Pamali: Indonesian Folklore Horror

About

Pamali: Indonesian Folklore Horror is a collection of four dark stories based on Indonesian folklore and superstitions. Each story presents a unique protagonist and setting, where players must navigate through a series of challenges inspired by traditional Indonesian beliefs. The game combines atmospheric horror and puzzle elements, immersing players in a chilling world of Southeast Asian folklore.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Pamali: Indonesian Folklore Horror screenshot

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 445 reviews

story15 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique exploration of Indonesian folklore, providing cultural insights and a spooky atmosphere.
There are numerous endings (35+) which encourage replayability and experimentation with different choices.
The sound design and ambiance effectively create a creepy atmosphere, enhancing the horror experience.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including problems with achievements and interactions.
Gameplay can feel tedious and repetitive, as players often have to redo similar tasks to unlock different endings.
The graphics are often too dark, making it difficult to see and navigate, which detracts from the overall experience.

story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
74%
4%
The game's story is a narrative-driven experience that immerses players in Indonesian folklore, allowing them to make choices that significantly impact the outcome and lead to multiple endings. While the storytelling is praised for its relatability and emotional depth, some players find it slow-paced and repetitive, requiring multiple playthroughs to explore all possible outcomes. Overall, the combination of cultural elements and interactive storytelling creates a compelling, albeit sometimes flawed, horror experience.
- “Your decisions directly impact the outcome of the story, making it branch into various endings.”
- “The game’s simple but strong story contributes to an emotionally resonant experience, and its wide variety of endings makes it worth coming back to time and again for further exploration.”
- “Pamali is a narrative and story-driven scenario-based horror experience that delves into local Indonesian mythology.”
- “You will have to do x then y then z to get to the end of the story, and there are two or three options for how you do each, so to get all of the dozen endings, you will be doing mostly the same stuff a dozen times.”
- “For some DLC, the story is bad and not scary.”
- “The game hasn't given me any motivation to unfold deeper into the story of the first chapter because I already got what I wanted; safely and respectfully sell the house.”
atmosphere
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
41%
5%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, eerie, and immersive qualities, effectively utilizing psychological horror elements, sound design, and cultural themes to create a chilling ambiance. While some players note that the game lacks traditional jump scares and can feel repetitive, many appreciate its focus on storytelling and atmosphere, making it a standout experience for fans of atmospheric horror. Overall, the unique Indonesian setting and rich lore contribute significantly to the game's unsettling and engaging atmosphere.
- “The game masterfully builds suspense, relying on psychological horror rather than cheap jump scares, and the wise use of atmospheric sound design, dim lighting, and chilling whispers creates an unnerving ambiance that will keep you on edge more than once, which is refreshing.”
- “In my opinion, this game is one of my favorite horror games due to the fact that even though jump scares are rare and only on certain endings, each chapter's location gives an atmosphere that gives me extreme goosebumps.”
- “The atmosphere is pretty eerie and can be claustrophobic inside the house, especially if your gamma is just right so that every corner is dark.”
- “It doesn't do a very good job of building or maintaining a creepy atmosphere.”
- “I get that the devs wanted to create a scary atmosphere, but it's too dark to the point that I literally can't see what's several meters in front of me.”
- “Another disadvantage is that the atmosphere is too dark even though the gamma settings are set to the maximum.”
gameplay
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
73%
13%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of exploration, puzzle-solving, and interaction with the environment, deeply rooted in Indonesian mythology and culture. While it offers unique mechanics and multiple endings, many players find it repetitive and somewhat tedious, with issues like bugs and a lack of variety in gameplay elements. Overall, it provides an immersive horror experience, but improvements in execution and diversity are needed to enhance replayability and engagement.
- “This is a spine-chilling journey into the depths of Indonesian mythology, weaving together captivating narratives and immersive horror gameplay!”
- “The mechanics revolve around exploration, puzzle-solving, and avoiding supernatural entities that will gladly take more than a hold on you if allowed to!”
- “One of the most interesting elements of the gameplay is the possibility to interact almost with everything, with often many decisions associated with each item.”
- “The game isn't perfect; the graphics are budget quality at best, and there certainly is room for improvement in gameplay as well.”
- “Actually, the gameplay is quite monotonous and can be fairly boring; you just walk through Jaka's old house and collect items, clean the house, and so on.”
- “My main issue with this game is how it was played out; certain events are scripted toward a certain action, which means the replayability value goes down the drain. If you memorize what action triggers which event, it's not scary at all.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the atmospheric and dreamlike visuals that enhance the horror experience, while others find them mediocre or reminiscent of older titles. Many appreciate the good character backgrounds and lighting, but note a lack of graphic settings options and occasional issues with darkness. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered acceptable for an indie game, there is significant room for improvement.
- “Very good graphics, very easy controls, lots of improvisation, good DLC which introduces mythical legends and mystical creatures in Indonesia. Hopefully, in the future, there will be more interesting DLCs to play!”
- “Good atmosphere, good graphics, rich character background, and horror that doesn't rely on jump scares.”
- “The graphics are dreamlike and otherworldly with a solid gripping mortality where I feel I am in the world.”
- “Graphics are so-so.”
- “The game isn't perfect; the graphics are budget quality at best, and there certainly is room for improvement in gameplay as well.”
- “My biggest complaint for this part, however, is how the graphics configuration is lacking more options.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game boasts high replayability due to its numerous endings, with players able to explore around 27 to 30 different outcomes, encouraging experimentation and multiple narrative paths. While the interactive elements and atmospheric design enhance the replay value, some players note that scripted events can diminish the thrill for those who memorize the triggers. Overall, the potential for varied experiences and exploration makes it a compelling choice for players seeking replayable content.
- “This interactive element adds a layer of tension which turns this thrilling journey into a replayable one, encouraging you to explore different narrative paths!”
- “The multiple endings provide great incentive for replayability.”
- “My main issue with this game is how it was played out; certain events are scripted toward a certain action, which means the replayability value goes down the drain. If you memorize what action triggers which event, it's not scary at all.”
- “The 'multiple ending' aspect is welcome and adds replayability, or potential broad category for speedrunning.”
- “Each scenario has around 27 to 30 different endings, which gives it hours of replay value, as you go back through the scenarios to explore more and see what other outcomes can be unlocked.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The music in the game is highly praised for its atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the eerie ambiance with elements of Indonesian folklore, such as epic gamelan music and haunting sounds. Reviewers note that the audio design creates a deeply immersive experience, though some feel it lacks a climactic release, such as a jump scare, to fully capitalize on the tension built by the soundtrack. Overall, the combination of unsettling music and sound effects contributes significantly to the game's chilling atmosphere.
- “The game does its atmosphere really well, with scary sounds and background music, as well as unsettling visual pieces (for example, a ghost appearing from behind a wall; lights flickering; or a painting suddenly shifting.)”
- “Music and audio perfected into language.”
- “The game does its atmosphere really well, with scary sounds and background music, as well as unsettling visual pieces (for example, a ghost appearing from behind a wall; lights flickering; or a painting suddenly shifting). However, there was no end release to it all, no jumpscare, no chase sequence, or anything of the sort, and to get you truly terrified, it just needed a final jump at the end.”
- “The game is pretty scary; the atmosphere and music fit Indonesian folklore.”
- “I played around with this game and I was genuinely surprised and scared on my first playthrough; its atmosphere and soundtrack befit Indonesian folklore.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
83%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often leading to boredom. Many reviews highlight the need to redo mundane tasks, such as cleaning and item retrieval, to unlock different endings or chapters, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “I would call it tedious, repetitive, grinding, and ultimately... boring.”
- “The gameplay is fine, but it's pretty tedious and repetitive for a small-scale game.”
- “Seemingly cool concept with creepy vibes, but when I realized I was supposed to 'mop the floor' a second time after dying... I realized this is not going to be fun, but tedious and repetitive.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marked by several bugs, particularly with achievements not triggering correctly and occasional camera glitches that disrupt gameplay. While some mechanics, like cleaning, are notably buggy, the overall experience remains enjoyable and playable despite these issues.
- “I have found several of the achievements to be buggy, either not popping when they should, or popping the wrong achievement for the actions I was taking.”
- “There are very few interactions with horrific spirits or entities, and those that are there lack weight, or the camera glitches out so bad that it's just confusing as to what the hell has just happened.”
- “There are still some glitches and bugs.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with users noting that it performs poorly on AMD/Radeon systems, suggesting it may be tailored more for Intel/NVIDIA hardware. Additionally, there are concerns about its streaming performance and a general consensus that further optimization is needed to enhance the overall experience.
- “A good game, but I think it could be optimized more.”
- “Not optimized for AMD/Radeon. Others say UE4 doesn't work well with AMD, but I know otherwise. It seems the developers have made this game specifically for Intel/NVIDIA machines.”
- “Not too optimized for streaming.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a powerful emotional experience through its simple yet impactful story, prompting players to reflect on their actions and relationships. Its multiple endings encourage replayability, enhancing the emotional depth and resonance that can lead to profound reactions, including tears.
- “The game’s simple but strong story contributes to an emotionally resonant experience, and its wide variety of endings makes it worth coming back to time and again for further exploration.”
- “Oh my god, I cried my eyes out.”
- “It genuinely made me feel bad about being an asshole to imaginary ghost people I never knew in the first place.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly highlighting the comedic delivery of the voice actors, which adds a lighthearted and entertaining element to the overall experience.
- “The voice actors deliver their lines with such comedic timing that I couldn't help but laugh out loud.”
- “The humor in the game is spot-on, with witty dialogue that keeps the experience light and entertaining.”
- “I love how the characters have quirky personalities that add a hilarious twist to the storyline.”