Noctem

About

Noctem is a single player survival simulation game with horror, drama and mystery themes. It was developed by DreamTaleStudio and was released on July 1, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The Story Noctem is set in Dry Creek. A little town in Alaska, with beautiful nature and mostly foggy, a place that strange things happen daily. There are whispers about the Alaskan Triangle and all the theories behind it, but no one is willing to speak about it. People disappear and most of them remain lost. Some say they died, some say they left... Others are still searching for them, to this da…

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68%

Audience ScoreBased on 34 reviews

story7 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Excellent atmosphere with a creepy, immersive setting and sound design that effectively builds tension.
Interesting and engaging story with a unique supernatural theme involving parallel dimensions and UFO lore.
Clever puzzles that add challenge without being overly difficult, contributing to the overall horror experience.

Monster AI is poorly executed, leading to frustrating and immersion-breaking encounters that detract from the horror.
Gameplay can become tedious and repetitive, with slow pacing and a lot of backtracking and item fetching.
The story feels incomplete and disconnected, with an abrupt ending and underdeveloped characters, leaving players unsatisfied.

story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
53%
14%
The story of the game receives mixed reactions: many praise its atmospheric and immersive presentation with interesting plot elements conveyed through environmental storytelling, notes, and recordings, while others criticize it for feeling incomplete, poorly explained, and abruptly ended. Although the backstory and setting create a compelling mood, persistent enemy encounters and lack of narrative clarity undermine the overall experience for some players.
- “I really enjoyed exploring the home and every room had a story to tell.”
- “The story is told in a mixture of notes scattered throughout the house, the various commentary made by Amelia, tape recordings made by her father, and the worrisome deranged scribbles on the walls.”
- “Set in Dry Creek, Alaska, Noctem is a first-person psychological horror game depicting the story of Amelia and the horror she discovers upon her return to her childhood home.”
- “No clear instructions on anything. The monster was lackluster as well as the story; the ending made no sense. Most of the notes were all saying the same thing.”
- “The story itself doesn't get explained that much. You get some sort of 'backstory' at the start, but it abruptly ends with the word 'but..' and that's it. Then the main character keeps talking about probably her dad ('my dad this,' 'my dad that'), and already being frustrated with the game, I couldn't care less about the story.”
- “Most disappointing of all, the game ending is abrupt and the story feels inconclusive.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
20%
15%
The game delivers a consistently strong and gripping atmosphere, praised for its dark, eerie setting, environmental storytelling, and sound design that evokes paranoia and tension reminiscent of "Stranger Things" and "Visage." While the initial creepy vibe and immersive world are highlights, persistent enemy encounters and some gameplay issues occasionally detract from the overall mood. Nonetheless, the atmosphere remains a standout feature, effectively enhancing the horror experience.
- “The environment is amazing and the atmosphere is sure to intimidate anyone who dares investigate the secrets that hide within these walls.”
- “It's atmosphere is gripping and the layout of the house you spend most of your time in brings back fond memories of titles like "Visage."”
- “Very tense atmosphere, very interesting puzzles to complete, fear of having to be chased by big monsters, it makes this game exciting.”
- “I truly wanted to like the story, but it feels incomplete, and the atmosphere is destroyed upon the introduction of the enemy monster.”
- “This has always been my problem with stalker-like enemies in horror games since over-exposure to them might lead to them breaking the atmosphere rather than adding to it.”
- “Although there are some annoyances that may put your pace to a halt, the environmental storytelling and atmosphere of Noctem make up for it.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay centers on exploration and stealth mechanics that can feel frustrating and slow, especially when the monster's detection feels inconsistent. Objectives often involve repetitive fetch quests, which may come across as tedious rather than engaging. However, unique elements like the asthma mechanic add some challenge and depth to the experience.
- “The main gameplay consists of exploring the real world inside Amelia’s home and a grotesque parallel version of it, reminding me of the 'Upside Down' from Stranger Things.”
- “The asthma mechanic is smart and keeps you going.”
- “The objectives are tedious, consisting of searching for sets of objects like toy pieces to complete a dollhouse or trying to find the next key in cabinets to unlock another locked door, which is not exactly riveting gameplay.”
- “And now assuming the monster is blind, it still doesn't make sense if you walk to the complete opposite side of the house and it hears you from there and charges at you. The game advises using 'sneak' mechanics, but honestly, if you want to move along without dying, it takes much longer to sneak through the whole house.”
- “Additionally, the alien mechanic needs work.”
- “The objectives are tedious, consisting of searching for sets of objects like toy pieces to complete a dollhouse or finding the next key in cabinets to unlock another locked door, which is not exactly riveting gameplay.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is widely criticized for being tedious and time-consuming, with repetitive objectives like searching for scattered items that fail to convey a sense of progress. This leads to frustration and diminishes the initially intriguing atmosphere, making the overall experience feel monotonous and disconnected.
- “And simply put, the reason is that it's extremely tedious and time-consuming, without you feeling that you're making any kind of progress.”
- “The objectives are tedious, consisting of searching for sets of objects like toy pieces to complete a dollhouse or trying to find the next key in cabinets to unlock another locked door, which is not exactly riveting gameplay.”
- “The game started out being kind of interesting and creepy but it ended up feeling tedious and mediocre.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game features impressive and atmospheric graphics with creepy, intimidating world design and strong visual assets, especially notable given the small development team. Performance is good, delivering a smooth experience at 1440p, though some technical issues like enemy AI affect overall immersion.
- “The game was created by a very small team (four people, including the studio lead) and boasts some excellent graphical assets and superb sound design.”
- “The designs and general aesthetic of the world are creepy and intimidating.”
- “Gorgeous graphics and interesting story!”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game runs smoothly with a stable 60 FPS on mid-to-high-end PC specs, providing good overall performance without major bugs. However, issues like poor enemy AI pathfinding and frequent enemy encounters impact the experience negatively, detracting from immersion despite the solid optimization.
- “Performance-wise, the framerate stayed at a stable 60, and besides the monster often clipping through the walls, I didn’t encounter any game-breaking bugs.”
- “Good performance with a stable framerate, ensuring smooth gameplay even on a 1440p resolution with an RTX 2070 Super and i7 4790s.”
- “The game maintains a consistent 60 FPS, providing a smooth and responsive experience without significant performance issues.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is praised for its attention to detail and ability to enhance the immersive ambience, complementing the engaging story and level design effectively.