Locked Fears

About

"Locked Fears" is a horror puzzle game where players must escape a series of rooms while avoiding terrifying creatures. Each room features unique puzzles that must be solved to progress, and collecting hidden pages reveals more about the game's story. With limited resources and a tense atmosphere, survival depends on quick thinking and careful planning.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 59 reviews

atmosphere12 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

The game creates a good and terrifying atmosphere with effective jump scares.
For its price, the game offers a decent amount of creepy fun and is enjoyable for a short play session.
The graphics and sound design are well-crafted, enhancing the overall horror experience.

The gameplay is plagued by linearity, glitches, and a lack of a coherent story, making it feel frustrating and unengaging.
Many players found the game too dark and difficult to navigate, leading to confusion and annoyance.
The trial-and-error gameplay combined with an insta-kill enemy and poor checkpoint system resulted in significant frustration for players.

atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
13%
13%
The game is praised for its strong and immersive atmosphere, characterized by a dark, terrifying setting that effectively utilizes sound and environmental cues to create tension. While the atmosphere is compelling, some players note that it is undermined by linear gameplay and a lack of clarity in objectives. Overall, the game successfully evokes a sense of dread, particularly in its unique office complex setting, despite some technical issues.
- “Creates a good and terrifying atmosphere with some good jumpscares.”
- “This is a good horror game with a great atmosphere and a clear objective - escape the office and don't get killed by the monster.”
- “The atmosphere however is amazing, very dark and scary - you'll hear noises all around you and have things thrown at you randomly.”
- “The atmosphere seems promising, but altogether it is really hard to figure out what you're supposed to do in this game.”
- “Let's start at the linear gameplay in disguise... this game has the atmosphere of a dark puzzle/escape/survival game.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
53%
27%
The gameplay is criticized for being overly linear and lacking depth, with many players expressing frustration over glitches, a poor checkpoint system, and a trial-and-error approach that leads to frequent deaths. While the atmosphere is praised, the actual mechanics involve repetitive tasks like reading emails and solving simple puzzles, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, the absence of a coherent story and the game's short length contribute to a disappointing gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is hit and miss; you read emails on computer terminals and get directed by a mysterious person texting you. These will lead you to computer passwords, keycodes, or items you need to open doors while you gradually uncover spooky evidence about corporations meddling with forces they can't even comprehend. And surprise, something goes wrong, and a fog tries to kill you.”
- “Let's start with the linear gameplay in disguise... this game has the atmosphere of a dark puzzle/escape/survival game.”
- “As for the storyline and gameplay, there is no storyline. You work in an office, you get attacked by ghostly figures, an unknown person texts you, you do some networking to get the guy's Wi-Fi back, and then you take the elevator out.”
- “This game has good atmosphere, but it is plagued by linear gameplay disguised as something else, glitches, a non-existent story, and the shortest gameplay of any game I own.”
- “Trial and error gameplay + insta-kill enemy + poor checkpoint system = massive frustration.”
- “I was very disappointed that this game is a survival horror game. I didn't see that part in the game description; it says puzzle horror game with a creepy atmosphere. Sounds good, except for the puzzle part, which is trying to get out of the office and avoid the invisible force. The graphics are not the best, neither is the gameplay. The cost of the game is okay, but why give money away?”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
9%
27%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews; while some players praise the impressive visuals, especially considering it was developed by a single individual using Unreal Engine 4, others find the graphics lacking and not up to par with expectations. Overall, many agree that the game looks good, with some ratings as high as 10/10 for graphics, but there are also criticisms regarding the gameplay and audio quality.
- “Of course the game looks great graphically; how do you expect to be reeled in these days?”
- “And considering that this was made by a single individual, he's done a marvelous job in achieving high-quality visuals thanks to UE4.”
- “Full graphics settings look brilliant; the control is awesome.”
- “I was very disappointed that this game is a survival horror game. I didn't see that part in the game description; it says puzzle horror game with a creepy atmosphere. Sounds good except for the puzzle part, which is trying to get out of the office and avoid the invisible force. The graphics are not the best, neither is the gameplay. The cost of the game is okay, but why give money away?”
- “The graphics are not the best, neither is the gameplay.”
- “The graphics are not the best.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game's story is criticized for being virtually non-existent, with players primarily piecing together a narrative through scattered emails and computer terminals. While the atmosphere is noted as good, the linear gameplay and lack of depth detract from the overall experience, leaving many feeling unsatisfied with the storytelling.
- “Story-wise, you'll have to check nearby computer terminals and check on your colleagues' emails to piece the story together.”
- “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.”
- “This game has good atmosphere, but it is plagued by linear gameplay disguised as something else, glitches, a non-existent story, and the shortest gameplay of any game I own.”
- “As for the storyline and gameplay, there is no storyline. You work in an office, you get attacked by ghosts, an unknown dude texts you, you do some networking to get the dude's Wi-Fi back, then you take the elevator out.”
- “Story-wise, you'll have to check nearby computer terminals and look at your colleagues' emails to piece the story together.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from notable stability issues, including various glitches such as invisible walls and checkpoint respawning mechanics that disrupt gameplay. While some players attribute these bugs to the limitations of a small indie development team, the overall experience is marred by these technical shortcomings.
- “Glitches, well, let me put it this way, if you like invisible walls appearing to block your way or the ability to just reload a checkpoint so all health packs magically respawn, then you'll love this.”
- “There are currently a few bugs and glitches to be found within the game, but no more than you would expect to see from an indie game with a small team behind it.”
- “This game has good atmosphere, but it is plagued by linear gameplay in disguise as something else, glitches, a non-existent story, and the shortest gameplay of any game I own.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from unexpected glitches, particularly involving a monster that resembles a dark cloud, which can create amusing visuals, such as it getting stuck to a chair. Players find these moments of unintentional comedy to be a highlight, adding a lighthearted touch to the otherwise dark atmosphere.
- “The monster looked like a dark cloud, and when it killed you, your screen was surrounded by this dark cloud. It was a bit funny when the monster glitched out and attached part of its cloud to a chair, making it look completely out of place in the light.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report excellent optimization, highlighting consistently strong FPS performance and quick loading times throughout their gameplay experience.
- “FPS performance and loading times were great throughout my experience.”
- “FPS performance and loading times were great throughout my experience.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is noted for its calming and soothing qualities, providing a relaxing experience that allows players to feel at ease.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”