Get on Steam"Husk" is a single-player horror action game set in the abandoned town of Shivercliff with a down-to-earth storyline focusing on violence and addiction. Inspired by classics like Silent Hill, it offers an immersive 90's climate, atmospheric soundtrack, and various monsters to fight. The game, powered by Unreal Engine 4, provides a classical survival horror experience with different locations and boss fights, lasting around 4-5 hours.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a spooky atmosphere and impressive environmental design, reminiscent of classic horror titles like Silent Hill and Alan Wake.
- The story, while not groundbreaking, is engaging enough to keep players interested, with some decent voice acting and a good soundtrack.
- Exploration is a key element, and the game offers a variety of locations to discover, enhancing the immersive experience.
- The gameplay suffers from technical issues, including bugs, poor enemy AI, and frustrating combat mechanics that detract from the overall experience.
- Many players found the pacing slow and tedious, particularly in repetitive environments like the hospital, leading to boredom.
- The game is criticized for its lack of meaningful interaction and puzzles, often feeling more like a walking simulator than a survival horror experience.
- story23 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its atmospheric setting and emotional depth conveyed through letters and monologues, while others criticize it for being predictable, poorly executed, and at times boring. Many found the narrative engaging enough to keep them hooked, but technical issues and a lack of compelling gameplay detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the story is seen as decent for an indie horror title, but it fails to reach the heights of its inspirations.
“I delight in immersing myself in the environment as well as indulging in its story.”
“The story is told mostly through written letters, self-monologue, and phone calls, which are a lot stronger voiced and actually convey emotion and have decent writing.”
“The story and horror elements are well done and kept surprising me.”
“Poor clone of Silent Hill, good atmosphere but bad gameplay and story.”
“A really good introduction and beautiful world to explore is severely let down by story, sound, AI, and a hospital level that would never end.”
“And finally the story itself falls way short of Silent Hill and is pretty predictable.”
- atmosphere21 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, effectively creating a creepy and lonely environment that enhances the overall experience. While the graphics and sound design contribute positively to this ambiance, some players note that the gameplay mechanics, particularly enemy encounters, detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite mixed opinions on the story and combat, the game's atmospheric elements are consistently highlighted as a strong point.
“I appreciated the atmosphere and setting, as it generally creeped me out, and it was nice that the game didn't rely on cheap jump scares.”
“Not surprising as this is an Unreal Engine game, the lighting and smoke effects are really good and provide a haunting atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is great; it has a very lonely, dark, sad feeling about it, and the way it is set up is excellent.”
“Spooky atmosphere of an abandoned city along with bugs and poor optimization.”
“Considering the game was released in 2017, you would think that they would at least have made enemy battles fun or even frightening, and not just a chore. The size is fairly hefty, taking up 13GB of hard drive space, which is not worth your time nor mine. It's a shame because the game actually plays really well; if only the devs had spent as much time on enemy fighting mechanics as they obviously have on building the atmosphere and the town itself, then the game would get a recommendation from me. But as it stands, the enemies are overpowered and can walk through barriers to attack.”
“It keeps an eerie atmosphere, making you feel extra vulnerable by giving you security blankets and then taking them from you at times when you want them the most.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the atmospheric and detailed environments created using Unreal Engine 4, while others criticize them as outdated and buggy. Many appreciate the game's ability to evoke a sense of mystery and tension, particularly in its varied settings, though technical issues detract from the overall experience for some. Overall, the graphics are seen as solid for an indie title, but opinions vary widely based on individual preferences and expectations.
“The game has the most beautiful and uncomfortably scary environment that I have seen since Alan Wake. It varies along the story as well, with caves, small towns, harbors, woods, and hospitals, and the graphics are amazing for an indie title.”
“Graphics (Unreal Engine 4): the very decent graphics, with attention to detail, reflected in diversified level design, fills the game with the right touch of mystery.”
“I really enjoyed the artwork and graphics, and I feel that a lot of work has been put into the game.”
“Omg this is one of the worst games I ever played, buggy enemies, graphics are way outdated and what starts as a story suddenly is nothing great.”
“Terrible graphics, boring gameplay, buggy mechanics - 2/10, don't waste your time.”
“Graphics are but one of a dozen elements to make a good game experience.”
- music10 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as beautiful and atmospheric, enhancing the overall experience, though it is used sparingly. While environmental sounds are noted to be somewhat low in volume, the soundtrack effectively ramps up during key moments, contributing positively to the game's mood. Overall, the combination of music and voice acting is well-received, adding depth to the gameplay.
“The soundtrack is beautiful, so are the voice actors, and just everything in this game screams 'atmosphere'... and as 'bad' as people make the combat, I'm an absolute noob at games and had no severe problems with it.”
“The music is perfect.”
“Thumbs up for voice acting and soundtrack.”
“Very brief soundtrack.”
“The music lacks variety and quickly becomes repetitive.”
“The soundtrack does not enhance the gameplay experience.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for relying on tedious mechanics such as looping levels and poorly designed enemy encounters, which detract from the overall experience. While the exploration and puzzle-solving elements are present, they are often overshadowed by glitches, unengaging combat, and a lack of innovation, leading to a disappointing impression despite a decent atmosphere. Overall, players find the gameplay to be frustrating and not worth the investment of time or storage space.
“I've seen let's plays of this game on YouTube, which is where I initially discovered the actual gameplay.”
“Gameplay: first person, main focus is clearly 'exploration' and solving easy puzzles (collect keys, restore power, search for pin codes, etc.), but with survival aspects.”
“Considering the game was released in 2017, you would think that they would at least have made enemy battles fun or even frightening, and not just a chore. The game actually plays really well, if only the devs had spent as much time on enemy fighting mechanics as they obviously have on building the atmosphere and the town itself.”
“I hate when devs use some cheap approaches to try and lengthen the gameplay like ridiculous mazes or looping levels.”
“Overall, the environment is pretty decent, but it wasn't engaging or unique enough to cause me to recommend it, and the mechanics of the game along with the glitches were too off-putting to be an enjoyable experience.”
“Terrible graphics, boring gameplay, buggy mechanics - 2/10, don't waste your time.”
- stability9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is significantly hampered by numerous bugs and glitches, including audio issues and unresponsive mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. Players have reported being stuck at various points due to these technical problems, indicating a lack of thorough testing prior to release. While some appreciate the artwork, the persistent stability issues overshadow the game's potential.
“Overall, the environment is pretty decent, but it wasn't engaging or unique enough to cause me to recommend it, and the mechanics of the game along with the glitches were too off-putting to be an enjoyable experience.”
“Still buggy, I'm currently stuck on a part where I need to open a door that won't open, but it says 'open' when I get close.”
“Some bugs and glitches that could've been easily prevented with a larger scale of testing, but overall not bad for being the second game of this indie developer.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including low framerates that detract from the experience. While there are various graphics settings available to help mitigate these problems, many users feel that the overall execution falls short, leading to a disappointing reception despite the intriguing atmosphere.
“There are a lot of settings to adjust the details of graphics quality, to avoid performance issues.”
“Spooky atmosphere of an abandoned city along with bugs and poor optimization.”
“Well, first of all, there are several performance-related issues, with the framerate often turning into a slideshow.”
“There are a lot of settings to adjust the details of graphics quality to avoid performance issues.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the absurdly quick gun draw and the comically janky appearance of the monsters, which detracts from any intended scare factor and instead elicits laughter.
“One funny element is how fast you bring the gun up; I mean, it is lightning fast.”
“When some monsters finally showed up, they turned out to be so hilariously janky that I lost any hope this game would ever get even remotely scary.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the monotonous task of finding keys, which can lead to boredom over time.
“It got boring and tedious after a while, especially with the repetition of finding keys.”
“The grinding feels endless and lacks variety, making it a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
“I found myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which really drained my enthusiasm for the game.”
