The Cursed Forest
- February 26, 2019
- KPy3O
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"The Cursed Forest Remake" is a horror-adventure game that takes you back into a haunted forest with enhanced graphics and a new storyline, using the updated CRYENGINE. The game now includes localization in Hungarian, Italian, French, Polish, and Turkish, all provided by dedicated fans. Embark on a chilling journey through the woods, overcoming obstacles and uncovering the mysteries within.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics and a beautifully designed forest environment that immerses players in a creepy atmosphere.
- The sound design is excellent, enhancing the eerie feeling and contributing to the overall suspense of the game.
- The story, while delivered through scattered notes, is intriguing and keeps players engaged as they uncover the mysteries of the forest.
- The gameplay can feel shallow, with a lack of logical puzzles and a focus on collecting items without much direction.
- There are numerous bugs and technical issues, including crashes and performance drops, which can detract from the experience.
- The reliance on jump scares can feel overdone and may undermine the tension built by the atmospheric elements.
- story183 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "The Cursed Forest" is generally praised for its captivating and atmospheric qualities, with many players finding it engaging despite some criticisms of its reliance on scattered notes for storytelling. While some reviewers noted that the narrative can be simplistic or clichéd, others appreciated its depth and emotional impact, particularly in how it unfolds through exploration. Overall, the game offers a visually stunning experience with a story that, while not without flaws, effectively complements its eerie atmosphere.
“The story is enchanting and in places immensely atmospheric.”
“The atmosphere, graphics, puzzles, genuine scares that made me jump out of my skin, creepy sections, music is amazing, level design is outstanding, story is interesting.”
“The gloomy and dark atmosphere of the cursed forest with attention to detail and the heartbreaking story, slowly unfolding as you wander through the woods full of mystery and dark secrets undoubtedly will leave a trace in your memory.”
“Yet, storytelling solely happening through scattered notes is unimaginative and often ruins the vibes you're into when you constantly have to stop and read.”
“The start was strong, intriguing, but then it all just turned into a walk-everywhere-pick-everything routine with no sense of danger or suspense, and a story that was turning more and more predictable with every page I found.”
“Nothing really happens, you have to read so many different notes to understand the rather uneventful story, and the notes are looooooong.”
- atmosphere138 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and beautifully crafted design, combining elements of spookiness with a cozy feel. Players appreciate the attention to detail in the graphics, sound design, and music, which enhance the eerie and haunting experience. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating environment that draws players in, making it a standout choice for those seeking atmospheric horror without overwhelming terror.
“The game oozes with dark atmosphere, CryEngine 5 makes the game look very realistic.”
“The atmosphere, graphics, puzzles, genuine scares that made me jump out of my skin, creepy sections, music is amazing, level design is outstanding, story is interesting.”
“The atmosphere is very well-crafted, both spooky yet oddly cozy.”
“The game features a dark and gloomy atmosphere, which adds to the eerie effect of being lost in the forest looking for clues to this mystery.”
“Instead of keeping the atmosphere creepy, the game just throws in some cheap jump scares that are mostly noise-based and the character heavily sighing.”
- graphics107 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many users praising their beauty, detail, and atmospheric quality, often comparing them favorably to contemporary titles. Despite some minor graphical glitches and limited options, the visuals are described as stunning, effectively enhancing the game's eerie and immersive experience. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a standout feature, showcasing impressive artistry and technical execution.
“First of all, I'd like to say that the graphics are amazing, one of the most beautiful games I've ever played.”
“The graphics and art style/direction really stand out about this game; it's actually really beautiful, especially for a horror game.”
“Absolutely gorgeous visuals and environments, which are the highlight of the game.”
“You know it's going to be a crap-fest when the opening screen is a list of issues that they cannot and/or will not fix (depending on the issue), known bugs, what graphics cards it doesn't work with, etc....but this isn't an early access game.”
“However there's times where objects were disappearing due to a graphical glitch and not a crafted horror experience even though the patch notes dictate it's been resolved.”
“All in all this game just feels like no one really put any thought into anything (besides graphics) and it was made with a 'let's get this over with' mentality.”
- gameplay51 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily a first-person walking simulator, emphasizing exploration with minimal puzzles and mechanics, which some players find shallow and lacking in challenge. While the graphics and atmosphere are praised, many reviewers express a desire for more engaging gameplay elements and depth, noting that the experience can feel monotonous and overly reliant on visual appeal rather than interactive mechanics. Overall, the game offers a straightforward experience that may appeal to those who enjoy exploration and narrative-driven content, but it may disappoint players seeking more complex gameplay.
“This game is from 2019 but feels like a newer game graphically and mechanically still 5 years later and very fun.”
“Gameplay itself is your typical walking simulator with emphasis on exploration and no real puzzles, but I think it's what makes it fantastic and allows you to play without ever getting stuck.”
“Gameplay feels really smooth, the visuals are stunning and even the audio side feels really good.”
“Gameplay is shallow, lacks interesting mechanics, and fails to give you a specific purpose.”
“There is absolutely nothing special about the gameplay.”
“A very generic story from start to finish; furthermore, there weren't any gameplay mechanics, it felt more like a walking simulator, nothing added or original to the story.”
- music42 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its beauty and effectiveness in creating tension and emotion. While the soundtrack is often described as excellent and fitting, some players feel it can be sparse at times, leading to moments of silence. Overall, the audio design, including both music and sound effects, significantly contributes to the game's immersive experience.
“Great audio design, nice music, and well-written texts make the atmosphere even better.”
“The music and sound design overall is a highlight; I would recommend the soundtrack for sure as it fits the game very well and adds a lot of atmosphere.”
“The ending made me cry; starting the final level, the music was perfect as you were coming into morning again after a very difficult night, fear was being pushed back as daylight returned and the music reflected that.”
“The music takes on incredibly random, dramatic scores throughout your progression, which more often than not leaves you feeling lost and confused.”
“On the other hand, the soundtrack leaves much to be desired as there is very little ambience, which leaves you to wander around mostly in silence; save for a few sound effects and an actual music track here and there.”
“The game gets better towards the end, and it also has a little more eerie soundtrack there, which was pretty nice (too bad most of the time you just have sound effects with no music).”
- humor18 mentions
- 94 % positive mentions
- -11 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mix of dark and whimsical elements, with players appreciating the clever use of jump scares and humorous achievements that provide comic relief amidst the eerie atmosphere. While some moments are genuinely funny, others may not resonate as well, leading to mixed reactions about the effectiveness of the humor. Overall, the game successfully integrates humor into its design, enhancing the experience without overshadowing its darker themes.
“The developers obviously don't take themselves too seriously as there are humorous elements dotted through each of the five main sections.”
“The game world is lavishly designed, full of magic and creepy atmosphere, eerie music, fun jump scares, hilarious humor, and an unnerving mystery that slowly unfolds over the game.”
“Oh, and one last thing I almost forgot to mention, the game has a funny but bizarre thing about toilets that are strategically placed in each of five chapters and if you dare to venture inside you'll get an achievement (5 in total).”
“Not funny.”
“The jokes fell flat and felt forced.”
“I expected more clever humor, but it was mostly cringeworthy.”
- stability17 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and glitches that disrupt gameplay. While some users experienced minor issues and noted the game's impressive graphics, others faced significant problems like game freezes and stuck characters. Overall, the game is considered buggy, particularly as it is still in early access, but some players remain hopeful for improvements.
“Super buggy.”
“It's alright but it's still buggy, and it's been a long time.”
“Game freezes randomly.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing performance issues, particularly in the final chapter, while others report stable frame rates around 60fps on decent hardware. Overall, the game is noted to require further polishing and improvements, largely attributed to limitations of the current game engine.
“Performance-wise, you should be able to run it at a stable 60fps most of the time if you own a decent gaming computer.”
“As I see some of the other reviews seem to have some performance troubles, I have to say that I had no crashes and maintained a good 60fps while recording; it was a smooth experience for me.”
“The technical side of the game, on the other hand, requires some minor polishing and better optimization, especially in the final chapter, but that is more of an engine-related problem rather than a lazy developer.”
“As far as I know, the current version of the game engine is still quite poorly optimized, and bug fixing is a very long and tedious process.”
“There are optimization problems reported on the forums.”
- emotional7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its atmospheric storytelling and the impactful journey through a dark, mysterious forest, which evokes a range of feelings from fear to nostalgia. While the flat protagonist may hinder deeper emotional connection, the touching narrative and beautiful sound design culminate in a memorable experience, particularly with a surprising and heartfelt ending that resonates with players. Overall, the game effectively balances horror and warmth, leaving a lasting emotional impression.
“Short but very atmospheric, also had a more wholesome ending than expected.”
“The balance between soothing atmospheres mixed with classical horror elements definitely makes for captivating gameplay that will touch you emotionally on different levels.”
“The gloomy and dark atmosphere of the cursed forest, with attention to detail and the heartbreaking story slowly unfolding as you wander through the woods full of mystery and dark secrets, undoubtedly will leave a trace in your memory.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many users noting that once completed, there is little incentive to play again. Most reviews suggest that the game can be finished in just a few hours, leaving players with minimal content to revisit, despite some enjoyment during the initial playthrough.
“Not a lot of replay value except for achievements, but I liked it a lot all the same.”
“But once I had everything, there really isn't any replay value.”
“But there's just not a lot of game here and pretty much zero replayability.”
“Unfortunately, the entire game can be beaten in 3-5 hours; not sure about the replay value.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game offers a relaxing experience without the need for tedious grinding, making it appealing for players who prefer exploration over repetitive tasks. However, some users note that the game's optimization issues and lengthy bug-fixing processes can detract from the overall enjoyment. Collecting achievements is highlighted as a fun aspect that doesn't require grinding.
“It's a tedious forest walking simulator game with beautiful scenery.”
“Was the tediously long wait worth it?”
“As far as I know, the current version of the game engine is still quite poorly optimized and bug fixing is a very long and tedious process.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in this game is not a primary focus, with players noting that while the plot is engaging, it lacks the depth and richness found in titles like Soma or Amnesia. As such, those seeking profound character arcs may be disappointed.
