Kalaban
- December 29, 2016
- Harri Jokinen
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Kalaban is a survival horror game set in an alternate 1995 Finland, where hermit Bob fights to uncover the cause of a mutant outbreak. With top-down action, exploration, and a mini-sandbox world, players can enjoy a unique story filled with dark comedy and real depth. combat is fun and accessible as you kill monsters, gain loot, and heal yourself."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a strong atmosphere and engaging plot, providing a unique horror experience set in Finland.
- The gameplay offers a decent blend of exploration, action, and survival mechanics, with interesting quests and a variety of enemies.
- The art style and sound design contribute to an immersive experience, enhancing the overall tension and mood of the game.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, significantly disrupting gameplay and leading to frustrating experiences.
- The controls and combat mechanics are often clunky and unresponsive, making encounters feel awkward and unenjoyable.
- The autosave system is problematic, as it can lead to soft locks and force players to replay sections after dying or encountering glitches.
- story49 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, featuring an engaging atmosphere and interesting plot elements conveyed through environmental storytelling and NPC interactions, but it suffers from a lack of depth and coherence, with many players noting its brevity and generic conclusion. While some appreciate the indirect narrative style and the moral themes, others criticize the execution, citing game-breaking bugs and a lack of replay value as significant drawbacks. Overall, the story has potential but is hampered by technical issues and an unfinished feel.
“The game's story is told through various means, including notes, diary entries, and environmental storytelling.”
“Kalaban uses an indirect narrative style, meaning pieces of lore, transmissions, and dialogues with other NPCs are the means to find out what is going on, rather than a direct, narrated story.”
“It has an interesting plot and a creepy atmosphere; you can tell the developers had a good vision that they really wanted to put into a game.”
“The story mode is pretty short with ten different areas that are well designed.”
“The ending I got for escaping didn't make a lot of sense to me; it didn't feel logical, plus some plot elements remained unexplained as if the game had suddenly forgotten about them.”
“Kalaban has its visuals and some brilliant sound design but is let down by a weak plot and a number of performance issues.”
- gameplay47 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Kalaban" features a mix of exploration, quests, management, and combat, but it suffers from clunky mechanics and frustrating combat experiences. While the free-roaming survival horror concept is appreciated, the unbalanced hunger meter on higher difficulties detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to significant frustration. Despite some enjoyable elements, many players find the mechanics lack depth and coherence, making it a mixed experience overall.
“One of the game's strengths is its gameplay.”
“The gameplay of Kalaban is divided into exploration, quests, management, and combat.”
“Not knowing what to expect in the next area or building keeps the gameplay fresh.”
“The game's combat can be frustrating at times, and it may take some time for the player to get used to the game's mechanics.”
“Gameplay feels clunky, combat is uninspired and bland, and the writing seems to constantly fight against the mood by trying to be quirky and funny in the midst of a dark and oppressive ambiance.”
“Hunger meter on higher difficulties is very unbalanced in comparison to how little food can be found, becoming an annoying, frustrating mechanic.”
- atmosphere19 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its well-designed environments, excellent sound design, and engaging story, creating a creepy and immersive experience reminiscent of classic survival horror. While many players appreciate the atmospheric depth, some note that it lacks genuine scares and is marred by gameplay issues. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“The game's environments are well-designed, and they add to the game's overall atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is really great and almost feels like stepping into some twisted nightmare!”
“Kalaban manages to set up a creepy atmosphere from the get-go.”
“Atmosphere isn't scary one bit.”
“Despite managing to set up a creepy atmosphere, Kalaban is let down by a number of issues.”
“Kalaban is a 2D game similar to Postal 1 in terms of the atmosphere and art.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, showcasing impressive detailed environments and character models alongside a unique art style that nods to classic top-down games. However, inconsistencies in quality, glitches, and limited graphic options detract from the overall experience, leading to a lack of immersion despite some standout elements. While the handmade artwork and sound design are commendable, performance issues and a poorly executed aesthetic hinder the game's visual appeal.
“The game's graphics are impressive, featuring detailed environments and character models.”
“The game's art style is reminiscent of classic top-down games, but with a modern twist.”
“The game's graphics, sound design, and gameplay are all well-done, creating a tense and immersive experience.”
“It has a neat art style, but it has too many glitches.”
“Extremely limited graphic options.”
“Graphics are okay, but nothing to write home about.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous glitches and bugs that hinder the overall enjoyment and gameplay experience. While some players find it fun despite these issues, the consensus is that the game suffers from awkward controls and technical problems that detract from its potential. Overall, the stability issues are significant enough to prevent a strong recommendation.
“It's so close to being something I'd recommend, but it's too awkward, janky, and buggy.”
“It has too many control and movement glitches to be enjoyable.”
“But the game is simply too buggy to give some decent fun.”
- music7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's music is generally described as haunting and atmospheric, effectively enhancing the sense of dread and unease. While some users find the sound effects and music to be average, others appreciate the subtlety of the soundtrack, which complements the game's creepy environment and overall narrative.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“The game's music is haunting, and it creates a sense of dread and unease.”
“Sound effects and music are average without any particular standout point.”
“Subtle music that lends very well to the creepy atmosphere created by the game and solidifies the environment.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from performance hiccups and occasional lag, which detracts from the overall experience despite its impressive visuals and sound design. Users have noted that these stability issues are a significant drawback alongside a weak plot.
“The game offers impressive performance and stability, ensuring a smooth experience.”
“I appreciate the focus on performance and stability, which enhances the overall gameplay.”
“Despite a few minor performance hiccups, the game generally runs well and maintains stability.”
“The game also has some performance hiccups and lagged around a couple of times throughout my playthrough.”
“Kalaban has its visuals and some brilliant sound design but is let down by a weak plot and a number of performance issues.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, as it can be completed in just a few hours and lacks significant incentives to revisit the story mode after the initial experience. While some players may replay it a couple of times, the overall consensus is that the game could benefit from additional replay value features.
“It's a good idea to add replay value to the game, but it's not exactly Crimsonland.”
“The game can be completed in a few hours, and there is not much replay value once the player has experienced the game's story.”
“The story mode itself does not have a lot of replay value, but I did go through that a couple of times.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often at odds with its dark atmosphere, as attempts at quirkiness and comedy feel forced amidst the oppressive mood. While some moments may elicit a chuckle, the overall execution is undermined by clunky gameplay and uninspired combat, leading to a disjointed experience.
“Funny thing: even the enemies get stuck!”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating and tedious, often exacerbated by bugs that can lead to getting stuck in battles. This can result in having to replay entire chapters, including lengthy dialogues without a skip option, making the experience feel pointless and overly repetitive.
“There are a lot of battles, and if you glitch and get stuck, you'll probably die from the enemy and will have to play the whole chapter/level again, which may require going through some tedious dialogue with no skip option.”
“Buggy, tedious, pointless.”
