Oakwood
- December 4, 2018
- Polygon Dust Entertainment Ltd.
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam"Oakwood is a single-player Horror Action game with a good story and fabulous atmosphere. As the lone survivor of a campground massacre, players must explore the woods and survive the night, avoiding prehistoric predators while uncovering the violent history of the abandoned campground. With just your flashlight and wits, evade raptors, hide from giant dinosaurs, and search for your missing friends in this intense first-person horror adventure."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Oakwood delivers a thrilling dinosaur horror experience, reminiscent of Jurassic Park, with genuinely scary moments and a tense atmosphere.
- The game is well-crafted for its budget, featuring decent sound design and a compelling premise that keeps players engaged.
- Despite its short length, Oakwood offers a unique niche in the horror genre, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of dinosaurs and survival horror.
- The game is very short, typically completed in under an hour, which may leave players wanting more content and depth.
- Gameplay can feel clunky and frustrating at times, particularly with poorly defined stealth mechanics and inconsistent enemy AI.
- The story lacks depth and coherence, relying heavily on scattered notes for exposition, which may not satisfy players looking for a more engaging narrative.
- story48 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally viewed as underdeveloped, with many players noting its reliance on scattered notes for exposition, which can feel lazy and disjointed. While some find the premise intriguing—centering on a character named Maddy searching for her friends at a dinosaur-infested camp—others criticize the lack of depth and clarity, leading to a somewhat linear and unsatisfying narrative experience. Overall, the atmosphere is praised, but many players express a desire for a more fleshed-out and engaging storyline.
“The story gives genuinely scary jumpscares, an unsettling atmosphere, and even a mysterious narrative with a pretty polished gameplay experience.”
“First off, this game has excellent atmosphere; the music is actually creepy and unsettling and fits the tone of this game. The lore and story are told mostly well and interestingly enough to where you definitely want to know more. I found myself motivated to go back and find more of the secrets.”
“Oakwood has an interesting story and setting.”
“The story in this game is basically non-existent; the only slight part of something resembling a story is that you are here because you were going to go camping with some friends, but oh, the (totally not a horror trope) situation where all your friends go missing with no explanation happens.”
“The story is really lacking though, with a pretty boring ending.”
“There's very little in the way of plot in Oakwood; it's mostly comprised of filler notes, with very few of them being substantial.”
- atmosphere34 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and eerie qualities, effectively building tension and creating a sense of dread throughout the experience. While some critiques mention the graphics and gameplay as lacking, the sound design and overall ambiance contribute significantly to the game's horror elements, making it a compelling choice for fans of atmospheric indie horror. Many players found themselves deeply engaged in the world, with the atmosphere enhancing their emotional responses to the narrative and gameplay.
“The atmosphere is there and I was immersed in it.”
“First off, this game has excellent atmosphere; the music is actually creepy and unsettling and fits the tone of this game. The lore and story are told mostly well and interestingly enough to where you definitely want to know more. I found myself motivated to go back and find more of the secrets.”
“It gives genuinely scary jumpscares, an unsettling atmosphere, and even a mysterious story with a pretty polished gameplay experience.”
“The graphics aren't fantastic, the animations are a little wonky and the gameplay is formulaic, however it also has an incredibly eerie and unsettling atmosphere, a story which doesn't hold your hand and some incredibly tense moments.”
“The atmosphere consists of the bog standard darkness that is somehow just enough to see even when there is no light source nearby, a single, continuously droning note as an excuse for music, amongst other spooky background noises, and cheap jumpscare animations.”
“Also the music really gives this game its atmosphere, and makes the forest environment a creepy place to be by yourself, and it gives the feeling of dread and fear as well as isolation.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a short duration, primarily involving running and stealth mechanics rather than action, which may limit replayability. While it features an eerie atmosphere and tense moments, the trial-and-error approach can lead to frustration, and the level design and monster AI are criticized as lacking depth. Overall, the game offers a familiar experience for horror enthusiasts, with potential for improvement in mechanics and storytelling.
“The gameplay gives genuinely scary jump scares, an unsettling atmosphere, and even a mysterious story with a pretty polished gameplay experience.”
“This game was pretty good; it had a lot of cool scripted chase scenes and the overall gameplay was fun.”
“Yes, the gameplay is nothing new if you've played as many horror games as I have, but given the relatively limited resources of the devs, it's all done rather well.”
“Unfortunately, it's pretty short; completely beaten in around an hour, and the gameplay is more 'run from place to place' than action-styled, so it's not likely to be something anyone would replay over and over again in quick succession.”
“The game has trial-and-error based gameplay, which can get frustrating when you just want to get back to where you were.”
“Bad gameplay, awful and lazy level design; the story is delivered through notes, and there is non-existent monster AI.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are not top-tier and can appear dated or janky, they effectively contribute to the eerie atmosphere and overall horror experience. Some appreciate the retro aesthetic reminiscent of classic dinosaur games, while others criticize the visuals as subpar, particularly in terms of environmental detail. Despite the graphical shortcomings, the sound design and tension-building elements are often highlighted as strengths that enhance gameplay.
“I was so sure when I started and saw the forest graphics that I would end up having a good laugh at the dinosaurs or that I wouldn't find them scary, but because of the absolutely fantastic atmosphere and build-up of the tension, I was so terrified.”
“The graphics in this game were actually pretty good. I will say the one thing I enjoyed in this game was the aesthetic of everything; it had a kind of retro vibe that took me back to the period when dinosaurs became popular with the release of Jurassic Park. The dirty feel of the environments really brought some bad vibes (bad in a good way).”
“The graphics are impressive for an indie game, but there are some people that might be put off. Don't let the graphics fool you; you have got to play this game.”
“The only real problem I have with this game is the graphics. Now, I'm not usually a big graphics guy; hell, I love playing old school FPS games, but the old Unity asset flip look is just really ugly to me.”
“The graphics aren't the best considering what's on the market these days, but it didn't bother me at all, and it looks like they used Jurassic Park-like models which doesn't really bother me either since I was busy running away from them.”
“Poor graphics, poor optimization, environment too dark, whoever designed leaning should be fired.”
- music14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for enhancing the atmosphere, effectively creating a creepy and unsettling tone that complements the gameplay. While some players noted issues with looping and occasional overwhelming sound, many found the soundtrack to be a standout feature that contributes significantly to the game's sense of dread and immersion. Overall, the music is considered a key element that elevates the experience, despite some mixed opinions on its execution.
“It was so much fun but also genuinely creepy at points and the music was amazing!”
“First off, this game has excellent atmosphere. The music is actually creepy and unsettling and fits the tone of this game. The lore and story are told mostly well and interestingly enough to where you definitely want to know more. I found myself motivated to go back and find more of the secrets.”
“Also, the music really gives this game its atmosphere, and makes the forest environment a creepy place to be by yourself. It gives the feeling of dread and fear as well as isolation.”
“The sound and music was way too much for me to handle!”
“Perhaps the feeling tension at times could be kinda compared to Alien Isolation, due to the sounds and music, but under every other aspect, the game just fails.”
“The atmosphere consists of the bog standard darkness that is somehow just enough to see even when there is no light source nearby, a single, continuously droning note as an excuse for music, amongst other spooky background noises, and cheap jumpscare animations.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers limited replayability, with only minor variations in paths and object locations between playthroughs. While there are hidden collectibles and a secret area to explore, most players may find little incentive to replay unless pursuing achievements or enjoying the game's aesthetics.
“There's also hidden totems and a secret area to offer some replay value.”
“Not a huge amount of replay value, to be honest, though I do wish I could have played the Halloween event - looks fun.”
“That being said, once you've gone through the game once there's not much replay value unless you want to get all the achievements or just generally like the look of the game.”
“The little voice acting there is in the game is done very well, and there are some very slight variations in paths and object locations between playthroughs to add a little replay value, which is appreciated.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, such as low frame rates, particularly in the intro. However, others noted that it runs better than many other low-budget indie titles, suggesting that while there are areas for improvement, it is not the worst in terms of performance. Overall, optimization remains a notable concern for many users.
“Final verdict: scary, atmospheric, tasteful Jurassic Park Easter eggs, but also a bit short, questionable ending, and a bit of performance hiccup in the intro.”
“I really wanted to give this game a chance, and I believe in supporting small indie game makers, but it appears to be poorly optimized, and I can barely get 19 frames per second from it.”
“Oakwood is definitely one of the better running cheap indie titles out there, and the only improvement that could be suggested for performance and settings is the inclusion of subtitles; the few included grainy, distorted voiceovers were difficult to make out, and much of the dialogue gets lost.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express that the game evokes strong emotional responses, particularly by immersing them in iconic scenes reminiscent of "Jurassic Park," creating a thrilling and memorable experience that justifies its value.
“It made me feel like I was in Jurassic Park. 10/10.”
“Made me feel like I was playing the kitchen scene in Jurassic Park, which is worth the cost of admission on its own.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, stability in the game is mixed; while some players report a smooth experience with fast loading times and consistent 60 fps, others encounter significant glitches, such as characters getting stuck and teleportation issues.
“There is pretty much no storyline, controls are iffy, and I experienced many glitches where dinosaurs got stuck in walls. I teleported, and the list goes on.”
“The loading time between levels is fast, there are no dips in the 60 fps v-sync, and there were no weird bugs, glitches, or crashes in my experience.”
