Lurk in the Dark

About

Lurk in the Dark is a single player action game. It was developed by IDEA FRUITION and was released on November 8, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

A town flourished with woodworking and mining, "Babel's Hill Top". A Ruggles family who contributed greatly to the development of this town several centuries ago. The tragedy that happened at the residence of them. In this residence where blood and hatred are ingrained, their nightmare begins.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,248 reviews

story89 positive mentions

monetization15 negative mentions

The game creates an excellent atmosphere with great graphics and sound design, effectively immersing players in a creepy environment.
The jump scares are well-timed and contribute to the overall tension, making for a genuinely scary experience.
Despite some translation issues, the intriguing story and character development keep players engaged and eager for more.

The English voice acting and translations are often poor, leading to confusion and detracting from the overall experience.
The gameplay can feel slow and clunky at times, with some puzzles being overly simplistic or unclear.
As a prologue, the game is quite short, leaving players wanting more content and depth in the story.

story
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
52%
5%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its depth and emotional resonance, particularly in the horror genre. However, some found it confusing or lacking in clarity, with issues related to pacing, translation, and coherence. Overall, while the prologue sets an intriguing foundation, players express a desire for more development and clearer storytelling in future installments.
- “The storyline is very deep and if you are struggling in real life, I'd recommend not playing this right now; otherwise, everyone should enjoy it.”
- “The story is really good for a horror game and it's relatable to real life.”
- “The graphics, effects, and sound design all added to the feelings brought by this story and made it a much greater experience.”
- “To be honest, I am disappointed by the length and lack of story/explanation, but it is free so I can't complain.”
- “The story is entirely incoherent, the voice acting is horrendous, and the only real 'scares' are cheap jumpscares that are way too predictable.”
- “The story is confusing and you don't know what you're doing; you just pick up random things and look at them.”
atmosphere
131 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
33%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and chilling qualities, effectively creating a sense of tension and fear that keeps players engaged. Many reviewers highlight the impressive graphics, sound design, and ambient elements that contribute to a genuinely creepy experience, although some note that gameplay mechanics and pacing could detract from the overall vibe. Overall, the game successfully captures a haunting atmosphere reminiscent of classic horror titles, making it a standout feature despite some minor flaws.
- “The atmosphere is thrilling, and in certain moments, you can feel the pressure, which is an indicator of a good game for me.”
- “The atmospheric design effectively immerses players in a world of hidden secrets lurking in the shadows.”
- “The game would create a very horrifying atmosphere but then totally kill the vibe itself by not telling the player what to do, so you would be lost for hours in a small room and the vibe would be gone.”
- “The bathroom scene, the weird box with the red light seemed a little too out of place, which kind of hurt the scare factor and overall atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere was so dreadful and eerie, putting me in situations where I didn't even want to keep going.”
graphics
124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
26%
3%
The graphics in "Lurk in the Dark: Prologue" have received widespread acclaim, with many players praising their high quality, atmospheric detail, and ability to enhance the horror experience. While some users noted performance issues and high demands on system resources, the overall consensus is that the visuals are impressive, especially for a free game, contributing significantly to the game's immersive and suspenseful atmosphere.
- “The graphics were amazing and from my perspective, all the assets seemed to be custom made, which is a thumbs up.”
- “The atmosphere is filled with tension from the very first minute, the music and ambient sound complement it perfectly, with the graphics looking great.”
- “The graphics and visual style are great.”
- “The graphic demands are far too high for what it is worth.”
- “Graphically it's not off the charts amazing but it's average at best.”
- “Synchronization is so bad it's on the edge of being ridiculous - thus weirdly funny, the story is flat, boring and predictable, graphics are from the last decade.”
gameplay
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
55%
4%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the atmosphere and smooth mechanics, while others criticize its brevity and lack of depth. Although the game features enjoyable puzzle elements and a creepy ambiance reminiscent of classic horror titles, some mechanics feel underutilized or poorly explained, leading to frustration. Overall, the gameplay is considered engaging but could benefit from improvements in complexity and clarity.
- “Smooth gameplay - zero glitches.”
- “The story was amazing as well as the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is really good and the controls are not difficult, unlike the inventory system.”
- “But the problem is it had no gameplay and it had no proper hints for the player on what to do.”
- “As for the gameplay itself, it was very choppy and jerky, and the puzzles and story were hard to follow/figure out.”
- “Unfortunately, much of the gameplay is just walking from place to place and waiting for something to trigger, which always makes me feel like I'm watching a movie rather than playing a game.”
humor
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from its poor translation and voice acting, which many players found to be unintentionally hilarious. While the game attempts to deliver horror, the awkward English and quirky dialogue often lead to laughter instead of fear, making it a unique experience. Overall, players appreciated the comedic elements, even if they overshadowed the intended horror aspects.
- “I actually found myself trying to repeat what he said in Japanese haha that was funny.”
- “All in all, I was laughing more than I was terrified.”
- “The broken English was hilarious.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
54%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for enhancing the eerie atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its ability to create tension and suspense reminiscent of classic horror titles like Silent Hill. The combination of ambient sounds and a chilling soundtrack effectively immerses players in a frightening experience, although some mention occasional issues like music clipping. Overall, the sound design, including both music and sound effects, significantly contributes to the game's creepy vibe and engaging gameplay.
- “The ambiance is very dark and the music provides a heart-pounding feeling; it gives you the right amount of being scared and suspense for those just starting out or those who want something that gets the heart pumping but not where it comes out of your chest.”
- “The soundtrack and ambient noises complement each other perfectly and set up an ideal stage to really scare the shit out of you at any given moment.”
- “The atmosphere is filled with tension from the very first minute, the music and ambient sound complement it perfectly, with the graphics looking great.”
- “The ambient sounds, SFX, and music all deserve praise for creating a frightening atmosphere at times, with the player praying for the jump scare to happen already, so it doesn’t tease you anymore, but alas, that sweet relief never comes when you want it, does it?”
- “The atmosphere, music, ambiance, creepy vibe.”
- “First, you see an intro scene with typical horror game surroundings (think asylum and dungeon in one) but then cue the jolly intro music that sounds like you're about to watch a 1990's sitcom.”
monetization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has been heavily criticized, as it is essentially an advertisement masquerading as a full product, with the developer charging for what amounts to a poorly executed demo. Gamers feel misled by the presence of this "game," which offers no real value and detracts from legitimate titles, raising concerns about the integrity of game marketing practices. Overall, the monetization strategy is viewed as exploitative and detrimental to the gaming community.
- “But there's another doozy here, and not just because the developer didn't even bother making the full game, but because they're seriously trying to charge money for this advertisement by bolting crappy DLC onto it.”
- “Usually the purpose of these advertisements is to get you to shell out money to the developer to buy the full product, but the developer hasn't bothered actually making a product you can buy, leaving this as an advertisement for nothing.”
- “While it might seem like an innocuous mistake, publishing demos and advertisements as if they are full games is misleading and in some ways harmful.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players noting that it runs smoothly and delivers a good experience, while others criticize it for poor performance and unoptimized graphics. Despite these issues, many still find the overall experience enjoyable and recommend the game.
- “It looks good, sounds good (except music clipping when looped), has decent jump scares and runs smoothly.”
- “The graphic, performance, the ambience, the setting, the voice acting, the story and the narrative, those are top notch and well delivered in my opinion.”
- “In general, I strongly recommend it, the ambient, environment is almost perfect, running smooth with good optimization, I will give 10/10 and looking forward to the main one.”
- “Though the performance is pretty bad.”
- “The scariest thing about this game is its horrible optimization; it runs like crap.”
- “Unfortunately, it has extremely poor optimization.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging, likening it to a drama anime with a heartfelt story and a satisfying ending. The combination of voice acting, sound design, and pacing effectively draws players in, evoking strong feelings, although some note that the emotional impact may vary, with a few feeling less affected by the experience. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating atmosphere that resonates with many players.
- “Felt like a drama anime, nice emotional ending ”
- “Game really pulls you in and gets you emotionally invested.”
- “As someone who's not usually affected by other games of this genre, the voice acting, audio sound effects, and pacing of this game made me feel more than I have ever felt.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game excessively tedious, often requiring significant time investment to complete repetitive tasks. The tutorial is criticized for being unnecessary, and the overall experience can feel monotonous, likening it to the grind of dealing with zombies.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “There are a few kinks that need to be worked out, one being that the tutorial was really unnecessary (for example, here is how you get inventory, hit tab) and another being the fact that the game forces you to do tedious tasks like looking at every item to see if it is required.”
- “Almost as tedious as zombies.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game is praised for its stability, featuring smooth gameplay with no glitches reported. The controls are effective, and while movement may be slow, it enhances the overall atmosphere without introducing any bugs.
- “Walking, although slow, isn't buggy and actually adds quite a bit to the atmosphere of the whole game.”