Playtown
- November 20, 2023
- ThatNerdPunk Games
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Playtown is a first-person horror simulation game where you play as a father searching for his daughter's missing necklace in a once joyful indoor playground. Solve mind-bending puzzles and evade traps in this single-player or two-player co-op experience, now with enhanced visuals. Immerse in a captivating story of an emotional journey and exploration in this atmospheric adventure horror game."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The graphics are amazing and create an immersive atmosphere.
- The game is enjoyable enough to play multiple times, with some good jump scares.
- The concept is intriguing, and there is potential for future improvements and expansions.
- The game lacks clear objectives and guidance, making it easy to get lost.
- Gameplay can be frustrating due to difficult platforming and backtracking.
- Many players feel the game is unoriginal and too short for its price.
- graphics13 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise, with many users highlighting their impressive quality and immersive atmosphere. While some players found the gameplay lacking, they consistently noted that the visuals and level design were well-executed, showcasing a high level of development knowledge. Overall, the graphics stand out as a strong point, enhancing the overall experience despite other gameplay shortcomings.
“Playtown is a very graphically impressive mascot horror game.”
“The puzzles are challenging but not too difficult, and the graphics are amazing.”
“As a mascot horror, adventure horror game, I think it's a bit disappointing that the game is short, but I think the immersive graphics and atmosphere as well as the level design are well made.”
“Easily, bar none, one of the worst games I've ever played, and it's a shame because the graphics show there is game development knowledge at a rather high level, but unfortunately that's the only positive I have.”
“The graphics, I love them; they really did put in a lot of work to make everything seem less.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with players noting a lack of mouse sensitivity controls and unintuitive mechanics that can lead to frustration, particularly in parkour sections. While some appreciate the unique style and atmosphere of the mascot horror genre, others criticize the gameplay for being inconsistent and overly reliant on backtracking and item searching. Overall, it offers a decent experience but could benefit from improved mechanics and puzzle integration.
“However, all these new mascot horror games have their own unique style, gameplay, and story, so you can't hate on it.”
“I liked the gameplay, hated the parkour sections, loved the ambience, sounds, and childish visuals.”
“For the effort put in by the game developer in terms of mechanics and general playability, 'Playtown' is worth the investment.”
“There are no mouse sensitivity controls, videos can't be skipped, dynamic lighting seems to work the opposite of how you'd expect it to (low-light areas get darker as you get closer to them instead of lighter), and the mechanics are pretty uncompromising, unintuitive, and inconsistent (the predatory pipes, for instance).”
“It's not that scary, gameplay isn't great but overall a pretty good take on the mascot horror genre.”
“From what I read, it's 20-30 minutes of gameplay, which the majority of it is probably dying over and over or spending that time trying to find the items that you need to progress somewhere in the room.”
- story10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it confusing and lacking depth, while others appreciate its unique elements and puzzle integration. Despite its potential, many feel that the narrative is underdeveloped, often revolving around simple quests like searching for a necklace. Overall, while the mascot horror genre offers diverse storytelling, this particular game struggles to deliver a coherent and engaging narrative.
“The intricate storyline mixed with the cool fun puzzles make for an amazing mascot horror game!”
“However, all these new mascot horror games have their own unique style, gameplay, and story, so you can't hate on it.”
“Story is nice.”
“This game literally does nothing new in the mascot horror scene; it's a sloppily put together game that has a weird storyline that makes absolutely no sense.”
“However, when it comes to the story, it falls short.”
“Not much of a story... just a guy looking for a necklace.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often describing it as a boring and time-consuming experience that detracts from overall enjoyment. The repetitive nature of having to retrace steps after dying is particularly criticized, leading to a sense of wasted time and effort.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It's boring, not scary, uninteresting, tedious, and the biggest waste of time and money (even $5.99 feels like a massive ripoff). There's potential here, but not enough for me to enjoy it or play it any longer.”
“If you die, you have to repeat that section and keep dying over and over just to find the right path. I wouldn't mind doing it once, but having to go back through the same way trying to remember which ones are safe and then having to do it all over again in the next room... it's too frustrating and tedious.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive graphics and well-crafted level design, effectively creating a creepy vibe that enhances the overall experience. Despite some disappointment regarding its short length, players appreciate the effort put into establishing a compelling and engaging environment.
“As a mascot horror adventure game, I think it's a bit disappointing that the game is short, but the immersive graphics and atmosphere, as well as the level design, are well made.”
“I enjoyed the creepy atmospheric vibe, and all the work put into this really paid off!”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The optimization in the game is widely criticized as nonexistent, leading to performance issues and a subpar gaming experience.
“Optimization is nonexistent.”
“The game runs poorly on all settings, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
“I experienced frequent frame drops and long loading times, which shows that optimization was not a priority.”
