Pulang Insanity - Director's Cut
- March 13, 2020
- OZYSOFT
Get on Steam"Pulang Insanity - Director's Cut" is a psychological horror game that follows the story of a man searching for his missing wife in a creepy village filled with supernatural events and eerie creatures. The game features new levels, enhanced graphics, and improved gameplay mechanics compared to the original version. Players must solve puzzles, uncover dark secrets, and face their fears to progress through the game.
Reviews
- The game features a unique and engaging story that incorporates Indonesian folklore, providing a rich cultural experience.
- The atmosphere and sound design are immersive, reminiscent of classic horror titles like Silent Hill, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
- The developers are responsive to feedback and have made improvements through updates, showing a commitment to enhancing the game.
- The game suffers from optimization issues, including lag and long loading times, which can detract from the experience.
- There are several bugs and glitches that can hinder gameplay, such as character movement issues and crashes.
- The enemy AI can be frustratingly aggressive, leading to unfair deaths and disrupting the otherwise engaging narrative.
- story21 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story has received praise for its intriguing plot and effective horror elements, with many players captivated by its depth and complexity. While some found the narrative to be overly intricate, it ultimately ties together well, enhancing the overall experience. The use of cutscenes and notes contributes to a more immersive storytelling approach, although some players noted a lack of clarity at times and a relatively short overall narrative.
“I am very fascinated with the plot and how the story worked out.”
“The story evolves from there, and although it takes the long way around, it gradually unravels the closer you get to the end of the game.”
“The game story and plot is unique, rich, and embedded into the game, with a beautiful ending that I believe is driven by a true event.”
“The biggest element that seems to be make-or-break for most people regarding this title and its 'mixed' rating on Steam is the story.”
“It is mostly a walking sim and fetch keys to move on, rinse and repeat sort of game lacking puzzles or survival elements and not enough story to be an adventure game; it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be.”
“I do really appreciate it having actual cut scenes, even though they aren't great, it helped make the game seem much more story-driven than several previous indie horror efforts, but I still spent a great deal of time not really knowing what is going on.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the gameplay is engaging and offers a mix of fun and challenge, with easy-to-learn controls that enhance the experience. Players appreciate the combination of horror and puzzle elements, although some mechanics, like the screen turning red, can be distracting. While the game starts as a typical horror walking simulator, it evolves into a more complex experience that rewards personal exploration.
“The gameplay and controls are easy to grasp after a few minutes of playing; overall, it's a really fun and also challenging experience.”
“As for the gameplay, 'Pulang: Insanity' is your typical horror walking simulator, complete with key and object finding; at least that's how it presents itself during the first hour of its campaign.”
“As for the gameplay, it is quite challenging; horror game + puzzle is the best combination but not very confusing, so you can still enjoy the game rather than confuse yourself cracking the puzzle.”
“As for gameplay, Pulang: Insanity is your typical horror walking simulator, complete with key and object finding; at least that's how it presents itself during the first hour of its campaign.”
“Remove the mechanic that turns the screen red; I get the idea, but it's very distracting and takes away from the creepy atmosphere.”
“The mechanics, including the walking style and opening the drawer, feel not too smooth.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, drawing strong inspiration from the Silent Hill franchise, which enhances the overall experience. While many players appreciate the deep ambience and storyline, some feel that certain mechanics, like the screen turning red, detract from the intended creepy vibe. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, particularly for an indie release.
“It has a deeply immersive atmosphere that hearkens back to the Silent Hill franchise, an inspiration that can even be seen during its main menu sequence.”
“Additionally, the game houses some of the most immersive atmosphere and ambience that you'll have the pleasure of coming across in a small indie release, and the developer was able to successfully recreate that Silent Hill feeling in a lot of different ways.”
“This game is very good in terms of storyline and atmosphere; it's a very good game.”
“The atmosphere and overall vibe here is solid and it starts off strong but ultimately doesn't hit the mark in a lot of aspects.”
“Remove the mechanic that turns the screen red. I get the idea, but it's very distracting and takes away from the creepy atmosphere.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their impressive quality, especially for a low-budget indie title, featuring detailed environments with fog and rain effects. However, players have reported technical issues, including crashes and brightness problems that detract from the experience. Overall, while the artwork is appreciated and performance is generally stable, these glitches hinder the game's visual potential.
“The environments are teeming with fog and rain effects, and the graphics look really superb for a low budget indie title.”
“A lot of work to make this kind of graphic, and performance keeps running stable, aligning the storyline linearly until the beautiful ending of the game with several flashbacks, reminding me of Hollywood movies with flashbacks that test our brains.”
“The graphic is very good, even with the Unity engine.”
“When I finally managed to start the game, it would crash or freeze for no reason just a few seconds after the first cutscene. I also encountered a graphics setting issue where the game was overly bright without me adjusting anything in the settings. The menu looked fine, but in-game it was a different story. Using the 'default' button made the graphics look acceptable, but then I crashed to desktop.”
“The graphics are a lot of work, but the performance remains stable. The storyline flows linearly until the beautiful ending, with several flashbacks that remind me of Hollywood movies, testing our brains.”
“While the FPS is stable and the graphics quality is decent, the game requires a low-spec PC, which is a positive for performance.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed feedback; while some users hope for improvements to enhance the experience, others note that the game runs stably with good performance, even on lower-spec PCs. The graphics are impressive, but there are still areas that require attention to ensure a smoother gameplay experience.
“A lot of work went into making this kind of graphics, and the performance remains stable while keeping the storyline aligned linearly until the beautiful ending of the game, with several flashbacks that remind me of Hollywood movies that test our brains.”
“The FPS is stable, and considering the high graphic quality, it requires low-spec PC requirements, which indicates very good performance optimization.”
“The issues probably lie in the optimization; I hope it will be fixed to make the game better.”
“Another problem that does need addressing, albeit to a lesser extent, is the optimization.”
“A lot of work goes into making this kind of graphics, but the performance needs to remain stable and keep the storyline aligned linearly until the beautiful ending of the game, with several flashbacks that remind me of Hollywood movies testing our brains.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music and sound effects in the game effectively immerse players in a haunting atmosphere, with a droning ambient soundtrack that enhances the overall experience and complements the narrative, reminiscent of Silent Hill. Despite some minor bugs, the horror music successfully contributes to the game's chilling ambiance.
“The horror music and its sensations are really effective, despite a few bugs that occasionally occur.”
“The sound effects really suck the player into the midst of it all, and the droning ambient soundtrack is the cherry on the cake that tops off what would be an overall complete package of mesmerizing terror.”
“The music stands out for sure; it fits the game very well and helps the narrative, giving some real Silent Hill vibes at points. Big plus there.”
“There are still some bugs that occasionally occur, but so far the horror music and its sensation are on point.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's stability is a concern, with issues related to frame rate and optimization noted as needing improvement. While some players acknowledge it as a promising start, many feel that the bugs detract from the overall experience.
“There are many things that need to be fixed in the future, like source optimization, and the frame rate seems buggy. I think, once again, it's still a very good start!”
“There are much better games worth playing than this buggy game.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the game's emotional impact being undermined by technical issues, such as crashes and graphical glitches that disrupt immersion and prevent meaningful engagement with the story. The inability to experience the game fully detracts from any potential emotional resonance.
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Many users find the game lacks replayability due to its short length and feel that the price does not justify the limited content available for multiple playthroughs.
“It's extremely short for the price tag and has no replay value.”
“Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
“The lack of meaningful choices means that replaying feels like a chore rather than an adventure.”
