- May 24, 2024
- Raphael Bossniak
Sonar Shock
Platforms
About
"Sonar Shock" is a first-person dungeon-crawler with RPG elements, where you explore a Soviet super submarine filled with supernatural infestations. Customize your character and navigate through the submarine's four floors, collecting powerful weapons and uncovering its dark secrets. Interact with the crew, solve side-quests, and discover hidden treasures, all while facing your fears in this survival horror.
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- Cool art style and atmosphere that effectively captures a retro immersive sim vibe.
- Rewarding exploration with a variety of secrets and side quests that enhance gameplay.
- Unique mechanics like manual weapon reloading and a sanity system that adds depth to combat.
- Terrible performance issues, including significant frame drops and occasional crashes.
- Clunky controls with no strafing or mouse look, making navigation and combat frustrating.
- Limited save system that relies on consumable items, which can lead to lost progress.
gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral NegativeThe gameplay of "Sonar Shock" is characterized by its retro-inspired mechanics, including clunky controls and unique gun handling that adds tension during combat. Players appreciate the rewarding exploration and resource management, though some find the archaic save system and UI frustrating. Overall, the game offers a satisfying immersive sim experience with a distinct atmosphere, appealing primarily to fans of classic titles like "System Shock."
“The best part about the game besides the gameplay is the atmosphere which oozes with 70s-80s Soviet themes and culture, and you'll be sure to find tons of vodka on your journey which has a dual purpose of being currency or a small boost of health.”
“Sonar Shock is a great entry in the already rare immersive sim-horror genre, offering a unique setting and gameplay.”
“The gameplay: dungeon crawler with guns.”
“One of the more unheralded horror games of 2024, but one very much worth playing if you can handle some friction in the form of an archaic control scheme and somewhat awkward gun reloading mechanics.”
“If you die and haven’t saved in awhile, it’s back as far as you were as I learned the hard way getting confident and then dying, losing 90 minutes of gameplay in the process.”
“This game has a lot of potential but the aggressively retro design (can't look up or down, intrusive UI, saves require consumables, obfuscated mechanics, etc.) is too frustrating for me to engage with beyond the first thirty minutes.”