The Classrooms

About

"The Classrooms" is a single-player, narrative-driven psychological horror game set in the eerie and abandoned Hillcrest High School. Uncover the chilling events that led to the sudden disappearance of the students and faculty as you navigate through the ominous classrooms and hallways. Solve puzzles and uncover disturbing secrets while avoiding grotesque creatures that lurk around every corner. Can you escape the horrors of Hillcrest?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 899 reviews

gameplay16 positive mentions

optimization9 negative mentions

The game features a creepy atmosphere with well-designed entities that create a sense of dread and tension.
Procedural generation of levels ensures a unique experience with each playthrough, enhancing replayability.
The sound design is exceptional, with audio cues that effectively contribute to the horror experience.

The game suffers from optimization issues, leading to lag and frame rate drops even on high-end PCs.
Some players find the gameplay repetitive, particularly in later levels where the mechanics feel less engaging.
The use of AI-generated assets has drawn criticism, with some players expressing disappointment over the lack of traditional art.

gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
60%
6%
The gameplay is generally praised for its intensity, unique mechanics, and engaging atmosphere, with many players appreciating the procedural generation and diverse monster designs that enhance replayability. However, some critiques mention that certain mechanics can feel redundant or simplistic after repeated playthroughs, and a few players found specific elements, like the balloon homing mechanic, to be out of place. Overall, the game offers a solid horror experience with a mix of fun and challenging gameplay, though it could benefit from further refinement and additional content.
- “The gameplay is amazing and the way you enter the different rooms is breathtaking!”
- “Great horror game, awesome graphics as well, the gameplay of completing each level is different and every map randomizes every area, perfect in my opinion!”
- “Intense gameplay and diverse monsters with unique abilities.”
- “For a game that sometimes forces you to stop what you're doing due to a creature being nearby, I do not find the balloon homing mechanic to fit with the rest of the game.”
- “The mechanics become played out and simplistic, overturning what made tape 1 work.”
- “Since the levels aren't handcrafted for stealth gameplay and are instead randomly generated, there's a lot of luck and chaos that goes into the way you'll end up navigating the levels and running from monsters.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
44%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the stunning visuals and attention to detail, particularly in creating a creepy atmosphere. However, some users express concerns about performance issues, such as frame rate drops and glitches, especially on lower-end systems. Overall, while the graphics are generally well-received, optimization remains a significant point of contention among players.
- “Absolutely stunning game visuals are impressive, even at ultra settings. The procedural levels, the monsters, and the frequent updates make this game extra scary and very funny. I definitely recommend this if you love backrooms like I do.”
- “Great horror game, awesome graphics as well. The gameplay of completing each level is different, and every map randomizes every area, perfect in my opinion!”
- “The graphics are beautiful, and I am surprised that it worked so well with ultrawide.”
- “I should not be struggling to play this game at 90 fps on medium graphics or with depth of field eating up my frames.”
- “If you're on the low end when it comes to graphics for your computer or even barely over the recommended specs like I was, I don't recommend buying the game as it will plague you with constant glitches, frame rate drops, and crashes no matter how low you turn the game graphics down.”
- “Now for the game itself and its presentation and graphics, it's pretty on par with most backrooms styled games that you can look up on Steam, and you may also compare this game to another backrooms inspired game.”
atmosphere
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
27%
9%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its intense creepiness and detailed design, effectively combining horror elements with a nerve-wracking ambiance. Players appreciate the unique monster designs, procedural level generation, and well-timed jump scares that enhance the overall experience. While some find the gameplay mechanics a bit mechanical, the overwhelming sentiment is that the atmospheric elements significantly contribute to the game's tension and replayability.
- “Very scary and detailed, the soundtrack and everything about it is atmospheric at the same time as it is horrific.”
- “The atmosphere is spooky yet intriguing and the story and documents found throughout are very interesting.”
- “This game is so great, the creatures look scary and uncanny, the level design is procedurally generated as far as I can tell and so gives a lot of replayability, the environment is creepy and the lighting is really atmospheric.”
- “This game is straight atmosphere; it's so creepy all the time, and you always feel like you're about to get slammed by a monster.”
- “Absolute nightmare fuel... the atmosphere was everything.”
- “The atmosphere had me on edge, as well as the sounds and music.”
story
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
54%
12%
The game's story is described as intriguing yet vague, primarily conveyed through documents and notes found throughout the levels, which adds depth to the gameplay. While some players appreciate the unique lore and atmosphere reminiscent of SCP themes, others criticize the reliance on standard tropes and the lack of a cohesive plot. Overall, the narrative has potential for further development, with many players eager to see how it evolves in future updates.
- “But this game actually has interesting lore, story, and objectives, and the monsters/entities are very unique with their traits and behavior and how you have to use items and strategy to avoid them.”
- “The atmosphere is spooky yet intriguing and the story and documents found throughout are very interesting.”
- “Terrifying ambiance and environment, storyline is cool and interesting.”
- “There's little to no plot tying the game together besides the very mundane and overused 'oh no, my family member has been kidnapped, gotta go save them!' trope that's quickly discarded 10 minutes in.”
- “The game is still in early access as of this review, but I’d love to see a more developed single-player story instead of relying on notes to convey the narrative.”
- “It fails as a 'liminal space' game as the entities are too constant--to the point of losing any unsettling effect and becoming tiresome as well as destroying any immersion in the story.”
optimization
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
54%
35%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting performance issues and inconsistent frame rates, even on high-end systems. While some users have managed to achieve decent performance, the general consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, which detracts from the overall experience. Players hope that future updates will address these optimization concerns as the game continues to develop.
- “I suppose it could be that - since the game is still in development (with more levels adding soon) - that optimization will be prioritized once it's all completed.”
- “Some optimization issues but overall pretty solid.”
- “The game is great; it will definitely be a great game when it's all finished and optimized.”
- “After toying around with the settings, I could only conclude that the game is still poorly optimized.”
- “I have seen other reviews saying it's poorly optimized, and I believe it.”
- “Horrible optimization, legit getting 20-30 fps even on low settings.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, largely due to procedural generation and community-created custom modes that offer unique levels. Players appreciate the ever-changing environments and the opportunity to explore different aspects of the game, although some note that the content may feel limited at times. Despite minor criticisms, the consensus is that the game provides a fun and engaging experience that encourages repeated playthroughs.
- “Custom modes with unique levels made by players in the community would open up so many opportunities for this game to be replayable.”
- “The game description says: 'the classrooms are infinitely replayable, and never the same twice.'”
- “A fun game, with a lot of replayability due to procedural generation.”
- “So it's just kind of a lack of content, and the procedural generation does less than you would think for replayability.”
- “The game doesn't have much replayability.”
- “Even in early access it offers quite a bit of replayability, due to it loading a different layout each time you play.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, blending comedic elements with horror to create a unique experience. Players appreciate the funny moments, such as quirky monster designs and amusing interactions, which provide levity amidst the scares. Overall, the game successfully balances its frightening atmosphere with humor, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate both genres.
- “Funny scares and overall good vibes.”
- “I mean, the entity in the library stage genuinely had me laughing because it reminded me of one of the poorly animated thumb creatures from Spy Kids in the early 2000s.”
- “I love how scary it is and funny, like when you throw objects at the doll it falls over and how entities break down doors; it's really cool.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The music in the game is praised for its atmospheric and horrifying qualities, effectively enhancing the overall tension and immersion. While some users noted a desire for more customizable audio settings, the soundtrack is generally regarded as a strong element that complements the game's lore and monster designs. Overall, the combination of intense music and sound effects contributes significantly to the game's unsettling atmosphere.
- “Very scary and detailed, the soundtrack and everything about it is atmospheric at the same time as it is horrific.”
- “Lore is interesting, monsters are terrifying, music and atmosphere are awesome.”
- “The atmosphere had me on edge as well as the sounds and music.”
- “I would honestly blame that on the calming backrooms music and the SCP side of the game.”
- “You can expect some lackluster creature designs, AI music, and a standard story.”
- “The sudden enemy appearances and intense music are just gentle reminders of life’s unpredictability, not heart-stoppers.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting frequent FPS glitches, lag, and crashes, particularly on lower-end systems. While some players have experienced a smooth gameplay experience, the overall consensus highlights significant issues due to its early access status, leading to a recommendation for caution before purchasing.
- “There are a lot of FPS glitches and I'm consistently lagging out.”
- “I give it a thumbs up only because it was a fun game for what little I was able to play of it. It has a lot of potential, but the constant issues made me uninstall. If you're on the low end when it comes to graphics for your computer or even barely over the recommended specs like I was, I don't recommend buying the game as it will plague you with constant glitches, frame rate drops, and crashes no matter how low you turn the game graphics down. This sadly brings my verdict to a 5/10. Seeing it's still early access, they may fix that issue, to which I would definitely try again because it was very enjoyable... when it worked.”
- “This game is terrifying, definitely a little buggy at the moment because it's in early access, but still worth the money for sure.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and lengthy, with some expressing frustration over repetitive monster encounters. Despite these complaints, the game's polish and presentation receive some praise.
- “I do wish the arcade was less tedious and long.”
- “Sometimes the monsters can get a little tedious and annoying, but the polish and presentation is actually not bad.”
- “Played it for the second time recently and man, this game is just tedious.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization of the game is criticized for being misleading, as advertisements suggest a variety of randomly generated levels, while players find only four repetitive levels with minor variations. Many feel that the game's incomplete state does not justify its price, leading to a perception of poor value for money.
- “The advertising is misleading; it makes you think every level is randomly generated and that every playthrough is different when, in fact, it's just the same level with some rooms swapped around. There are only four levels in the entire game. You combine this with the fact that the game is not even finished, and it's just not worth the price. You're pretty much paying $10 to walk around in four levels, and each time you die, some rooms are swapped around, and that's pretty much it.”
- “The monetization model is frustrating. It feels like the game is designed to push you towards spending more money rather than providing a complete experience. It's disappointing to see such a great concept ruined by aggressive monetization tactics.”
- “I was really excited to play this game, but the constant prompts to spend money on in-game purchases ruined the experience for me. It feels like the developers care more about making money than creating a fun game.”