The Backrooms: Survival

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 633 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • atmosphere
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"The Backrooms: Survival" is a horror game inspired by the creepypasta of the same name, featuring roguelike elements and randomly generated levels. Players must navigate through an endless maze of narrow corridors, searching for food, water, and a way out while avoiding hostile entities. With different level themes and types, players will encounter various items, objects, and events, adding to the challenge and unpredictability of their escape attempt. Survival elements are crucial as players must scavenge for sustenance to stay alive in this disorienting and dangerous world.

Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 633 reviews
gameplay5 positive mentions
stability14 negative mentions
  • The game captures the eerie atmosphere of the Backrooms effectively, creating a sense of tension and dread.
  • Gameplay is engaging with random level generation, providing a unique experience each time.
  • The developer is active in updating the game, adding new content and addressing player feedback regularly.
  • The audio design is problematic, with loud and repetitive screams from enemies that can be overwhelming and annoying.
  • Many levels feel repetitive and lack variety, often leading to a tedious gameplay experience.
  • Multiplayer functionality is buggy, with issues like desynchronization and invisible entities making it frustrating to play with friends.
  • gameplay47 mentions

    The gameplay in this title is a mix of survival horror and roguelite elements, featuring a repetitive loop of exploration, resource management, and evading or confronting entities. While the survival mechanics, such as hunger and sanity, add depth, many players find the lack of variety in level design and enemy behavior leads to a mundane experience over time. Despite some interesting mechanics and cooperative potential, the overall execution feels flawed, with calls for improved crafting options and more engaging gameplay dynamics.

    • “The selling points that drew me to this game are different professions giving you different skills, survival mechanics that have a tad more depth to it than the basics, and of course the online co-op potential.”
    • “The survival horror mechanics are pretty solid, with a seemingly huge variety of items, weapons, and tools to discover and put to use (assuming you are lucky enough to find them).”
    • “I actually love this game's pitch when it comes to gameplay; a replayable roguelike horror game filled with all types of fun horror tropes and threats trying to kill you as you explore each new floor.”
    • “Almost every level is the exact same, and there is no variety in gameplay.”
    • “It's a mundane gameplay loop that grows stale quickly.”
    • “Gameplay consists 99% of getting lost in a maze.”
  • graphics30 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the retro PS1 and VHS aesthetic, while others criticize the rough textures and overall quality, describing them as outdated or cheap. Many users note that the game is still in development and could benefit from a graphics overhaul to enhance the visual experience. Despite the graphical shortcomings, some players feel that the atmosphere and gameplay compensate for the visual issues, making it an enjoyable experience overall.

    • “I personally don't mind the roughness, and actually kind of like it, especially the graphics style for the game.”
    • “The graphics overall are fine for the gameplay.”
    • “I love that PlayStation 1 nostalgia feeling with these graphics, a total piece of art!”
    • “Easy to tell it's in a very early stage of development due to graphic design and sounds.”
    • “The game is boring and repetitive; the maps look the same, and the graphics are poor.”
    • “Something the game needs is a graphics overhaul; it looks very rough, and even the textures are experiencing some 'z-fighting' at the end of some walls.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its immersive and genuinely terrifying qualities, particularly the ambient sounds that enhance tension and paranoia. However, others criticize the reliance on loud jump scares and chaotic monster behavior, which detracts from the intended liminal space experience. Overall, while many appreciate the game's creepy ambiance and level design, there are calls for improvements in sound design to maintain immersion.

    • “With my honest opinion, this game is one of the best backrooms experiences I've seen in a while, everything down to the level designs, the entities, the atmosphere, everything!”
    • “I love the atmosphere of the game, and the way it is set up.”
    • “Atmosphere is top notch; the game is incredibly silent during your time traversing the levels, however it plays a lot of ambient noises, toying with your sense of paranoia when you hear doors opening, glass breaking, or simple knocking. It's magnificent.”
    • “And also the monsters just run and yell at you; there is nothing cool about loud = scary. It just ruins the atmosphere. Also, full of jump scares... I wasn't expecting that in a backrooms game. It's supposed to be liminal space survival, so the atmosphere has to be improved. The aspects that it is now are just empty hallways, a TV there, random noise there, monster screaming here.”
    • “Not only do these sap all of the atmosphere or immersion the game has, but they make the game pretty unpleasant to play.”
    • “Remove the screamers; they ruin the atmosphere.”
  • stability15 mentions

    The game's stability is notably inconsistent, with many users reporting significant bugs, particularly in multiplayer mode, including frequent disconnections, glitches, and synchronization issues. While single-player experiences are generally more stable, players have encountered various janky mechanics and texture problems. Despite these issues, the game remains engaging and receives regular updates, suggesting potential for improvement.

    • “The game isn't buggy unless you intentionally try to break it.”
    • “I've played for hours without encountering any crashes or glitches.”
    • “The stability of the game allows for a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
    • “It tails off fairly quickly and the online is extremely buggy, constantly kicking people from the lobby.”
    • “Extremely buggy game, jump scares were just ear-piercing screams.”
    • “Multiplayer is still fairly buggy with invisible entities chasing you and syncing problems with players, but apart from that, the game has a solid concept that's executed well.”
  • humor12 mentions

    The humor in the game is primarily experienced in multiplayer mode, where players find themselves laughing at the absurdity of the situations and bugs, such as poorly designed doors and unexpected entity appearances. While the game offers some funny moments and jumpscares, especially when played with friends, the single-player experience lacks the same comedic appeal. Overall, the chaotic and often glitchy gameplay contributes to a humorous atmosphere, making it a more enjoyable experience in a group setting.

    • “Really funny with friends.”
    • “Multiplayer with friends is a hilarious experience and is surprisingly smoother than expected.”
    • “I was cracking up as some blue clown with a funny laugh started chasing me and I got killed by some Skyrim boss-looking thing.”
  • story11 mentions

    The reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding the story aspect of the game. While some players appreciate the engaging narrative and soundtrack, others note the lack of a significant storyline, describing it as more of a free-play experience without a central plot. Overall, the game's appeal seems to lie more in its gameplay and frequent updates than in its storytelling.

    • “Great story, best soundtrack.”
    • “Other than that, I really like the story and the gameplay.”
    • “It's not the leaderboard that draws me in, but rather having a story behind it that I can invest in.”
    • “No storyline like many other backrooms games, completely free play, updated frequently and my friends really appreciate that compared to other backrooms games.”
    • “☑ no story”
    • “- there isn't a big story or anything you're following.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its randomized playthroughs and unique level designs, ensuring that each run feels distinct and challenging. Players appreciate the rogue-like elements and character classes, which enhance immersion and encourage multiple playthroughs. Overall, the combination of RNG and diverse gameplay mechanics contributes to a compelling and endlessly replayable experience.

    • “Endless replay value because levels are always different!”
    • “The RNG of everything makes every run feel unique and gives the game a surprising amount of replayability.”
    • “The addition of character classes also adds a small chunk of replayability and immersion too; I really love that aspect and would love to see it expanded with more big upgrades you can find for your character as your run progresses.”
    • “I actually love this game's pitch when it comes to gameplay; a replayable rogue-like horror game filled with all types of fun horror tropes and threats trying to kill you as you explore each new floor.”
  • music7 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the option to adjust jumpscare and chase sounds for sensitivity, others find the circus level's looping music distracting and poorly executed. Additionally, players suggest enhancing the atmosphere with ambient or vaporwave music to better complement the game's horror elements. Overall, the soundtrack is noted as a highlight, especially when paired with external dark ambient music.

    • “Great story, best soundtrack.”
    • “Highly recommend playing this with dark ambient music playing in the background.”
    • “Im a huge fan of the backrooms and the liminal space aesthetic, this game is the perfect survival horror; only things I would change/improve is the shading of the rooms, maybe add a little bit of eerie mallsoft/vaporwave music.”
    • “In the circus level, the walls have an alternating pink and white stripe pattern which is quite appalling to look at, and as you're stumbling around the maze, circus music will play on loop in the background (it's not a perfect loop either, it ends and then restarts), making you feel like a clown for continuing to play this game.”
    • “I'm a huge fan of the backrooms and the liminal space aesthetic; this game is the perfect survival horror. The only things I would change/improve are the shading of the rooms and maybe add a little bit of eerie mallsoft/vaporwave music.”
    • “So far, I had only encountered one issue, and that was when the circus level music kept playing after the run ended.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding in the game to be excessive and repetitive, leading to a sense of tedium and irritation as levels feel visually similar despite random generation. While some appreciate the rewarding aspects of grinding, many feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, making the experience dull and monotonous.

    • “The saddest part of all that is all those monsters very soon becoming not creepy, but just very annoying, and so the game becomes unbearably tedious, dull and even irritating, and all that, paired with every level being absolutely the same visually, even though each of them has random generation of corridors, makes the game to become boring too fast, and unenjoyable.”
    • “Forest level and snow level are kind of tedious though.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    The reviews highlight significant concerns regarding the game's optimization, with players experiencing high GPU utilization and lag, even on low settings. Many users urge the developers to prioritize optimization improvements over new content, emphasizing that the game's current performance issues detract from the overall experience. Overall, there is a consensus that without a substantial optimization overhaul, players may be discouraged from returning to the game.

    • “All in all, this game has a great vision and a focused agenda; however, I feel as though its priority focus should be to fix existing issues, revamp enemies, and further improve multiplayer optimization and overall stability.”
    • “So please check out the game if you like creepypastas or just the world of the backrooms. It is fun to play and scary too. To the developer, please focus solely on optimization before working on new maps and new monsters, because a game like this should easily run on a potato.”
    • “All in all, this game has a great vision and a focused agenda, however I feel as though its priority focus should be to fix existing issues, revamp enemies, and further improve multiplayer optimization and overall stability.”
    • “My only issue is that the game needs an optimization overhaul.”
    • “Playing this game while streaming, the GPU sits at 99-100% utilization on the lowest settings. Games like this should never be higher than 30%. Elden Ring sits around 40%, Ghostwire Tokyo 30%, Phasmophobia 15%. I know all those games have bigger teams, which is why I harp on optimization so much.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting moments of vulnerability and sadness, such as crying over unexpected events. The experience can be intense and overwhelming, leading some to prefer playing in a group rather than alone.

    • “And I think I won't be touching this one for a while; at least, not alone... oh no.”
    • “Be aware of the exploding pipes... I hugged one and I cried when it burst all over me. :(”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy The Backrooms: Survival

Play time

30hMedian play time
45hAverage play time
10-95hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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