Joana's Life

About

Joana's Life is a single player action game with a horror theme. It was developed by Old Shack Studio and was released on September 1, 2016. It received negative reviews from players.

In a peaceful part of the town, a series of deaths occur, seemingly random at first, but gruesome in their nature. One day, you find an object that doesn't belong in your house. An old, worn-out, stained mirror. You'll come to discover that the simple mirror isn't the only thing that is out of place.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

33%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

music2 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game has an interesting mechanic involving a mirror that reveals hidden elements, adding a unique twist to the gameplay.
Some players found the atmosphere and ambient sound design to be effective in creating a spooky environment.
There are moments in the game that can be genuinely creepy, providing a sense of tension and anticipation.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and technical issues, including problems with picking up items and poor optimization.
Many players reported a lack of direction and clarity in objectives, leading to confusion and frustration during gameplay.
The sound design is often criticized for being annoying and poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.

story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The reviews highlight a mixed reception regarding the game's story, with some praising its emotional depth and moral lessons, while others criticize it for being clichéd, confusing, and poorly executed. Many players felt that the narrative lacked coherence and direction, often overshadowed by gameplay issues and reliance on jump scares. Overall, the story's potential is recognized, but it is seen as needing significant improvement to enhance the gaming experience.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “The game and the story are great!”
- “As you get deeper into her life story, a monster starts to appear.”
- “Last: the plot of this game is not good at all.”
- “The story is short and leaves you confused.”
- “None of it makes any sense, and all semblance of story gets thrown out the window in favor of cheap jumpscares and nonsensical game design.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting decent visuals and a spooky atmosphere, while others criticize the blandness and lack of variety in object models. Many users report bugs related to object visibility and placement, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, while the game attempts realistic graphics, it often falls short, leading to a "samey" feel and poor outdoor visuals.
- “Just the atmosphere is spooky enough even without jump scares, nice graphics, creepy ambient music and sounds, and disturbing moments in the game.”
- “The game's visuals and environment are set up alright.”
- “The graphics are fine while inside a house, if a bit buggy, but the outside looks terrible.”
- “When I started the game, some objects disappeared and appeared as I moved. It took me some time to realize that it wasn't a bug, but it was the in-game options that selected every graphical option to the lowest level, even though I can run the game at max.”
- “The graphics are just bland and lack any style.”
- “Seriously, with graphics on max, the room is so dark that the floor blends in with the furniture.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The gameplay features traditional walking and puzzle-solving elements, enhanced by unique mechanics like using a mirror to reveal hidden aspects of the environment. However, while these ideas are intriguing, they are marred by technical issues and inconsistent execution, leading to a frustrating experience for players. Overall, the game presents a mix of creativity and shortcomings in its gameplay design.
- “The game has a fairly unique mechanic: you can use a mirror to see what's behind you, and it won't always be what you can see directly with your eyes.”
- “This game has some nice ideas in practice, such as mirror and spirit-calling mechanics.”
- “This game, which has some nice ideas in practice (such as mirror and spirit-calling mechanics), can't manage the technical part of the job.”
- “I had this problem called 'exploring the house' during my gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is your usual walking and puzzle-solving, but the mirror is certainly an interesting take on it.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The music in the game is noted for its ominous and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience with a spooky ambiance. While some players found the intro music particularly memorable, others appreciated the unsettling sound design that contributes to the game's disturbing moments. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a key element in creating a tense and immersive environment.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “The atmosphere is spooky enough even without jump scares, with nice graphics, creepy ambient music, and sounds that create a disturbing experience at some moments.”
- “The music is certainly fitting as it's very ominous and despairing.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, with players experiencing significant frame stuttering and performance issues even on mid-range hardware like the GTX 960. Many have reported that adjusting settings only marginally improves the situation, leading to frustration and ultimately causing some to abandon the game altogether.
- “I tried desperately to like this game... after three hours of agonizing gameplay, stuttering frames, and terrible puzzles (and I use the term loosely), I finally raged and decided to quit.”
- “The optimization is a joke; I'm running on a GTX 960 and the post-processing must be set to medium to achieve a barely playable 40 fps at 1080p.”
- “On top of that, there are performance issues and bugged scripts and triggers.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its spooky and immersive qualities, enhanced by impressive graphics, eerie ambient music, and unsettling moments. However, some players feel that the sense of confusion regarding objectives can detract from the overall experience. Overall, it successfully creates a captivating horror atmosphere that exceeds expectations.
- “The atmosphere is spooky enough even without jump scares, featuring nice graphics, creepy ambient music, and disturbing moments throughout the game.”
- “This game has exceeded my expectations in terms of horror and atmosphere; everything is perfectly crafted.”
- “Joana's life looks quite nice and is very atmospheric.”
- “The horror atmosphere I feel is overwritten by a sense of confusion since I don't know what I should do next.”
- “The atmosphere is spooky enough even without jump scares, featuring nice graphics, creepy ambient music, and disturbing moments.”
- “This game has exceeded my expectations in terms of horror and atmosphere.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that the overall experience is amateurish and disappointing. Despite some redeeming qualities, the game's reliance on clichés and poor execution leads to a negative perception, suggesting that it is not worth purchasing unless for a friend who enjoys horror games.
- “All of the one minute of the only enjoyable part and possible reason to care about the lore and story is ruined by the cliche. Everything about this game is amateur, but yet when I wanted to quit, I kept pushing on for some unknown reason. Because of that one thing somehow pulling me in for more, it narrowly escapes a 2/10 and becomes a 3/10. Don't buy unless it's for a friend who loves horror games and you just want to make them suicidal from this poor, lazy effort cash grab.”
- “The monetization in this game is a blatant cash grab. It feels like every aspect is designed to squeeze money out of players rather than provide a genuine gaming experience.”
- “I was really disappointed with the monetization strategy. It feels like the developers prioritized profit over player enjoyment, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from the quirky NPCs and the absurdities of the expansive world, often leading to unintentionally funny moments that can disrupt gameplay. Players appreciate the comedic elements, particularly in the context of its bad horror game aesthetic, though some found the humor could lead to frustrating restarts. Overall, it appeals to those who enjoy a blend of humor and horror.
- “The NPCs and the vast outer world are pretty hilarious; I wish I could have progressed further in the game.”
- “There were a few times I had to restart the game because it would do funny things.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game's stability is inconsistent, with some graphical issues noted indoors and significant problems outdoors, leading to an overall perception of the game as buggy.
- “The graphics are fine while inside a house, if a bit buggy, but the outside looks terrible.”
- “Buggy game”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often unrelated to the core gameplay, leading to a mixed overall experience.
- “My wife and I played through the game, and while we had a decent time in parts, other parts were tedious and unrelated to the gameplay.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is rather tedious.”