Lunacy: Saint Rhodes
- July 27, 2023
- Stormling Studios
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Lunacy: Saint Rhodes" is a first-person psychological horror adventure game where players investigate the troubled past of their ancestral home and the town of Saint Rhodes to uncover the truth behind their family's horrific murder. The game features a detailed and disturbing world filled with frightening creatures and atmospheric horror, as players fight to survive and descend into the town's insanity. The game aims to provide a truly terrifying experience with unexpected scares and chilling encounters.
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a strong atmosphere with good graphics and sound design, creating an immersive horror experience.
- Some puzzles are clever and provide a sense of accomplishment when solved, adding to the gameplay variety.
- The story, while somewhat silly, has an interesting premise involving family lineage and evil, which can engage players.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and technical issues, including soft-locks and glitches that hinder progress.
- Many puzzles are overly cryptic and tedious, leading to frustration as players often have to backtrack or search extensively for items.
- The narrative lacks coherence and depth, with a confusing plot that detracts from the overall experience.
- story27 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it intriguing and well-structured, while others criticize it as nonsensical or cliché. Although the premise of tracing evil through family lineage is seen as a clever concept, many feel the execution is lacking, with a lack of character development and a muddled narrative. Overall, while the atmosphere and horror elements are appreciated, the story often fails to leave a lasting impression.
“The story is solid and intriguing.”
“The story unfolds rather nicely, and what seems to be really confusing, in the end you get it all.”
“In terms of narrative, the game succeeds in creating a curious story that keeps players engaged.”
“The story is very tacky, but the idea in and of itself is good.”
“The main character has no story arc or character development, which is a significant drawback.”
“The story is, unfortunately, the hardest part to swallow.”
- gameplay21 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of puzzle-solving and exploration, often requiring players to search for minor details in repetitive environments, which can lead to frustration. While the mechanics are generally solid, they are marred by uninspired puzzles and outdated elements typical of indie horror games, including pixel hunting and dealing with buggy AI. Despite these issues, the game offers a fair amount of content for its price, with some intriguing mechanics that add tension to the experience.
“There are a few different enemies that break up the gameplay, turning it from a walking simulator/escape room game to more of a survival horror.”
“The concept of being watched is intriguing, and adds a level of tension to the gameplay.”
“I'm in the demon maze, and with every YouTube gameplay, they have a jar of paste. I have an empty jar, and I cannot progress past the horned demon door because I can't use the paste to make a sigil to kill the demon to get the horn.”
“The gameplay consists of running around the same five rooms looking for whatever minor detail you've missed this time, unlock something, and then repeat looking around for minor details in the same rooms again.”
“In order to do this, you must partake in what is cookie-cutter indie horror gameplay: you hunt for keys, deal with pretty obscure puzzles, pixel hunt for objects that can be hard to notice, run from buggy AI with terrible stealth mechanics, and ultimately get to the conclusion.”
- atmosphere18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, enhanced by excellent graphics and sound design, such as the ambient sound of rain. While it effectively creates a creepy and mysterious environment, some players feel that pacing issues can detract from the overall horror experience. Overall, the game excels in delivering a suspenseful and atmospheric exploration, making it appealing to fans of the genre.
“Creepy, not downright terrifying but creepy... occult, demons, mystery, atmospheric horror... if you like these kinds of games you won't be disappointed.”
“The dark and eerie environment of Saint Rhodes is well-realized, effectively using sound design and atmospheric elements to create an ominous ambience.”
“The atmosphere, the visuals, sounds, and puzzles - everything is on a very high level for an indie horror game!”
“A modest-sized house turns into a slog where the horror atmosphere is effectively ruined due to the pacing of running around looking for keys to proceed.”
“In the beginning, I found the atmosphere to be spooky, despite the ridiculous onset of the story.”
“There's a foreboding atmosphere in the first hour or so with the vibe you're being watched.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the detailed environments and immersive atmosphere, particularly in the context of an indie title. However, some players report performance issues, including frame rate drops and graphical inconsistencies, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are generally considered good, they are not universally acclaimed, with some noting that they feel outdated or blocky in certain areas.
“The graphics and sound effects are awesome and I wasn't expecting this kind of level of detail from an indie game.”
“This game is quite impressive and the graphics are incredible... beautifully done and very immersive.”
“On the graphical front, Lunacy: Saint Rhodes is well-realized, with environments rich in detail and solid character designs.”
“If I did not know this was a new release, I would have thought it came out a few years after their game 'Darkness Within,' just with some better graphics.”
“Graphics-wise, I found some disparity between the design of the mansion and the outside, with the latter feeling a bit outdated at the moment.”
“There is also most definitely an issue with Unreal Engine shader compilation stutter, as I experienced constant major frame rate drops when entering new areas using an RTX 3080 and i9 processor, no matter what I lowered the graphic settings to.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of "Lunacy: St. Rhodes" is widely criticized for being boring and tedious, with players noting that progression feels slow and cryptic, reminiscent of older titles like Hexen (1995). Many reviewers find the experience frustrating and poorly optimized, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“It's very comparable to Hexen (1995) in how progressing is so slow, tedious, and cryptic that progressing at a normal pace is impossible.”
“Lunacy: St. Rhodes is a poor indie horror title that starts off reasonably but becomes an exercise in tediousness.”
“In my opinion, this is a tediously boring and poorly optimized indie horror game.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it features appealing graphics and an engaging setting, many users report disastrous performance issues. However, some players have noted that it runs surprisingly well on the Steam Deck, suggesting that optimization may vary across platforms. Overall, the game's performance is seen as a significant drawback.
“The game has some good moments; performance is actually pretty great on Steam Deck as well.”
“It has a nice setting, good graphics, and cool lore.”
“In my opinion, this is a tediously boring and poorly optimized indie horror game.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The music in the game is functional but not particularly memorable, serving its purpose without standing out. While it effectively enhances the atmosphere, some players noted that it could be improved alongside addressing other technical issues.
“My ears would perk up and my neck hair would rise at every little sound and music change-up.”
“The music does its job but does not stand out.”
“The music changes are not impactful and feel repetitive.”
“The soundtrack lacks variety and fails to enhance the overall experience.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by several bugs and glitches, such as a last boss getting stuck and AI issues that can disrupt gameplay. While these problems detract from the experience, they do not completely overshadow the overall enjoyment, as reflected in a rating of 7.5/10.
“My ears would perk up and my neck hair would rise at every little sound and music change-up. There are a few bugs and glitches that could be fixed, such as the last boss getting stuck through the floor, which forced me to restart the game. Sometimes Elizabeth couldn't see me in plain sight, making it a bit easy to get away from her. All that said, 7.5/10!”
“In order to do this, you must partake in what is cookie-cutter indie horror gameplay. You hunt for keys, deal with pretty obscure puzzles, pixel hunt for objects that can be hard to notice, and run from buggy AI with terrible stealth mechanics, ultimately leading to the conclusion.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The main character lacks a story arc and meaningful character development, which is seen as a drawback by some reviewers. However, the game's graphical presentation, including detailed environments and solid character designs, is praised.
“The main character has no story arc or character development, which is a significant drawback.”
“The supporting characters feel one-dimensional and lack meaningful growth throughout the game.”
“I was disappointed by the lack of choices that impact character development; it made the experience feel shallow.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as occasionally amusing, primarily delivered through voice acting, though it may not consistently hit the mark. Overall, while the visuals impress, the comedic elements are somewhat hit-or-miss.
“The humor in this game is spot-on, with clever writing that keeps you laughing throughout.”
“I love how the characters have such witty banter; it adds a delightful layer to the gameplay.”
“The comedic timing in the cutscenes is impeccable, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers good replayability with two distinct endings and a variety of achievements to unlock, encouraging players to revisit the experience.
“The replayability value is impressive, with two distinct endings and a variety of achievements to unlock.”
“I love how the game encourages multiple playthroughs with its branching storylines and hidden content.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh due to the different choices you can make and the unique outcomes they lead to.”
“The replayability value is limited; there are only two endings and a few achievements to unlock.”
“Once you've experienced the story, there's little incentive to play through again.”
“The lack of diverse choices makes replaying the game feel redundant.”
