Shutter

About

Shutter is a single player action game with a horror theme. It was developed by DocLogic and was released on February 13, 2015. It received positive reviews from players.

"Shutter" is a single-player Horror Adventure game that offers an intriguing story with excellent game mechanics and a dense atmosphere. The game contains flashing lights and is developed by Cosmic Logic Inc. For more information, visit their website, social media channels, or contact them at [email protected].

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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80%

Audience ScoreBased on 96 reviews

story18 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features a unique concept of piloting a drone to explore a haunted house, which adds an innovative twist to the horror genre.
The atmosphere is well-crafted, providing a creepy and unsettling experience that keeps players engaged throughout the short playtime.
Despite its simplicity, the game successfully delivers some genuine scares and an intriguing story that unfolds as players progress.

The game is very short, with a typical playtime of around an hour, which may leave players wanting more content.
There are numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with the camera and controls, which can be frustrating.
The graphics and overall presentation are lacking, making the game feel less polished compared to other titles in the genre.

story
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it heartwrenching and atmospheric, while others criticize it for being shallow and confusing, particularly in its execution and ending. The narrative unfolds through scattered notes, which some found intriguing but difficult to read, leading to a lack of clarity in the plot. Overall, while the story has its moments of creepiness and charm, many reviewers felt it could benefit from deeper development and clearer direction.
- “This game was fantastic, bringing me near to tears with the heart-wrenching and suspenseful story.”
- “The story is interesting and the drone handling goes pretty well.”
- “Shutter was an enjoyable experience overall, its story was interesting enough to keep the game going for its 1 hour length and the places I explored and things I've met were appropriately creepy.”
- “The story is told through letters you find scattered around, but it can be a bit confusing to follow.”
- “But, I could have let this all pass if it wasn't for the sheer lack of imagination in the ending, literally needing to read the office report to make proper sense of the story.”
- “I do wish the developers had added some more meat to the story and expanded the house.”
gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
64%
9%
The gameplay of "Shutter" features a unique drone mechanic that allows players to explore a haunted house by taking photos of paranormal activity, reminiscent of classic survival horror games with fixed camera angles. While the concept is praised for its creativity and atmosphere, technical issues, particularly with the camera functionality, detract from the experience, leading to frustration. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a fresh take on the genre, though it may feel short and somewhat limited in depth.
- “With its novel gameplay, decent writing, and short runtime, Shutter is definitely worth your attention.”
- “The gameplay is unique, and I think the atmosphere was really nice too.”
- “Core haunted house gameplay of wandering a haunted house taking photos of any paranormal activity and solving puzzles, except you're controlling a drone for the most significant portion of the game.”
- “The game is also very glitchy, with a glitch that ruins the in-game camera, which is the main mechanic.”
- “A huge, huge reason I give the gameplay such a low score is that taking pictures is a huge part of the game, and half the time the camera bugs out, so you can't see what you took a picture of, requiring a restart of the level.”
- “The gameplay is pedantically dull, mainly consisting of you rolling around taking pictures of floating objects and uploading them to your technical support, Barry, who constantly accuses your photos of being clever fakes or software glitches.”
atmosphere
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
19%
12%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its chilling and tense qualities, effectively enhanced by unique camera angles and storytelling through notes. While some players found it lacking in genuine scares, many appreciated the dark setting and immersive experience it provided. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some criticisms regarding graphics and sound.
- “The atmosphere is nicely done, and all the different camera angles add a lot to the tension, especially the drone's POV camera.”
- “It sets up an atmosphere and has an interesting story for why one may be exploring there.”
- “The atmosphere of the game is chilling.”
- “While this didn't impact the game progression, as the picture was accepted anyway, it really killed the atmosphere and sense of immersion.”
- “Couldn't even trigger the events 20% of the time, strange angles were needed, there were a few game-breaking bugs (sound repeats but doesn't show a certain item in a certain location at one point, had to reboot) and on top of that, no atmosphere - completely lacked it.”
- “The atmosphere was creepy, but I think the game would have benefited from less jump scares and more atmospheric development to induce fear.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the ultra-realistic visuals that enhance the horror experience, while others criticize them as dated, primitive, and occasionally buggy. Many find the graphics to be unremarkable or lacking immersion, particularly in comparison to modern standards, though some appreciate the game's atmosphere and entertainment value despite these shortcomings. Overall, the visuals seem to be a point of contention, with opinions ranging from decent to disappointing.
- “It combines the sensations of immense horror jumpscares, tremendous creep factor, with fine, ultra-realistic graphics.”
- “The graphics don't hold it back - it is a genuinely scary and intriguing game, without being too complex.”
- “So far this game is really really cool, the graphics and how the story unfolds is really well done, the jump scares actually do spook you.”
- “The worst graphics I have ever seen; Warcraft 3 has better graphics. You can't adjust any volume settings, but the idea of the game is cool.”
- “Graphics-wise, the game is a bit rough around the edges - in-game menus are particularly ugly. Still, Shutter has a good entertainment value for a couple of hours, especially if you are interested in something different than the AAA games out there.”
- “Overall unremarkable graphics: before you get the HD camera upgrade, the first-person view is so badly pixelated that I thought it was a bug.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. Many feel that these issues prevent the game from reaching its potential, resulting in a frustrating and unpolished gameplay experience.
- “This game won't work (is extremely buggy).”
- “The game suffers from annoying bugs and glitches.”
- “Not only that, but at times the exit menu glitches and a blank menu opens.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to enhance the overall experience, with one user noting that it provided a sense of relaxation and emotional comfort. The soundtrack is described as perfectly fitting the game's atmosphere, contributing significantly to its immersive quality.
- “The music is perfectly done, and really adds to the overall feeling of the game.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “The soundtrack fits the game.”
- “Music: n/a”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a deeply emotional experience, with a heart-wrenching story that evokes strong feelings, leading some players to tears by its impactful ending. While it excels in atmosphere and suspense, the emotional engagement is somewhat limited by the player's character being a non-human entity, which diminishes the sense of vulnerability until the final chapter.
- “This game was fantastic, bringing me near to tears with the heart-wrenching and suspenseful story.”
- “By the end of the game, I went through six boxes of tissues with the amount I cried at that tear-jerking, heart-breaking ending.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its comedic elements, with players finding it amusing and entertaining, particularly in its character designs and situations. One user specifically mentioned the humor's effectiveness in creating a lighthearted experience alongside the game's scary aspects. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its horror elements, appealing to those seeking both laughs and thrills.
- “Funny, he actually looks like Barry from Resident Evil.”
- “I was looking for a funny and scary game to get for a little amount of money.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers note that the game's fixed scares and objectives significantly limit its replayability, as players quickly discover that using photo mode is the most effective way to progress, diminishing the incentive to replay the game.
- “The scares and objectives are fixed, leaving no replayability. You'll quickly learn to just hold the space bar for photo mode since it provides the best camera view, and taking photos is how you progress anyway.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back. The lack of randomization means every playthrough feels the same.”
- “After finishing the game once, I found no reason to replay it. The story and gameplay don't change, making it feel repetitive.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be enjoyable and engaging, with many noting that it remains fun and does not become tedious over time.