Novarith

About

Novarith is a single player action adventure game. It received positive reviews from players.

Novarith is an atmospheric third-person survival horror game. Gloomy corridors and lifelike visuals build tension, keeping you on edge with every step. You awaken in an unfamiliar room, realizing that the only way out is to explore the mysterious building filled with secrets and hidden mechanisms. Interactive objects are crucial for survival — from locked doors to concealed devices. Game Features…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,121 reviews

story104 positive mentions

stability28 negative mentions

Exceptional atmosphere and world-building creating an immersive survival horror experience.
Engaging gameplay loop blending exploration, stealth, combat, and resource management with rewarding progression.
Well-designed characters with humorous and captivating dialogue, enhancing the story and player engagement.

Game suffers from frequent technical issues including crashes, lag, poor optimization, and bugs affecting gameplay and controls.
Steep learning curve and often frustrating difficulty spikes, sometimes due to unbalanced AI behavior and punishing mechanics.
Live service additions and repetitive missions reduce enjoyment; base building and tunnel systems criticized for poor design and impact on pacing.

story
304 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
59%
7%
The story aspect across these reviews is generally praised for its engaging, immersive, and often gripping narrative with strong character development and atmospheric world-building. While some find the story compelling, thought-provoking, and faithful yet refreshed from originals, others criticize it for being repetitive, somewhat shallow, or incomplete—especially in live-service or grind-heavy games where the narrative can feel diluted or secondary to gameplay. Overall, the story is seen as a key highlight that enhances replayability, though its execution and impact vary depending on the game and player expectations.
- “The way it ties into the main story and shows how key moments in the main game came to happen is a masterclass in storytelling.”
- “I loved the moral conflicts you are forced to face, and uncovering the story through notes and excellent use of environmental storytelling.”
- “Great story, great voice acting, great sound design, dark and scary atmosphere.”
- “The story is full of plot holes and bad writing at best, at worst it's headache inducing with how little sense every detail makes.”
- “Whoever says this game isn't made by the old Rocksteady he's just hating; what messed this game up is the live service route. Because of that the game suffers from repetitive mission design, not well thought out narrative (although the story had some great moments), lack of story-driven side missions in the open world, and shallow post-launch content.”
- “The story doesn't have a proper conclusion to the plot points they set up. There is no satisfying end to the story.”
gameplay
203 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
58%
6%
The gameplay is widely praised for its satisfying combat mechanics, smooth and fluid movement, and a well-balanced mix of classic and modern elements, including new mechanics like parrying and skill-based combat. While some find certain mechanics janky, punishing, or requiring adjustment, the core gameplay loop remains engaging, replayable, and fun, especially for fans of survival horror and shooter genres. However, a few criticisms highlight repetitiveness, occasional clunkiness, and bugs that slightly detract from the overall experience.
- “The satisfying combat mechanics is what kept me playing over and over again.”
- “The new parry mechanic with the knife adds a great new skill-based combat mechanic instead of always relying on QTEs.”
- “Gameplay loop is fun and great, you really feel like a lowly scav ducking and dodging man-made horrors beyond our comprehension.”
- “This game heavily falters on its gameplay; the shots are less accurate, taking notes from previous remakes' combat of standing still to get more accurate shots, and the amount of feedback this game gives you does not compare to the feeling of popping heads or roundhouse kicking in the original.”
- “The story is predictable, the puzzles are convoluted, and the gameplay is outdated.”
- “The bad: gameplay is just a straight up massive downgrade with tons of questionable design decisions.”
graphics
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
39%
4%
The graphics across these games are generally praised for their impressive visuals, detailed environments, and artistic styles that create immersive atmospheres, often holding up well even years after release. While some titles boast optimized performance and stunning effects like ray tracing, others struggle with issues such as blurriness, inconsistent optimization, or occasional glitches. Overall, the graphics are a strong positive aspect, though experiences vary based on game age, style, and hardware support.
- “Amazing and well optimized graphics.”
- “The graphics, gameplay, combat and story were awesome.”
- “A masterpiece of a horror game, made in 2013, the graphics hold up really well to this day, a must play at least once.”
- “Graphics: looked decent even though they were not even close to what the specs of the PC could provide.”
- “I keep their wallhacks and aimbot to a minimum... graphics can be a bit blurry making it hard to see in a game where minute details are the difference between catching an enemy off-guard and an enemy yeeting you.”
- “Graphics - terrible, movement - clunky, missions fun - 0/10. Why, all this in 2025?”
atmosphere
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
24%
6%
The game is widely praised for its exceptional and immersive atmosphere, particularly excelling in creating tension, dread, and a dark, haunting mood that stands out in the horror genre. Many reviewers highlight its stunning visuals, sound design, and environmental storytelling that deeply engage players, though some note occasional gameplay or technical flaws. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a defining strength, delivering a compelling, intense experience that resonates with fans of atmospheric horror.
- “Brilliant atmospheric exploration of a future that could easily be our own.”
- “The atmosphere is phenomenal and the story is excellent, especially if you go in blind like I did.”
- “The atmosphere is dark and immersive, and the gameplay mechanics stand out from the usual extraction shooters, offering something fresh and original.”
- “Mechanics are bad, puzzles are terrible, atmosphere is awful, worst boss fights in the series except the first Jack fight, plus the most underwhelming final boss I have ever seen.”
- “The atmosphere is well done, but the gameplay is boring and the story is mediocre.”
- “Meh, overall it's an okay game that works if you turn your brain off and just try to feel the game's atmosphere like in Borderlands.”
optimization
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
54%
21%
Optimization reviews for the game are mixed, with many praising its solid performance on mid-to-high-end hardware and well-optimized graphics, especially for an Unreal Engine title. However, frequent reports highlight inconsistent FPS, stuttering, crashes, and poor optimization on certain maps or lower-end systems, with some players experiencing significant performance drops and technical issues. Overall, optimization remains a key area needing improvement, though ongoing patches and settings adjustments suggest potential gains in stability and performance over time.
- “Amazing and well-optimized graphics.”
- “Great performance, I can run this on my laptop.”
- “The game is very optimized - which is quite impressive for an Unreal Engine game.”
- “The whole game is frustrating, with poor optimization causing FPS drops from 120 to 20-30 even on a powerful setup. Additionally, RAM usage skyrockets when idle, alongside multiple crashes and bugs.”
- “This game is poorly optimized and it shows clearly in the frequent FPS drops and performance issues.”
- “The game needs much better optimization; even high-end GPUs like the RTX 5080 struggle to maintain 144 FPS at 2K resolution.”
stability
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
The game is noted for its impressive visuals and engaging gameplay, but is frequently criticized for persistent bugs, glitches, and poor optimization leading to freezes, crashes, and frame drops. Despite regular updates and developer dedication improving stability over time, many players still experience frustrating technical issues that impact the overall smoothness and performance.
- “Works well, no freezes, no lags.”
- “This game is great, looks great, runs great, works great, plays great.”
- “Not buggy.”
- “The whole game is frustrating, with enemies that one-shot you from odd angles, enemies stuck in the ground but still shooting you, multiple crashes or freezes when changing areas, an inventory bug with the scav mule where you get stuck, poor optimization causing FPS drops from 120 to 20-30 despite having good hardware, and RAM usage skyrocketing when idle in the lobby.”
- “However, the game is so poorly optimized (I have a 4060 and am running low to medium graphics) that I still get freezes and frame drops. The game barely launches half the time, and when it does, it takes 10 minutes to load your save.”
- “Totally dead game: on Oceanic servers, only 3-4 players. I enjoyed the basic idea and looted, did the main intro missions, got to a town up north where I saw a buggy bugging out in the world. When I clicked to drive it, it clipped me through the bottom of the map, and even though I started on concrete asphalt road, I somehow drowned.”
grinding
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
92%
Grinding in the game is extensive and often repetitive, with many players finding the need to replay similar missions and farm gear tedious and time-consuming. While the grind can feel like a chore, it also offers rewarding moments and encourages revisiting areas with some variety. Overall, grinding is not mandatory for progression but is significant in post-game content and for achievement hunters.
- “Building is fun, resource gathering is not tedious.”
- “Isn't necessary to progress.”
- “Average grind level.”
- “That said, it leans heavily into live-service mechanics—grindy gear systems, repetitive missions, and a story that doesn't hit as hard as the Arkham games it's connected to.”
- “Its hours upon hours upon hours of grinding the same quests over and over and over again.”
- “Its a fun shooty jumpy amusing time, and novel enough while you are working your way through the JL, but once you get onto the post game, it's super grindy and quite tedious... you have to grind essentially the same mission over and over each 'episode' (of which there are 8) to get a high enough 'rank' so you can easily kill Brainiac (again), and move onto the next episode.”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised for its funny one-liners, character interactions, and voice acting, adding a genuine and enjoyable comedic layer to the experience. While the writing may not be exceptional overall, moments of clever and authentic humor, especially between quirky characters, provide entertaining and often laughter-inducing breaks amidst the gameplay.
- “The care and attention to the characters, with funny one-liners and small little details which crack you up.”
- “My friends and I were laughing our asses off at the interactions between the over-the-top Aussie stereotype and the almost blunt and awkward responses from King Shark.”
- “Your friends will get chewed, shot, stomped, crushed, zapped, chomped, gutted, disintegrated, and torched in forever unexpected and hilarious ways just as you think you have the upper hand.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The music is widely praised for its strong, atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience, with several reviewers calling it a highlight featuring solid, memorable tracks. While one user mentioned muting the game to play their own music, the overall consensus appreciates the game's original score for adding immersion and complementing the art style and atmosphere.
- “And it comes with its own excellent soundtrack.”
- “Story: good graphics: moderate (but acceptable) gameplay: the classic-style background music adds a nice atmosphere and makes the experience more enjoyable.”
- “The art design, the soundtrack, the little bits of lore you get, are all stellar.”
- “Puzzles range from easy to impossible (looking at you, music puzzle).”
- “The game is fun; however, it's fun in a way where you mute the game and play a podcast or music in the background and just play the game on autopilot, not thinking or caring.”
- “Music - bad, not special.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
The game offers impressive replayability, especially for a story-driven single-player experience, with many players highlighting its hours of fun, engaging content, and additional seasons that enhance replay value. While some see it as a one-time playthrough mainly for achievements, others find it infinitely replayable due to its enjoyable gameplay, atmosphere, and abundant collectibles. Overall, replayability is considered a strong aspect that keeps players coming back.
- “For a story game, I think this is very impressive, shows how much enjoyable and replayable the game is.”
- “There are tons of replay value which is quite impressive for a single player game.”
- “It's also a meaty game, with the campaign taking the average player around 15-20 hours to complete with a lot of replayability.”
- “It's a one-time experience only for achievements; if you wait a few months or years, it's definitely not infinitely replayable.”
- “As much replayability as the original 2005 title.”
- “Difficulty - my 90 year old grandma could play it easy normal hard 'dark souls'; graphics - 'ms paint' bad; replayability - it's a one-time experience only for achievements.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers effective emotional twists and a haunting tone that resonates with players, enhanced by touching characters and strong storytelling. However, some users felt disconnected from certain characters and found large portions of content emotionally unengaging or frustrating, leading to mixed emotional experiences overall.
- “The emotional twists and turns were very effective.”
- “The story is interesting, the graphics are unmatched, and the characters are touching and much more.”
- “Despite its limited scope, Novarith succeeds at crafting a haunting emotional tone that stays with you after you step away from the screen.”
monetization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's monetization heavily relies on microtransactions, often perceived as aggressive or borderline predatory, with some players feeling it detracts from the experience. While in-game purchases and events offer additional content, many express concerns over privacy and the game's pushy cash-grab approach.
- “It is free, there are in-game purchases some of which are pretty good and events for extra XP/items do happen on a regular basis.”
- “Absolutely correct monetization model.”
- “The only complaint I have is that the monetization is a little scummy.”
- “Now it is microtransactions galore and you have to buy "lexcoin" to purchase characters that only minorly change the game, with no extra missions to my knowledge.”
- “Massive privacy concerns, and not only that but they're triple dipping into microtransactions.”
- “The game’s monetization system is borderline predatory, rivaling current COD’s aggressive advertisement of add-ons and cosmetics you may not need to succeed.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Character development received mixed feedback, with praise for some of the coolest character designs and solid pacing, but criticism for lacking depth, repetitiveness, and insufficient connection to DC's signature intensity and storytelling. Some users appreciated the impact and plot reminiscent of certain cinematic styles, while others found character progression and design underwhelming or inconsistent.
- “- Pacing and character design is dumped.”
- “- Borderlands-like RPG progression (why?).”
- “- Lack of DC/movie madness and brutality, combat is lame.”