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Stifled

A solid and relatively accomplished effort that’s more than worth a look for survival horror fans.
Stifled Game Cover
73%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, stability
74% User Score Based on 54 reviews
Critic Score 68%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

PCPlayStation VROculus RiftMac OSPlaystation 4Virtual RealityWindowsPlayStation
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Stifled Game Cover

About Stifled

Stifled is a single player survival simulation game with horror, mystery, thriller and science fiction themes. It was developed by Gattai Games and was released on July 10, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Stifled is a multi-award winning, VR and Mic-Enabled Sound-Based Survival Thriller, where sound is the only way you see and the enemies HEAR your fear. In Stifled, the sounds made by your in-game character and yourself through microphone input reveal the otherwise hidden world through ‘echolocation’. However, undue noise will attract the attention of creatures lurking in the darkness. To survive,…

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Stifled screenshot
Stifled screenshot
Stifled screenshot
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Reviews

74%Audience ScoreBased on 54 reviews
story9 positive mentions
stability1 negative mentions
  • Unique and innovative echolocation gameplay mechanic using player-generated sounds to navigate and interact with the environment.
  • Strong atmosphere and sound design, with chilling audio effects and effective environmental storytelling.
  • Well-paced stealth and horror elements that create tension without relying heavily on jump scares, appealing to both general and hardcore horror fans.
  • VR implementation issues including lack of full motion controller support, control bugs, and comfort problems leading to motion sickness.
  • Short game length with limited replay value and a somewhat confusing or minimalistic story presentation.
  • Technical bugs and startup problems, such as save system inconsistencies and occasional unresponsive controls, impacting gameplay experience.

  • story

    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    39% positive mentions, 48% neutral mentions, 13% negative mentions

    The story is praised for its dark, atmospheric, and emotionally impactful narrative conveyed primarily through environmental storytelling and player interpretation. While some find it confusing or subtle, many appreciate the unique presentation and how it unfolds alongside the game's innovative echolocation mechanic. Overall, the story offers a rich, haunting experience that complements the gameplay, though its ambiguity may not appeal to everyone.

    • “Stifled provides excellent atmosphere and excels at environmental storytelling, which reveals a heartbreaking tragedy.”
    • “Gotta say that this game was hecka impressive with not just the art style and the way echolocation worked, but with the story-rich content this game provided with an ending that speaks through objects and memories you are able to pick up and acquire.”
    • “I liked how they explored the story and each level was a different representation of fear and darkness.”
    • “The walking sim part is boring, the story obvious and the interaction with most objects in the environment pretty rudimentary.”
    • “A very strange game and is a little scary at some points, worth a bit of play but it is a story teller without telling you the story.”
    • “I probably would not want to replay this again as you would already know the story.”

  • gameplay

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    36% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 21% negative mentions

    The gameplay of Stifled is widely praised for its unique and clever echolocation mechanic using mic input, creating an engaging cat-and-mouse experience that is both fun and immersive in VR. Despite some minor control annoyances and a relatively short playtime of around 2.5 hours, the innovative sound-based exploration and strategic misdirection provide a satisfying and distinctive horror gameplay experience.

    • “Stifled has an interesting gameplay mechanic executed fantastically, and I give the devs major points for that.”
    • “This makes for a really clever cat and mouse type gameplay where you have to use sounds to see, but also use the sounds to misdirect the enemy and lure him out of your path.”
    • “A really cool game from Gattai Games, Stifled is a horror game that not only has an interesting story, but it's also fun, which a lot of horror games fail to bring these days. It features a unique echolocation mechanic to explore the environment and make your way around the game. Very fun to play with the microphone and see those satisfying echo waves revealing the pretty environment, which is also satisfying to look at. Stifled is just fun and nice.”
    • “It is a really excellent game, but in content there is only about 2 and a half hours of gameplay.”
    • “I played the game on Vive with controller and other than a few annoyances like when I lean too far the screen goes black, though I quickly got used to how far I can lean to not affect my gameplay!”
    • “The use of mic input is a well thought out novelty, and they match it with a depressing enough story and simple mechanics that allow the user to concentrate on the game.”

  • graphics

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions

    The game's graphics are praised for their unique art style, especially the trippy echolocation visuals that effectively enhance the atmosphere and tension. While the "real world" graphics are simpler and sometimes jarring compared to the stylish sensory effects, the use of light and color in certain areas adds to the storytelling and overall immersive experience.

    • “The art style used when you begin to use your sonar-type sensory to see your surroundings is really trippy and the thing that is stalking you scared the life out of me!”
    • “Gotta say that this game was hecka impressive with not just the art style and the way echolocation worked, but with the story-rich content this game provided with an ending that speaks through objects and memories you are able to pick up and acquire.”
    • “The 'real world' graphical quality isn't great and can be slightly jarring after coming from the cool vector art.”
    • “Graphics are of course simple, because you are literally walking through dark places, but there are some lightened places where the game tells the story and it is okay.”
    • “In terms of graphics, it does well considering that most of the game is in the dark, but when you do reach areas with actual color and light, it seemingly becomes even more terrifying.”

  • atmosphere

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game excels in creating a rich, intense atmosphere that balances eerie tension with moments of calm, immersive exploration. Its otherworldly setting and environmental storytelling effectively build a captivating and emotionally impactful experience. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for enhancing both the mood and narrative.

    • “The otherworldly feel around the game adds a perfect amount of atmosphere.”
    • “The concept behind the game is fantastic and it’s super eerie because you want to make sound to be able to see where you are going but at the same time you don’t want to do anything in case you run into one of the many creatures, making the atmosphere intense and terrifying.”
    • “Stifled provides excellent atmosphere and excels at environmental storytelling, revealing a heartbreaking tragedy.”

  • emotional

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

    The game evokes a unique emotional experience by balancing fear with a sense of control, as players manipulate sound to navigate blind enemies. Its strong atmospheric and environmental storytelling effectively conveys a poignant and heartbreaking narrative.

    • “It’s weird, but the fact the enemies are also blind made me feel kinda less scared, because it felt like I had the edge on them by being the creator of sounds, and like I felt in control.”
    • “Stifled provides excellent atmosphere and excels at environmental storytelling, which reveals a heartbreaking tragedy.”

  • stability

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

    The game generally runs stably but has some startup bugs that require multiple attempts to launch. Manual saving can be unreliable, with progress often only saved during auto-save.

    • “It's good; however, it's a little buggy when trying to start it up. It takes many tries, and sometimes when you manually save, it doesn't save, only saving during auto-saves.”

  • replayability

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

    Replayability is limited, as the only incentive to play again is to explore alternative choices, which many users find insufficient to warrant multiple playthroughs.

    • “There's no replay value other than wanting to know what the other choice would do, but it's not enough to make me even consider playing again.”

  • music

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

    The music and sound design are well-crafted and complement the game effectively, enhancing the overall experience.

    • “Music and sounds are really well made and fit the game perfectly.”
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Critic Reviews

68%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Stifled is a survival simulation game with horror, mystery, thriller and science fiction themes. Common tags for Stifled include science, first-person, indie, trading, psychological and others.

Stifled is available on PC, Mac OS, PlayStation 4, Virtual Reality and others.

Stifled was released on July 10, 2018.

Stifled was developed by Gattai Games.

Stifled has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Stifled for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Stifled is a single player game.

Similar games include Stifled, Still Wakes the Deep, The Voidness - Lidar Horror Survival Game, REVEIL, Horror Story: Hallowseed and others.