Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles

About

"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

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles screenshot

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 53 reviews

story4 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game successfully captures the atmosphere and nostalgia of classic survival horror games, particularly the early Resident Evil titles.
The combat mechanics are enjoyable, with a variety of weapons and satisfying gunplay that enhances the horror experience.
The game is a passion project from a single developer, showcasing impressive dedication and creativity in its design and storytelling.

The game suffers from balance issues, with enemies being overly resilient and requiring excessive ammunition to defeat.
Controls and animations can feel clunky and unrefined, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
The episodic format limits the amount of content available at launch, leaving players wanting more and feeling like they are paying for incomplete experiences.

story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
53%
20%
The story in "Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles" revolves around Lydia's struggle to escape a zombie apocalypse, featuring a mix of well-written text-based narratives and immersive elements like "autopsy report" files that enhance the lore. While some players appreciate the depth and nostalgia of the storytelling, others criticize the lack of voice acting and cutscenes, leading to a somewhat basic presentation. Overall, the narrative is engaging for those who enjoy text-driven experiences, despite its limitations in variety and puzzle integration.
- “I can tell he has a great talent for writing, and I felt immersed in the story reading it. 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, 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 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
27%
45%
27%
Gameplay is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging puzzles and exploration reminiscent of classic Resident Evil titles, while others criticize its difficulty and control issues. The game offers a relatively short experience, typically lasting two to three hours, and features some unpolished animations that can detract from immersion. Overall, it strikes a balance between challenge and enjoyment, but may not appeal to everyone due to its steep learning curve and limited gameplay duration.
- “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
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and creepy qualities, effectively enhancing the horror experience through strong environmental design and lighting. Players appreciate the nostalgic feel of fixed camera angles and the tension created by fast-moving zombies, which contribute to a sense of dread and exploration in a mysterious, secret-filled setting. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature that elevates the gameplay experience.
- “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.”
- “The atmosphere of the game is creepy and provides a nice experience of a day in an abandoned – or not so abandoned as it seems at first sight – house full of secrets.”
- “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
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics are generally considered to be average, reminiscent of early PS2 titles, with some reviewers noting that while they are not the best, they are acceptable given the game's overall quality. Environments are praised for their excellence relative to the development team's size, but the animations may deter some players. Overall, the visuals are seen as a mixed bag, with gameplay taking precedence for many.
- “Great gameplay and graphics.”
- “Graphics and environments are excellent considering the development team.”
- “The graphics and animations are not the prettiest and could be a huge con for some gamers, but if you can look past them you have yourself a nice little game.”
- “The graphics are early-gen PS2 level, which is disappointing.”
- “The graphics and animations are not the prettiest and could be a huge con for some gamers.”
- “While the graphics are okay, they don't stand out and may detract from the overall experience.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and fitting for the atmosphere, providing a sense of calm during gameplay. However, it lacks standout moments or memorable tracks, ultimately serving more as a background element that does not detract from the overall immersion.
- “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.”
- “You want to play honorable old school survival, go directly to Song of Horror.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
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 and the competitive nature of the battle mode further encourage players to revisit the game for a more challenging experience.
- “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.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
300%
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 so poor that it makes it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
- “I was disappointed to find that even with the latest updates, the optimization remains a major problem, causing long loading times and crashes.”