No Vacation for an Executioner

About

No Vacation for an Executioner is a single player survival role playing game with horror, fantasy, mystery, thriller and others themes. It was developed by Jay O and was released on March 23, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

About It's a story about a frustrated executioner in late 17th century. He felt sick at his job and ran away from the gallows. It aroused a riot of monsters, he had to clean up this cruel mess, and find out the truth about the "Gloomy Oil" of this crazy world. It's a Retro PS2 style Survival Horror Action-RPG, you will use various skill to survive, beat your enemy and explore forward. Inspi…

No Vacation for an Executioner screenshot

Skip User Reviews

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 14 reviews

atmosphere3 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Unique and impressive PS1/PS2-inspired visual style with a strong atmospheric horror vibe.
Engaging and tense exploration with multiple areas, unique bosses, and varied builds that reward different playstyles.
Passionate design evident in character and monster art, combined with music that complements the survival horror feel.

Combat system, especially parrying, is clunky, unreliable, and poorly polished, negatively impacting gameplay enjoyment.
Numerous bugs, untranslated or poorly translated text, awkward controls, and a confusing UI reduce playability.
Lack of polish overall, including poor tutorials, lack of sound effects, and awkward mechanics, making it feel unfinished and not ready for launch.

graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics feature a unique, retro-inspired art style combining vibrant colors reminiscent of Bloodborne and MadWorld, creating a distinct and atmospheric visual experience. While currently unpolished and somewhat janky, the design and aesthetics show clear passion and potential, delivering smooth performance at 60fps. Overall, the visuals are praised for their originality and atmosphere despite the game's rough state.
- “The art style and NPC/enemy design simply cannot receive enough praise.”
- “It's got a super unique art style and vibe, and plays kinda like Bloodborne meets Resident Evil 4, better than any new Resident Evil game without a doubt.”
- “Honestly, there's a lot to like here even in its unpolished state, and if this was a bigger game, I'd have to give it a thumbs down for how unpolished it feels, but I'm going to give it a thumbs up because it kind of nails the atmosphere and the visuals.”
- “If this was a bigger game, I'd have to give it a thumbs down for how unpolished it feels.”
- “The game reminds me of PS2 era graphics, with an art style similar to MadWorld colors combined with Bloodborne, but it feels quite cheap currently.”
- “The game shows passion in its graphics and designs, but it is not ready to be launched and has several issues that need fixing.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay is hindered by a poorly implemented parry mechanic that registers inconsistently and depends heavily on enemy distance, making it unreliable even with correct timing. Additionally, restrictions like not being able to grab or kill enemies while crouched disrupt player strategy, resulting in a slow-paced and occasionally frustrating experience.
- “The parry is registered very poorly, approximately only 50-60% of the time, and to top it off, parrying also depends on the distance from the enemy, which makes the whole mechanic very broken and ineffective.”
- “The gameplay loop isn't bad, though it's very slow-paced.”
- “The parry is registered very poorly, approximately only 50-60% of the time, and to top it up, parrying also depends on the distance from the enemy, making the whole mechanic very broken and unworking.”
- “The parry mechanic seems to be unreliable and fails even when timing it correctly.”
- “The translations even in English are kinda meh; in Spanish they switched the gun menu with the weapon menu. The parry is not strong enough because sometimes, even if you get it right and the enemy should be stunned, the game decides the enemy can attack once again because it feels like it. You can't grab objects when you are crouched and can't kill enemies while crouched (the mechanic made to surprise enemies doesn't let you kill them). You have to stand up again and then kill them.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere is highly praised for its tense and immersive experience, effectively capturing a vibe reminiscent of Bloodborne and Resident Evil 4. Despite some unpolished elements and short background music tracks, the game's passion and design shine through, creating a compelling and engaging environment.
- “The atmosphere is really incredible too, with genuine moments of tension despite being fairly certain I could outrun any horrible monster I encountered.”
- “The game has a good atmosphere inspired by Bloodborne and good music, although the background tracks are somewhat short.”
- “Honestly, there's a lot to like here even in its unpolished state. Despite some rough edges, it nails the atmosphere and visuals well.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music effectively captures a nostalgic, early 2000s survival horror vibe with a horror-themed tone reminiscent of King's Field and Bloodborne. However, some users note that background tracks are too short and there is a lack of certain sound effects and music.
- “The music in the convent area in particular really conjured up the same feeling I feel when playing early 2000s survival horror games.”
- “The game has a good atmosphere inspired by Bloodborne and good music, although the background tracks are too short.”
- “The music is good, it reminds me of King's Field but with a horror tone to it.”
- “- Missing sound effects/music”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story, especially through NPC quests, relies heavily on trial and error, reminiscent of FromSoftware and classic RPGs. However, users feel that better integration of mechanics and narrative could enhance immersion and align more closely with the game's overall tone.
- “The NPC quests in particular feel very trial and error, like a lot of other FromSoft and older RPG-inspired games.”
- “If it tied its mechanics and story together to introduce you into the game's setting, it would fit the overall tone so well.”

Skip Game Offers

Buy No Vacation for an Executioner

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like No Vacation for an Executioner

65%3kreviews

Bleak Faith: Forsaken

2023

Open World Hack and Slash

84%16.7kreviews

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

2025

Open World Role Playing Shooter

55%1.3kreviews

Of Ash and Steel

2025

Open World Role Playing

68%609reviews

Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King

2021

Open World Role Playing

51%469reviews

INSOMNIA: The Ark

2018

Survival Role Playing Shooter

More games like No Vacation for an Executioner

Skip Game News

What if Bloodborne was on PS2? Dark horror No Vacation for an Executioner is so old school even the dev insists to try the free Steam Next Fest demo before buying "to make sure you like this control style"

February 23 on gamesradar.com

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

No Vacation for an Executioner is a survival role playing game with horror, fantasy, mystery, thriller and others themes.

No Vacation for an Executioner is available on PC and Windows.

No Vacation for an Executioner was released on March 23, 2026.

No Vacation for an Executioner was developed by Jay O.

No Vacation for an Executioner has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its atmosphere but disliked it for its graphics.

No Vacation for an Executioner is a single player game.

Similar games include Bleak Faith: Forsaken, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, Of Ash and Steel, Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King, INSOMNIA: The Ark and others.

No Vacation for an Executioner

Platforms

About

Buy No Vacation for an Executioner