Shadow Corridor

About

"Shadow Corridor" is a horror game with Japanese indie roots, now on Steam. It features randomized dungeons set in traditional Japanese venues, where you must evade the curse of the Noh Mask. Every playthrough is different, with unique denizens and items to discover, encouraging exploration and varied strategies for survival.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 61 reviews

story4 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game features a unique and atmospheric horror experience, drawing heavily from Japanese folklore and design.
Gameplay is engaging with a mix of stealth mechanics and resource management, requiring players to think strategically to survive.
The sound design and eerie ambiance effectively enhance the horror elements, making for a genuinely frightening experience.

The randomly generated maps can lead to confusion and frustration, making navigation difficult and repetitive.
Some players find the gameplay mechanics to be basic and the death screen to be unsatisfying, detracting from the overall experience.
The graphics and animations may feel low-budget and inconsistent, which can impact immersion for some players.

story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
16%
The game's story has received high praise for its intriguing and well-crafted narrative, with many players appreciating its atmospheric horror elements and the depth of lore available for exploration. While some players noted a lack of focus on the main story, they still found the hidden narratives and additional content engaging. Overall, the story is described as both captivating and complex, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience.
- “I love the story; it's very nice and well made. I gave it 10/10!”
- “Fantastic horror survival type game with an intriguing story.”
- “Fun and scary gameplay, interesting story hidden throughout the game.”
- “Honestly, I prefer something with a bit more story rather than some random chasing.”
- “The story of this game is really long and uncomfortable!”
- “The above points also annoy a guy like me who likes to collect pieces of lore to see what happened in the backstory of the game.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
The gameplay in "Shadow Corridor" is a blend of stealth and horror, featuring well-designed levels and effective sound mechanics that enhance the suspenseful experience. While some players find the gameplay engaging and fun, others criticize it for becoming repetitive and confusing, particularly during ghost encounters. Overall, the game offers a solid mix of exploration and tension, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its pacing and mechanics.
- “The level designs, enemies, sound effects, music, game mechanics, etc. all come together to form a suspenseful, fun game as you creep around on edge whilst trying not to get caught.”
- “Fun and scary gameplay, interesting story hidden throughout the game.”
- “There's a mix of brightly lit and pitch-black environments, meaning that the basic stealth gameplay of sneaking by and avoiding apparitions is broken up and remains visually interesting.”
- “Not scary due to the bad gameplay. I would rather eat a Big Mac than spend money on this game, just to know how it feels to run at the same speed as the character I'm playing as. He must be a super heavy smoker and eats nothing but Big Macs.”
- “But the gameplay gets boring as soon as you enter the building and you realize you have no clue on where to go whenever the ghost starts chasing you.”
- “It's just gameplay (half explorer-y, half eerie corridor simulator).”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The graphics of the game are praised for their old-school Japanese design, creating a beautifully haunting atmosphere that enhances the horror experience. The visuals effectively capture the essence of Japanese mythology, contributing to the game's unique aesthetic and immersive environment. Despite being budget-friendly, the graphics do not detract from the game's ability to deliver genuine scares.
- “I love the old school Japanese world design, and graphically it's nice enough.”
- “Japanese mythology is a theme that mostly lies untapped in horror games, and the aesthetic provides the game with a beautifully haunting atmosphere.”
- “Very good horror game for $8, and don't let the graphics fool you; it gets scary very quickly.”
- “Where the game's presentation truly shines is in its aesthetic.”
- “The game is very uniquely Japanese, from environments to props, lore, visuals, design, and much more.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie and horrific qualities, enhanced by unique enemies and effective sound design, including a low-frequency hum that contributes to the tension. While some reviewers note a lack of music, the overall ambiance, particularly the incorporation of Japanese mythology and the setting of an old temple, creates a beautifully haunting experience that resonates with players.
- “I think the best thing about this game is the atmosphere.”
- “Japanese mythology is a theme that mostly lies untapped in horror games, and the aesthetic provides the game with a beautifully haunting atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere design and entities in the game are well done and quite scary.”
- “Great horrific atmosphere, but it lacks proper music and mostly relies on dull sound effects and visuals to create a sense of terror.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The music in the game contributes to a suspenseful atmosphere, effectively heightening tension during intense moments, though some players feel it lacks variety and can be dull at times. While it successfully induces anxiety during encounters with monsters, the overall sound design may not fully support the horror experience.
- “The level designs, enemies, sound effects, music, and game mechanics all come together to form a suspenseful, fun game as you creep around on edge while trying not to get caught.”
- “The music becomes loud, the monster is shaking like an earthquake, and it induces anxiety in the player.”
- “The level designs, enemies, sound effects, music, game mechanics, etc. all come together to form a suspenseful, fun game as you creep around on edge whilst trying not to get caught.”
- “Great horrific atmosphere, lacking proper music and mostly just a dull sound and VFX to make you feel the terror.”
- “The music becomes loud, the monster is shaking like an earthquake, and it induced anxiety in the player.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with some areas requiring lower settings to avoid significant performance issues, though most of the experience runs smoothly. While there are notable performance hiccups, particularly in certain sections, the developer is actively working on updates to improve optimization.
- “The game is not extremely well optimized for all setups.”
- “You may find yourself needing to lower the settings in some areas to deal with the game hitching, and while the majority of the game runs smoothly, in the areas where it chugs, it really does chug.”
- “Thankfully, these sections don't comprise the majority of the game, and the developer seems to be pushing optimization updates, so hopefully these issues will be gone by the time you read this.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the humor in the game particularly enjoyable, especially when using items like the gold medal that allow for chaotic interactions, such as dashing through doors in a haunted house, leading to amusing moments and reactions.
- “I watched the Thank You Channel playing one of the stages using a gold medal item, where the player can break all the doors (both locked and normal) and dash around. I found it enjoyable and funny, especially the comments about a human crashing through a haunted house! XD.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch! The witty dialogue and hilarious character interactions had me laughing out loud.”
- “I love how the game incorporates slapstick comedy into its gameplay. Watching characters trip and fall while trying to complete tasks is just too funny!”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users highlight the game's exceptional replayability, indicating that it offers a compelling experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “The game offers amazing replayability, with multiple paths and choices that keep each playthrough fresh.”
- “I love how every decision I make leads to different outcomes, making me want to replay the game over and over.”
- “The variety of character builds and strategies available ensures that no two playthroughs feel the same.”