Russian SuperHero Dead Ivan

About

Russian SuperHero Dead Ivan is a single player casual action adventure game. It was developed by Anatoliy Loginovskikh and was released on October 19, 2016. It received negative reviews from players.

Somewhere, in the farthest corner of Russia, you can find him: the great Russian superhero Dead Ivan! Surrounded by the most common stereotypes, he's armed with a chainsaw full of magic and is always ready for a fight!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

32%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

humor15 positive mentions

story5 negative mentions

Embraces absurd, surreal humor and unapologetic chaotic action with a distinct identity and cultural satire.
Unique art style with deliberately rough, exaggerated visuals contributing to a cult, fever-dream cartoon charm.
Music and main menu animation receive praise and provide a decent atmospheric backdrop.

Highly buggy with frequent glitches, including game-breaking animation locks, collision issues, and fatal errors leading to crashes.
Unclear objectives, confusing level design, stiff and imprecise controls, making gameplay frustrating and unrewarding.
Poor polish overall: terrible graphics, weak sound design, minimal story or character development, and lack of meaningful content.

story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
65%
22%
The story aspect is largely criticized for lacking depth, structure, and coherent plot development, with many users noting the absence of a meaningful or engaging narrative. Some describe the storytelling as random or nonsensical, which may disappoint players seeking character growth or a well-defined plot. Overall, the story is often viewed as minimal or non-existent, serving more as background than a central element.
- “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.”
- “This game has a deep story about finding true love.”
- “The story: truth be told, it's not that bad.”
- “The writing and storytelling rarely strive for depth, instead embracing randomness, absurd dialogue, and abrupt narrative transitions.”
- “There's no story whatsoever.”
- “The story doesn't even exist, as far as I'm aware, and the sound effects are awful.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The gameplay combines action, exploration, and light puzzles centered on Ivan's chainsaw and magical abilities, but many found the mechanics shallow, inconsistent, and frustrating to use. Poor controls and level design further detract from the experience, making the gameplay feel tedious rather than engaging. Overall, it received strong criticism for lack of depth and polish.
- “Gameplay mixes action, exploration, and light puzzling, centered around Ivan’s chainsaw and a handful of magical abilities.”
- “I was really surprised that the author added some gameplay concept to this ugly little something (totally didn't expect the whole Zelda thing).”
- “I've got a gameplay/review video of this that still needs to be processed, will update this review with it once it gets done.”
- “Unfortunately, the actual gameplay beneath the chaotic surface didn't hold my interest.”
- “While the sheer absurdity might click for some, I found the core mechanics shallow and the experience more grating than fun.”
- “Gameplay mechanic is flawed and very inconsistent (saw is effing useless!).”
humor
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its absurdity and randomness, creating a quirky and offbeat charm that appeals to some players as a labor of passion. However, the humor can feel forced or miss the mark for others, with some finding it genuinely funny while others see it as weird or overshadowed by gameplay flaws. Overall, the humor is hit-or-miss, often appreciated for its confident silliness but not universally enjoyable.
- “Crazy action with absurd humor and wild drive!”
- “There is no expectation that these creatures belong in the same universe—rather, the humor comes from how confidently the game pretends they do.”
- “The premise is undeniably absurd and potentially hilarious.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game's graphics are highly divisive, with some praising the imaginative and eclectic environments that enhance its irreverent spirit, while others criticize the visuals as lazy, pixelated, and unappealing, comparing them to children's drawings. Overall, the art style appeals to those who appreciate creative randomness but may be off-putting due to its perceived low quality.
- “The game’s aesthetic reinforces this irreverent spirit.”
- “The environments mirror that randomness: snowy villages, barren landscapes, mystical arenas, and bizarre geographic clusters that feel assembled less by map designers and more by an enthusiastic imagination given free rein.”
- “Fullscreen doesn't work, graphics are terrible lazy pixel style, and gameplay is just as bad if not worse.”
- “The visuals look like children's drawings.”
- “Ugly graphics.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with the main menu theme often praised as the standout track, while the overall soundtrack is considered mediocre or subpar by most users. Some find certain songs decent, but generally, the music is viewed as one of the few redeeming aspects amidst other negative feedback.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “The only thing good about this is the main menu and the music there.”
- “The music is pretty decent too in parts.”
- “The soundtrack is pretty bad.”
- “Soundtrack: 4/10, except for the main menu theme.”
- “Old problems that linger: new songs sit in the radio — about two of them.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from severe stability issues, including frequent crashes, numerous bugs, and game-breaking glitches like animation locks that can cause softlocks. Overall, it is extremely buggy and currently unplayable, requiring significant work to improve stability.
- “The game is extremely buggy, hitboxes are off and there's one glaring issue: once you use magic for the first time, you'll be animation locked, not allowing you to use your chainsaw anymore, leading to potential softlocks.”
- “Tl;dr - unplayable game, crashes often, bugs and glitches like I have rarely seen in a game, and still in pre-alpha stage right now.”
- “You might get some entertainment just from the unknown bugs and glitches, and might even not be able to play it at all!”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The game demonstrates commendable technical optimization, running smoothly without performance issues even on a Steam Deck OLED via a microSD card. However, users report bugs, collision problems, and scripting errors that detract from the overall experience, with some sequences feeling unfinished or disconnected.
- “Technically, it gets a pass: it ran flawlessly on my Steam Deck OLED via Linux, even installed on a microSD card – zero performance issues.”
- “The technical performance on Deck is commendable, making gameplay smooth and uninterrupted.”
- “Running smoothly on portable devices like the Steam Deck highlights the game's solid optimization.”
- “Bugs, collision issues, performance hiccups, and scripting errors appear throughout the experience, and some sequences feel unfinished or loosely connected.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is described as tedious and unsatisfying, often feeling like a chore that requires luck to avoid bugs disrupting progress. Players may find it frustrating and time-consuming.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Other than that, the game just isn't really that fun or satisfying; it's more of a tedious task where you must wish upon your lucky stars to not get a bug that prevents you from progressing.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect lacks a grand or cohesive arc, with the game's intentionally unstable world logic contributing to a fragmented emotional experience.