TAURONOS

About

TAURONOS is a single player survival simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by 16bitnights and was released on August 4, 2017. It received positive reviews from players.

"TAURONOS is a single-player Horror Arcade game where you, trapped in an ancient labyrinth, must evade the invincible Minotaur and discover tools and rewards to defeat it. With 6 chapters, 42 stages, and multiple upgrades, the game draws inspiration from Greek mythology, creating a dark atmosphere through retro pixel art, voice acting, and metaphorical storytelling. The game takes about 2 hours to complete."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The gameplay is engaging and well-designed, with a good mix of exploration, survival, and puzzle elements that keep players on their toes.
The atmosphere is rich, enhanced by good sound design and voice acting, which adds personality to the game.
The game offers a sense of progression through upgrades and secrets, encouraging replayability and exploration.

The lives system can be frustrating, as running out of lives forces players to restart the entire game, which discourages exploration.
Some levels feel overly convoluted or padded, leading to a lack of variety and making the gameplay feel repetitive.
There are occasional bugs and issues with visibility, which can lead to unfair deaths from traps that are hard to see.

gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The gameplay is characterized by slow-paced dungeon crawling from a top-down perspective, which some players find tedious due to the repetitive nature of the stages and the lengthy sections that require replaying. While the controls are simple and the tutorial is effective, the underutilization of certain mechanics and the overall pacing detract from the experience, leading to mixed reviews. However, the combination of pixel art and sound effects creates a tense atmosphere that some players find engaging.
- “The gameplay, pixel art, and the sound effects coalesce into a wonderful and tense experience.”
- “The gameplay is seen from an isometric view, and the controls are simple, so you will not have any problems mastering them.”
- “Engaging gameplay due to the darkness and the constant need to flee.”
- “The gameplay is generally slow-paced dungeon crawling from a top-down perspective.”
- “Furthermore, given the slow-paced gameplay, having to replay lengthy sections is not necessarily a very enjoyable prospect.”
- “Gameplay: 2/5.....(hard...slow...boring)”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The game features a captivating storyline set in a labyrinth, complemented by impressive art and voice acting. While players appreciate the intriguing plot and its twists, some feel it could be more richly developed. Overall, it offers a quick adventure with hidden secrets and puzzles, appealing to those who enjoy exploration and achievement hunting.
- “Its got puzzles that aren't too complex, a captivating storyline, and some amazing art and voiceovers.”
- “The voice acting really fit the character, the graphics were crisp and complemented the gameplay, there are hidden secrets to explore, monsters to avoid, and what appears to be a very deep plot despite the simple appearance.”
- “Awesome pixel art, rich atmosphere, and quite an interesting story!”
- “Story: you're in a labyrinth for some reason.”
- “Edit: so this was the first game I played on my mission to play brand new indie games and review them, and it appears I've severely overestimated the average indie game's quality.”
- “Having a story at all gives it a couple points alone.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
6%
6%
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its richness and tension, enhanced by superb artwork, atmospheric music, and effective sound design, including complete voiceovers. While some players feel that a silent protagonist could have strengthened the experience, the overall ambiance is described as intriguing and suspenseful, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The artwork and atmosphere are superb.”
- “It's rich in atmosphere and suspense.”
- “The lighting and sounds are very atmospheric and there are complete voice overs throughout the game.”
- “The atmosphere would have been a thousand times stronger with a silent protagonist.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The game's graphics receive mixed reviews, with some praising the crisp visuals and interesting art style that enhance the atmosphere, while others criticize the lack of variety in graphical assets and a bland color palette. The use of "pseudo-pixel art" is noted, but the execution falls short due to limited sprite animations. Overall, the graphics are seen as a significant aspect of the game's presentation, though opinions vary widely.
- “The voice acting really fit the character, the graphics were crisp and complemented the gameplay, there are hidden secrets to explore, monsters to avoid and what appears to be a very deep plot despite the simple appearance.”
- “The artwork and atmosphere are superb.”
- “The art style in this game is very interesting.”
- “The game lacks variety in terms of graphical assets and color palette.”
- “All I can say is the graphic design is ugly; the sepia tone is bland!”
- “Graphics: that sort of 'pseudo-pixel art' where your character and the environment are 69-bit sprites, but they didn't feel like putting in the effort to have multiple sprites so that they wouldn't be turning and making their pixels diagonal.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is minimal but effectively atmospheric, enhancing the overall experience without overwhelming the player. Most of the time, there are no songs playing, allowing players to focus on the ambient sounds and the environment, with music primarily featured during upgrade moments.
- “There isn't a lot of music, but all of it is quite atmospheric.”
- “There’s almost no song playing (except when you find upgrades), so you can keep your ears open to listen to everything that’s happening around you.”
- “The art and music are really atmospheric.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is perceived as lacking, with users finding it mediocre and poorly executed, which detracts from the overall experience. The mechanics, such as excessive damage from minor interactions, further diminish any potential emotional impact.