Phantaruk

About

Phantaruk is a single player survival action adventure game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by Polyslash and was released on August 16, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

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

Skip User Reviews

61%

Audience ScoreBased on 98 reviews

story20 positive mentions

gameplay10 negative mentions

The game features impressive graphics and a well-crafted atmosphere that effectively captures the essence of a dark, foreboding spaceship.
Phantaruk offers an interesting infection mechanic that adds a unique layer of tension and urgency to the gameplay.
The level design is engaging, with a variety of environments that encourage exploration and discovery.

The creature AI is poorly designed, often leading to frustrating encounters where the monster behaves erratically and can easily spot the player.
The gameplay is marred by a cumbersome toxin mechanic that forces players to rush through the game, detracting from the horror experience.
Many players found the story to be clichéd and lacking depth, with a generic plot that fails to engage or satisfy.

gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
76%
17%
Gameplay in the game is generally criticized for its frustrating mechanics, particularly the toxin system that imposes a time limit and disrupts immersion, leading to repetitive deaths and a loss of tension. While some players appreciate the stealth elements and atmospheric writing, many find the overall experience tedious and lacking in replay value due to the absence of difficulty options and alternate endings. The game is often compared to titles like "Amnesia: The Dark Descent," but fails to deliver a satisfying gameplay experience, ultimately undermining its thematic potential.
- “In terms of gameplay and presentation, Phantaruk is basically Amnesia: The Dark Descent on a spaceship.”
- “The game takes about 3 hours or so to finish; there are no weapons, and the main gameplay is sneaking around and avoiding the enemy as it wanders around the level searching for you.”
- “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.”
- “It also had the potential to be a thematically deep experience, but that promise ends at a wearisome gameplay mechanic and is ultimately irrelevant to the story.”
- “The game had promise and atmosphere, but bad gameplay and optimizations killed it.”
- “With no difficulty levels or major gameplay options, Phantaruk also has no replay value whatsoever.”
story
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
56%
10%
The story of the game is criticized for being generic and clichéd, often failing to engage players with its predictable plot and lack of meaningful choices. While some elements, such as the setting and certain narrative ideas, are appreciated, many reviewers found the storytelling poorly executed, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience that detracts from the overall narrative impact. Despite a few positive mentions of character depth and atmosphere, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the story's execution and coherence.
- “Some ideas are just brilliant (like usage of pulse or that smoky labyrinth), the experience will give you some nice shivering, the story and the voiceover are worth your time.”
- “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.”
- “I enjoyed this one - good storytelling, great ambience, cool spaceship interiors.”
- “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.”
- “Once you discover what your late-game objective is, the entire plot falls apart and the game starts to feel just as arbitrary, silly, and frustrating as the gameplay itself.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
34%
12%
The graphics in Phantaruk are generally well-received, with many reviewers noting their quality and atmospheric design reminiscent of Doom 3. While the visuals are considered modern and appealing, some players have reported minor graphical glitches and performance issues, such as lag and blurriness when interacting with certain elements. Overall, the game's graphics contribute positively to its horror ambiance, though 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.”
- “Make a better 'graphic options' menu, and the game will be much better received.”
- “The graphic engine is a bit laggy.”
- “Some minor graphical stuttering/slow down for no apparent reason seems to occur randomly, but it is not extremely noticeable.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
15%
15%
The atmosphere in Phantaruk is widely praised for its immersive and creepy qualities, drawing comparisons to the aesthetic of Doom 3, with dark and isolating environments that enhance the horror experience. While the sound design and ambient music contribute positively, some players feel that interruptions for exposition detract from the overall tension. Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay and repetitiveness, the game is recommended for its strong atmospheric presence.
- “Didn't really care if the monster was scary or not, because the atmosphere was already immersive enough.”
- “It's got interesting gameplay, great writing, entertaining voice acting, a frightening atmosphere, and even manages to provoke deep thought.”
- “The game had promise and atmosphere, but bad gameplay and optimizations killed it.”
- “+/- great sound, great, mostly ambient horror music, at least adequate controls, good automatic saving checkpoints, an honestly creepy atmosphere in many places, at least until the effect wears off and it gets boring/repetitive.”
- “The atmosphere is what you would expect a spaceship to be in this situation (dark and scary).”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
22%
71%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, input lag, and graphical stuttering. Many feel that these problems detract from the overall experience, overshadowing the game's potential and atmosphere. While some players noted good performance in certain aspects, the general consensus is that the game feels unfinished and poorly optimized.
- “I get a good game and it has everything I expected with well-performed details.”
- “The game had promise and atmosphere, but bad gameplay and optimizations killed it.”
- “Too badly optimized; it's a shame, because the game actually looks interesting.”
- “This is clearly unfinished, with subtitles being extremely offbeat, mouse acceleration that you can't turn off, and stuttering.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in Phantaruk is praised for its great ambient horror themes that effectively enhance the game's creepy atmosphere, contributing to the overall tension in claustrophobic environments. While the sound design is generally well-received, some players feel that the experience can become repetitive over time, diminishing its initial impact. Overall, the combination of good sound and fitting music helps create an engaging horror experience, despite some criticisms of the game's design.
- “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 - an ideal environment for me. If you add to that a good plot and terrifying monsters, you will get Phantaruk!”
- “The horror music is effective and enhances the overall atmosphere, making the experience more immersive.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Phantaruk lacks replayability due to the absence of difficulty levels, major gameplay options, and alternate endings, making it a short experience with little incentive to play again.
- “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.”
- “With no difficulty levels or major gameplay options, Phantaruk also has no replay value whatsoever.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is generally good, but players have reported several minor graphical glitches, such as blurriness when viewing distant objects on the arm-mounted computer screen.
- “Pretty good graphics, but there are several minor graphical glitches. For example, the distance becomes blurry when you look at your arm-mounted computer screen.”
- “Pretty good graphics, but there are several minor graphical glitches. For example, the distance becomes blurry when you look at your arm-mounted computer screen.”