Paranormal State: Poison Spring

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 238 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Paranormal State: Poison Spring Game Cover
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In Paranormal State: Poison Spring, players join the TV show's paranormal research team as the newest member, investigating a chilling supernatural event at Poison Spring State Park. Uncover the park's dark past and ghostly secrets by examining 40 locations, 20+ hidden object scenes, and solving 30 eerie puzzles. Utilize gadgets, such as the EMF Meter and Thermal Cam, to detect spiritual occurrences and help reunite two lost spirits in this adventure game inspired by true events.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 238 reviews
story74 positive mentions
stability6 negative mentions
  • The game features a pretty good story and interesting characters, making it enjoyable overall.
  • The puzzles are challenging yet doable, and the interactive hidden object scenes add a unique flair.
  • The graphics and artwork are well done, contributing to an engaging atmosphere.
  • The game suffers from significant bugs, including crashes and issues with object detection that can lead to frustration.
  • There are concerns about cultural insensitivity in the portrayal of Native American themes and characters.
  • The voice acting is often subpar, with characters lacking proper animation and expression, leading to an uncanny experience.
  • story220 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its intriguing premise and character development, while others criticize it for being clichéd and poorly executed. Many noted the typical haunting tropes and a lack of depth, though some found the inclusion of real historical elements and paranormal investigators added interest. Overall, while the story is not groundbreaking, it offers a decent narrative experience within the hidden object genre, complemented by engaging puzzles and atmospheric settings.

    • “The storyline is compelling, and is based in a real place and on real historical events.”
    • “Good atmosphere, intriguing story, and of course lots of places and puzzles to explore and solve.”
    • “The story starts off well with plenty of spooky locations and a moody atmosphere.”
    • “The story was shallow.”
    • “The story is weak.”
    • “The story might be a story (in that it has a vague plot) but the characters, voice acting, and models are all terrible.”
  • graphics68 mentions

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful artwork, diverse environments, and high detail in scenes, while some criticize the character designs as eerie or poorly executed. Overall, players find the visuals to be decent to excellent, enhancing the game's atmosphere, though there are calls for updates to improve certain aspects. The combination of good graphics and engaging artwork contributes positively to the overall experience, despite some gameplay issues.

    • “The artwork is amazingly beautiful, with very high detailed scenes.”
    • “There is one aspect of this game that stands out, and can be noticed even from the screenshots - amazing graphics detail and artwork.”
    • “The graphics were perfect, and what you'd expect from this type of game.”
    • “Really needs a complete update for gameplay and graphics though.”
    • “- the artwork is uncanny valley levels of creepy in a bad way.”
    • “- the character design: the character artwork is just strange, ugly and eerie at times.”
  • gameplay40 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of hidden-object puzzles, item combinations, and mini-games that some players found enjoyable and engaging, while others criticized it for being repetitive and finicky, particularly due to navigation issues and a lack of fast travel. Despite some mechanical flaws, many reviewers appreciated the cleverness of the puzzles and the overall experience, noting that the story and graphics contributed positively to the gameplay. However, the gameplay's simplicity and occasional awkwardness left some players feeling dissatisfied.

    • “Pretty cool hidden-object game with a reasonable story and meaningful gameplay.”
    • “Therefore, I can honestly say that 'Paranormal State: Poison Spring' was one of the most enjoyable not only because of the source material, but also because of its slow, clever gameplay.”
    • “Solid gameplay consisting of a varied mix of item combination puzzles, hidden object screens, and minigames.”
    • “Let me get the shortlist of mechanical/gameplay issues out of the way so I can talk about the real reason I'm giving this game a negative review.”
    • “Gameplay is finicky as a result, and the lack of fast travel wears on the player through each repetition of six screens to get to the one screen that will allow you to go through four more screens.”
    • “Really dreadful gameplay.”
  • music26 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as atmospheric and fitting, enhancing the overall experience with a haunting original soundtrack. While some users find it typical or not particularly well-executed, many appreciate its contribution to the game's mood and storytelling, noting that it complements the visuals and voice acting effectively. However, players should be cautious of sudden volume spikes during jump scares, especially when using headphones.

    • “Great storyline, music, voicing, artwork.”
    • “The music, artwork, and voice acting are pretty good.”
    • “Beautiful locations, great music, and excellent voice actors, interesting plot and nice in-game content.”
    • “Not even the music or the sound is well done, something that is a must for atmosphere.”
    • “Warning for those who wear headphones while playing, there are small jump scares where the music or the voice could get very loud.”
    • “And this was with the sound and music turned down in the game.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is described as visually stunning with a moody setting, but it struggles to deliver a truly eerie or scary experience. While there are some creepy scenes and intriguing locations, the overall execution of sound and music falls short, detracting from the intended spooky ambiance. Despite these shortcomings, players appreciate the exploration and puzzle-solving elements within the atmospheric context.

    • “This game had the perfect amount of atmosphere and the art was gorgeous.”
    • “The story starts off well with plenty of spooky locations and a moody atmosphere.”
    • “Good atmosphere, intriguing story, and of course lots of places and puzzles to explore and solve.”
    • “It's a bit slow, and the attempt at a scary atmosphere doesn't quite work.”
    • “There are some creepy scenes, and maybe one or two very mild jump scares, but the game never creates the eerie, paranormal atmosphere I think it was aiming for.”
    • “Not even the music or the sound is well done, something that is a must for atmosphere.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its unintentionally funny elements, particularly through creepy character animations and a satirical take on the reality TV ghost-hunting genre. Players find the game's flaws amusing, describing it as "so bad that it's hilarious," while still appreciating its engaging mechanics that make gameplay enjoyable. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm to the hidden object experience.

    • “Anyway, I think this game nicely captures the more subtle, unintentionally humorous aspects of the reality TV ghost-hunting genre.”
    • “I thought the entire thing was hilarious.”
    • “This game is fun and funny in its badness, but the mechanics are there enough to make getting through the game pretty simple and painless.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game exhibits noticeable stability issues, including occasional bugs and a malfunctioning hint system. Users report problems with object alignment and a critical crash when interacting with touchscreen devices, necessitating a forced quit through the task manager. Overall, while there are no severe glitches, the stability concerns detract from the overall experience.

    • “Looked buggy at times; the hint system didn't always work.”
    • “Buggy when it comes to lining up objects.”
    • “No real serious glitches other than if I accidentally touched the screen of my touchscreen laptop, the entire game would crash and I'd have to go into my task manager and force it to quit.”
  • character development6 mentions

    Character development in the game has received mixed feedback, with some players finding the character artwork to be strange, ugly, and eerie, while others appreciate the overall aesthetic as pretty despite these flaws. This contrast highlights a divide in player perception regarding the visual representation of characters.

    • “The character artwork is just strange, ugly, and eerie at times.”
    • “The character design is quite disappointing.”
    • “It's very pretty despite the ugly character design.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its long and tedious storyline, which detracts from the overall experience. Players feel a disconnect as their teammates appear indifferent to the risks they face, prioritizing their own skills over the protagonist's safety, leading to a lack of genuine emotional engagement.

    • “The story is long, grueling, and ultimately boring.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect manageable due to the easy layout and limited locations, which helps prevent it from becoming overly tedious.

    • “The layout is easy and the locations are limited, so this is not too tedious.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Many users feel that the game lacks significant replayability, as it can be completed in just a few hours, making the standard price of 10€ seem excessive for the experience offered.

    • “I'd buy it again for that price, but the standard 10€ is a bit too much, in my opinion, as you finish the game in a few hours and it doesn't have what I'd call replay value.”
    • “The game is enjoyable, but once you complete it, there's little incentive to play again. The lack of replay value is disappointing.”
    • “After finishing the game, I found that there was no real reason to go back and play it again. The replayability is quite low.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

6hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
6-6hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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