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The Cinema Rosa

By all accounts, The Cinema Rosa could, and should, have been so much more, but what we’re left with is a small game with big problems.
The Cinema Rosa Game Cover
61%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, stability
90% User Score Based on 21 reviews
Critic Score 54%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCMac OSVirtual RealityOculus VRWindows
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The Cinema Rosa Game Cover

About The Cinema Rosa

The Cinema Rosa is a single player simulation game with horror, fantasy, romance, drama and others themes. It was developed by dewdle and was released on April 8, 2019. It received neutral reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

The Cinema Rosa is an immersive PC and Mac exploration game and puzzle game set in an abandoned cinema. The game explores themes of: loss, romance, nostalgia and regret, aiming to take the player on an emotional journey through the psychological effects of a relationship. You take on the role of a protagonist exploring his past through various personal demons. As you explore, you encounter vario…

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The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
The Cinema Rosa screenshot
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Reviews

90%Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews
story11 positive mentions
gameplay2 negative mentions
  • Atmospheric and immersive environment that authentically recreates an abandoned art deco cinema, enhanced by fitting soundtrack and excellent voice acting.
  • Engaging and thought-provoking story that explores themes of romance, tragedy, and loss, with narrative delivered through environmental storytelling and well-integrated puzzles.
  • Developer responsiveness with regular updates and fixes improving graphics, adding content, and addressing bugs, resulting in a more polished experience over time.
  • Short gameplay length of approximately 2-3 hours, which may feel insufficient for some players, especially at original pricing.
  • Puzzles can be challenging or obscure without handholding, occasionally leading to player frustration due to lack of hints or save system complications.
  • Technical issues including bugs, glitches, save system limitations, and occasional control problems detract from the overall experience, particularly in earlier versions.

  • story

    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    23% positive mentions, 71% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions

    The story of Cinema Rosa is a poignant, thought-provoking exploration of romance, loss, and regret, conveyed through narration, environmental storytelling, and puzzle-solving. While initially perceived as slow-paced and somewhat ambiguous, recent updates have expanded and clarified the narrative, making it more emotional and compelling despite its relatively short length. Overall, it offers a unique and immersive experience that invites players to piece together its depth, though it may not satisfy those preferring more explicit or fast-paced storytelling.

    • “Over the course of its somewhat two-hour playtime, The Cinema Rosa intrigues, entertains, and delves into a story of romance, tragedy, and loss.”
    • “The story—arguably the biggest draw to this style of experience—is not lacking in depth or emotion, as it takes you down a mysterious path of loss and regret, leaving you still thinking over the tale long after the game has ended.”
    • “Previously I thought the story was incomprehensible, short, and bland, but with these additions the plot is a lot more interesting and finally makes sense.”
    • “Most of it is mediocre, from the graphics to the music and to the story.”
    • “Story is not much intense and slow-paced, more based on feelings than impact.”
    • “Finally, without spoiling what little exposition the game has to offer, even as it takes up the whole presentation, I was unconvinced at first that the game would move past the initial pretension and deliberate lack of context, thinking that the developers would leave little to work with in an attempt to fool players into believing that a tapestry of subtext and implied story elements existed, at the expense of any thought being put into giving the game a decent story.”

  • graphics

    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    39% positive mentions, 44% neutral mentions, 17% negative mentions

    The game's graphics have improved notably, transitioning from repetitive and occasionally glitchy visuals to a more stylish, retro-themed, and atmospheric presentation with detailed furniture and artwork. While some earlier criticisms highlighted flaws and rigidity in animations, recent updates have enhanced the visual quality, creating a more immersive and aesthetically pleasing experience.

    • “The graphics and sound make for a great atmospheric experience, and obvious extensive research was done to bring the experience alive.”
    • “Gone are the lazy graphics replaced with stylish and retro themed furniture; two more puzzles have been added which felt new and interesting, and the story has improved with a longer play time and a deeper more comprehensible narrative.”
    • “The game now looks quite beautiful with plush period furniture adorned in the rooms and lots of interesting artwork and posters to admire.”
    • “Most of it is mediocre, from the graphics to the music and to the story.”
    • “To list off a few things I noticed without giving spoilers away, the graphics at times were glitchy, the animations and cutscenes were rigid and unrefined.”
    • “Previously the graphics were poor with the same identical objects appearing again and again.”

  • music

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    31% positive mentions, 46% neutral mentions, 23% negative mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for fitting the environment and enhancing immersion, with a melodic score that complements the setting and story. However, some users found the soundtrack inconsistent, noting abrupt transitions and a lack of customizable audio settings. Overall, the music adds to the atmosphere but has room for improvement in smoothness and user control.

    • “The world feels pretty immersive with the fitting soundtrack and improved details.”
    • “This 3D exploratory adventure has a good story, an excellent soundtrack, and an interesting and ghostly environment.”
    • “I noticed improvements in sound from the dramatic entrance music to songs played throughout the game.”
    • “It has all the bells and whistles to customize the game to your PC specs and best user experience, but there are no audio settings. I really prefer all games to have the ability to customize settings, so we can adjust general volume, music volume, and environment volumes to our taste and needs.”
    • “Most of it is mediocre, from the graphics to the music and to the story.”
    • “At times, the music would even stop abruptly, or roughly transition into another song.”

  • atmosphere

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    83% positive mentions, 17% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game delivers a rich and immersive atmosphere through detailed visuals, authentic sound design, and clever references to classic cinema, creating a unique blend of eerie yet comforting vibes. The art style, graphics, and voice acting all contribute to a deeply engaging and well-researched experience.

    • “Everything, from the atmospheric sounds, gramophone records, classic movie posters, and references to said classic movies (sometimes hidden on the labels of wine bottles) to the dilapidated halls of the titular cinema rosa, strive to fill the player with a deep sense of atmosphere, and what an atmosphere it is.”
    • “The graphics and sound make for a great atmospheric experience, and obvious extensive research was done to bring the experience alive.”
    • “The art style is well-done, with a good atmosphere to explore.”

  • gameplay

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    17% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 33% negative mentions

    The gameplay is generally smooth and well-functioning, with all mechanics working as intended, though some players find it lacks guidance for those who prefer hints. There are occasional glitches and unpolished details, but these issues could potentially be resolved through future patches.

    • “Gameplay is smooth and all mechanics worked well.”
    • “No hands-held gameplay (could use hints for players that prefer them).”
    • “My major gripes with it mainly reside in glitchy gameplay and unpolished details, all of which can still be fixed with patches, should the devs choose to update the game.”

  • emotional

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

    The emotional aspect of the game is praised for its well-crafted narrative that intertwines dreams, flashbacks, and diary entries to tell a poignant story of lost love and hidden secrets. Players experience a deeply emotional romance from multiple perspectives, exploring mental and emotional struggles in a believable and impactful way. Overall, the story resonates as heartfelt and comprehensible, enhancing the emotional engagement.

    • “I'm trying to avoid spoiling any details, so I'll keep this to a minimum, but the story takes you through a very well-crafted collection of dreams, flashbacks, and diary logs that tell an emotional tale of lost love and the many sad, hidden secrets behind the Cinema Rosa.”
    • “Though you play as only one of the lovers, both of their narratives are told along the journey, unfolding an emotionally tied romance with ultimate loss, and exploring how we deal with this mentally.”
    • “Most importantly, the story is now much more comprehensible and feels more emotional, poignant, and believable.”

  • stability

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

    The game exhibits minor bugs and glitches in sound and level design, and can sometimes freeze during specific scenes, such as the end credits. Despite these stability issues, they are relatively infrequent and do not heavily disrupt gameplay.

    • “This game is by no means perfect; minor bugs and glitches in both sound and level design do appear if you look hard enough, and the puzzles, while enjoyable, can sometimes prove too challenging even for a veteran puzzle game player.”
    • “The game does not credit the voice actor for the dialogue and even freezes when showing the last few names on the list of backers, then abruptly returns you to the title menu.”
    • “”

  • optimization

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

    The game initially had stuttering issues for the user, but after a hardware upgrade, performance improved significantly, indicating good optimization overall.

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Critic Reviews

54%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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Play Times

3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Cinema Rosa is a simulation game with horror, fantasy, romance, drama and others themes. Common tags for The Cinema Rosa include first-person, 3D, indie, narrative, atmospheric and others.

The Cinema Rosa is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Virtual Reality and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing The Cinema Rosa.

The Cinema Rosa was released on April 8, 2019.

The Cinema Rosa was developed by dewdle.

The Cinema Rosa has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked The Cinema Rosa for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

The Cinema Rosa is a single player game.

Similar games include The Initiate, Darkarta: A Broken Heart's Quest, Lake Ridden, Root Of Evil: The Tailor, Left Alone and others.