Loathful
- April 3, 2024
- Fazerdoo
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamLoathful is a Survival Horror in first person with PS1 graphics. Bring yourself in a retro-style adventure where all your nightmares are brought to life. Survive your demons, dive into your darkest fears to overthrow a mysterious virus who seems to have put his hands on this universe.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a very immersive horror experience with well-timed jumpscares and a creepy atmosphere.
- It features a unique retrofuturism vibe and is visually polished, with creative use of glitches and sound design.
- The gameplay includes rewarding mini-games and a variety of mechanics that keep players engaged.
- The stamina system is poorly designed, recharging too slowly and making certain gameplay segments frustrating.
- The game can be overly dark and confusing, leading to missed content and a lack of clarity in objectives.
- Some players found the story to be disjointed and the final antagonist design to be underwhelming.
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally described as unsettling and engaging, with strong sound design and nostalgic, creepy elements that enhance the experience. However, some players feel that the antagonist's design undermines the overall tension, and there are mixed opinions on the effectiveness of the full game's presentation compared to the demo, which was perceived as scarier due to its minimal context.
“Fun game, cool atmosphere.”
“It has some spooky moments and nice atmosphere, but to be honest, the demo was much scarier as it had better presentation: giving you less context and no notes built more anxiety from the start, and I expected a similar approach in the full game, but sadly it's not.”
“Unsettling atmosphere.”
“Great sound design, and a lot of very creepy and nostalgic touches to the atmosphere.”
“If you want your antagonist to be scary and fitting with the atmosphere, then you should have probably not designed him like a goofy Clockwork Orange ripoff.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a dynamic pace that maintains player engagement, featuring unique monster mechanics and item interactions. However, the slow stamina recharge can hinder the experience, particularly for players who do not explore thoroughly, as it primarily serves a limited role in puzzles and escape sequences. Overall, it offers a compelling horror experience, albeit with some gameplay limitations.
“Enough changes of pace to keep the player on edge and to let gameplay take different turns.”
“Really good horror game with a heap of great monster mechanics.”
“It introduces several items with unique mechanics and takes them away again.”
“Stamina recharges too slow, is missable for those who don't backtrack, and ultimately doesn't help with gameplay other than one puzzle and one escape sequence.”
“Maybe it's just the typical 2-hour gameplay trap, I don't know.”
“It introduces several items with unique mechanics, and takes them away again.”
- story8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it confusing and lacking depth, leading to a lack of investment in the narrative. However, others praised its excellent presentation and noted that it resembles the engaging concepts found in analog horror series, despite its brevity of around three hours. Overall, the experience is marred by excessive puzzle-solving in dark environments, detracting from the storytelling.
“Excellent short story with around 3 hours of content.”
“Loathful's presentation is amazing, and follows the concept and story of something you would see in an analog horror series.”
“The story was confusing.”
“There wasn't enough story to fully get invested and too much running around in the dark solving puzzles.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are highly polished, featuring impressive scene and set presentations that stand out among indie games. Users appreciate the aesthetic replication of visual glitches and the effective use of assets, although some feel that despite the strong visuals, the overall experience may lack enjoyment.
“The graphics are good, and the scene and set presentation is some of the best I've seen in an indie game.”
“Very polished in a lot of ways, including the replication of visual glitches aesthetically, well-made neural net videos, and good asset usage.”
“Really neat premise and awesome graphics.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is generally well-polished, featuring intentional visual glitches and effective asset usage, which contribute to its aesthetic appeal. However, players should be cautious of some bugs related to save files, indicating that stability may be an issue in certain areas.
“Be aware save files are a bit buggy.”
“The implication of the 'glitches' that the player will encounter at the end were building up, so I suppose I should've been ready for it.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by quirky dark comedy that enhances the overall horror experience, eliciting genuine laughter from players. Many users appreciate the clever and unexpected comedic elements that complement the game's atmosphere.
“If you enjoy a genuine, good horror experience, with a bit of quirky dark humor, then do yourself a favor and get this game.”
“My search bar tried to auto-fill it as 'you thought you were getting lucky roblox id' and made me laugh so hard.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting their enjoyment despite some concerns about stamina mechanics in specific scenarios. This suggests that while the gameplay may have minor flaws, the overall experience resonates positively with users.
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding experience in the game to be tedious, particularly due to the large and confusing layout of the sewer area, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
“The layout of the sewer area feels too large, confusing, and tedious.”
