The Derailed

About

The Derailed is a single player simulation game with horror and violence themes. It was developed by Deformed Dreams Studio and was released on September 11, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

The Derailed - a first-person psychological horror game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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81%

Audience ScoreBased on 47 reviews

story9 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game features a tense and unsettling atmosphere with excellent sound design, enhancing the psychological horror experience.
Intriguing and deep lore is delivered through notes and environment, encouraging exploration and theory crafting.
Visuals are striking and creative with well-designed chapters that keep the experience dynamic and engaging.

The game suffers from significant performance and optimization issues, including frame rate drops and high CPU usage even on high-end hardware.
The narrative can be confusing and unfocused at times, with some players feeling overwhelmed by unclear story elements and insufficient guidance.
Excessive jump scares are present, some of which feel out of place, and there are minor bugs and graphical glitches that detract from immersion.

story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
43%
14%
The story is praised for its intriguing, creepy, and atmospheric narrative that unfolds gradually through environmental clues and notes, reminiscent of games like Silent Hill. While some find it unique and engaging, others note it can be unclear or disjointed at times, suggesting that improved structure and pacing could enhance future installments. Overall, the story is considered a strong and compelling aspect of the game.
- “The story is very intriguing and I liked the horror elements used in it.”
- “It has a pretty unique story to tell, and the notes and diaries scattered around the game made the lore behind it much more fun to learn about.”
- “I understand that the story wants to unfold slowly – through notes and subtle hints, kind of like in Silent Hill, where you're meant to piece things together on your own.”
- “This is a walking sim game with a creepy linear story.”
- “Overarching story had nothing to do with the events of the game from what I could tell.”
- “I feel like I missed quite a bit of the storyline along with my viewers.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
33%
20%
The graphics are praised for their striking, creative, and disturbing visuals that enhance the horror atmosphere, with realistic and detailed environments like abandoned depots. While minor graphical issues and occasional frame rate drops occur, they do not significantly detract from the immersive and cinematic experience.
- “An indie horror dev that really knows disturbing visuals, and is not afraid to push the boundaries into damn near Hellraiser-level depictions.”
- “This game was absolute cinema; I have played hundreds of horror games over the past year alone and the visuals for this one were very creative and entertaining!”
- “The visuals, especially the abandoned depot interiors, are beautifully done.”
- “I was getting constant frame rate drops in 4k resolution with an RTX4080 no matter what I selected in the graphic options.”
- “Had some very minor graphical issues but it didn't prevent me from having fun and I completely forgot about it as I kept playing the game.”
- “Graphics look realistic but the first breaker puzzle took me a while to figure out the pattern.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The atmosphere is consistently praised for being tense, eerie, and immersive, effectively keeping players on edge throughout the game. It blends unsettling environments, jump scares, and a gripping narrative that enhances the overall experience. Users appreciate the variety in settings and the strong technical execution that heightens the creepy and suspenseful mood.
- “The atmosphere is tense and it keeps you on edge the entire time as you try to figure out the secrets of the train depot.”
- “First, the peaceful train ride in a beautiful setting, then followed by the dream state drive with jump scares, to the gritty cold atmosphere of the plant.”
- “The atmosphere was tense and unsettling the whole way.”
- “Really nice jump scares, tricky puzzles, creepy grotesque atmosphere, overall I would rate the game a 6 out of 10.”
- “The intense atmosphere in the different chapters really tells an eerie story.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The gameplay is a mix of challenging puzzles and horror elements, but some players find it obtuse and reliant on cheap jumpscares, with puzzles and dialogue that can feel unengaging. Overall, it may require external help like guides to progress smoothly.
- “Gameplay issues include cheap jumpscares and uninteresting puzzles and dialogue.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game suffers from poor optimization, resulting in inconsistent performance and high system demands, including large file size. Despite these issues, some players still find the gameplay enjoyable.
- “There were a lot of issues early on with optimization, but outside of that the game was a lot of fun.”
- “I just ran the Far Cry 5 benchmark test on ultra settings at 2560x1440 resolution and had 88-155 fps, so performance was a mess for me.”
- “How is a game like this so terribly optimized?”
- “This game also takes up over 40 GB, which is another indication of how poorly optimized it is.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its hilarious jump scares and quirky, unexpected moments, such as random hanging screaming characters and covered dead bodies. Players find these elements both funny and contribute to an entertaining overall experience.
- “Some of the jump scares were frickin' hilarious lol, especially the random hanging screaming dudes popping up and the random dead bodies covered with sheets everywhere.”
- “A ton of content and funny moments, jump scares, and a hell of a magnificent experience :D”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music and overall sound design are praised for effectively enhancing the atmosphere, with well-crafted eerie sounds, footsteps, and jump scares that contribute to an immersive experience.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is notably demanding, often requiring significant effort and time, to the point where players feel they need a "second life" to keep up.