Nuclear Nightmare

90%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,684 reviews
  • gameplay
  • atmosphere
  • humor
Nuclear Nightmare Game Cover
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"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.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

90%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,684 reviews
gameplay48 positive mentions
stability94 negative mentions
  • The game captures the atmosphere of John Carpenter's The Thing, providing a thrilling and immersive experience.
  • It's incredibly fun to play with friends, leading to hilarious and chaotic moments.
  • The developer is very active in updating the game and addressing bugs, showing a commitment to improving the overall experience.
  • The game is currently plagued with bugs and performance issues, making it frustrating to play at times.
  • The respawn system is poorly designed, often reviving the last player who died instead of the first, leading to long wait times for players.
  • The map is too large and can feel empty, resulting in tedious gameplay as players traverse long distances without much happening.
  • gameplay177 mentions

    The gameplay of this indie title is characterized by a mix of fun and frustration, with many players enjoying the cooperative mechanics and atmosphere, while also noting significant issues such as bugs, optimization problems, and unclear mechanics. The core gameplay loop is engaging but can become repetitive, and while the infection mechanic adds an interesting layer, it often feels underdeveloped. Overall, the game shows promise with its unique concepts and frequent updates, but it requires further refinement to enhance the overall experience.

    • “Even though it's a very new indie game, the core gameplay and atmosphere already make this a hugely fun and addictive game to play.”
    • “The gameplay is where this game really shines, though.”
    • “Great co-op game with an intense atmosphere and interesting survival mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics feel uninspired and dull, leaving little excitement.”
    • “There are too many bugs and lack of real gameplay for me to give a good review sadly.”
    • “The performance, the bugs, dear lord the bugs, the broken perk system, and the stale gameplay loop.”
  • atmosphere129 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and tense qualities, effectively capturing the essence of John Carpenter's "The Thing." Players appreciate the eerie environments, haunting sound design, and the sense of dread that permeates gameplay, making it a thrilling experience, especially in multiplayer settings. While some mention technical issues and gameplay jankiness, the overall consensus is that the atmospheric elements significantly enhance the game's appeal.

    • “The atmosphere is incredible; nights spent silently with your friends with the oscillating, dim red light illuminating the room, distant cry of monsters searching, a phenomenal and intense atmosphere indeed.”
    • “The atmosphere, the over-looming feeling of dread as night approaches, the monsters, and that every game is different from the last is just peak.”
    • “This game really captures the atmosphere of the film with the scary snow blizzards and frozen buildings.”
    • “The game's atmosphere is truly nerve-wracking, with eerie environments, haunting sound design, and relentless enemies that test both your strategy and teamwork.”
    • “This game is fun but the lack of visibility, I understand it's for atmosphere, but you honestly can't see anything and that really takes away from the experience.”
    • “The atmosphere has this feeling of tense impending doom and dread.”
  • humor99 mentions

    The humor in the game is frequently highlighted as a standout feature, with players noting its ability to blend hilarity and horror seamlessly, especially in multiplayer settings. Many reviews emphasize that the game's janky mechanics and unexpected moments lead to laugh-out-loud scenarios, making it a fun experience with friends. Overall, the combination of funny interactions, customization options, and the game's atmosphere contributes to a uniquely entertaining experience that keeps players engaged and amused.

    • “Absolutely hilarious to play with friends, especially if it's your/their first time.”
    • “The devs have created an experience where cinematic and terrifying events happen organically and we found ourselves cry laughing multiple times.”
    • “The game is funny and scary; it has really good replayability and is a blast with friends + the developers are super cool and hardworking.”
  • stability97 mentions

    The game's stability is a significant concern among players, with many describing it as "extremely buggy" and "unoptimized," leading to frequent crashes and glitches that hinder gameplay. While some users acknowledge the fun factor and potential for improvement, they emphasize that the game is still in early access and requires substantial polishing to address its numerous issues. Overall, players recommend waiting for updates and bug fixes before fully committing to the experience.

    • “Probably the best game I've played in a while, but if you want to play, it's better to play on medium or low settings (I play on low and it runs great) depending on your PC.”
    • “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.”
    • “Runs great, and the server browser is working on day one!”
    • “Unfinished and buggy game, really needs polishing.”
    • “In its current state, this game is horrendously buggy and half of the game systems either sometimes work or don't.”
    • “Game is buggy to the point of not being playable.”
  • graphics83 mentions

    The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and atmospheric quality, particularly in snowy environments, with many players appreciating the consistent artistic style. However, there are notable concerns regarding optimization, with reports of significant frame rate drops and performance issues on various hardware setups, leading to a mixed reception overall. While some players find the visuals immersive and engaging, others highlight bugs and inconsistent textures that detract from the experience.

    • “The style is consistent and the graphics are awesome.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and the monsters look great.”
    • “It's very graphically beautiful and it runs consistently well, although rarely you will have freeze whenever you either crash into a building with a vehicle or you're loading into new terrain which isn't too bad.”
    • “Has some bugs, inconsistent texture sizes and overall kinda messy visuals as of right now, but that's ok.”
    • “Looks good in the trailer video but I can't play on any graphic setting because it just crashes on me, still looks better than most.”
    • “Even on minimum graphic settings it struggles to keep 30fps.”
  • optimization81 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including drastic frame rate drops and bugs that hinder gameplay. While some users noted that the game runs well on high-end systems, others experienced unplayable conditions even on lower settings, indicating a need for substantial improvements. Despite its fun gameplay and potential, the consensus is that optimization remains a major hurdle that developers need to address.

    • “The optimization also leaves something to be desired, and some quality of life improvements would be appreciated, like a digital compass and a ping system.”
    • “It runs well for me at high graphics on a relatively high-end computer, but my friends have to play it on medium. If this can be optimized, I think it can significantly improve the experience.”
    • “You can currently look through walls if you bend down next to them, but almost every complaint I've seen about this game and its performance has already received substantial improvement. The developers are responsive, getting on top of bugs and patches quickly, and for a game that came out in early access less than two weeks ago, it's in far better shape than I'd expect.”
    • “The game is not working, optimization is disgusting, the enemy designs are bad; I don't understand what people find in this game.”
    • “Decent enough gameplay-wise, but holy shit, I think I've never played something this terribly optimized in my whole life.”
    • “But in its current state, it is an unoptimized buggy mess.”
  • story41 mentions

    The game's story is described as a blend of intense, unpredictable storytelling and emergent gameplay, drawing inspiration from horror themes like "The Thing." While players appreciate the gripping atmosphere and mission-based structure, many express a desire for a more developed narrative and clearer backstory to enhance immersion. Overall, the experience is characterized by a mix of thrilling missions and a sense of camaraderie among players, despite some criticisms regarding the lack of a cohesive storyline.

    • “The developers' story has honestly touched me.”
    • “Each round feels like a unique story.”
    • “A good backstory really immerses you into a game, and with games of this nature, it's absolutely critical to build that setting.”
    • “I do wish there was more of a story mode as the concept is really intriguing.”
    • “There is no storyline: you just have to complete some tasks, call a helicopter, and escape.”
    • “I became the mission, the virus, and the nightmare all at once.”
  • replayability21 mentions

    Overall, the game exhibits a strong sense of replayability, with many players praising its fun gameplay, customization options, and the variety of experiences it offers through new monsters and objectives. While some reviewers express concerns about current limitations and static elements, the potential for future updates keeps the community optimistic about enhancing replay value. The game's atmosphere and multiplayer capabilities further contribute to its enjoyable replay experience.

    • “The game offers a lot of options for your server to play the way you prefer, along with plenty of customization options and replayability.”
    • “It's super fun, with lots of replayability, great atmosphere, and music/ambience.”
    • “Fun gameplay, very replayable, and supports more than 4 player lobbies.”
    • “However, it lacks replayability as of now since many aspects of the map are static.”
    • “I'm a little concerned about the replay value, but I'm optimistic.”
    • “Randomizing the literal location of the places too would be neat for replay value.”
  • music17 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its intensity and ability to enhance the atmosphere, contributing to a spooky and engaging experience. However, some players find the audio balance problematic, with issues like loud background sounds and repetitive chase music detracting from the overall enjoyment. Despite these criticisms, many express a desire for a standalone soundtrack, highlighting the music's effectiveness in creating a memorable ambiance.

    • “The music is really intense, the setting is amazing, and there is more to the game than one would expect.”
    • “It's super fun, lots of replayability, great atmosphere and music/ambience.”
    • “The creatures are all well designed and frightening, and the music and atmosphere are great.”
    • “There is no warning on enemies besides the music getting spooky.”
    • “The chase music is a short loop that starts to annoy you very quickly, which isn't helped by the fact that the monsters will practically never stop chasing you, leading to minutes, if not tens of minutes, of running from them.”
    • “The music is too loud, the wind is way too loud, and the in-game volume is just way too loud; even having it at a minimal level is still loud, and if you have it off, you're just disadvantaged.”
  • grinding13 mentions

    Players express mixed feelings about grinding in the game; while some find it enjoyable and not essential for fun, others criticize the repetitive gameplay loop and tedious exploration due to the vast, empty map. The need for extensive grinding to unlock perks, coupled with the challenges of resource management, adds to the frustration for some, though others appreciate the social aspect of grinding with friends. Overall, the experience of grinding varies significantly among players, with some finding it rewarding and others deeming it a chore.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The map is repetitive, objectives are tedious, and exploration offers little reward beyond white landscapes and prefab buildings.”
    • “The map is overly large, with too much empty space between base camps, turning exploration into a tedious chore.”
    • “The grinding in this game, unlike Phasmo, is fun and decently easy, nor is it required to have fun.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    Players highlight the intense emotional experiences in the game, often feeling deep connections with friends as they navigate harrowing scenarios together. Moments of loss and betrayal, such as witnessing a friend's transformation into a monster, evoke strong feelings, making the gameplay a memorable emotional roller coaster. Overall, the game effectively combines horror and camaraderie, leaving players both devastated and eager for more.

    • “Seriously, grab your friends, grab some snacks (you’ll need emotional support), and dive into the nuclear nightmare.”
    • “Saw a friend, helped him fight off a monster, he turned into a monster, I cried as I burned his corpse.”
    • “10/10 would go through another sci-fi horror emotional roller coaster all over again.”
  • monetization5 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game raises concerns among users, with some perceiving it as a potential cash grab due to its early access status and unresolved gameplay issues. Players express frustration over the game's mechanics, suggesting that the current state may not justify any financial investment until significant improvements are made.

    • “Either this is a cash grab, or it is far from being ready for play testing.”
    • “It's just a no for me after trying it; I wouldn't bother unless it's out of early access and has massive changes. Otherwise, it's going to be another early access cash grab.”
    • “You guys need some sort of advertising because this game is outstanding for an early access.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

25hMedian play time
65hAverage play time
9-36hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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