The Backrooms
- October 28, 2022
- Ionized Games
Get on Steam"The Backrooms" is a survival horror game that takes place in an endless maze of office complex hallways and rooms. As a lone player, you must navigate through unique rooms while avoiding terrifying creatures. Your camcorder is your only tool to document the horrors you encounter, with the hope that someone else may find your recordings and learn from your experience. The game draws on common childhood fears to create a truly unsettling atmosphere.
Reviews
- The game has a genuinely terrifying atmosphere with excellent audio and visual design that immerses players in the experience.
- There is significant potential for the game to evolve, with interesting level designs and clever puzzles that could enhance gameplay.
- The game is affordable and offers a fun, albeit short, experience that captures the essence of the Backrooms concept.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including game-breaking issues that can hinder progress and enjoyment.
- Many players find the gameplay too short, with some completing it in under 30 minutes, leading to a feeling of being underwhelmed.
- The excessive number of aggressive monsters detracts from the intended horror experience, making exploration feel tedious and frustrating.
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the aesthetic style, hidden details, and overall visual quality, others criticize them for being glitchy, repetitive, and poorly optimized, leading to a lack of immersion and enjoyment.
“I love the graphics, the style, the hidden rooms, and the walking animation!”
“The developers really nailed the aesthetics in this game.”
“The environment and graphics look really good.”
“The graphics are a major letdown.”
“With its repetitive assets, glitchy graphics, lazy level design, and poor performance, it's difficult to find any redeeming qualities.”
“Glitchy graphics”
- stability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with frequent frame rate drops, flickering textures, and numerous game-breaking glitches that hinder progress. While some users report smooth performance, the overwhelming consensus is that the early access version is plagued by issues that make it difficult to recommend.
“Runs great.”
“The game maintains a smooth performance without any crashes.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is, even during intense moments.”
“Frame rates drop constantly, textures flicker in and out, and glitches are rampant.”
“I constantly ran into game-breaking glitches making it impossible to move further in the game.”
“It's early access, but at this point, there are too many game-breaking glitches to suggest that you spend your money.”
- story7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game presents a promising story that enhances the backrooms experience by incorporating objectives and a unique narrative, potentially tapping into childhood fears. While some players found the story engaging and visually appealing, others noted that the gameplay mechanics sometimes hindered their immersion. Overall, it offers a fresh take on backrooms lore, moving beyond traditional narratives.
“On the positive side: it is visually attractive, has an interesting presentation of the story, the voice acting is solid, and it adheres well enough to the creepypasta source material.”
“Fresh take on the backrooms lore with the research lab, the man-made portal, and not just another story of someone noclipping through a wall into the backrooms.”
“I tried so hard to avoid the glitches because I was really invested in the story, but the game did everything to prevent that.”
“Because I like walking around the backrooms, but if I have some objectives and a storyline, imagine a backroom that has the ability to scare you with elements of your childhood or stuff like that; it can really turn this game into a unique vision of the backrooms.”
“No story.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its detailed sound design, lighting, and level design, which effectively build tension and create a creepy environment. However, some players feel that the aggressive monsters detract from the frightening experience, leading to a focus on escape rather than immersion. Overall, while the atmosphere is compelling, some find it too brief to fully appreciate.
“The atmosphere felt great due to the details and sound, followed by a rush to escape.”
“Fantastic atmosphere, excellent audio and lighting work really sucks you into the game and helps build tension.”
“Too many monsters that are way too aggressive; you're just running away all the time, and that takes away the frightening atmosphere.”
“It had a good runtime and wasn't padded out; I was able to beat the game before the gameplay and atmosphere really wore off.”
“Creepy atmosphere and lighting.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally well-received, noted for its concise runtime that avoids unnecessary padding, allowing players to enjoy the experience without it becoming stale. Many find it engaging, particularly for shorter sessions, and express hope for future expansions to enhance gameplay longevity.
“If you want a fun half hour of gameplay, this current vertical slice is a great pick - especially for the asking price.”
“It had a good runtime and wasn't padded out; I was able to beat the game before the gameplay and atmosphere really wore off.”
“Hopefully this new expansion will bring a lot more gameplay life.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, struggling to run smoothly even on high-end hardware and low settings. Users report glitchy graphics, repetitive assets, and overall poor performance, making it challenging to appreciate any positive aspects.
“The performance issues are a significant problem.”
“With its repetitive assets, glitchy graphics, lazy level design, and poor performance, it's difficult to find any redeeming qualities.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time that can lead to tedium and diminished excitement after a short period of gameplay.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“That in itself really brings the tension down after about 5 minutes of gameplay, and avoiding the monsters becomes tedious.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often perceived as poor, with many users finding it unfunny or lacking in quality. Overall, the comedic elements fail to resonate positively with the audience.
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, leading users to recommend avoiding it entirely.
“This is a cash grab, avoid at all costs.”
“The monetization system feels exploitative and unfair.”
“I can't enjoy the game without being bombarded by constant ads and paywalls.”
