Skip to main content

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles can be a great game if you look at it through a particular lens, that lens being from the year 2000. The game has managed to replicate the original survival horror mechanics that elevated games such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil to success almost perfectly, but its beguiling allure sadly melts away the more you play. Awkward controls and some irritating segments cause the game to be a chore on a regular basis, creating a genuine feeling of relief once you complete it. Encounters can most definitely be tense in some areas, so there is a sense of challenge to overcome, but the chance of glitches can ruin that immersion. As battle mode does little to bring you back, once you're done with your time in Outbreak, it'll probably be a nightmare you won't bother to relive again any time soon.
Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles Game Cover
70%Game Brain Score
story, atmosphere
gameplay, music
76% User Score Based on 50 reviews
Critic Score 40%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchLinuxXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStation
Buy Nowfrom $4.99
Buy NowGet on Steam $4.99Buy NowGet on Xbox Games Store
Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles Game Cover

About

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles is a single player survival role playing shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Dead Drop Studios LLC and was released on April 2, 2018. It received negative reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"Outbreak: Contagious Memories" is a chilling survival horror game set in a city overrun by zombies. Play as Lydia and fight to escape a manor estate filled with dangerous creatures, scavenge for supplies, and uncover the story in this love letter to 90s horror. The Complete Edition includes access to all four chapters of the Story and Battle Modes.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles screenshot
Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles screenshot
Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles screenshot
Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles screenshot
Skip User Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 50 reviews
story4 positive mentions
music2 negative mentions
  • The game captures the classic survival horror feel reminiscent of early Resident Evil titles, providing a nostalgic experience for fans of the genre.
  • Despite its indie development, the game features good atmosphere, creepy enemy designs, and enjoyable gameplay mechanics, including a choice between tank controls and modern controls.
  • The developer's passion is evident, and the game offers a solid foundation with potential for future improvements and expansions.
  • The game suffers from balance issues, with enemies being overly resilient and requiring excessive ammunition to defeat, which can frustrate players.
  • Controls and animations are often criticized as clunky and unrefined, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
  • The episodic structure and lack of a comprehensive map system can lead to a disjointed experience, with players feeling limited in their exploration and progression.
  • story
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles" is primarily text-based, lacking voice acting and cutscenes, which some players found limiting despite appreciating the writing quality. While the narrative follows Lydia's struggle to escape a zombie apocalypse and features intriguing elements like "autopsy report" files, it suffers from a lack of depth and variety in its settings. Overall, the story is considered passable and engaging for those who enjoy lengthy text, though it may not satisfy players seeking a more dynamic storytelling experience.

    • “I can tell he has a great talent for writing and I felt immersed in the story reading it, and it took me back to when I read the Resident Evil novels by S.D.”
    • “I found the story to be well written and executed regardless, especially the 'autopsy report' files in episode 3, which really give you a glimpse of the infection and how it works.”
    • “Welp, Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles follows the story about Lydia trying to escape the zombie apocalypse on her own.”
    • “Very very basic game; there's no voice acting, no cutscenes (all the story is done through text) and there isn't much variety in the areas (the manor is decent, but you'll spend most of the time in tunnels and only revisit the same few manor rooms later)”
    • “Not a great Resident Evil attempt... bland sound, bland story...”
    • “There seems to be some kind of bigger story linking all of these together, but I can't comment on that as little is explained in this episode.”
  • gameplay
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring challenging mechanics and occasionally unresponsive controls, but it offers engaging puzzle-solving and exploration reminiscent of classic Resident Evil titles. While the graphics are praised, the overall gameplay experience is relatively short, lasting only two to three hours, and some mechanics may lack clear explanations for new players. Despite these drawbacks, many players find the gameplay enjoyable, especially if they are familiar with similar games.

    • “Great gameplay and graphics.”
    • “Finding the codes and deciphering the puzzles is great, and he has really struck a perfect gameplay balance with backtracking and exploration.”
    • “Finally, in terms of gameplay, this is definitely one of the highlights.”
    • “Admittedly, the game is ludicrously hard and the controls don't always lend themselves well to the gameplay, but if you can get around these two points, then it should be fine.”
    • “There are a couple of weird animations related to the zombies attacking you or the character moving over uneven terrain, but only one of those really impacts gameplay.”
    • “Additionally, there are a few mechanics that are not explained, which I believe may be staples from the other games, such as the ipecac or glowing zombies.”
  • atmosphere
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with reviewers noting its effective use of lighting and fixed camera angles to create a compelling horror experience. Many appreciate how it immerses players in a tense environment, enhancing the overall gameplay despite some concerns about resource management. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature that successfully evokes a sense of dread and exploration.

    • “I highly recommend giving this game a shot and supporting this developer if you love this genre like I do. You don't see many games like this nowadays, and that's a damn shame. I really miss these fixed camera horror games that ooze atmosphere and style.”
    • “But I love how atmospheric the feeling is when exploring.”
    • “What this game establishes from the outset, which the other game frankly failed to, is an atmosphere.”
    • “The Unity engine lighting really helps create the atmosphere.”
    • “It serves the job well of setting the atmosphere without taking away from the complete package.”
  • graphics
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics are generally considered to be of early PS2 quality, with some reviewers noting that they are acceptable and complement the gameplay. While not groundbreaking, the visuals and environments are appreciated given the size of the development team, striking a balance between being decent but not exceptional.

    • “Great gameplay and graphics.”
    • “Graphics and environments are excellent considering the development team.”
    • “The graphics are okay, the story is passable, and the controls work (even with keyboard I have no problems, though a controller is advised).”
    • “The graphics are early PS2 level, which is disappointing.”
    • “The graphics are okay, but they don't stand out in any way.”
  • music
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Song of Horror" is generally described as unremarkable yet effective, contributing to the game's atmosphere without being particularly memorable. While it may not stand out, it serves its purpose in enhancing immersion and providing a relaxing backdrop during gameplay.

    • “You want to play honorable old school survival, go directly to Song of Horror.”
    • “In terms of sound and music, there wasn't really anything that stood out as too memorable, nor is there anything that really ruins the immersion.”
    • “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users note that the new feature significantly improves optimization, particularly highlighting that melee combat is enhanced in Chronicles compared to New Nightmare.

    • “This added feature allows for much better optimization; for example, melee is much better in Chronicles than it was in New Nightmare.”
    • “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
    • “Despite the potential of the game, the optimization is lacking, making it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that the optimization is poor, resulting in long loading times and crashes.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players appreciate the various difficulty options and the inclusion of an arena mode, which enhance the game's replayability. The ranking system after each episode adds a competitive element, while the battle mode further encourages players to revisit the game for additional challenges.

    • “There's a rank system after each episode that encourages competition, and the battle mode definitely implies some replayability.”
    • “The different difficulty options are great, and I'm also excited to try the arena mode. Replay value is key.”
    • “There's a rank system after each episode to try to encourage some competition, and the battle mode certainly implies some replayability.”
Skip Critic Reviews

40%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles

Games Like Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles

Them and Us Image
79%906reviews

Them and Us

2021Action Adventure
PCWindows
Outbreak: The New Nightmare Image
57%319reviews

Outbreak: The New Nightmare

2018Role Playing Shooter
Nintendo SwitchLinuxXbox Series X|S+7
Daymare: 1998 Image
60%1.6kreviews

Daymare: 1998

2019Survival Action Adventure
Xbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5+6
Tormented Souls Image
91%3.4kreviews

Tormented Souls

2021Survival Shooter
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+6
THE MUTE HOUSE Image
85%146reviews

THE MUTE HOUSE

2025Action
PCWindows
More games like Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles is a survival role playing shooter game with horror theme.

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles was released on April 2, 2018.

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles was developed by Dead Drop Studios LLC.

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles is a single player game.

Similar games include Them and Us, Outbreak: The New Nightmare, Daymare: 1998, Tormented Souls, THE MUTE HOUSE and others.