The Backrooms: Mass Extinction

About

"The Backrooms: Mass Extinction" is a first-person survival horror game set in the Backrooms, a never-ending labyrinth of empty rooms. Players must navigate the maze-like environment, scavenge for resources, and avoid the deadly creatures that lurk in the shadows. With permadeath and a focus on stealth and survival, players will need to stay on their toes to survive the mass extinction event.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

The Backrooms: Mass Extinction screenshot

+21

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 63 reviews

atmosphere6 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game has a strong atmosphere and level design, effectively capturing the eerie and immersive feel of the Backrooms.
There is a lot of potential for future updates, with players expressing excitement for new levels and features, including multiplayer options.
The game allows for exploration without the pressure of survival mechanics, making it a unique experience compared to other Backrooms games.

The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs, crashes, and performance issues, making it difficult to play, especially in VR.
Many players feel that the game lacks content and interactivity, describing it as a glorified walking simulator with limited gameplay elements.
The optimization is poor, leading to high memory usage and graphical glitches, which detracts from the overall experience.

atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its superb execution, effectively creating a sense of curiosity and paranoia as players explore its eerie environments. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke deep horror and mystery, particularly in specific levels like the pool, making it stand out among other titles in the genre. Overall, the atmospheric design is considered a key strength, enhancing the immersive experience significantly.
- “The atmosphere and feel is superb; I'd say the creator absolutely nailed it.”
- “Due to the atmospheric locations, I kept feeling curious about what might be around the next corner.”
- “The game manages to replicate the backrooms atmosphere very well and definitely looks promising.”
- “The 'backrooms' is something of a deep horror, layered in mystery that becomes ever more prevalent as you progress to lower levels. As such, the first step for any game seeking to emulate it should prioritize atmosphere within the environments.”
- “Update: rating neutral 5/10 (5 points purely for environments and atmosphere).”
- “The atmosphere in level 0 is building, and a graphical upgrade was received.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
33%
22%
The game's graphics have received a generally positive reception, with players praising the aesthetic and atmosphere, particularly in level 0, and rating the quality around 7/10. However, some users noted a lack of settings options and reported occasional graphical issues, such as strange shadows during movement, which some felt contributed to the game's eerie ambiance. Overall, the visuals are considered beautiful, though subjective opinions vary.
- “The atmosphere in level 0 is building and a graphical upgrade was received.”
- “The game is beautiful graphics-wise.”
- “I do find the overall graphics very good, reflection and so on.”
- “Unfortunately lacking in settings options; currently, the only available options in the settings tab are low, medium, and high graphics.”
- “I believe it only happened while I was running, and if I was running and turning, it would lead to weird black shadows appearing at the ends of hallways (which actually kind of helped the aesthetic of being watched, because I'll admit, sometimes, I thought it was another creature sprinting out of view).”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
Players appreciate the option to disable survival mechanics for a more relaxed exploration experience, though some find the current gameplay lacking due to empty spaces and a clunky resource management system. There is optimism for future updates, including the addition of multiplayer features and more engaging content, which could enhance the overall gameplay experience. Overall, while the minimalist approach has its fans, many are eager for more depth and challenge.
- “One thing I really love is the ability to disable the survival mechanics; sometimes I just love exploring around without worrying about my health and stuff. Thank you for that, dev! :D”
- “Love the minimalist gameplay so far; I would love to see more features added, but I don't want to stretch things too far.”
- “Though I am very content knowing that there will be survival mechanics and entities, I really hope there will be multiplayer in the future because exploring these backrooms with 2-3 friends would be amazing, even without survival mechanics or entities.”
- “This might be okay if the movement speed and traversal mechanics lent themselves to the total volume of game space, but at this point it's just giant empty spaces, sometimes with generic monsters, tied together by little more than a basic yet clunky resource management cycle that never really satisfies or challenges but routinely begs for your attention.”
- “If you want gameplay, I would wait for new updates and wishlist it or buy it and see where it's going with the new content.”
- “This mostly comes down to gameplay.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant frame rate drops in certain levels, rendering them nearly unplayable. Reviewers highlight the need for improvements, particularly in loading zones and lighting, indicating that the current state is far from satisfactory.
- “[b] Performance: [/b]”
- “Some levels are so badly optimized that FPS drops make them unplayable.”
- “As it stands right now, it's unoptimized trash.”
- “There is definitely room for optimization between loading zones and lighting.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is currently experiencing stability issues, with users noting it as "buggy," which is expected for an early access title. Specific bugs include the flashlight hand freezing in VR, highlighting the need for further polish and updates.
- “Everything else is barebones and buggy.”
- “At its current state, the game is a bit buggy, but that's only natural for early access; it would have been surprising if it were not, to be honest.”
- “Bugs: the flashlight hand freezes in place in VR.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its thematic elements, with players finding amusement in unexpected situations, such as falling through the map into an endless void, although such moments can lead to frustrating restarts.
- “The humor of the game is truly unique and adds a delightful layer to the experience.”
- “At one point, I even fell through the map and into the endless void - which, while funny and thematic, resulted in a necessary restart.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the music is praised as amazing, enhancing the game's atmosphere; however, some users find the tracks in the poolrooms to be grating and in need of replacement.
- “The music is amazing as well.”
- “The music in the poolrooms is a little grating and definitely could use replacement.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The story in the game is currently minimal, lacking details about the protagonist's entry into the backrooms or their intended journey, making it difficult to provide a comprehensive review.
- “Since there isn't much of a story, such as how you got into the backrooms in the game or where you plan on going, I can't really say that this is a spoiler review. However, for the sake of simplicity, I shall provide a warning regardless.”
- “The narrative feels disjointed and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters or understand their motivations.”
- “I found the plot to be underdeveloped and confusing, leaving me with more questions than answers by the end of the game.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight that the addition of various guns and entities significantly enhances the game's replayability, offering diverse experiences and encouraging multiple playthroughs.
- “Once the guns and entities are added, there will be a ton of replayability here.”