Lost Cartridge: Cold Read

About

Lost Cartridge: Cold Read is a single player survival puzzle game with horror and mystery themes. It was developed by Pureiceblue and was released on January 16, 2023. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

In "Lost Cartridge: Cold Read," players uncover the mysteries of a forgotten game cartridge filled with unsettling minigames. As they explore, they'll encounter strange characters and hidden secrets, all while trying to piece together the chilling narrative. With its unique blend of nostalgia and horror, this game offers a thrilling experience for adventure and puzzle fans alike.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 70 reviews

story10 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The game features a compelling story with rich character development and emotional depth, particularly through the character Mitch.
The atmosphere is immersive, enhanced by a great soundtrack and detailed sprite art, making for a nostalgic RPGMaker horror experience.
There are numerous interactable items and clever puzzles that reward curiosity, along with multiple endings that encourage replayability.

The game suffers from frequent crashes and bugs, which can disrupt the experience and lead to frustration.
Some puzzles are considered obtuse or rely on illogical reasoning, making them difficult to solve without external help.
The random monster encounters can feel cheap and annoying, especially when they interrupt progress and limit hiding options.

story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
44%
13%
The game's story is widely praised for its depth, emotional resonance, and the ability to blend horror, humor, and heartfelt moments, particularly through the character of Mitch. Players appreciate the intricate narrative structure that requires piecing together elements from multiple endings, though some find the puzzle-solving aspect can lead to confusion. Overall, the storytelling is considered a standout feature, enhanced by a compelling soundtrack and rich character development, making for a memorable and engaging experience.
- “Mitch is deeply compelling to me; I won't spoil why, but his character feels so real and the story pulls no punches.”
- “The main story and the various side stories are fantastic and deliver some very powerful emotional moments (especially if you seek out the second ending).”
- “Pure Ice Blue has this amazing ability to balance horror, humor, and heartfelt storytelling all at once, and this game is no different.”
- “Maybe it's because I'm a big dumb dumb, but I couldn't understand what the story is about at all.”
- “Since you can solve the puzzles in any order you like, you also get the story elements in random order as well, and you have to put the puzzle pieces together in your head.”
- “The way the story and themes are conveyed is very mysterious, and it seems to tempt you into revealing more under its surface.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The music in the game is generally praised for its ability to create a creepy atmosphere and enhance the overall experience, with many players enjoying the soundtrack. However, some users find the extreme bitcrushing effects to be grating and difficult to listen to over time, despite acknowledging that the underlying songs are good. Overall, the audio design contributes positively to the game's ambiance, though it may not appeal to everyone.
- “I think I have some qualms about the requirements for getting the other endings - but, otherwise, I enjoyed the story, design, writing, and audio design/music in this game.”
- “I totally recommend this game, it has a great soundtrack that creates the creepy ambient, a good art style and an interesting story.”
- “From storytelling, ambience and puzzles to secrets, characters and music this game excels at them all!”
- “First, the music can be incredibly grating and hard to listen to after a while due to the extreme bitcrushing; the songs themselves are fine though.”
- “I love the atmosphere, the music (even if it gets grating in some areas), and the puzzles are pretty simple.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, including frequent crashes, freezes, and various glitches that can disrupt gameplay. While some players appreciate the overall experience, the presence of these bugs, particularly a memory leak causing hardlocks, detracts from the enjoyment and suggests a need for further polish.
- “Super great game made by one of my personal favorite devs. However, the amount of crashes and freezes really does pile up.”
- “There are a number of unfortunate glitches and bugs as well, the worst being what I assume to be a memory leak that causes the game to hardlock when changing maps after extended play.”
- “A consequential albeit sometimes amateurish and buggy/glitchy experience that is nonetheless excessively graphic, visceral, and earnest in its premise.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by bitcrushed background music that complements the unsettling setting. Players appreciate the depth of interaction with the environment, which contributes to a sense of psychological horror, although some find the music can become grating at times. Overall, the atmosphere effectively creates tension, though some users feel that other issues detract from their overall enjoyment.
- “The atmospheric bitcrushed BGM really helped with the immersion while exploring, and the tracks were also nice to listen to at times (i.e., Caroline's section).”
- “The atmosphere and the depth to which you can interact with items and your environment really made it a great psychological horror game.”
- “The setting and atmosphere are perfectly unsettling, and I was legitimately tense.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the tension and immersion expected from a horror game.”
- “Despite some interesting elements, the overall atmosphere fails to engage, leaving the experience feeling hollow.”
- “The game tries to create a spooky atmosphere, but it often falls short, making it hard to feel truly immersed.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics of the game are characterized by charming and nostalgic pixel art, particularly in its graphic death scenes, which resonate well with fans of retro horror and RPG Maker titles. While some users noted a few amateurish and glitchy aspects, the overall aesthetic is praised for its creepy ambiance and effective storytelling, making it a recommended experience for enthusiasts of the genre.
- “The sprite work was charming, nostalgic, and quite graphic in certain endings, which I liked a whole lot.”
- “If you're a fan of retro-styled horror games, RPG Maker horror games in general, and graphic pixel art deaths, I would definitely recommend this game.”
- “Really neat and ominous game; I really adore the aesthetics and art for the death scenes. I absolutely recommend it to anyone that's a fan of games like Mad Father or The Witch's House.”
- “A consequential albeit sometimes 'amateurish' and buggy/glitchy experience that is nonetheless excessively graphic, visceral, and earnest in its premise.”
- “The graphics feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games, making it hard to fully immerse in the experience.”
- “While the art style has its charm, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, with inconsistent quality and distracting glitches.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game effectively blends horror, humor, and heartfelt storytelling, creating a deeply emotional experience, particularly in its second ending. Players find the narrative, especially the relationship between Mitch and Jackie, to be both satisfying and poignant, with powerful emotional moments throughout the main and side stories.
- “Pure Ice Blue has this amazing ability to balance horror, humor, and heartfelt storytelling all at once, and this game is no different.”
- “Piecing the story together by playing through the two endings was pretty satisfying, but was very depressing and emotional at the same time (especially for ending two) watching how the events unfolded between Mitch and Jackie.”
- “The main story and the various side stories are fantastic and deliver some very powerful emotional moments (especially if you seek out the second ending).”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is effectively balanced with horror and heartfelt storytelling, creating a unique experience. Players appreciate the amusing and quirky elements found throughout the expansive library setting, including humorous interactions with characters like a rude clown-puppet. Overall, the game successfully blends various tones to enhance its narrative.
- “Pure Ice Blue has this amazing ability to balance horror, humor, and heartfelt storytelling all at once, and this game is no different.”
- “This game is a Shadowgate-style puzzle box where you wander around a suspiciously huge library and look at funny, interesting, and sad things.”
- “Plus, I love a funny, rude, honk-honk clown puppet.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The gameplay in "Lily's Well" is engaging and enjoyable, with players able to unlock and try on costumes organically during their first playthrough, enhancing the overall experience. However, some users noted that the mechanics involving color-coded tiles can be confusing, as there is insufficient indication of which tiles are traversable.
- “In Lily's Well, you unlock the costumes organically through the gameplay, and you can try them on during your first playthrough.”
- “This game was quite fun; I was invested in the story the whole way through, and I felt that the gameplay was quite solid.”
- “Unlike in other games I can think of that have a similar mechanic, here it is far less clear where one can stand, because different color tiles are used without a lot of indication of which can be moved across.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a brief experience with some replay value, making it a worthwhile purchase for its price, as it can be completed in just a few hours.
- “Being a short offering with some replay value, it's well worth the price of admission, taking just a few hours to complete.”

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Lost Cartridge: Cold Read is a survival puzzle game with horror and mystery themes.

Lost Cartridge: Cold Read is available on PC and Windows.

Lost Cartridge: Cold Read was released on January 16, 2023.

Lost Cartridge: Cold Read was developed by Pureiceblue.

Lost Cartridge: Cold Read has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Lost Cartridge: Cold Read is a single player game.

Similar games include Ann, Lily's Well, The Witch's House MV, House, Project Kat: Paper Lily Prologue and others.

Lost Cartridge: Cold Read

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