Pombero: The Lord of the Night

About

Pombero: The Lord of the Night is a single player survival simulation game with horror and thriller themes. It was developed by Inside Studios and was released on November 22, 2020. It received neutral reviews from players.

Overcome fear, solve the mystery behind the story, in this psychological horror game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Pombero: The Lord of the Night screenshot

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60%

Audience ScoreBased on 10 reviews

optimization3 negative mentions

The game has a good structure and an interesting story that incorporates Paraguayan mythology.
It offers some fun features and atmospheric horror elements, providing a decent escape-the-room experience.
As a first game from an indie studio, it shows potential and creativity, with a unique folklore theme.

The game suffers from numerous glitches, crashes, and poor optimization, making it frustrating to play.
Graphics and performance issues, such as low frame rates and clunky movement, detract from the overall experience.
The reliance on jump scares can become predictable, and the lack of replayability limits its long-term appeal.

story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's story is intriguing and layered, featuring detailed lore and backstory that invites players to explore and dissect its complexities. While some players found the narrative unclear and challenging to follow, many appreciated its depth and originality, especially for an indie debut. Overall, the story adds a unique charm to the game, making it worth experiencing, particularly at a discounted price.
- “Strewn about are notes detailing the lore of an off-putting creature as well as the backstory.”
- “Pln story isn't very clear cut and that's where I come in to dissect it!”
- “Super fire for an indie studio's first game, rough around the edges but overall a great game with a dope story.”
- “The story isn't very clear-cut, and that's where I come in to dissect it!”
- “With nothing to add toward its replayability besides trying to make heads or tails of the story by playing a second time, I recommend buying it when it's discounted.”
- “At least it gives you pleasure and laughs, even if it wasn't intended; it does manage to redeem itself with an alarmingly realistic and deliberate misnomer of a story!”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game is criticized for its poor optimization, lacking options for adjusting vsync and field of view, which leads to frequent screen tearing. Additionally, users report crashes and overall performance issues that detract from the experience.
- “But it's poorly optimized, and for one thing, it doesn't have any options to tweak the VSync or FOV, which the game appears to be really jonesing for as it 'tears up' every so often!”
- “The remainder gets dragged through the mud by a few crashes, poor optimization, and blatant scares.”
- “Poorly optimized.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The gameplay is criticized for being unpolished and repetitive, with many mechanics feeling recycled and lacking innovation. Players describe it as a typical walking simulator, which may not offer much new despite its horror elements. Overall, the experience is marred by technical issues, such as a low frame rate.
- “Seriously, I'm literally forced to play the game at 30 fps because of the unpolished mechanics.”
- “If someone had told me there was yet another horror game reusing the same assets, gameplay mechanics, and assembled with minimal effort - I'd be furious, but I'd still play it regardless. That's how much of a sucker I am.”
- “Gameplay is self-explanatory at this point, but it's your common walking simulator.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for being both unsettling and immersive, effectively creating a scary experience through loud, jarring noises that enhance the tension. Despite some rough edges and technical issues, it successfully delivers a compelling escape-room vibe with strong atmospheric horror elements.
- “Very atmospheric and scary.”
- “While the game is still a bit rough in some areas and could definitely use some more polish (especially with the occasional crash and in the second act), it still pulls through and provides a good escape-the-room experience with some decent atmospheric horror elements.”
- “Now for the scare factor - while it boasts an otherwise unsettling atmosphere initially, it is intense with its loud noises cranked up to ear-piercing levels, and so more often than not, I jumped at the sound without even seeing what I should be scared of!”
- “While it boasts an otherwise unsettling atmosphere initially, it is marred by loud noises cranked up to ear-rape decibels, causing me to jump at sounds without even seeing what I should be scared of.”
- “The atmosphere feels inconsistent; it starts off promising but quickly devolves into a chaotic mix of sounds that detracts from the intended horror.”
- “Despite the initial eerie vibe, the atmosphere ultimately falls flat due to overused jump scares and a lack of genuine tension.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The graphics are considered above average but lack polish, and they do not impress even at 1080p resolution.
- “The graphics are above average but still need some polish.”
- “The character models look outdated and lack detail.”
- “The environments feel bland and uninspired, lacking the vibrancy expected from modern games.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report experiencing glitches, indicating that the game's stability may be an issue.
- “It had some glitches.”
- “The game frequently crashes, making it unplayable at times.”
- “I experienced numerous bugs that disrupted my gameplay.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features minimal background music, with players noting its absence in many areas. However, there is a standout track played on the radio in the apartment that has garnered positive attention, particularly a song about the pombero, which players are eager to identify.
- “There seems to be no background music.”
- “Inside studios, if you see this, please tell me what that song is called on the radio in the apartment about the pombero because I loved it!”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's replayability is limited, primarily offering players the chance to better understand its story through a second playthrough. While it is relatively short, lasting around four hours, it may be worth purchasing at a discount for those interested in supporting the indie studio behind it.
- “Even though the game is fairly short (took me 4 hours to beat on my first blind playthrough), it still offers a solid experience. While it may not have much replayability value, it's a commendable first effort from a small indie studio that deserves support to continue improving and surprising us with more games.”
- “The replayability aspect is minimal, as the main draw is to unravel the story through a second playthrough. I recommend waiting for a discount before purchasing.”
- “With nothing to add toward its replayability besides trying to make heads or tails of the story by playing a second time, I recommend buying it when it's discounted (the price recently got cut permanently, yay).”
- “All in all, even though the game is fairly short (it took me 4 hours to beat on my first blind playthrough) and doesn't seem to have much going for it in the replayability value department, Pombero: The Lord of the Night is still a good solid attempt at a first game by a small emerging indie studio who could definitely use the support of gamers to keep improving and surprising us with more games.”