Mundaun

94%
Game Brain Score Based on 828 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • atmosphere
Mundaun Game Cover
Undeniably odd, yet constantly willing to be accessible, Mundaun has a lot to offer anyone fond of horror and exploration.
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"Mundaun" is a single-player horror simulation game with an interesting plot, sensational gameplay, and a dense atmosphere. The game takes place in a hand-pencilled alpine world, where you'll explore varied levels, survive hostile encounters, and solve puzzles to uncover a sinister mystery. Despite some bugs and grinding, the game features stunning visuals and sound, and a wholesome story.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 828 reviews
story203 positive mentions
grinding12 negative mentions
  • The hand-drawn art style is unique and visually stunning, creating an immersive atmosphere.
  • The story is engaging and well-paced, drawing players into the folklore and mystery of the Swiss Alps.
  • The game effectively builds tension and unease without relying on jump scares, making for a more psychological horror experience.
  • Combat mechanics are clunky and often frustrating, leading to a preference for stealth over fighting.
  • Some puzzles can be obtuse or lack clear direction, causing players to get stuck or confused.
  • The game can feel slow-paced at times, with backtracking and exploration that may not appeal to all players.
  • story421 mentions

    The story of *Mundaun* is a captivating blend of Swiss folklore and horror, set against a beautifully hand-drawn backdrop that enhances its eerie atmosphere. Players are drawn into a well-paced narrative filled with intriguing characters and moral choices, although some found the ending lacking in impact compared to the buildup. Overall, the game is praised for its unique storytelling approach, immersive world, and the emotional depth of its themes, making it a memorable experience for fans of narrative-driven games.

    • “The story is engaging and the characters surprisingly easy to attach yourself to, especially Flurina, the young girl who never says a word (or does she?), whose occasionally cheeky presence in the story allows for needed moments of levity as you pursue the mystery of who burned your grandfather horribly to death.”
    • “Mundaun is a captivating first-person psychological horror game, with a distinct presentation and immediately gripping story.”
    • “The story is fascinating, and the fact that the game is not dubbed and plays in its original language Romansh, which is native to the Alps, amplifies the whole mood of the game.”
    • “The final stretch felt more linear, even rushed, and while the ending brought the drama's arc to a close, I found it lacking the power and finesse of the preceding chapters of the story.”
    • “The story was building towards something...well at least I thought so for 2/3 of the game but as the story was unraveling I felt more and more disengaged and in the end it felt unsatisfying; to sum it up, it fell flat.”
    • “Unfortunately, the story and gameplay didn't excite me for long.”
  • graphics288 mentions

    The graphics of Mundaun are widely praised for their unique hand-drawn art style, which combines pencil sketch aesthetics with a captivating atmosphere that enhances the game's horror elements. Reviewers highlight the visuals as a standout feature, noting their ability to create an immersive experience that complements the storytelling and gameplay. While some players found the graphics occasionally challenging to navigate, the overall consensus is that the artistic design significantly contributes to the game's charm and effectiveness.

    • “The art style is gorgeous.”
    • “Mundaun is a game that sticks with you for many reasons: the story, its characters, the atmosphere, all thanks to Michel Ziegler's incredible art style.”
    • “The visuals are unique and beautiful, the atmosphere is palpable, and the tone is fantastic.”
    • “The visuals are okay, the 'hand drawn' part of it is in name only, only the textures are hand drawn, everything else is a typical low poly model and it rarely sells the feeling of the game being hand drawn.”
    • “If you add to this that many places look similar to each other due to the lack of graphics' detail, you will end up making circles while searching for what to do next.”
    • “While the art style did a lot for the atmosphere, it could be hard to look at sometimes.”
  • atmosphere259 mentions

    The atmosphere in Mundaun is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, largely attributed to its unique hand-drawn art style and effective sound design. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke feelings of isolation and dread, creating a surreal and eerie experience that enhances its storytelling. Overall, Mundaun is recognized as a standout title in atmospheric horror, offering a captivating blend of visuals, music, and narrative depth.

    • “Mundaun is a game that sticks with you for many reasons: the story, its characters, the atmosphere, all thanks to Michel Ziegler's incredible art style.”
    • “The author's hand-drawn drawings evoke a suspended and haunting atmosphere that makes tangible the sense of isolation and darkness that permeates the village of Mundaun.”
    • “The atmosphere is immaculate and it is incredibly unique.”
    • “The author's hand-drawn drawings evoke a suspended and haunting atmosphere that makes tangible the sense of isolation and darkness that permeates the village of Mundaun, which is explicitly reflected in its villagers who evoke its characteristics and incorporate its limits.”
    • “The hand-drawn textures lend an unreal amount of atmosphere to this game.”
    • “There's a kind of slow burn horror that Mundaun builds up perfectly, using the quiet backdrop of a small valley to create an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.”
  • gameplay231 mentions

    The gameplay of *Mundaun* is a blend of exploration, puzzle-solving, and light combat, often described as straightforward and reminiscent of traditional survival horror mechanics. While some players appreciate the unique art style and atmospheric storytelling, many criticize the combat and enemy mechanics as clunky and underdeveloped, leading to a mixed reception regarding overall engagement. Despite its simplicity and occasional frustrations, the game offers a rich narrative experience that keeps players invested, making it a noteworthy indie horror title.

    • “It takes about 7 hours to beat, but the gameplay reinvents itself every hour.”
    • “The gameplay exceeds all expectations; it's content-rich, well-rounded, and satisfying as hell.”
    • “Mundaun is beautiful not only in its handwritten art style but in its story and gameplay.”
    • “Some of the gameplay mechanics, including combat, were not well fleshed out.”
    • “Unfortunately, the gameplay is very wooden and annoying; killing enemies is really not recommended.”
    • “The cumbersome mechanics become increasingly frustrating, and you're better off avoiding combat altogether if possible.”
  • music67 mentions

    The music in Mundaun is widely praised for its atmospheric and haunting qualities, perfectly complementing the game's unique art style and eerie setting. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to enhance emotional moments and create tension, with a mix of moody synths, strings, and piano that immerses players in the experience. Overall, the sound design and music are considered top-notch, significantly contributing to the game's captivating atmosphere and storytelling.

    • “The music sets a very creepy tone and adds to the tension while the environmental ambiance creates atmosphere.”
    • “The music is beautiful and the hand-drawn textures are just the icing on the cake.”
    • “The soundtrack adds to the player's uneasy feeling that something wrong is going on in Mundaun, and I particularly like the voice acting in Romansh, which gives the game a feeling of authenticity.”
    • “The music underbuilds the atmosphere and the voice actors do a solid job.”
    • “There was only one puzzle I truly didn't get, and that's probably because having some musical knowledge would have helped in that case (and I have zero to none).”
    • “I'd usually gripe about how there's no soundtrack in a horror game but much like Dark Souls, Mundaun just doesn't need it; the footsteps of your character and ambience from the natural environment works outstandingly well to immerse you.”
  • grinding13 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and slow, particularly due to the mechanics involving enemy encounters and backtracking. While the artistic values and story are appreciated, the gameplay often feels plodding and lacks tension, leading to a less rewarding experience. Despite some redeeming qualities, the repetitive nature of certain tasks detracts from the overall enjoyment.

    • “It feels like a very tedious slow process to wait for the enemy to walk all the way down to where it saw you (with a very far vision range) and then walk all the way back past where you wanted to go.”
    • “However, a slow pace coupled with a story devoid of intrigue, tedious enemies that add nothing to the experience, and occasional unintuitive puzzles leads to an experience that is less than rewarding.”
    • “Tedious to play, backtracking a fair bit, sometimes objectives are just a pain to find; at one point I had to spend 10 minutes tracking back the way I came to try to find one of the 3 multiple quest objectives without much in the way of an indicator.”
  • humor11 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark and surreal elements, reminiscent of Emir Kusturica's films, while also incorporating quirky and absurd moments that evoke laughter amidst a tense atmosphere. Players appreciate the intentionally bland voice acting and the humorous reactions to bizarre occurrences, which enhance the overall experience. The combination of a captivating narrative, unique characters, and amusing ragdoll physics contributes to a distinctive comedic tone that balances the game's darker themes.

    • “It is sweet and quirky, funny when it needs to be, tense.”
    • “I love how various strange occurrences are met with a humorous lack of concern, as if as soon as you step into the area of Mundaun, anything goes.”
    • “The narrative and lore is intriguing and the characters bizarre yet funny in the oddest way.”
  • stability10 mentions

    The stability of the game is mixed, with many users reporting significant bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, while a few players experienced a smooth, bug-free experience. Overall, the game appears to have a range of stability issues, including stuttering and logical inconsistencies, though some players noted it runs well without crashes or major graphical problems.

    • “The game is buggy.”
    • “It is buggy as hell.”
    • “Stuttering, screen tearing, and glitches really did not help.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    The game offers moderate replayability, primarily due to multiple endings, challenging achievements, and the ability to revisit important choices. However, some players feel that the overall experience diminishes after the first playthrough, limiting its long-term replay value. While it provides a satisfying experience for its price, many wish for more substantial content to encourage repeated play.

    • “Still, the game holds quite good replay value, and is well worth the price, especially for half price.”
    • “Getting the achievements and finding easter eggs was fun too, and considering there are a few challenging achievements and multiple endings, I'd say the replay value is of good quality!”
    • “Several different endings, a pretty generous amount of save files, and a point-of-no-return warning give it a nice little replay value without being annoying about it.”
    • “It took me almost 6 hours to finish Mundaun and while there isn't much of a replay value here, I'd say it was worth every penny.”
    • “I just wish there was more replay value though; after one playthrough, I feel like the twists and mystery kind of lose their value.”
    • “There's replayability too to a small degree, not much.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the games reviewed is characterized by a blend of heartwarming and unsettling narratives, often centered around themes of family and generational sin. While some players appreciate the touching stories, they note a lack of deep emotional connection, possibly due to the games' brevity and fable-like qualities. Overall, the experiences evoke nostalgia and a sense of wonder, though they may not fully engage players on an emotional level.

    • “Hidden Fields has crafted a well-paced and engaging experience, somehow heartwarming and deeply unsettling at once.”
    • “It's an emotional story about family and generational sin.”
    • “This game made me feel like a kid, listening to a horror tale.”
  • optimization7 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting poor performance across various platforms, including stuttering, screen tearing, and glitches. While some players felt that these issues did not significantly detract from their overall experience, the consensus indicates that the game struggles with optimization, likely due to its development by a small team using the Unity engine.

    • “I may be in the minority, but the game did not run smoothly.”
    • “But, it has poor performance on a lot of different platforms.”
    • “The game seems poorly optimized, but then, it was made by a small team and performance rarely pulled me out of the experience.”
    • “Stuttering, screen tearing, and glitches really did not help.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is subtly integrated, with characters providing commentary on advertisements and consumer culture, which adds a layer of humor and critique to the in-game experience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

72% average critic score

Buy Mundaun

Play time

9hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
5-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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