with a mix of mechanics that some players find engaging while others deem frustrating or simplistic. While the puzzles are generally well-designed and the level layout offers a semi-open world feel, the chase mechanics and inventory system have received criticism for being underdeveloped and occasionally overwhelming. Overall, the game provides a visually appealing experience with a compelling narrative, but it may leave players wanting more depth in gameplay mechanics.
“The gameplay involves exploration, some very light puzzles, finding collectibles, figuring the story out, and the chase sections, of course.”
“The puzzles are well balanced and well designed, and the level design is really well made; it gives you the illusion of a semi-open world even if the gameplay itself is linear.”
“Totally recommend giving it a try; it's not that scary in case you have problems with scary games. It's more like an interactive art piece with storytelling through notes and some gameplay puzzles.”
“I do applaud the decision to add a 'disable monster encounter' option post-release, although you shouldn't have to disable a major mechanic in your game to make it playable.”
“Inventory is unidimensional, you just need to find a key hanging in a wall to open a door nearby, very bad autosave checkpoints placement, and unfair cheap horror chase mechanics.”
“The gameplay is the one thing that leaves you longing for a bit more.”
- graphics51 mentions
- 78 % positive mentions
- 16 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and immersive quality, especially considering it was developed by a single person. Players highlight the stunning visuals, appealing art style, and well-designed environments, which contribute significantly to the overall experience. While some mention minor issues with lighting and model quality, the consensus is that the graphics are a standout feature, enhancing the game's atmosphere and storytelling.
“The graphics are wonderful and immersive; the fact that this game was created by just one person is outstanding! It's a horror game with cat collectibles... yes, I am really happy lol.”
“This game is maybe not exceptional, but it is very good nonetheless, especially for its stunning visuals (literally stunning, especially considering that they have been made by a single developer!), and its melancholic and pretty original story, that, together with the haunting and gloomy atmosphere, manages to suck you into an incredibly fascinating dark world.”
“Playing this game at full graphics setting is just amazing.”
“I understand what the developer was going for, but the wonderful environment and visuals cannot overshadow the lack of expertise in basically every other aspect of the game.”
“Overall, it is clear that expertise shows in the environments and art style, but fails in a lot of other areas.”
“Often poorly lit interiors (both aesthetically and in terms of visibility).”
- atmosphere37 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, haunting sound design, and immersive environments that effectively create a melancholic and oppressive mood. While some players appreciate the atmospheric elements and world-building, others feel that certain gameplay mechanics, like jump scares and collectibles, detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to draw players into a captivating dark world, despite some criticisms regarding the integration of horror elements.
“I adore the environment and atmosphere in this game, and in most locations I spent at least a minute just admiring the view.”
“The atmosphere is absolutely oppressive and beautiful.”
“It's able to maintain an interesting atmosphere, with cool environments, while also at the same time keeping its own originality and feel which in turn separates it from other similar games.”
“The scares are fairly mild, usually just some unexpected noises - but since they also feel pretty random, they don't contribute much to the atmosphere.”
“Jump scares do not fit the atmosphere at all, and distract me from the game.”
“Sound design wise it's decent, but I think some more ambient sounds might help the overall atmosphere; I kind of feel it was lacking in that area, the music is a bit uninspired as well in my opinion.”
- music11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of an original soundtrack that could have enhanced the immersive experience. While some found the sparse music contributed to a sense of isolation, others criticized the chase music for being overwhelming and detracting from important audio cues. Overall, there is a consensus that the game would benefit from a more varied and inspired musical score to better complement its atmosphere.
“On top of it all, the musical track that accompanies their giving chase amplifies the tension up to eleven.”
“The audio volume for effects and music can be set separately.”
“There was very little music in the game and it's unfortunate, because it could've greatly enhanced the overall immersive experience.”
“There is almost no music in the game, and I felt that this actually contributed to the atmosphere and enhanced the feeling of being a lonesome survivor exploring abandoned places.”
“Sound design wise it's decent, but I think some more ambient sounds might help the overall atmosphere; I kind of feel it was lacking in that area, the music is a bit uninspired as well, in my opinion.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that the grinding elements in the game, particularly the chase sequences combined with puzzle-solving, are perceived as tedious and frustrating rather than engaging. Players find the mechanics overly drawn out, with resets upon failure leading to a repetitive and irritating experience, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“The chase sequences where you also have to solve a matching puzzle are more tedious than tense. There's a menu option to disable being chased during them, but overall it's not a great game element.”
“Several of the drawn-out puzzle chases are comically tedious.”
“It wasn't too difficult to get through that scene, but it was unnecessarily tedious, especially since the creature can easily corner or stun-lock you in a way that you have no chance of getting away. When you die, the entire puzzle gets reset, including objects that you already applied and doors that you already opened.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed experience; while it features beautiful and heart-wrenching imagery that can leave players feeling devastated, the reliance on public notices and dry reports detracts from personal connection and character engagement. Some players find the gameplay mechanics, such as easy puzzles and tight spaces, to diminish the emotional impact, yet the overall immersive experience is still compelling for fans of indie walking simulators.
“Some of the ledges we had to negotiate and tight spaces we had to worm through made me feel more like an apparition than a body of substance.”
“Definitively worth a buy if you enjoy indie walking simulators with optional lore and beautiful, heart-wrenching imagery.”
“Before starting this review, be emotionally prepared to be devastated.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its impressive optimization, delivering a visually stunning experience with vibrant colors and flawless performance, even at high settings and resolutions. Reviewers noted the lack of performance issues, highlighting it as a standout example among indie horror games.
“I'm blown away by how good it looks, but with rock solid performance.”
“I am a little shocked by how good this game looks, with no performance issues on my end; better than most indies that use this engine.”
“It's visually a lot more colorful than I expected; it's a nice looking experience, and the game runs flawlessly even at 165Hz @ 1440p on epic settings. Nice to see an indie horror game with some optimization; it helps with immersion so much.”
“No performance issues on my end.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability, particularly through the photo mode unlocked after completion, though some players feel this approach creates a sense of "forced replayability." Despite this, many users found the emotional engagement and immersive experience compelling enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.
“The game took me about 3.5 hours to complete, and there is some replay value, given the photo mode you unlock after finishing the game.”
“I'm personally emotionally devastated after being engaged and immersed in the entire experience, and the best part is that it's replayable.”
“The game took me about 3.5 hours to complete, and while there is some replay value due to the photo mode you unlock after finishing, it feels limited.”
“I would have preferred if the game provided all the tools from the start; it feels like a 'forced replayability' design.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While some players report a smooth experience without bugs or glitches, others express disappointment due to the presence of glitches, impacting their overall recommendation of the game.
“A real shame about the glitches.”
“The game runs well and I didn't experience any bugs or glitches while playing, but I can't recommend this one.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is minimal, with players noting that the lore and world-building are primarily conveyed through basic text documents, resulting in a lack of immersive storytelling and character growth.
“The lore and world-building of this game is not immersive; it's mostly conveyed through simple text documents with little to no character development.”
“Character development feels shallow and uninspired, leaving me disconnected from the characters and their journeys.”
“I expected more depth in character arcs, but they are predictable and lack meaningful growth throughout the game.”
