Ladderhead

About

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 Play through the game's story or campaign solo

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 game well, showcasing the developer's creativity and vision.

The lack of player agency and reliance on spoon-fed responses diminish the interactive experience, making it feel more like a linear narrative.
The game suffers from a limited command system, which can lead to frustration and a desire for quality-of-life improvements.
Some players may find the plot confusing and lacking in deeper meaning, leading to a less satisfying overall experience.

story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The story is characterized by its surreal and abstract nature, enhanced by hand-drawn graphics and unique sound design that create an immersive atmosphere. It features a cleverly designed looped narrative where players retain items after dying, leading to an intriguing and satisfying experience. The focus on a singular storyline and meaningful player choices marks an improvement in the developer's storytelling craft, appealing to fans of surreal and detective-like narratives.
- “By focusing on a singular story, Ladderhead features a stronger narrative with events and player choices that feel less arbitrary.”
- “And the storyline is really good too - if you like surrealistic, detective-like narratives, be sure to check this one out.”
- “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 companion piece "Desert of Vice," contribute to a spellbinding and mysterious visual presentation, complemented by a fitting minimalist soundtrack.
- “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.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's hand-drawn graphics, combined with unique sound effects and music, create a surreal atmosphere that enhances the storytelling experience. While the atmosphere is praised and deemed worth the price of entry, some players feel the overall fun factor is lacking.
- “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 described as minimalistic yet complementary, effectively enhancing the surreal atmosphere created by the hand-drawn graphics and sound effects. Reviewers appreciate how the soundtrack contributes to the overall mysterious and spellbinding experience of 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.”
gameplay
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers feel that the text-based format of the game fails to enhance both the narrative and gameplay, suggesting that it does not justify its design choice.
- “To put it simply, being text-based does not enhance the narrative or the gameplay in a way that justifies the format.”