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Saturnalia

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Saturnalia Game Cover
86%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, character development
93% User Score Based on 82 reviews
Critic Score 63%Based on 2 reviews

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Saturnalia Game Cover

About Saturnalia

Saturnalia is a single player open world action adventure game with horror, mystery and thriller themes. It was developed by Santa Ragione and was released on January 30, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

A third-person roguelite horror adventure where you play as four characters, experiencing an intergenerational storyline tied to the haunting traditions of an ancient village in Sardinia, Italy, a region rich with unique folklore… The village itself is an elaborate maze with no two iterations being precisely the same—you will have to explore and solve the mysteries of the game largely unguided. …

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Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
Saturnalia screenshot
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Reviews

93%Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews
story16 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • Unique and striking visual style inspired by Italian giallo and Sardinian folk horror, with a hand-drawn, sketchy aesthetic and strong atmosphere.
  • Engaging survival horror experience blending exploration, clue gathering, puzzle solving, and detective elements, with a compelling and mysterious narrative.
  • Innovative gameplay mechanics including multiple playable characters with different abilities, procedural rearrangement of the village on full party wipe, and a clue board that encourages piecing together the story.
  • The navigation and map are intentionally confusing and maze-like, which can frustrate players especially those with poor sense of direction.
  • Camera and movement controls can be clunky or wonky, with occasional bugs such as characters getting stuck or prompts not appearing.
  • The difficulty can be punishing and sometimes feel unfair, with monster AI glitches and ramping challenge potentially leading to frustration for some players.

  • story

    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    44% positive mentions, 48% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions

    The story is a compelling, slow-burning mystery told through fragmented clues and multiple character perspectives, set in a unique rural Sardinian setting with a strong, atmospheric aesthetic. Its non-linear, investigative approach encourages players to actively piece together the narrative, blending folk storytelling with psychological and esoteric themes. While it contains some bugs and a challenging pace, the intriguing plot, memorable characters, and rich mood make it a distinctive and rewarding experience for those who enjoy immersive and tense storytelling.

    • “Perfect length and pacing, perfect balance between disorienting and intuitive, masterful storytelling, and the entire thing just drips with atmosphere.”
    • “This fragmented approach to storytelling mirrors the fractured mental and emotional state of the town itself, asking players to actively piece together meaning rather than passively consume a plot.”
    • “As you explore, you slowly learn the layout of the town, unlock hidden paths, and piece together the mystery at your own pace - especially if you play in “detective mode,” which removes objective markers and lets you truly investigate instead of following your quest log.”
    • “With a big disclaimer at the beginning about how the game contains references to abuse, sexism, racism, homophobia, etc., I honestly thought the story would have a bit more bite.”
    • “The story and lore aren't super deep, but they're interesting enough that I wanted to see it through to the end.”
    • “The rest is a psycho-religious-esoteric story of several characters.”

  • graphics

    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    35% positive mentions, 55% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions

    The game’s graphics feature a distinctive hand-drawn, sketchy art style inspired by NPR shaders, cross-hatching, and giallo aesthetics, creating a unique, atmospheric, and sometimes unsettling visual experience that strongly supports its themes. While many praise its striking, dreamlike, and storybook quality visuals, a few find the style challenging or unsettling, with some noting its nostalgic late-90s or retro feel. Overall, the graphics are widely regarded as a key, memorable element that enhances the game’s tense and immersive horror atmosphere.

    • “Its hand-drawn aesthetic, inspired by sketch art and stop-motion animation, gives the game a dreamlike, almost storybook quality that contrasts sharply with its oppressive tone.”
    • “The art style is not merely decorative; it actively supports the game’s themes of distortion, memory, and decay.”
    • “Gorgeous giallo style visuals, although the black and white noir option sets a great alternative mood as well.”
    • “It's hard to get into it at the start because of the crazy graphical style and the city layout can be intimidating to navigate.”
    • “I'm not new to the horror genre and even love a lot 90s horror games, so I can forgive the terrible graphics to an extent (although in this case it feels more a stylistic choice to make the game look like a late 90s computer remake of A-ha's 'Take On Me' video), but the graphics shouldn't be the most significant challenge in the game.”
    • “I didn't exactly love the art style of the game, but I adjusted to it and give the developers credit for having a unique looking game.”

  • gameplay

    29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    21% positive mentions, 69% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions

    The gameplay is engaging and immersive, combining investigative horror with unique mechanics like roguelite progression and clue tracking, though some mechanics are obscure, under-explained, or inconsistently implemented. Despite occasional jank and frustrating trial-and-error, the core loop of exploring, uncovering mysteries, and evading threats keeps players intrigued, especially those who appreciate folk horror and narrative depth. Overall, the gameplay balances immersive storytelling with challenging, atmospheric exploration, though it may require patience to fully grasp all its systems.

    • “Though I felt some game mechanics were under-telegraphed, with trial and error (and a few guides) I muscled through the tough sections and was treated to a game that goes all in on its tone and setting, and does a great job keeping the player feeling alternately clever and terrified.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are generally well-designed, and the story/mystery is truly captivating, drawing you in with its intrigue.”
    • “The game has a little bit of jank here and there, but the gameplay core is solid: exploring the town, and figuring out the underlying mysteries that have been buried over the years, while avoiding a creature that stalks the town.”
    • “There are some obscure mechanics that I was never able to figure out completely, and you're not going to find any guides or info online to help, so you're basically on your own.”
    • “Some of the mechanics are poorly explained while some others are practically useless.”
    • “But you will sometimes discover, in terror, the consequences of an obscure decision made hours prior and entire mechanics far, far too late to save you from regretting the past.”

  • atmosphere

    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 33% neutral mentions, 17% negative mentions

    The game’s atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of Sardinian cultural elements, immersive sound design, and striking visual style, creating a thrilling, surreal horror experience that stands out in the genre. Reviewers highlight its tense, shadowy, and uncanny ambiance that deepens the narrative and mystery, though some note occasional issues with visibility that can impact immersion. Overall, the atmosphere is regarded as a major strength, richly enhancing the game’s mood and storytelling.

    • “The developers clearly poured their Sardinian heritage into the setting, drawing from local traditions and cultural artifacts like the nuraghi, which gives the whole experience a very unique atmosphere.”
    • “Whilst not as violent or explicit as the giallo I'm familiar with, the homage is otherwise evident in the absolute nailing of the atmosphere, tone, and tale - unraveling occultish mysteries, shadowy figures skulking at the penumbra of match-light, folk-horrors clattering about unseen - a true triumph of the genre.”
    • “Perfect length and pacing, perfect balance between disorienting and intuitive, masterful storytelling, and the entire thing just *drips* with atmosphere.”
    • “I hate media like this where the entire premise relies on completely idiotic and unrealistic conditions to create a horror atmosphere.”
    • “Character gets stuck on nothing frequently, and while I appreciate the dark atmosphere, not being able to see three feet in front of me, even with matches lit, is a bit excessive.”
    • “Maybe a 10% increase would help this feeling but I understand the atmosphere building and horror of the dark.”

  • music

    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    67% positive mentions, 33% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music in the game is highly praised for its memorable, impactful composition and effective use of silence that enhances the atmosphere. Players highlight its striking and immersive soundtrack, which, combined with sound design, significantly contributes to the game's intense and haunting experience.

    • “Passacaglia dei Saturnalia is one of the hardest-hitting tracks in game music history!”
    • “The art style is striking, the music is memorable, and the sound design will make you paranoid about even the slightest unfamiliar noise.”
    • “Wonderful horror game with great atmosphere and soundtrack.”

  • emotional

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's fragmented storytelling effectively reflects the town's fractured emotional state, requiring players to actively engage in piecing together the narrative. Its emotional depth is poignant but can be diminished if the difficulty is reduced, potentially impacting the pacing and overall experience. Despite its impact, the game remains underappreciated.

    • “This fragmented approach to storytelling mirrors the fractured mental and emotional state of the town itself, asking players to actively piece together meaning rather than passively consume a plot.”
    • “Saturnalia came out around the time of Signalis and it's heartbreaking to see it so sorely overlooked, still.”
    • “You might miss out on some of the emotional pacing of the game if you lower the difficulty below the standard.”

  • stability

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game demonstrates some stability issues, with noticeable bugs that occasionally affect the experience. However, these glitches do not overshadow its unique setting and engaging storyline, making it still worth trying.

    • “The game's still a bit buggy but it's really worth a shot: this game is set in an original setting, rural Sardinia, and it follows the story of 4 people all connected to the village because of different reasons, and it's your job to find out why!”
    • “A little buggy in general.”
    • “I'm not even sure that these were intentional game design decisions and not just glitches!”

  • replayability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers moderate replayability, with the potential for multiple endings and a procedurally generated village adding some variety. However, it can be completed relatively quickly, and once fully unlocked, the incentive to replay may diminish, though adjustable difficulty settings provide additional customization for repeat playthroughs.

    • “Game offers great replay value since you can toggle the experience at the beginning of the game.”
    • “The game can be completed in less than 10 hours, and I don't feel like there is much replay value once you've unlocked everything, although a case could be made with the procedurally generated village and multiple endings.”

  • character development

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Users appreciate the unique character designs and the immersive atmosphere they create, enhancing the overall experience of character development.

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Critic Reviews

63%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Saturnalia is a open world action adventure game with horror, mystery and thriller themes. Common tags for Saturnalia include indie, trading, exploration, third person, dynamic narration and others.

Saturnalia is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Saturnalia was released on January 30, 2022.

Saturnalia was developed by Santa Ragione.

Saturnalia has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Saturnalia for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Saturnalia is a single player game.