Ladderhead

About

Ladderhead is a single player action game with a horror theme. It was developed by karolisd and was released on December 13, 2019. It received very positive reviews from players.

A surreal narrative focused roguelite text adventure. In it you play a man stuck in the same day who has to get to the top floor of an unusual building to find his loved one. Each floor is a perilous mystery to unravel. Each time you die the day resets.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 11 reviews

atmosphere2 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The hand-drawn graphics and surreal sound effects create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the storytelling experience.
The game features a cleverly designed looped story that keeps players engaged, with intriguing and abstract narrative elements.
The minimalist art style and soundtrack complement the gameplay well, showcasing the developer's creativity and vision.

The game lacks player agency, with many responses feeling predetermined and limiting the interactive experience.
The narrative can be confusing and surreal, which may leave some players feeling disconnected or unsatisfied.
There are quality-of-life issues, such as the need for a hotkey to cycle through previous commands, which can hinder the gameplay experience.

story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The story is characterized by its surreal and abstract nature, enhanced by hand-drawn graphics and unique sound design, creating an immersive atmosphere. It features a looped narrative where players reset upon dying but retain inventory items, leading to a cleverly designed and satisfying experience. The narrative is more focused and engaging than previous entries, appealing to fans of surrealistic and detective-style storytelling.
- “I like the hand-drawn graphics, coupled with the strange sound effects and music; it does a great job at fostering a surreal atmosphere to experience the story in.”
- “By focusing on a singular story, Ladderhead features a stronger narrative with events and player choices that feel less arbitrary.”
- “It’s a looped story where, upon dying, the day resets, but we keep the items in our inventory.”
- “The plot is confusing and surreal, but it's also intriguing and, above all, satisfying because it’s cleverly designed.”
- “The story is more abstract than the previous entry and imbued with more of the developer's original creativity.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The graphics are characterized by a captivating hand-drawn and minimalist art style that effectively creates a surreal atmosphere, enhancing the storytelling experience. The aesthetic choices, while reminiscent of its predecessor, are complemented by a minimalistic soundtrack that adds to the overall mysterious and spellbinding feel of the game.
- “I like the hand-drawn graphics; coupled with the strange sound effects and music, it does a great job at fostering a surreal atmosphere to experience the story in.”
- “The minimalist art style chosen is spellbinding and mysterious. The soundtrack, although minimalistic, is very complementary to the rest of the game and works very well.”
- “A companion piece to Desert of Vice, Ladderhead shares many of the same aesthetic choices and design pitfalls of the former.”
- “The minimalist art style chosen is spellbinding and mysterious, but it may not appeal to everyone.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The gameplay is criticized for being text-based, as it fails to enhance the narrative or provide a compelling experience that justifies this format.
- “To put it simply, being text-based does not enhance the narrative or the gameplay in a way that justifies the format.”
- “The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks depth, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I found the controls to be clunky and unresponsive, which detracted from the overall experience.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's hand-drawn graphics and unique sound design create a surreal atmosphere that enhances the storytelling experience. While many players find the atmosphere captivating and worth the price of entry, some feel that the overall enjoyment of the game may not meet expectations.
- “I like the hand-drawn graphics; coupled with the strange sound effects and music, it does a great job at fostering a surreal atmosphere to experience the story in.”
- “If the game looks interesting to you, it's probably worth the price of entry to experience the atmosphere.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is characterized by a minimalist yet complementary soundtrack that enhances the surreal atmosphere created by the hand-drawn graphics and unique sound effects, effectively immersing players in the story.
- “I like the hand-drawn graphics; coupled with the strange sound effects and music, it does a great job at fostering a surreal atmosphere to experience the story.”
- “The minimalist art style chosen is spellbinding and mysterious. The soundtrack, although minimalistic, is very complementary to the rest of the game and works very well.”