Inside the Backrooms
- June 20, 2022
- MrFatcat
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Inside the Backrooms" is a psychological horror game where you explore the mysterious and maze-like "Backrooms," a never-ending labyrinth of monotonous rooms. The game features permadeath and procedurally generated levels, adding to the sense of isolation and fear. Your goal is to find the nine missing pages of a mysterious book that may be your only way out, while avoiding the deadly creatures that lurk in the shadows.
PC
Windows
Cloud
NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Reviews
- gameplay672 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Inside the Backrooms" has received mixed reviews, with players highlighting both its potential and significant flaws. While some enjoy the cooperative puzzle-solving elements and the atmosphere, many criticize the repetitive mechanics, frustrating respawn system, and various bugs that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers an intriguing concept but suffers from execution issues that can lead to a tedious and frustrating gameplay loop.
“The thrill of getting lost together in the maze, combined with the excitement of facing down nightmarish creatures, creates a gameplay loop that’s both challenging and enjoyable.”
“The game offers exciting gameplay, a variety of enemies and items, as well as a great atmosphere.”
“Inside the backrooms is a horror multiplayer game mixed with different mechanics that will make you spend an intense night with friends.”
“Bugs, questionable design choices, and just plain not fun mechanics.”
“The game itself is very stretched, the mechanic used is that areas that should be counted as chapters are not saved, game is only saved when you finish the entire chapter, so there could be 4 difficult parts in it and the game would only be saved after doing all 4 of them.”
“The gameplay experience very quickly devolves from horror to boredom or frustration.”
- humor326 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The humor in this game is predominantly highlighted as a source of enjoyment, especially when played with friends, leading to numerous hilarious moments and reactions during gameplay. Players find the combination of horror and comedy effective, with many noting that the game's absurdities and the antics of friends amplify the fun, making it a memorable experience. Overall, the game is described as both funny and scary, with a strong recommendation for multiplayer play to fully appreciate its comedic elements.
“It's super fun and hilarious to play with friends, would not recommend to play alone.”
“Watching my friends get chased by entities while I'm hiding in a locker is hilarious.”
“This game is horrifying and hilarious.”
“Level fun was not funny...”
“Level fun was not funny...”
- graphics314 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing them as subpar, buggy, and poorly optimized, often comparing them unfavorably to mobile games. However, some users appreciate the minimalist aesthetic and atmospheric design, noting that it effectively contributes to the game's eerie ambiance. Overall, while there are glimpses of potential in the visuals, significant improvements are needed to enhance the gaming experience.
“A great deal of love clearly went into the visuals, making the player feel lost as they should in the backrooms.”
“The graphics are great, only thing I would wish for is a FPS cap above 120.”
“The graphics and sound design are great, the story is all it needs to be.”
“Holy shit this game is so ass do not buy the graphics are terrible the animations terrible everything is so bad one of the worst backrooms games I've ever played in my life. This game is literally worse than a mobile game; the graphics are that bad and don't even get me started on the mirrors in this game. The mirrors are more blurry than a Nintendo 3DS. Don't waste your money on this, it's horrible and buggy.”
“Overall, this game is truly a bad game, with bad graphics, very bad optimization, and non-existent VR support.”
“This game was not fun, terrible graphics, botched gameplay, and some stages made literally no sense.”
- stability290 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Players frequently encounter issues such as unresponsive controls, invisible objects, and frustrating enemy AI, leading to a generally unenjoyable experience. While some find moments of fun amidst the chaos, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is currently too unstable to recommend.
“Not very buggy, although sometimes I found that player models would glitch out and pieces of their clothing or hair would go missing for a few frames.”
“Not very buggy, although sometimes I found that player models would glitch out and pieces of their clothing or hair would go missing for a few frames.”
“There are multiple instances of backtracking through levels, buggy interactions with key items needed to progress, an overall unenjoyable time.”
“This game could be fun if it weren't a buggy mess.”
“The game is very buggy, when you exit a locker you do a 360, the camera is pretty shit, dunno its very unclear of what you are meant to do.”
- story276 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is often criticized for being minimal or poorly executed, with many players describing it as a series of repetitive fetch quests lacking a clear narrative. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements and potential for psychological depth, others find the overall experience frustrating due to bugs and a lack of engaging plot. Overall, the story seems to be a mixed bag, appealing to those who enjoy abstract interpretations but disappointing for players seeking a structured narrative.
“Progressing through the story has me on edge.”
“Very intricate and enthralling story.”
“The combination of atmospheric storytelling, cooperative gameplay, and the thrill of encountering various monsters makes the game a standout option within the backrooms genre.”
“The game does not offer much in the way of backstory or lore, which can make it harder for players to become invested in the world or its inhabitants.”
“There is little to no plot and the cheap ambiance isn't a form of 'horror', just an environment.”
“The ending cutscene itself was also kind of disappointing as it literally just plays one of the most overused cliches that's used in writing whenever the creator doesn't know what they're doing and needs to fill a plot hole.”
- atmosphere246 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively capturing feelings of isolation, suspense, and existential dread. Many players appreciate the sound design and visual elements that enhance the overall experience, although some note that the atmosphere can diminish during certain gameplay segments or in multiplayer modes. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to create a chilling ambiance that keeps players on edge, making it a standout in the backrooms genre.
“From the moment you step into this surreal realm, you're immediately enveloped in an atmosphere of eerie mystery and existential dread.”
“Its ability to immerse players in an atmosphere of chilling uncertainty, coupled with its relentless pursuit of terror, sets it apart as a masterpiece in the realm of first-person horror experiences.”
“The visual and auditory design created a beautifully ominous atmosphere which constantly kept you on your toes while solving immersive riddles to escape the nightmare backrooms.”
“Despite the really clever and smartly made puzzles, this game completely lacks atmosphere and is really ugly to look at.”
“Once you reach the sewers, the game loses that atmosphere and you're met with enemies placed and paths crafted in the most inconvenient ways in order to pad out the game's playtime.”
“The atmosphere is ruined if you're in multiplayer, as the only spooks that are left are the death animation/screens or just seeing one of the monsters out of the corner of your eye and it chasing you.”
- grinding200 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 12 % neutral mentions
- 87 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively tedious and frustrating, with many players expressing that the puzzles and challenges feel more like a chore than an engaging experience. Reviewers noted that the lack of clear guidance, poor level design, and repetitive tasks contribute to a sense of annoyance rather than enjoyment, making the gameplay feel artificially prolonged. While some players found moments of fun, the overall sentiment leans towards the game being a tedious grind that detracts from its horror elements.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Grindy (60 - 100 hours).”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“If you have 10 hours to waste solving tedious challenges just to pass a handful of doors on a single level, then this game might be for you—but it certainly wasn't for me.”
“This game contains the most tedious unenjoyable puzzles that lead to a payoff that does not feel rewarding at all.”
“The puzzles are grueling and exhausting to play through, the steps to complete each chapter were tedious and unforgiving, and after the first 20 minutes of playing it feels like you've been playing for an hour.”
- replayability72 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the unpredictability and randomized puzzles that enhance replay value, others criticize the rigid level design and limited content, which diminish the overall experience after the initial playthrough. Many find it enjoyable with friends and note the presence of alternate endings, but overall, the consensus leans towards a lack of substantial replayability, especially for solo players.
“This unpredictability contributes to the game's replay value, as you never know what twisted surprises await you around each corner.”
“The game is also replayable, as most of the combinations and clues are slightly different each playthrough.”
“Puzzles are randomly generated, adding replayability and keeping you on your toes.”
“The level design of the game does not make it replayable anyway.”
“Feels like a good game to play until you complete it once, but low replay value.”
“The game also has little to no replay value; it's the same thing every time.”
- optimization60 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 37 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, particularly in VR, leading to poor performance, frequent stutters, and various bugs that detract from the overall experience. Many users report that even high-end hardware struggles to run the game smoothly, indicating a need for substantial stability fixes and optimization improvements. Overall, while the game has potential, its current state is marred by these performance problems, making it difficult to recommend, especially for VR users.
“If they had a more instructional HUD given to the players, I think this will elevate the already outstanding performance of this game.”
“☑ Good (could be better but it runs smoothly so I'll give them that, but since this is an early access, I hope the animations and some textures do improve, mainly characters and entities).”
“The game itself also needs to be optimized more; I can run more complex Unity games on my machine faster. There's no reason a game with floors, walls, and the occasional 3D model would lag my machine so much.”
“I know this game is in early access, but it is so poorly optimized and runs horribly on a computer that should easily be able to run this.”
“Optimization issues: the game suffers from poor optimization, causing frequent stutters even on hardware that meets the recommended requirements.”
“This game is unoptimized and laggy as hell.”
- emotional46 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional responses to the game are highly varied, with some players expressing intense fear and enjoyment, while others report feelings of frustration and nausea due to gameplay mechanics. Many users noted moments of genuine emotional impact, including crying and a sense of being overwhelmed, particularly in relation to certain game elements like the monsters and environmental design. Overall, the game elicits a wide spectrum of emotions, from fear and excitement to confusion and disappointment.
“Delete the moths, they made me cry (literally).”
“This game is 10/10 made me feel wanted due to the monsters chasing you, made me feel right at home <3 will play again.”
“I have to say that this game made me feel almost every emotion humanly possible in only a few hours of gameplay.”
- music30 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the fantastic ambient sounds that enhance immersion, while others criticize the lack of a cohesive soundtrack, particularly in horror elements where silence can heighten tension. Some players noted that the ambient music is enjoyable, but the absence of music during key moments can detract from the experience. Overall, the sound design is appreciated, but there are calls for improvements in the music integration.
“It also has fantastic ambient music and sounds that play when you're in game, really adds to the immersion.”
“Best soundtrack of 2022”
“Lockers need faster animations and the ability to actually see outside of it, though the current tense music system works surprisingly well.”
“There's no music, and as one would expect, the only sounds are the 'humbuzz' of the fluorescent lights.”
“The lack of music especially adds to encounters with entities.”
“[spoiler] the cable monster entity is loud, which couples really well with the lack of music.”
- monetization10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is heavily criticized, with many users labeling it as a "cash grab" that lacks originality and depth. Initial impressions suggest a focus on profit over quality, although some players found enjoyment in the gameplay despite these concerns. Overall, the sentiment leans towards disappointment in the game's financial motivations.
“At first glance, you think this is just a quick cash grab.”
“Cash grabbing piece of shit game.”
“This is just a dog shit cash grab off the back rooms.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The character development in "Backrooms" is notably weak, with users highlighting a lack of narrative depth and growth for the characters.
“The game lacks depth in its narrative and character development.”
“Character development is severely lacking, making it hard to connect with the story.”
