Night At the Gates of Hell

About

Night At the Gates of Hell is a single player survival shooter game with horror and violence themes. It was developed by TORTURE STAR VIDEO and was released on September 14, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

In "Night at the Gates of Hell," play as David, a grieving man who faces a zombie outbreak in his seaside city. Inspired by Italian zombie flicks and early Resident Evil games, this first-person survival horror features challenging headshot-based combat against slow, menacing undead, creating a tense and deliberate experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 670 reviews

story41 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

Captures the essence of 80s Italian horror films with a campy and humorous tone.
Engaging gameplay with satisfying gun mechanics and a variety of unique zombie designs.
Includes two bonus games that add extra value and fun to the overall experience.

Loud jump scares can be jarring and detract from the overall atmosphere.
Lack of checkpoints can lead to frustrating backtracking if players die.
Some gameplay mechanics, like having to holster weapons to interact, can feel clunky and hinder fluidity.

story
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
58%
6%
The game's story is a mix of campy humor and classic horror tropes, drawing inspiration from 80s zombie films, which many players found entertaining despite its simplicity and occasional absurdity. While some reviews criticized the narrative for being basic or poorly executed, others praised its engaging characters and the fun, fast-paced plot that includes unlockable bonus content. Overall, the story is described as a humorous and thrilling ride, with a blend of scares and laughs that keeps players invested.
- “The story is cheesy, outlandish, very funny, and incredible.”
- “Night at the Gates of Hell is filled with jump scares, gun fights, all fueled by an unsettling story told and played out by some epic characters.”
- “This game perfectly captures the vibe of some of my favorite giallo movies, the influences of Lucio Fulci are definitely at the front of this game, surrounding an intriguing and gripping story, memorable characters, well-paced horror, and some gut-wrenching gore!”
- “The story is nonexistent, things happen without explanation, and you sort of learn to accept this early on, but if you're not engaging the player with fun combat, a good story, effective scares, or engaging characters, why play a game?”
- “The story itself is very basic, you play as a survivor of the apocalypse making his way from his home to the monster-filled streets of his city and beyond.”
- “The story is very schlocky (intentionally so) and I do enjoy the homages to old Italian zombie movies.”
humor
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its blend of absurdity and dark comedy, often drawing comparisons to classic B-movie horror films. Players appreciate the campy dialogue, quirky character interactions, and the ability to elicit genuine laughter amidst jump scares, although some find the humor hit-or-miss or occasionally crude. Overall, the game successfully balances horror and hilarity, making it a unique and entertaining experience.
- “I was laughing my ass off throughout a lot of this game and just had an awesome time in general.”
- “The humor is so good that I've laughed more than with most 'comedy' games I've played.”
- “Night at the gates of hell scared me, made me laugh, pulled me into a world of nostalgic weirdness, and frustrated the hell out of me all at once.”
graphics
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
68%
10%
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic PS1/N64 horror aesthetic, successfully capturing the eerie charm of retro visuals while blending in modern resolution elements. However, opinions are mixed; some players appreciate the low-poly style and its fit within the horror genre, while others criticize the dated look, poor gamma control, and lack of detail in level design, which detracts from immersion. Overall, the visuals are a polarizing aspect, appealing to fans of retro horror but potentially off-putting to those seeking more polished graphics.
- “They've achieved the aesthetics and tone for an experience that's worth more than any of the core mechanics, which are merely a means to be immersed into an eerie world of paradoxical colors amongst vintage visuals.”
- “The graphic style nails that PS1/N64-era horror aesthetic, with just enough modern resolution thrown in to give it a unique, slightly off-putting charm.”
- “The blood red skies and neon green chapels were always a sight to behold, if you appreciate PS1-era graphics and worlds.”
- “The retro aesthetics are used as an excuse to make some extremely blocky and basic levels, and the retro screen filters that are enabled by default are basically needed by the dev to hide just how ugly the game really looks in many places.”
- “Level design and detail are very lacking, which combined with a snail-pace walking animation and inconsistent visuals, turn the experience into crawling with a migraine.”
- “But.....this game's miserable aesthetics feel like a crappy parody of PS1 era games rather than an actual effort to make something good.”
atmosphere
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
44%
5%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of retro horror aesthetics and immersive sound design, effectively capturing the essence of classic Italian zombie films. While many players appreciate the tense and creepy environments, some feel that the frequent jump scares and comedic elements can disrupt the overall immersion. Overall, the game successfully creates a chilling and engaging atmosphere that resonates with fans of the genre.
- “Now, a long while later, as with horror classics with a distinctive flavor and atmosphere, it haunts my memory - it's something unique, the vivid and cult themes of giallo infused into the boomer shooter trend.”
- “The decaying environments and relentless zombie hordes create a good atmosphere, keeping you on edge throughout.”
- “Perfectly capturing the atmosphere and mood of 70's Italian horror movies with some blatant homages to the works of Lucio Fulci, the game engrosses you with its journey and horrific visuals & sound design.”
- “Sadly, these bits of atmosphere are interrupted all the time by the next stupid sound effect that shakes the immersion off.”
- “The italian zombie film theme could have made for a really creepy and special atmosphere, but the dev made every character a caricature and added stupid jokes that don't fit the theme.”
- “The game shows so much potential that it fails to live up to in terms of overall creepy atmosphere.”
gameplay
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
60%
4%
The gameplay is characterized as simple yet enjoyable, blending retro aesthetics with survival horror mechanics that evoke a nostalgic feel. While some players appreciate the fun and rewarding aspects, others note issues with clunky controls and a lack of variety in mechanics. Overall, the game successfully creates an engaging atmosphere, though it may not satisfy those seeking depth in gameplay or storytelling.
- “The gameplay is very rudimentary, but undoubtedly fun.”
- “It's such a fun game with neat mechanics.”
- “The gameplay consists of shooting zombies and cultists while exploring to find key items to unlock other areas, reminiscent of Resident Evil 1's progression style.”
- “I think where this game largely falls apart is in content, gameplay, parts of the writing, as well as just a general feeling of being rushed.”
- “Gameplay struggles in a lot of areas.”
- “Around 2 and a half hours of gameplay that largely repeats itself even after getting a new weapon.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
53%
14%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its excellent soundtrack that captures a vintage horror vibe reminiscent of 70s Italian cinema. While some players found the music to enhance the atmosphere and gameplay, others noted issues with audio settings and bugs that detracted from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is highlighted as a standout feature, contributing to the game's morbid humor and effective scares.
- “What is super on point though, is the music and the lighting.”
- “Excellent soundtrack, perfectly minimal gameplay, effective scares, sexy polygons, and just an all-around lovely experience which certainly leaves me wanting more.”
- “The music felt right out of Lucio Fulci's Zombie (and that's a really good thing).”
- “Every cut scene was just there to make a dirty joke, and the music was out of place.”
- “- there seems to be either bugs or deliberate choices for certain sounds and music to ignore your audio settings.”
- “The game has a heavy atmosphere, the songs make the gameplay very uncomfortable (terrifying) and tense.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting persistent glitches that significantly detract from the experience, particularly in critical gameplay modes like horde mode. While some appreciate the game's themes and music, the overwhelming consensus is that the bugs make it difficult to recommend, especially given the price point.
- “I tried getting as far in as I could, but I kept dealing with a bunch of glitches to the point of not even wanting to bother anymore.”
- “I'll probably try to work through the glitches on another playthrough another day, but I shouldn't have to keep doing this when I paid over $50 to support this and your other titles.”
- “Too bad it's a complete broken, buggy mess.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the lack of auto-reload and unskippable cutscenes that disrupt the flow after dying. While some appreciate the humor in these moments, they can become frustrating, especially during challenging boss fights and lengthy sections in the latter part of the game. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a mix of engaging and frustrating elements.
- “Unskippable cutscenes make it tedious to get back into a chapter if you died or quit halfway through a level.”
- “Perhaps the only issue I had with the game was some of the more tedious sections in the later half of the game.”
- “Not everything has to be Resident Evil levels of zombie survival tedious, so having more bullets and second chance items actually encourages you to use your weapons. However, at one point I died to an enemy that bypassed the second chance items and then respawned in the middle of the fight, safe and snug with the boss still at however much health was left, and continued on like nothing happened.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Players note that the game has significant replayability, particularly due to the meaningful consequences of dying, which enhances the overall experience. While single-player horror games typically struggle with replay value, this title successfully engages players to return for more.
- “It's rare for a single-player horror game (or in this case a whole bundle) to have high replay value, but this one nails it.”
- “This game would be a lot better and have replay value if dying meant something.”
- “This simple idea adds replayability.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for feeling like a cash grab, with users pointing out technical issues such as a malfunctioning rebinding menu and bugs related to ads. While some gameplay elements like shooting mechanics are solid, the overall impression is that the game prioritizes profit over quality.
- “Bad AI, bad level design, bad graphics without any artistic purpose behind them, and poor audio quality aside, the other criticism I have that has me convinced this game was a quickly slapped together cash grab is that the rebinding menu simply doesn't work.”
- “The only thing that needs fixing is the ads bug and the hit boxes.”
- “The shooting is solid but demanding; you can't aim down sights while moving, and hip firing is a dice roll.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has been criticized for performance issues, including hitbox inaccuracies in combat and inadequate support for Steam Deck, although developers have acknowledged these concerns and are working on improvements. Additionally, players feel there is little incentive for high performance or consequences for failure, which may affect overall engagement.
- “My only hangups so far are a handful of performance issues, some weird hitbox issues with the combat, and the lack of proper Steam Deck support (which the devs have already said is coming as of this writing).”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of humor and discomfort, as players express a strong aversion to certain elements, suggesting that the game elicits intense and often humorous reactions.