PARANOID

About

"Paranoid" is a single-player Action game with poor optimization and numerous bugs. Players follow the psychedelic horror story of Patrick Calman, a man with paranoid schizophrenia who lost his family and receives a phone call from his long-missing sister. Explore Patrick's apartment and decide whether to confront the potential hallucination or risk his own sanity. The game references other horror titles like "Puppet House," "Tormentor," "Agony: Lords of Hell," and "Succubus."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

46%

Audience ScoreBased on 228 reviews

story24 positive mentions

optimization30 negative mentions

The game features intriguing lore connected to the Agony and Succubus universe, providing a unique psychological horror experience.
There are two distinct story routes that offer replay potential, allowing players to explore different gameplay styles.
The atmosphere is immersive, especially when playing in a dark environment with headphones, enhancing the horror experience.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and performance issues, making it frustrating to play and often unplayable.
The story feels chaotic and underdeveloped, with abrupt endings that leave players confused about the plot.
Combat mechanics are clunky and unsatisfying, lacking depth and variety, which detracts from the overall experience.

story
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
70%
6%
The game's story is described as chaotic and poorly executed, with many players feeling it lacks depth and coherence, despite having two distinct narrative paths that offer some replayability. While some elements, such as the psychological themes related to mental illness, are appreciated, the overall execution is criticized for being confusing and abrupt, leaving many plot points unresolved. Additionally, technical issues and disruptive dialogue further detract from the storytelling experience, leading to a general consensus that the narrative feels incomplete and unsatisfying.
- “Paranoid has two different ways of playing the game that offer a unique approach and conclusion: you can either choose to leave your apartment, in which case you journey through the game melee fighting condemned-style and solving light puzzles on a linear path through the city, or you can choose to remain in your apartment, while experiencing the game’s story through lots of light puzzles.”
- “Still, my thumbs up for another peek into the disturbing world of agony and above all for two storylines in one game (you can leave or stay in your apartment and the outcome is very different - like two different games).”
- “For those who still want to play or are die-hard fans of the studio, it is an installment of the shared universe of agony which tells the story of Patrick, a self-recluse in his own home who suffers from paranoia and schizophrenia.”
- “Storywise, this game on its own feels like a horrid chaotic mess; however, I assume the other games from this developer expand on the universe in which this game is set, so maybe by playing other games you could at least understand the story.”
- “The game puts a lot of focus during the story that you do not want to hurt people, yet all you do is kill a bunch of people. You are supposed to sneak for most of the combat, but as soon as you get the hang of combat, you can stunlock enemies with anything, making sneaking worthless.”
- “But the story very clearly sets itself up for a clear structure and a path ahead after the first hour or so, then the game explains everything about itself and doesn't follow through on its promises for the next hour and just abruptly ends.”
optimization
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
39%
54%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including frequent frame drops, stuttering graphics, and numerous bugs that persist even after patches. Many users noted that the game runs poorly on high-end hardware, leading to an overall frustrating experience, while some found the lack of graphics settings options exacerbated the problem. Despite a few positive remarks about specific editions, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance playability.
- “Love the concept of the game but definitely needs the optimization fixed still.”
- “If you can live with the current unstable performance and don't mind waiting for some patches, it really is worth the price of the current sale going at the time of this writing.”
- “I was one of the few that enjoyed the unrated edition because it was actually optimized, ran at a decent framerate and introduced some quality of life improvements.”
- “Buggy, poor performance, and the v1.1 patch from January fixed virtually nothing.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is poorly optimized in some sections and can cause frame drops down to 10-15 fps, although it's just a short moment.”
- “I had major performance issues while playing to the point where it was almost unplayable.”
gameplay
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
55%
30%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players highlighting significant issues such as bugs, clunky controls, and tedious puzzles that detract from the overall experience. While some find the mechanics interesting and enjoyable, particularly in puzzles and combat, the persistent glitches and lack of variety in gameplay elements have led to frustration. Overall, the game appears to fall short of expectations set by initial trailers, leaving players disappointed with its execution.
- “Some amusing gameplay gimmicks.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it is extremely enjoyable, both the puzzles and combat.”
- “The graphics look awesome, sounds very nice, gameplay is not too difficult for me, it's perfect.”
- “The final product is completely different from the first trailers - worse graphics, worse atmosphere, worse gameplay.”
- “Feels like it's just thrown together, full of bugs, obnoxious gameplay, terrible audio, very tedious puzzles that are extremely boring and simple. Overall, the game is very short; it took me 2.5 hours to beat.”
- “Paranoid's enthralling concept and atmospheric design are unfortunately undermined by persistent bugs, optimization issues, and subpar mechanics, particularly in combat.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
79%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the disturbing visuals and animations, particularly for horror enthusiasts, while others criticize the performance issues, such as stuttering, low-resolution textures, and poor object loading. Many players report needing to lower their settings to achieve a playable experience, and there are complaints that the final product's graphics do not match the initial trailers. Overall, while some find the graphics decent and immersive, others feel they detract from the gameplay due to technical shortcomings.
- “The graphics are good, the animations too, the ambient and the sounds are supreme and the way they managed Patrick's schizophrenia is excellent; they couldn't do a better job at it.”
- “I don't understand such a low rating; the game sometimes has slight frame drops, but overall it runs smoothly and has decent graphics.”
- “The graphics look awesome, sounds very nice, gameplay not too difficult for me; it's perfect.”
- “The final product is completely different from the first trailers - worse graphics, worse atmosphere, worse gameplay.”
- “The constant blur effect, the framey mouse movement, there's zero graphics reduction setting options... sure, there's that FSR thing that gives you performance/off/quality choices, but I'm fully convinced it does nothing.”
- “Stuttering graphics, textures not loading in, or maybe they are just low res to begin with.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its severe stability issues, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and poor performance across various hardware setups. Players frequently experience crashes and freezes, necessitating restarts and hard resets, which significantly detracts from the overall gameplay experience. Despite some interest in the storyline, the technical shortcomings render the game frustratingly unplayable for many users.
- “Buggy, poor performance, and the v1.1 patch from January fixed virtually nothing.”
- “Even with the lowest settings, the game freezes at the beginning (in the apartment)…it not only freezes the game, but the Steam Deck itself, forcing me to do a hard reset which I don’t like having to do.”
- “Technical side - poor performance, visual glitches, some hard crashes, game settings not working properly.”
atmosphere
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
63%
13%
The game's atmosphere is frequently praised for its unsettling and immersive qualities, effectively capturing a sense of urban horror reminiscent of titles like "Condemned: Criminal Origins." While the atmosphere, sound design, and thematic elements related to paranoia are highlighted as strong points, many players express disappointment over the game's technical issues and graphical fidelity compared to initial trailers. Overall, the atmospheric experience is seen as a significant draw, despite the presence of bugs and gameplay shortcomings.
- “Pros: the atmosphere and setting are unsettling and creepy (as they are intended to be) so good job on that.”
- “Atmosphere as well as how a paranoid schizo acts/reacts (or you can interpret it another way if you'd like) as well as the music and overall style of the game is top-notch.”
- “The final product is completely different from the first trailers - worse graphics, worse atmosphere, worse gameplay.”
- “It’s sad because the story and atmosphere look promising.”
- “I really feel the atmosphere of a game where your thoughts are constantly tormenting you is a good touch to emphasize that you are playing the character of a paranoid schizophrenic.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by absurd situations and quirky animations, such as characters reacting comically to bugs and glitches, which adds a lighthearted touch to the overall experience. Players find the game's commentary on government surveillance and its own performance issues amusing, contributing to a playful atmosphere despite technical shortcomings.
- “Which is funny because the last game they tried to launch on Steam, they managed to get it banned on release day.”
- “Simply put, the performance is wonky and horribly bad; one minute you can be at 100fps and then it just drops down. The stuttering is what breaks it for me (3070ti), and some animations appear really wonky. For example, if you try to open a locked door, you lean in the air—funny stuff like that.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, effectively reflecting the protagonist's paranoid state of mind. Reviewers commend the top-notch sound design, including haunting voiceovers and a selection of impressive music tracks that contribute to the overall immersive experience.
- “The atmosphere, along with how a paranoid character acts and reacts, combined with the music and overall style of the game, is top-notch.”
- “The game looks good and has excellent sound design, with the voices in Patrick's head hassling you and some really good music tracks so far.”
- “The music enhances the overall experience, creating a captivating and immersive environment.”
- “The main theme music is forgettable and lacks any real impact.”
- “The atmosphere is undermined by repetitive and uninspired music that fails to enhance the experience.”
- “While the game has potential, the music feels out of place and detracts from the overall immersion.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users noting that it feels unfinished and plagued by numerous bugs. Despite effective advertising, the overall sentiment suggests that the game's quality does not justify its monetization strategy.
- “Unfinished cash grab.”
- “Typical Madmind game, but doubles down on being a cash grab.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game appears to be minimal, with players expressing frustration over gameplay mechanics, such as one-hit enemies and technical issues like save-loading bugs, which detract from their overall experience and engagement. Many users feel disillusioned after a short playtime, indicating a lack of emotional investment in the game.
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unenjoyable, citing a lack of depth in puzzles and overall gameplay that feels poorly executed and filled with bugs. The short duration of the game, taking only 2.5 hours to complete, further contributes to the perception of grinding as a frustrating experience.
- “The grinding feels like a chore rather than an engaging part of the game, making it hard to stay motivated.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes the gameplay tedious and uninteresting, leading to a lack of enjoyment.”
- “Grinding in this game is overly simplistic and feels like a time sink without any real reward.”