Stairs
- September 28, 2015
- GreyLight Entertainment
There are bugs, and the story's kinda weird, but the atmosphere is so perfect, you'll forgive it.
Get on Steam"Stairs" is a single-player Horror Action game with a good plot and delightful graphics, but beware of the bugs. Inspired by real-life events, the game follows journalist Christopher Adams as he investigates the mysterious disappearances of three people through a first-person atmospheric psychological horror experience. Using a camera and journal, players unravel grizzly stories of Valerie Berkley, James Reed, and Jean Jowars Remens, encountering supernatural elements along the way. The game successfully creates a perfect atmosphere of tension and fear.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a strong atmosphere with great sound design that enhances the horror experience.
- The unique camera mechanic adds an interesting layer to gameplay, allowing players to uncover clues and progress through the story.
- The story, while complex, offers intriguing elements that keep players engaged and guessing throughout the game.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustration.
- The ending feels abrupt and leaves many questions unanswered, which may disappoint players seeking closure.
- Movement controls can feel sluggish and imprecise, making navigation through the environment frustrating at times.
- story100 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it intriguing and atmospheric, while others criticize it for being disjointed and confusing. Many appreciate the initial excitement and depth of the narrative, but feel it loses coherence as it progresses, leading to an unsatisfying or abrupt ending. Overall, while the storytelling has potential and some engaging elements, it often fails to deliver a cohesive and fulfilling experience.
“Very atmospheric horror game with a great story.”
“The plot is tightly woven and told through notes you pick up and journal entries made in the protagonist's diary.”
“The story is intriguing and captivating, which many indie games usually fail at.”
“This game's story is abysmal and all over the place (specifically because they tried mixing up 3 into 1, which sounds like an awful idea).”
“One big con of the game is... I've been totally invested in the story but that ending... what was that ending? It felt incomplete and like there was literally zero effort put into it.”
“Towards the end of the third level, there was a lot of build-up, you're thinking there's going to be a big jump scare at the end or a huge reveal in the story, but then... it just ends... just like that. I groaned out in frustration because the joy I was getting from this game finally came to a close, but there was no closure, no sense of victory; it just all stopped.”
- atmosphere63 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and chilling qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the effective use of sound design, visuals, and pacing to create a sense of dread. While some players noted issues with interactivity and narrative coherence, the overall ambiance and psychological tension were deemed strong enough to keep players engaged. The game is recommended for those who appreciate atmospheric storytelling over traditional jump scares.
“The atmosphere, pacing, locations, visuals, audio, and gameplay are just generally done really well.”
“The atmosphere and soundtrack is foreboding, and you always feel something or someone lurking around waiting to get the jump on you.”
“Stairs oozes atmosphere with its gorgeous graphics and sound design; I can't recommend it highly enough.”
“There's no real atmosphere to the game.”
“I almost forced myself to immerse in the story and atmosphere... hours of tweaking both in-game and on my PC did not fix the glitches.”
“Also, I was bothered much by the fact that you get an awesome flashlight that at some point in the game just disappears without explanation and gets replaced by an ugly black and white, but more white than black night shot camera mode which sucks and kills the atmosphere that otherwise is pretty good and chilling.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the decent visuals and atmospheric design, while others note a lack of asset variation and dated elements. Some highlight the game's ability to create immersion through its graphics and sound design, despite some considering them mediocre by current standards. While there are commendations for the game's aesthetic appeal, particularly in the context of indie titles, a few players express disappointment with performance issues and the overall graphical fidelity.
“The graphics are beautiful and feel realistically believable.”
“Stairs oozes atmosphere with its gorgeous graphics and sound design, I can't recommend it highly enough.”
“The graphics in the game are simply superb for an indie game.”
“The graphics are dated, but indie games are forgiven for that.”
“Gfx, sound, animation, art style: it's all mediocre at best.”
“No, if you hate mediocre graphics (even for the year this game was released in) or can't stand broken achievements.”
- gameplay33 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique camera mechanic that plays a crucial role in exploration and puzzle-solving, though it often feels underutilized and repetitive. While the atmosphere and visuals are praised, many players find the gameplay to be glitchy, tedious, and lacking in challenge, leading to mixed feelings about its overall quality. Despite some interesting moments and a decent horror experience, the gameplay is generally viewed as mediocre, with a few standout puzzles and mechanics that don't fully compensate for its shortcomings.
“Decent exploration and environments, a few interesting puzzles and races, and a nice mechanic in the form of the main controls being equipping the camera and taking photos.”
“The atmosphere, pacing, locations, visuals, audio, and gameplay are just generally done really well.”
“The gameplay and puzzles are doable for those of us who are puzzle-challenged but are rewarding for everyone.”
“It is creepy, but the story and gameplay end up disappointing from a demo I had seen years ago.”
“I was interested in the possibility of making photographs, but too often it turned out to be a completely pointless part of the gameplay mechanism with no value added to the player's experience.”
“The base mechanic of the game is the camera you use to reveal clues and open paths, but it's hardly used to its full potential and is instead relegated to clever little moments throughout.”
- music16 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create a creepy and foreboding atmosphere, enhancing the overall horror experience. Reviewers highlight the effective use of ambient soundscapes and silence, which contribute to a tense environment that keeps players on edge. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, complementing the game's visuals and intensifying the sense of dread.
“The environments and the soundtrack make a surprisingly good horror atmosphere keeping you on edge the whole time.”
“It's just another couple of hours walking virtually through dark and empty places with ominous music.”
“The atmosphere and soundtrack is foreboding and you always feel something or someone lurking around waiting to get the jump on you.”
“The music definitely helps, as it is quite creepy and very well done.”
- stability11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant bugs and game-breaking glitches that hinder the experience, while others report minimal issues. While a few users found the game enjoyable despite its flaws, many expressed frustration over persistent bugs, particularly with save files and navigation obstacles, leading to an overall perception of the game as being quite unstable.
“Encountered several game-breaking glitches and several other bugs within 30 minutes.”
“I almost forced myself to immerse in the story and atmosphere... hours of tweaking both in-game and on my PC did not fix the frustrating glitches.”
“The game is buggy as all hell, with save files doing very strange things if you decide to load.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, including frame rate drops and stuttering, even on high-end hardware. While some users noted that the graphics are visually appealing and controls are smooth, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, leading to inconsistent performance across various systems.
“As for controls and graphics, I have to say the graphics are very clean. The game looks really good, it feels good to play smoothly with no performance issues. The controls are easy and simple to use and understand, so I can't really fault any of that.”
“Bear in mind this was a review copy, so that might not be true on release, but the performance is okay.”
“The optimization can be a bit dodgy in places, and even on my i7 6700k/GTX 1080/16GB DDR4 3000 combo, I experienced significant framerate drops to the 40s.”
“Performance isn't great (it chugs sometimes on my 2080 Super) and the ending is 'The Devil Inside'-tier.”
“I suspect the game is badly optimized and the suggested specifications are plain wrong.”
“The optimization can be a bit dodgy in places, and even on my i7 6700K/GTX 1080/16GB DDR4 3000 combo I experienced significant framerate drops to the 40's.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and lacking in challenge, particularly in the third act, which is described as messy and glitchy. While some forgive the repetitive nature, many agree that it detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more boring than engaging.
“At times it was scary but also tedious, and towards the end, it felt much like a mess to me.”
“The tedious and non-challenging gameplay is forgivable.”
“These are by far the weakest sections of the game; not even scary, just tedious and boring.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of lightheartedness and absurdity, with elements like kookaburras laughing and grotesque monster designs that unintentionally evoke laughter rather than fear. While some aspects may come off as cliché, they contribute to a comedic tone that resonates with players.
“Within moments, the sound of several kookaburras laughing raucously filled his ears.”
“Bahaha, you're as funny as ever.”
“Horror's aspects were very cliché, and the poor monster models were more funny and grotesque than actually scary.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has limited replay value, which may disappoint players who prefer to collect all hints before progressing, potentially affecting their overall enjoyment and motivation to replay.
“There is no replay value.”
“This may affect replayability for some, particularly those gamers that collect all the hints before moving on to the next stage.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's minimal advertising has led some users to feel as though they've discovered a hidden gem, though it's unclear if this approach positively or negatively impacted its visibility and success.
