Phantaruk

About

Phantaruk is a single-player Horror Stealth game with good graphics and plot. As a player, you explore the abandoned research vessel Purity-02, once owned by H+ Corporation, which aimed to create post-human beings. Now, the ship is a deadly trap, and you must investigate its mysteries while fighting a parasite infecting your body, with your survival chances decreasing with time.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 81 reviews

story16 positive mentions

gameplay9 negative mentions

The game has a great atmosphere and impressive level design, creating a moody and immersive experience.
The sound design and voice acting are surprisingly good, enhancing the overall horror experience.
The unique toxin mechanic adds an interesting layer of tension, requiring players to manage their resources while exploring.

The AI of the main enemy is inconsistent and can lead to frustrating encounters, often spotting players in situations that seem safe.
The game suffers from poor optimization, with reports of stuttering and performance issues even on high-end PCs.
The lack of a manual save system and unreliable autosave can lead to frustrating restarts, impacting the overall enjoyment of the game.

gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
80%
15%
The gameplay of "Phantaruk" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the core mechanics frustrating and poorly executed. The stealth system is often described as inconsistent, leading to repetitive deaths and diminishing tension, while the toxin mechanic is seen as an annoying limitation that hampers exploration. Overall, while the game attempts to blend survival horror with stealth elements, it falls short due to its lack of polish, depth, and replay value.
- “It's got interesting gameplay, great writing, entertaining voice-over, a frightening atmosphere, and even manages to provoke deep thought.”
- “Phantaruk combines survival horror with adventure and stealth mechanics.”
- “In short, the gameplay can be described as follows: lurk around in shadows, find keycards/notes with passcodes to unlock doors, avoid monsters and get out safely.”
- “I get the point, they wanted to make it more tense by adding the survival mechanic, but it just doesn't work for me and it makes it annoying more than tense.”
- “The game had promise and atmosphere, but bad gameplay and optimizations killed it.”
- “Gameplay is your typical crappy stealth game with no depth at all, or as some people call it, Benny Hill simulator, where you run as soon as you see the enemy.”
story
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
9%
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it generic and poorly executed, often criticizing its clichéd themes and lack of depth. While some appreciate the atmosphere and gradual revelation of the backstory through audio logs and notes, others feel that the narrative is overshadowed by frustrating gameplay mechanics and a lack of coherence. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a missed opportunity, with potential for depth that ultimately falls flat.
- “An interesting setting mixed with a very well-crafted story that doesn't get carried by unexpected twists but by the way the story is continuously presented to the player.”
- “The game only reveals the backstory slowly as you play, but it seems that the H+ corporation, which owns the Purity-02 spaceship, is a medical corporation that deals with human modifications, cloning, and diseases, and became very powerful after a smallpox resurgence wiped out over three billion of Earth's inhabitants.”
- “Phantaruk proves again that you don't need jump scares to elicit fear, just damn good storytelling.”
- “It's a short game with no comprehensible story and main stealth mechanics which don't work properly.”
- “No story, no plot, nothing... even the most basic meat and potatoes of a game is not there.”
- “It becomes even worse when you see how the mediocre (at best) gameplay experience has been coupled with a clichéd and boring plot which gives you no choice regarding how totally unsatisfying the ending will be.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
24%
14%
Phantaruk is praised for its immersive and oppressive atmosphere, reminiscent of classic horror titles like Doom 3, effectively utilizing sound and environmental design to create tension and a sense of isolation. While the game excels in establishing a creepy ambiance and deep thematic elements, some players feel that gameplay issues detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the atmospheric elements remain a standout feature, contributing to a genuinely scary and engaging experience.
- “Phantaruk has some interesting ideas and a significant atmosphere that is reminiscent of Doom 3, an aesthetic which I wholly adore.”
- “Didn't really care if the monster was scary or not, because the atmosphere was already immersive enough.”
- “Even the sounds complement the already eerie atmosphere and effects, from particles to the lighting, all feel high quality.”
- “The game had promise and atmosphere, but bad gameplay and optimizations killed it.”
- “The atmosphere is what you would expect a spaceship to be in this situation (dark and scary).”
- “This game gives a lot of scares and intense moments with a dense atmosphere, with nearly no jumpscares!”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The graphics in Phantaruk are generally well-received, with many reviewers noting the game's atmospheric visuals reminiscent of Doom 3 and praising the level design. However, there are criticisms regarding minor graphical glitches, occasional stuttering, and the limitations of the Unity engine, which can lead to a plastic appearance in some areas. Overall, while the graphics are considered decent for a 2016 title, improvements in the graphic options menu could enhance the experience further.
- “Phantaruk has some interesting ideas and a significant atmosphere that is reminiscent of Doom 3, an aesthetic which I wholly adore.”
- “I had not realized the Unity engine was capable of having such nice 3D graphics.”
- “This is like Alien Isolation, but with better graphics and I think a better plot.”
- “And it's a game from 2016, while I can play even the newer titles without major FPS issues and still have decent graphics.”
- “Graphics are your typical Unity stuff, so they can look pretty ugly and plastic, and most of the time they do.”
- “The lighting and shadow problems mentioned in the graphics section mean that you can appear to be completely hidden, but still not be able to get the eye symbol to disappear, or be in what looks like partial light and have the symbol indicate that you are hidden.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
9%
82%
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting significant stuttering, input lag, and various technical issues, even on high-end systems. Despite its visual appeal and potential, many users feel that poor optimization detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration and an unfinished feel.
- “I get a good game here, and it has everything I expected with well-optimized details.”
- “Sadly, the game isn't devoid of technical issues; despite the low system requirements, I still experienced stuttering at times.”
- “This game is so poorly optimized that I can't play it.”
- “Worst optimization I've ever seen :|”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
The music in Phantaruk is praised for its effectiveness in enhancing the game's horror atmosphere, with ambient tracks and sound effects that create tension and a sense of isolation. While individual music cues may not stand out, they contribute significantly to the overall experience, making the claustrophobic environments feel more immersive and terrifying. Overall, the sound design, including voice acting, is considered a strong point of the game.
- “Great sound, great, mostly ambient horror music, at least adequate controls, good automatic saving checkpoints, and an honestly creepy atmosphere in many places.”
- “Very claustrophobic locations with fitting music and sounds - ideal environment for me. If you add to that a good plot and terrifying monsters, you will get Phantaruk!”
- “Individual effects and music cues are nothing to be amazed at, but they're used to excellent effect to increase the atmosphere and sense of desolation you feel while exploring the purity-02.”
- “Sound effects and music were effective at creating a tense experience by using minimal jumpscares, and a great atmosphere.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be frustrating, primarily due to poorly designed achievements that often require excessive time investment or involve tedious tasks, such as waiting for extended periods or replaying sections to avoid random damage. While the grind itself isn't described as overly tedious, the bugs and design flaws significantly detract from the experience.
- “Most of my time was spent testing the hack job I had to do to remove mouse acceleration, grinding the time achievements (took me over 1 hour just for those '10 minutes' ones, which are bugged and take more than 10 minutes) and replaying over and over again to achieve another bugged achievement related to not being hurt the whole game (imagine having this achievement and then a RNG section in the game where you may, or may not, be hurt at random. B r u h!!!)”
- “Achievements are not grindy but are poorly done; some require you to just do nothing for 10+ minutes.”
- “It never felt too easy or tediously slow.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Phantaruk lacks replayability due to the absence of difficulty levels, alternate endings, and significant gameplay options, resulting in a short experience that quickly becomes repetitive. Players find little incentive to revisit the game, as it offers minimal content and often requires backtracking through previously explored locations.
- “With no difficulty levels or major gameplay options, Phantaruk also has no replay value whatsoever.”
- “Apparently, no alternate endings and no difficulty levels or major gameplay options result in no replay value for a relatively short game.”
- “This game doesn't have much content, and it doesn't take long for the game to backtrack and rehash locations; there is no replay value.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is subtle and situational, often stemming from inconsistencies in the storyline, such as the unexpected presence of multiple enemies during speedruns. While it may not reach the level of absurdity found in other titles, it offers a lightheartedness that contrasts with the game's more serious elements.
- “It's also funny to see that there should be one enemy, if we follow the story's logic, but if you speedrun the game, you can 100% count more than the supposed one.”
- “Maybe it is not hilariously bad and laughable like 'Pigs in Machine for Pigs' or whatever those white butt-naked things are in 'Husk', but it doesn't feel intimidating.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Overall, the game's stability is generally good, though players have reported minor graphical glitches, such as blurriness when viewing the arm-mounted computer screen.
- “The graphics are pretty good, but there are several minor graphical glitches, such as the distance becoming blurry when I look at my arm-mounted computer screen.”
- “I frequently experience crashes that disrupt my gameplay, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
- “The game often freezes during key moments, which is incredibly frustrating and affects the overall experience.”