Presences: Dark Awakening
- July 7, 2023
- Cozy Marshmallow
Get on Steam"Presences: Dark Awakening" is a first-person perspective narrative adventure that transports you to a haunted house with interactive environments, ancient puzzles, and terrifying encounters. The game features bright, strobing, and flashing lights, along with spooky imagery and loud sounds, creating an intense and frightening atmosphere. Your goal is to survive the night and uncover the forgotten ritual hidden within the dark reality of the house.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features impressive graphics and a breathtaking art style, showcasing a lot of effort and passion from the developer.
- The atmosphere is well-crafted, creating a sense of dread and tension throughout the gameplay, particularly with the sound design.
- For a debut game from a solo developer, it is commendable in its execution, providing an interesting experience with a spooky ghost story.
- The gameplay can feel tedious and slow, with long waits for events to trigger, leading to moments of boredom.
- There is a lack of intuitive direction, making navigation confusing and frustrating at times, especially with no save feature.
- The story and scares may not be as engaging or deep as some players would hope, with some elements feeling padded or lacking urgency.
- story26 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its atmospheric storytelling and intriguing lore, particularly in the context of a spooky ghost narrative tied to an archaeological dig site. However, others found it lacking in depth and engagement, often feeling disinterested after the initial hour and noting that much of the story is conveyed through notes and spirits rather than dynamic gameplay. Overall, while it offers a short, tense experience, expectations should be managed regarding the depth and complexity of the narrative.
“Enjoyed this short ominous horror story.”
“Definitely recommend if you enjoy a short game with good atmospheric storytelling and visually appealing gameplay.”
“The game wove an interesting story where you are trying to piece everything together from strategic notes and clues left around.”
“Just don't expect really hard puzzles, major scares, or a crazy in-depth story.”
“It just felt somewhat lacking, in both story and scares.”
“I would recommend this game to players with the expectation that you will be having to read a lot of notes to get the story or lore of the game.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with many reviewers noting its ability to evoke a sense of dread and tension throughout the experience. The visuals and sound design contribute significantly to this chilling ambiance, making it stand out from typical indie horror games that rely on jump scares. While the game is relatively short, lasting around 80 to 90 minutes, its immersive storytelling and atmospheric elements make it a compelling choice for fans of the genre.
“But I must say that this is one of the best horror games I have played, a bit short at around 80 to 90 minutes, but the atmosphere, the ghost orbs, things going on, the way the sound works to add to the atmosphere is just so good; this is not the normal indie horror game jump scares that most horror games try all the time, this game does everything differently and was a welcome change.”
“It's about 90% atmosphere (especially at the top where I was legitimately nervous as I first started exploring) with a couple of interactive 'puzzles' (they aren't really puzzles, since they are usually the only things you can click in the area). It's a bit padded by slow movement, forced stationary moments, and cutscenes, but I didn't mind.”
“Really applaud the atmosphere and sense of dread that follows you through the duration of the game.”
“It sets up a spooky and ethereal atmosphere and has the horror standard notes to find, so you can piece together what's going on.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received high praise, with many reviewers highlighting the breathtaking visuals and impressive art style, often rating them around 9/10. The atmospheric design enhances the overall experience, drawing players into the world, although some noted that the sound design could be improved to complement the visuals during key moments. Overall, while the gameplay may lack depth, the graphics stand out as a significant strength of the game.
“Core gameplay has you exploring, solving simple puzzles and experiencing what the game does best, it's breathtaking visuals (it looks so good) and it's jaw-dropping scares that are incredibly cleverly done and draw you into the world.”
“The overall art style of the game was breathtaking and the game just looks incredible.”
“Graphics: 9/10 personally the graphics are impressive in this game and the overall atmosphere feels great.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a visually stunning walking simulation that emphasizes exploration and simple puzzle-solving, complemented by atmospheric storytelling and cleverly executed scares. While some players appreciate the breathtaking visuals and immersive experience, others rate the overall gameplay around 5-6/10, noting its limited interactivity with objects.
“Definitely recommend if you enjoy a short game with good atmospheric storytelling and visually appealing gameplay.”
“Core gameplay has you exploring, solving simple puzzles and experiencing what the game does best: its breathtaking visuals (it looks so good) and its jaw-dropping scares that are incredibly cleverly done and draw you into the world.”
“Gameplay: 5~6/10 overall this game is a walking simulation with interactivity with objects.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly when it comes to waiting for events to occur. This repetitive waiting can detract from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
“It got a bit tedious waiting for the next event a few times.”
“The grinding feels repetitive and lacks variety.”
“I found myself doing the same tasks over and over, which became exhausting.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The final build of the game shows notable improvements in optimization compared to the demo, particularly in performance.
“I've played the demo of this game, and I can say that there are improvements in the final build, especially on the performance side.”
