Red Haze
- February 13, 2017
- Yai Gameworks
- 11h median play time
Get on Steam"Red Haze" is a first-person shooter game set in a dystopian world overrun by zombies. As a former soldier, players must navigate through levels, battling hordes of the undead and completing objectives to progress. With a variety of weapons and character upgrades, players must strategize and survive in this post-apocalyptic world.
Reviews
- The game features a unique and engaging story that explores dark themes, making it a thought-provoking experience.
- The atmosphere is well-crafted, with effective sound design and art style that enhance the horror elements.
- There are numerous endings and secrets to discover, providing high replayability and encouraging exploration.
- The game is unfinished, with many promised endings still not available, leading to frustration for players.
- The save system is flawed, requiring players to restart the game after each ending, which can be tedious.
- Some mechanics, such as the permadeath feature and certain puzzles, can feel unfair and lead to a frustrating experience.
- story57 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its charm and depth, blending whimsical elements with serious psychological horror themes, reminiscent of a twisted Red Riding Hood tale. Players appreciate the nonlinear narrative and multiple endings, which enhance replayability and encourage exploration of the protagonist's emotional journey. While some find the writing inconsistent, the overall storytelling is considered engaging, with mature themes and a haunting atmosphere that captivates players.
“Red Haze conveys a deep and surprising story over multiple runs with a protagonist that you learn to care for quickly.”
“An intriguing story with adult and dark themes, a haunting sound design, terrifying and bizarre monster designs, an extremely high replayability value, and a couple of well-designed puzzles are only parts of what make this game exceptional in my opinion.”
“All in all, I highly recommend this game; it's got a great story, great voice acting, great music, superb gameplay, and an overall engaging experience that keeps you coming back.”
“I felt like it was just going to be really cheesy and the story wouldn't be worth the effort of playing on repeat.”
“The story starts off simple, and if you're like me it might frustrate you at the start with what it is thrown at you.”
“A pity given the promise its story had but it's too broken for many players to enjoy.”
- graphics47 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the unique art style and its ability to enhance the unsettling atmosphere, while others criticize the simplicity and occasional technical issues. The visuals are described as charming yet disturbing, effectively complementing the narrative and horror elements, though some players found certain aspects, like the 3D mode, poorly executed. Overall, the graphics are seen as a significant part of the game's identity, contributing to its experimental horror experience.
“The graphics do a great job of being unsettling and the music is top notch.”
“The visuals and art style match the trashed and abandoned setting.”
“I used to hate the graphics this game had, but from a more educated perspective in terms of how it affects moods, the graphics are a masterpiece and not many recognize this.”
“Your protagonists, Rockette and Starry, are done in a charming art style that clashes jarringly against the pencil-whipped horrors you encounter, who are drawn in a manner reminiscent of the underground galleries of Yume Nikki.”
“There were certain parts of the game where it was so dark that I could barely make out certain objects, which I thought was just an aesthetic horror touch, until I played the game on my friend's Windows computer, on which everything could be made out clear as day.”
“But the graphics aren't the best, and in one part of the game, it sends you into a 3D mode, which is horrendous to get through because of poor control.”
- music22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional depth, with many reviewers highlighting the quality of the soundtrack and vocal performances. While some find certain tracks hit or miss, the overall consensus is that the music effectively complements the story and gameplay, contributing to a unique and immersive experience. Many players express a desire to purchase the soundtrack, indicating its strong impact on their enjoyment of the game.
“The music is also great, each piece fits the mood perfectly and whoever does the vocal songs has a superb voice.”
“The game has a wonderful soundtrack, amazing atmosphere, lustrous story, and loads of secrets.”
“All in all, I highly recommend this game, it's got a great story, great voice acting, great music, superb gameplay and an overall engaging experience that keeps you coming back.”
“And unlike the clock tower games, where a change in music was your cue to start running, the only indication that the custodian is close is that unsettling laugh of his.”
“Music is also hit or miss for me, but that's more a matter of taste so I'll leave it at that.”
“Seems the music caused it in the way it was attached to the game (?) so, as I post three times a week, and it was 2300 the day before my Wednesday release, it magically turned into a review...so bear that in mind.”
- gameplay19 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of engaging narrative and art style, though it suffers from repetitive mechanics and frustrating permadeath elements that can lead to frequent restarts. While some players appreciate the simplistic design and the challenge of obtaining various endings, others find the gameplay mechanics unfair and the need for patience a drawback. Overall, the experience is described as engaging, with a blend of puzzles and exploration that appeals to fans of experimental horror games.
“Definitely not without some difficulty, but the puzzles, gameplay, graphics, and story (especially the story) are very engaging overall.”
“All in all, I highly recommend this game; it's got a great story, great voice acting, great music, superb gameplay, and an overall engaging experience that keeps you coming back.”
“Red Haze is an old school style adventure game with some interesting gameplay mechanics.”
“Guides have been helping me through some points of the game, but honestly, gameplay videos and written walkthroughs are rather sparse, so it's been quite the task.”
“Keep in mind, however, that this game asks for a lot of patience and has a frustrating permadeath mechanic - the main 'challenge' in this game is accidentally getting caught by an enemy and receiving an ending you've already seen 10+ times, which happens often.”
“Some endings are very straightforward, and the player can obtain them in a few minutes of gameplay, or just by failing.”
- atmosphere17 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its haunting, disturbing, and dreamlike qualities, effectively creating a sense of tension and unease. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to convey a sinister tone with minimal resources, complemented by a captivating soundtrack and engaging story. While some mention minor flaws, the overall consensus is that the atmospheric design significantly enhances the gaming experience, making it a standout feature.
“The art style is really fitting for the themes of the game, and overall, the atmosphere stays in this strange 'nightmare but dream-like' phase that I just really love.”
“Yai Gameworks manages to create some truly haunting games, accomplishing a lot in tone and atmosphere with very little.”
“The atmosphere is really well-crafted; drawing you in and messing with you as you play.”
“For as much as I like the atmosphere and creepiness of this game, I sadly can't say I'd recommend it.”
“Trying everything with everything and repeating the start of the game over and over began to become frustrating when I tried new things that didn’t change anything, which took away from the creepy atmosphere of the game.”
“If you liked Silent Hill for the atmosphere but didn't like combat at all, this will satisfy you, even the voice acting.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability, featuring multiple endings, numerous secrets, and varying experiences with each playthrough. While some players note that certain segments may feel repetitive, the overall enjoyment and depth of the story, combined with the game's exploration elements, contribute to its strong replay value. Many reviewers appreciate the intricate design that encourages players to revisit the game to uncover all its layers.
“Excellent story, flawless presentation, endless replayability, and genuine fear are all brought to the table here.”
“With multiple endings, Red Haze has a lot of replayability; though the middle of the playthrough may get a little repetitive, it will be rewarded with more interesting things happening the more endings you achieve.”
“An intriguing story with adult and dark themes, a haunting sound design, terrifying and bizarre monster design, an extremely high replayability value, and a couple of well-designed puzzles are only parts of what make this game exceptional in my opinion.”
“The replayability isn't very high, but the game will pay forward its worth in the enjoyment you will have playing it, and in the time it takes to truly 'win'.”
“With multiple endings, Red Haze has a lot of replayability, though the middle of the playthrough may get a little repetitive; it'll be rewarded with more interesting things happening the more endings you achieve.”
“I absolutely love that there are more than 20 endings to get; it gives the game a lot of replay value.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the emotional depth of the game, noting its heavy themes and impactful storytelling that evoke strong feelings, including sadness and fear. The game is compared to the emotional narrative of "To the Moon," suggesting it offers a compelling and immersive emotional journey that resonates deeply with players. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a rich, story-driven experience that elicits a wide range of emotions.
“From the heavy themes to emotional outcomes, through unlimited scares, Red Haze has it all.”
“Although there is nothing I don't like about this game, the realism concerning the horror elements made me feel really powerfully sad.”
“After only two endings, I can already tell that this game is going to take me on an emotional rollercoaster.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the permadeath mechanic that forces them to restart from the beginning. While some enjoy the exploration and interaction with the environment, there is a consensus that the repetitive nature of the gameplay may become tiresome over time.
“It is an extremely tedious adventure.”
“However, the permadeath and having to restart from the very beginning each time can make it tedious for an adventure/horror game with multiple paths and endings.”
“I'm fine with it since I'm still wandering around clicking on everything, but I think it's going to get a bit tedious after a while.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits some stability issues, including glitches, stuttering, and lag, primarily attributed to the limitations of the RPG Maker engine. While these technical difficulties may frustrate less patient players, they do not significantly detract from the overall unique experience.
“I liked how unique this game was right off the bat, although there are some glitches in some rooms, and if you're not patient, this game isn't for you.”
“There are some technical difficulties with the game - I've noticed some stutter, lag, and a few very minor graphical glitches. Most of that is the result of the RPG Maker engine and its limitations, many of which have been stretched pretty hard to make this game a reality.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its well-executed design, striking a balance between appealing aesthetics and effective, nightmare-inducing monster designs. Players express excitement about unlocking new elements and exploring various endings, indicating a strong engagement with the characters.
“The character design is very well done without being overdesigned, and the monster design effectively creates a nightmare-inducing atmosphere.”
“Character design is really nice, and I can't wait to unlock new features and achieve all the endings eventually.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is praised for its excellent price/performance ratio, indicating that players feel they are receiving significant value for their investment.
“Excellent price/performance ratio.”
