Nuclear Nightmare

About

Nuclear Nightmare is a single player and multiplayer action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by BG Productions and was released on October 20, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

"Nuclear Nightmare" is an open-world exploration game where players assemble a team to recover classified materials in the Arctic before a nuclear strike. Gather supplies, unlock perks, and watch out for the risk of the deadly black goo virus that can infect anyone, including your teammates and huskies. Complete your mission before the time runs out.

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+10

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 9,367 reviews

gameplay167 positive mentions

stability512 negative mentions

Great atmosphere and sound design that effectively builds tension and fear.
Fun gameplay loop that encourages teamwork and strategic decision-making.
Regular updates from the developers show commitment to improving the game.

The game is plagued with bugs and performance issues, making it frustrating to play.
Lack of clear objectives and tutorials can leave players confused.
Some mechanics, like the infection system and enemy AI, feel unbalanced and can lead to unfair deaths.

gameplay
596 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
9%
The gameplay of "Nuclear Nightmare" is characterized by a mix of cooperative survival mechanics and horror elements, often drawing comparisons to classic films like "The Thing." While many players find the core gameplay loop engaging and fun, especially when played with friends, it suffers from numerous bugs, clunky mechanics, and a lack of clear instructions on gameplay elements, leading to frustration. Despite its rough edges, the game shows potential for improvement and offers a unique experience that can be enjoyable, particularly in multiplayer settings.
- “The gameplay is excellent and very immersive.”
- “The gameplay loop brilliantly combines teamwork and survival, with tasks that seem simple but become challenging as you navigate traps and avoid lurking monsters.”
- “The gameplay is fun and challenging, with a unique blend of exploration, resource management, and strategic decision-making.”
- “The actual gameplay is very rough around the edges, and you should play it with as large a group of mic-having friends as possible.”
- “Ridiculous effects, nonsense animations and gameplay elements, monsters that just grab you through the wall or aiming with weapons just doesn't work well most of the time.”
- “The gameplay loop is somewhat repetitive, but this is a solo-developer making the game.”
stability
521 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
98%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous players reporting frequent crashes, glitches, and performance issues. While some find the bugs amusing and part of the fun, many others describe the experience as frustrating and unplayable at times. Overall, the game is seen as needing substantial polishing and optimization to reach its potential, especially given its early access status.
- “You can tell it's a budget game, but it plays well and isn't buggy - it feels polished.”
- “I've encountered no glitches, the controls are intuitive, and it is quite easy to learn.”
- “Along with this, the game runs great and although the open world isn't giant, it's an open world experience nonetheless that runs super smooth.”
- “The main issues we are currently facing are issues with terrain collisions, player camera clipping through walls (as well as enemies being able to grab you through walls on occasion), buggy collisions on indoor objects, and ultimately a lack of a good tutorial.”
- “The problem is, the game is just so incredibly jank, buggy, poorly designed and inconsistent to be enjoyable at all, even if you get it at a very low price.”
- “This game is a buggy mess, you won't even be playing it because you will die from some sort of bug or get stuck.”
atmosphere
357 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
35%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and tense qualities, effectively capturing the chilling essence of John Carpenter's "The Thing." Players highlight the combination of eerie sound design, haunting visuals, and a sense of paranoia that enhances the horror experience, especially in multiplayer settings. Despite some technical issues, the game's ability to create a gripping and atmospheric environment is consistently recognized as its standout feature.
- “The atmosphere is super tense, the sound design really sells the horror, and the story keeps you guessing the whole time.”
- “The atmosphere is masterfully crafted, with eerie sound design, stunning environmental details, and a story that keeps you questioning your every choice.”
- “The atmosphere, gameplay, and realism is absolutely astonishing, and the graphics are great too.”
- “The atmosphere just isn't there; it's not scary or creepy.”
- “This game is fun, but the lack of visibility, man, I understand it's for atmosphere, but you honestly can't see anything, and that really takes away from the experience.”
- “On top of all the issues it suffered from before, there are annoying immortal enemies constantly attacking you and ruining the entire pace and atmosphere of the game.”
humor
314 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is a standout feature, often arising from its janky mechanics and the chaotic interactions between players. Many reviews highlight the hilarious moments that occur during gameplay, especially when playing with friends, where unexpected glitches and mishaps lead to laughter amidst the horror. While the game has its share of bugs, these often contribute to the comedic experience, making it a fun choice for groups looking for a mix of scares and laughs.
- “This game is an absolute blast, it's both hilarious and horrifying in the best way possible, makes all my friends become 5-star voice actors for good reasons, it's wild.”
- “The unpolished nature of the game makes it so unique and funny to play.”
- “It's both terrifying and hilarious, and great to play with friends, definitely don't use Discord and do use the in-game voice.”
graphics
281 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
59%
7%
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with many players appreciating the low-resolution aesthetic and atmospheric design that enhances the horror experience. However, numerous reviews highlight significant optimization issues, leading to performance problems and graphical bugs, which detract from the overall enjoyment. While some players find the visuals charming and immersive, others criticize them for being outdated and poorly executed, particularly on lower-end systems.
- “The graphics are beautiful despite it being frightening; depth-of-field looks great and makes you feel focused.”
- “The atmosphere of Nuclear Nightmare is one of its most compelling aspects, with bleak, desaturated visuals that effectively convey the devastation wrought by nuclear war.”
- “The graphics for the environment and creatures are absolutely amazing for being in early access, and I could see this game becoming a fan favorite in the future.”
- “The latest update adds new graphical options that make everything blurry in a game that already suffered from a lack of visual clarity.”
- “The graphics in the game are poor, with character and environment models appearing jagged and unnatural, which is immediately noticeable.”
- “A major bug I've been suffering is the inability to see the light poles between all the base camps, along with the mountains or ice walls, meaning I literally have to guess where I am going; this happens regardless of how high the graphics are set.”
optimization
246 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
50%
29%
The game's optimization has received widespread criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including low frame rates and frequent crashes, even on high-end systems. While some updates have improved performance slightly, the overall consensus is that significant optimization and bug fixes are still needed to enhance the gaming experience. Despite its fun gameplay and potential, many users recommend waiting for further improvements before fully committing to the game.
- “The game is really fun, recently they have optimized it for more low-end PC players and I'm so glad they did. I was tired of playing at 30 fps, making it more playable and enjoyable.”
- “Very fun game, looks great and they're constantly improving the gameplay optimizations and bug fixes.”
- “Great potential and really fun with friends, just needs major performance fixes and bug fixes. I'm genuinely excited to see where this game goes.”
- “The game is poorly optimized, saturated in every post-processing effect available and it runs like garbage, despite the fact I have a PC more powerful than what it should take to actually run this game.”
- “I have never played a more unoptimized piece of shit in my life, what is with the system requirements, make it make sense.”
- “The optimization is so bad it killed my friend's PC.”
story
190 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
82%
6%
The story of "Nuclear Nightmare" is described as a tense and immersive experience, drawing inspiration from survival horror themes reminiscent of "The Thing." While players appreciate the atmosphere and the potential for engaging narratives, many criticize the execution, noting that the storyline can feel convoluted and lacks depth, often overshadowed by gameplay bugs and repetitive missions. Despite these issues, some players find the core concept intriguing and express hope for future updates to enhance the storytelling elements.
- “The narrative of Nuclear Nightmare unfolds gradually, revealing a story of survival, betrayal, and the struggle to maintain humanity in a world gone mad.”
- “While the storyline is linear, it is punctuated by moments of choice and moral ambiguity that add weight to the player’s actions and enhance emotional investment.”
- “This game does a great job at staying cinematic and telling a story of you and your friends.”
- “For a game that has been in early access for almost a year, it’s super messy; the story is poor, the audio balance is insanely wild, and overall just not a good game.”
- “The game’s plot is not only trivial but also maddeningly convoluted.”
- “Every mission fails even if all players survive uninfected.”
music
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
71%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create a tense and immersive horror atmosphere, effectively enhancing the gameplay experience. However, many players have noted issues with audio balance, particularly with abrupt music cues during monster encounters that can disrupt the tension and make communication difficult. Overall, while the soundtrack and ambient sounds contribute significantly to the game's chilling ambiance, improvements in audio management are recommended to enhance the overall experience.
- “The creepy ambient music builds this insane tension, and when that monster starts chasing you and you hear those screeches—it’s straight-up panic mode.”
- “The soundtrack and ambient noises do incredible work to put your whole team on edge, and the moment the monsters finally show themselves, things can go sideways in spectacular fashion.”
- “The music adds to this atmosphere quite successfully while you try to rush start a generator while your friend guards you in the dark.”
- “Some of the music should be improved when monsters appear; it's a bit too abrupt when the monster shows up and dies, only for the music to linger for a few more moments before it fades away.”
- “The audio - please balance the audio; the random music noises that kick in at night for 15 seconds at a time are deafening and make it impossible to hear the people I am playing the game with.”
- “Unfortunately, too many negatives for me; the settings menu needs an overhaul, the audio itself is a problem, the music is too loud, the wind is way too loud, and even having it set to minimal is still loud.”
replayability
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
47%
8%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag. Many players enjoy the fun multiplayer aspects, random objectives, and customization options that enhance replay value, while others express concerns about limited content, particularly in its current beta state, where only one map is available. While some find it highly replayable and engaging, especially with friends, others feel that once the initial novelty wears off, the lack of variety may diminish long-term replayability.
- “Such a peak game where the dev cares what the players want; replayability is great and the updates feel fresh and fun.”
- “It's a great multiplayer adaptation of the concept, with plenty of replayability through its random objectives, game modifiers, and friend group tomfoolery.”
- “The game has fantastic replayability for about 10-20 rounds and more depending on whether you're playing with friends or randoms until you eventually get bored, but you will definitely start playing the next day again.”
- “It's worth mentioning that the game is currently in beta, and replay value is clearly its weak point since there's only one map available, and it doesn't change (except for the spawn locations of items, of course).”
- “The only major concern is replay value, but since this is just the beta version, I hope they'll add more maps and content soon.”
- “1 large map that takes far too long to explore and offers zero replayability value to these locations.”
grinding
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
9%
82%
The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing it as tedious, repetitive, and often requiring excessive time investment, with some players feeling it detracts from overall enjoyment. While some find the grinding for cosmetics and perks to be manageable or even enjoyable, many express frustration over monotonous gameplay and lack of variety in environments, leading to a sense of boredom after extended play. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a major hurdle that could benefit from refinement to enhance the gaming experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Cool concept worth polishing up, but rough gameplay made this too tedious and difficult to be any fun.”
- “The gameplay is monotonous and quickly becomes tedious.”
- “The environments are repetitive, lacking variety, which quickly makes exploration feel like a tedious grind rather than an exciting adventure.”
emotional
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to create memorable characters and impactful decisions, leading to genuine emotional consequences for players. Many reviewers noted moments of heartwarming connection and intense sorrow, with experiences that elicited tears and laughter alike. Overall, the game is praised for its emotional depth, making it a compelling experience that resonates with players on a personal level.
- “What really elevates Nuclear Nightmare is its emotional weight.”
- “The characters you meet along the way are memorable and human, making your decisions carry real emotional consequences.”
- “I shed a tear knowing I killed my new best friend by accident.”
monetization
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
14%
81%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users expressing concerns that it feels like a cash grab, particularly due to its unfinished state and buggy mechanics. However, several players appreciate the absence of microtransactions, indicating a preference for a more straightforward purchase model. Overall, the game's monetization strategy appears to be a point of contention, with calls for significant updates to improve gameplay before it can be deemed worthwhile.
- “Good setup with no microtransactions”
- “Hopefully they're working on an update that completely overhauls everything in the game because as it is right now, this is an unfinished mess and I'm sure it was just a really quick cash grab.”
- “Seems like this was just a scam, a straight up cash grab.”
- “Either this is a cash grab, or it is far from being ready for play testing.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Reviewers appreciate the focused character development system, where each class excels in specific areas and possesses unique perks that enhance their strengths, rather than allowing for a generalized, jack-of-all-trades approach. This design encourages players to specialize and strategize based on their chosen class.
- “Each class excels in specific areas and has unique perks that enhance their abilities, rather than creating a jack-of-all-trades character.”
- “The depth of character development allows players to truly specialize and feel a sense of growth as they progress through the game.”
- “I love how each character class has its own strengths and weaknesses, making the development process feel meaningful and rewarding.”
- “Each class excels in specific areas and has perks that enhance those strengths, rather than allowing for a jack-of-all-trades type of character development.”
- “The character development feels shallow, lacking meaningful choices that impact gameplay or story.”
- “There is a noticeable absence of depth in character progression, making it difficult to feel a sense of growth or investment in the characters.”