Polterheist

15%
Game Brain Score Based on 94 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Polterheist Game Cover
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In "Polterheist," players assume the role of a burglar targeting a Kansas house with rumors of paranormal activity, specifically a poltergeist. The task is to locate and steal specific items, all while disregarding supernatural warnings. The game combines stealthy thievery with potential paranormal encounters for an intriguing and unique twist.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

15%
Audience ScoreBased on 94 reviews
humor1 positive mentions
gameplay5 negative mentions
  • The game has a unique concept of robbing a haunted house, which could be interesting for players looking for something different.
  • Some players found the graphics to be visually appealing, adding a nice aesthetic to the game.
  • A few players enjoyed the game as a source of humor when played with friends, finding it entertaining in a 'so bad it's good' way.
  • The game is plagued by severe optimization issues, resulting in low frame rates and poor performance even on decent hardware.
  • There is a complete lack of instructions or tutorials, making it frustratingly difficult for players to understand how to play or control the game.
  • The gameplay mechanics, particularly the coughing mechanic, are poorly designed and lead to instant deaths, making the game feel unfair and tedious.
  • gameplay20 mentions

    The gameplay has been widely criticized for its poorly implemented mechanics, particularly the "coughing mechanic," which requires players to perform quick time events to avoid instant death from poltergeists. Many reviewers found the mechanics frustrating and confusing, with a lack of tutorials or backstory contributing to an overall sense of disorganization. While the game features visually appealing environments, the gameplay experience is marred by weak mechanics and a lack of engaging content.

    • “Introducing the 'coughing mechanic' where you have to click either the left or right mouse button when prompted (like a QTE) to prevent your character from coughing.”
    • “Well, it turns out that mechanic is the best one in the game because poltergeists don't like coughing, so you stroll into this house (that's all unlocked mind you) and if you miss that quick time event and cough - instant kill from a poltergeist.”
    • “I say that because this game has a coughing mechanic, where you must click either the left or right mouse button at the right time to stop from coughing, and the character blinks... a lot.”
    • “Menus are extremely generic and gameplay, it's simply not fun.”
    • “Sloppily thrown together with terrible game mechanics, it gives you no backstory, no tutorial, no nothing.”
    • “Great idea but the gameplay is horrible, why is there blink and coughing it makes it so much more confusing.”
  • graphics12 mentions

    The graphics of the game received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the decent visuals while others criticized the optimization issues, leading to low frame rates even on minimal settings. Many noted the presence of graphical glitches and poor visibility of key elements, such as the ghost, which detracted from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics had potential, technical shortcomings and inconsistencies marred their effectiveness.

    • “The graphics looked nice.”
    • “Pretty graphics.”
    • “This game looked promising from its graphics and the overall premise.”
    • “Completely unoptimized, getting 20 fps on minimal graphics, Intel Core i5 10th gen, Intel UHD 640.”
    • “I had to lower the resolution to about 1280 and turn down the graphics to get it to move without chugging.”
    • “In terms of graphics, Polterheist is as basic as most of these indie horror games get.”
  • story7 mentions

    The game's story is criticized for being minimal and poorly developed, with a basic premise involving a burglar in a haunted house that lacks depth and backstory. Reviewers note the absence of tutorials and objectives, leading to a disjointed experience that fails to engage players. Overall, the narrative feels uninspired and sloppily executed.

    • “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
    • “Sure it's creepy, but 'house in the middle of nowhere at night' isn't exactly unique or inspired, and as far as I can tell the plot is 'you're a burglar, there's a haunted house, burgle the haunted house.'”
    • “Sloppily thrown together with terrible game mechanics, it gives you no backstory, no tutorial, no nothing.”
    • “This game is light on story.”
  • music4 mentions

    The music in the game has been described as generic and reminiscent of stock horror tracks commonly found on royalty-free music sites, lacking originality and depth. While some players found it relaxing, the overall consensus leans towards disappointment in its creativity.

    • “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
    • “As for the music, it sounds like the generic stock horror songs that you can get on royalty free music sites.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being exploitative, with accusations of plagiarism and asset flipping, as well as a lack of proper credit to original creators. Reviewers express frustration over the prevalence of cash grab tactics in the horror genre, suggesting that the developers prioritize profit over quality and integrity.

    • “The developers didn't credit any of the artists and real game developers who created the assets, which feels like plagiarism and a cash grab.”
    • “The reviews are all written in either Russian or broken English, appearing almost simultaneously shortly after the game launched on Steam. They all have a direct purchase of the game and are used consistently to write fake reviews for asset flips and other cash grabs.”
    • “I'm really sick of horror developers using the horror industry as a quick cash grab.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is largely criticized as dark and unengaging, with many reviewers finding it boring and lacking in excitement. Despite a promising premise, the execution fails to create a compelling or immersive experience, leading to a low overall rating.

    • “The plot and atmosphere will often draw me into a game, but this one isn't very strong in either.”
    • “I give it a 2/10 for a spooky atmosphere.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to a lack of clear explanations and misleading audio cues that contribute to the overall monotony.

    • “Nothing is explained; it's way too tedious.”
    • “This becomes tedious when you swear you hear him on the other floor, but it isn’t the case.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent graphical glitches and random character deaths, leading users to recommend that the developers address these problems before releasing it to the public.

    • “This game is glitchy and not worth it. My advice to the developers is to focus on fixing the glitches before selling it.”
    • “There are so many graphical glitches, and I die randomly all the time.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game is perceived as well-optimized in terms of performance, but players feel it suffers from a lack of content and difficulty, which detracts from its overall value. Many believe that with more attention to community feedback and additional features, the game could significantly improve.

    • “The game is well optimized, providing a smooth experience even on lower-end hardware.”
    • “I appreciate the attention to optimization; it runs flawlessly without any noticeable lag.”
    • “The developers have done a great job with optimization, making it accessible for a wide range of systems.”
    • “So my guess is it's poorly optimized or something like that.”
    • “The game runs like a snail on my high-end PC, which is frustrating.”
    • “I constantly experience frame drops and stuttering, making it unplayable at times.”
  • humor1 mentions

    Players find the humor in the game to be hit-or-miss, with some moments leading to unexpected laughter, often resulting in amusing videos.

    • “But, at least I got a funny video out of the game, lmao.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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