Maid of Sker

Maid of Sker might not be the scariest horror game out there, but the tense moments, sound-based gameplay design, and intriguing story come together to form a solid horror experience nevertheless.

78%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

78% User Score Based on 828 reviews

Critic Score 63%Based on 32 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Maid of Sker" is a first-person survival horror game set in a haunting Welsh hotel. You play as a musician tasked with saving your loved one from the hotel's supernatural inhabitants. Using stealth and evasion, you must navigate the corridors and uncover the dark secrets of the Sker family. Can you uncover the truth and escape before it's too late?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+11

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 828 reviews

story222 positive mentions

grinding30 negative mentions

The game features a haunting atmosphere with stunning visuals and excellent sound design.
The story is intriguing, drawing from Welsh folklore and providing a unique narrative experience.
The gameplay mechanics, particularly the sound-based AI and the breath-holding mechanic, add tension and immersion.

The enemy AI can be inconsistent, sometimes detecting the player when they shouldn't and being easily avoided at other times.
The game is relatively short, taking around 4-6 hours to complete, which may not justify the full price for some players.
Puzzles are often too simplistic, lacking depth and challenge, which can lead to a repetitive gameplay experience.

story
493 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The story of "Maid of Sker" is a blend of Welsh folklore and horror, centered around the protagonist Thomas Evans, who seeks to rescue his love, Elizabeth, from a sinister hotel. While the narrative is engaging and atmospheric, many players found it somewhat predictable and linear, relying heavily on environmental storytelling and notes for depth. Overall, the story is appreciated for its unique premise and immersive elements, though some felt it lacked character development and could have benefited from a more intricate plot.
- “The story builds itself as you advance with few to none gaps in it.”
- “Maid of Sker is a worthy experience for any horror fan willing to discover its unique creepiness and intriguing story exploring Welsh folklore in a macabre way.”
- “The story had captured my full attention, littered with intriguing imagery, disturbing yet informative lore notes, compelling character dialogue, and eerie atmosphere.”
- “The lame linear plot is basically to avoid middle-aged, blind men with literally no weapon and barely look threatening whatsoever!”
- “The story is predictable but still entertaining enough to want to see it through to the end.”
- “The telling of the story, which does not take place with cutscenes but only through the gramophone and found texts, as well as the monotonous gameplay, stand in the way of a clear recommendation for me.”
gameplay
296 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
66%
13%
The gameplay of "Maid of Sker" is characterized by a unique sound-based mechanic where players must hold their breath to avoid detection by blind enemies, creating a tense atmosphere. However, many reviewers found the mechanics to be repetitive and lacking depth, with clunky controls and frustrating elements that detract from the overall experience. While the game offers an intriguing story and impressive visuals, the gameplay often feels tedious and simplistic, leading to mixed reviews regarding its execution.
- “The gameplay is an interesting blend of survival and stealth mechanics.”
- “The sound mechanics are amazing and the fact that the enemies can't see you but can hear you adds a new element.”
- “Maid of Sker is a unique horror puzzle game with heavy emphasis on stealth mechanics and sound, with a haunting soundtrack, an eerie world, and unique enemy design.”
- “However, the game suffers from some frustrating mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is very poor, the same actions over and over again without anything actually changing.”
- “The gameplay is just too 1-dimensional and boring.”
music
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
44%
1%
The music in "Maid of Sker" has been widely praised for its haunting beauty and ability to enhance the game's eerie atmosphere, effectively immersing players in its narrative. Many reviewers highlighted the soundtrack as a standout feature, with its emotional depth and thematic relevance to the story, particularly the integration of Welsh music and lyrics. Overall, the sound design, including both music and sound effects, is considered a key element that contributes significantly to the game's tension and immersive experience.
- “The music in Maid of Sker is as beautiful as it is haunting, thoroughly fitting the somber tone of the game while being excellent pieces in their own right.”
- “The soundtrack captures you from start to finish and lures you as the whole point of a siren's song is explained throughout this game, forcing you to follow it to key items.”
- “Absolutely fantastic atmospheric horror, the story is compelling and the sound design and music were superb.”
- “The main goal is to collect 4 cylinders and 4 music sheets for the 'true ending'; the trailer shows all of those items which you either cannot use or use once in the game to progress.”
- “For the soundtrack to be the forefront of the game, it has a similar problem to Outlast (but Outlast did it better for sure) where the protagonist doesn't say much but screams most (if not) all the time.”
- “The OST starts out very strong as you approach the gate, but begins to become repetitive almost instantly.”
atmosphere
208 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
40%
1%
The atmosphere of "Maid of Sker" is widely praised as its standout feature, characterized by a haunting and immersive sound design, eerie visuals, and a richly detailed setting that evokes psychological horror. While the game excels in creating tension and a spooky ambiance, some players note that the gameplay mechanics can detract from the overall experience, leading to a less engaging atmosphere as the game progresses. Overall, it offers a compelling atmospheric experience for fans of horror, despite some criticisms regarding pacing and enemy design.
- “The game’s strong suit is its atmospheric tension, sound-based AI, and deeply unsettling story.”
- “Maid of Sker is an atmospheric and suspenseful horror game that will appeal to fans of psychological and gothic horror.”
- “The atmosphere is emotive and dramatic, enthralling the player from beginning to end and never wavering for a single second.”
- “Atmosphere is very weak.”
- “The atmosphere isn't always there though, and this is where the game begins to completely fall apart.”
- “There are better stealth/survival horror games out there with better stories and better atmosphere.”
graphics
184 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
47%
3%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many players praising the beautiful visuals, atmospheric design, and attention to detail that enhance the horror experience. However, some users noted issues such as minor glitches, inconsistent graphical fidelity, and a dated aesthetic in certain areas, which detracted from the overall impression. While the art direction and environmental design are highlighted as strong points, the game's performance can vary significantly depending on hardware capabilities.
- “I love the visuals and art direction.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and the environment pairs perfectly with the haunting music.”
- “The visuals are beautiful, with detailed, intricate environments that are a pleasure to explore.”
- “Conceptually, the game was a good try, but to be frank, who wants to stealth through the same graphics and same calculable monsters for 8 hours without proper mechanics or even a story.”
- “The character models and environmental details create a suitably haunting atmosphere, but the graphical fidelity may not match the standards set by AAA horror titles.”
- “The graphics are poor because of bad lighting and fuzzy anti-aliasing, but this is a really creepy little horror game that I enjoyed.”
grinding
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
9%
88%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with many describing the stealth mechanics and exploration as slow and repetitive. While the atmosphere and visuals are praised, the gameplay often feels like a chore, leading to frustration rather than engagement. Many reviewers suggest that the game requires a significant time investment, likening the experience to needing "a second life" for the amount of grinding involved.
- “A lot of grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Exploring and collecting stuff was very tedious and frustrating.”
- “The atmosphere, graphics, music, and narrative elements are great, but the gameplay can be somewhat tedious.”
replayability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
16%
The game's replayability is mixed, with some players noting the presence of collectibles and challenge missions that enhance replay value, while others feel it is limited primarily to achievement hunters. Although there are different outcomes akin to a choose-your-own-adventure format, many reviewers suggest that once the story is completed, there is little incentive to replay unless one is interested in completing challenges or collecting items. Overall, the consensus leans towards a moderate replayability score, with some enjoyment for those seeking additional challenges.
- “This game also offers a fair amount of replayability, as there are collectibles and challenge missions (e.g., complete the whole game in the dark with a gun).”
- “Just like a choose-your-own-adventure book, the game offers different outcomes, adding a nice touch of replayability.”
- “Challenges keep the replay value as well as difficulty.”
- “The replay value of Maid of Sker is somewhat limited.”
- “I wouldn't pay more than that though, just because of the length of content and lack of replayability. It's a story, so once you finish the story, there is really no incentive to go back unless you're an achievement hunter.”
- “As such, my outlook on the replayability of Maid of Sker is a little skeptical.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
92%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing minor graphical glitches and occasional camera issues that necessitated reloading saves. While many reported significant bugs, such as freezing and character control problems, others noted that the game ran smoothly without major issues, especially after patches. Overall, while there are notable stability concerns, they vary widely among players, with some finding them manageable and others encountering frustrating gameplay interruptions.
- “Pretty solid game, runs great, no FPS issues, and I haven't come across a single bug yet.”
- “The game is incredibly stable; I've played for hours without any crashes or glitches.”
- “I appreciate how smooth the gameplay is; it feels polished and reliable.”
- “On the downside, I ran into some camera glitches mid-game that forced me to reload my save a few times.”
- “And they're not just graphical glitches; it's literally like game crashing or you get stuck in the wall/floor type glitches.”
- “I had all the possible problems with it - the game had video lag, it freezes for a few milliseconds every few seconds, and the controller works randomly.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
25%
17%
Overall, the game's optimization received mixed reviews; while some players reported excellent performance and no bugs, others criticized it as poorly optimized, particularly in terms of graphics. Despite the varied experiences, several users noted that the game runs well on PC and highlighted its effective hardware optimization compared to other indie horror titles.
- “Though I've seen several complaints about bugs and performance issues, I didn't encounter any myself.”
- “Still, I'd rather have great performance than amazing graphics.”
- “Optimization in Maid of Sker is fantastic.”
- “The worst optimized horror game I have played - 10/10”
- “Other indie developers definitely should be taking notes here, as many of the indie horror games have terrible performance in 4K due to not being optimized.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is described as a mixed experience; while some players find the atmospheric elements, such as ambient noises and melancholic singing, to evoke strong feelings, others feel disconnected and primarily focused on gameplay mechanics rather than emotional investment. The game's design elicits moments of tension and fear, but issues like repetitive cutscenes and a lack of clarity in the plot detract from a deeper emotional engagement. Overall, the emotional impact varies significantly among players, with some appreciating the immersive elements while others remain indifferent.
- “The enemies can be located quite well by their footsteps and the ambient noises, be it screams or dogs barking from afar, and the creaking of the floors sometimes gives you goosebumps while the melancholic singing touches you on an emotional level.”
- “Graphically, the whole thing is more of an emotional roller coaster ride, because the motion blur makes everything look a bit spongy and there are rooms that sometimes have more and sometimes less detail.”
- “Wales interactive (but I have not played all the games from this developer) so I can still be emotional after playing it :)”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from its absurd enemy AI and the comical situations that arise, such as enemies being oblivious to the player’s presence until a minor action triggers their aggression. Players find amusement in the game's quirks, like the inability to skip cutscenes after dying and the irony of being attacked for seemingly trivial actions. Overall, while the game has its flaws, the humor adds a unique layer to the experience.
- “The funny thing about these challenges is that they actually give you weapons, so it's at least a completely different experience.”
- “Dear Outlast, sorry bruh, but you were funny (:”
- “They can't see but they can hear, so it's very funny getting really close to them without them seeing you as long as you are crouched and holding your breath.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
While the game features a unique setting and compelling story inspired by British folklore, many players feel that the character development, particularly of the main protagonist, lacks depth and fails to fully engage with the rich narrative potential.
- “The setting is quite unique, with events taking place in an isolated location on the Welsh coast and a new take on an ancient Greek myth providing the impetus driving events; these combine to create a folk horror atmosphere that is further facilitated by some nice character designs and decent graphics.”
- “While the story provides a compelling backdrop, the execution may leave some players wishing for more depth and character development.”
- “Though the initial premise of the story is based on real British folklore, there really isn’t much character development in terms of the main protagonist.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game has received mixed reviews; some players view it as a lazy cash grab, while others appreciate its quality despite its brevity, distinguishing it from typical low-effort titles in the genre.
- “It feels like a lazy cash grab, but it's okay even though it's pretty short.”
- “This is not just another cash grab, but it does feel like the monetization is excessive.”