THE DESCENT
- January 5, 2024
- Celeritas Games
Get on Steam"The Descent" is a first-person psychological horror walking simulator set in the haunted Rockwell Mine. As an investigator, delve into the mine's chilling past, documenting your investigation through a camera to unravel the mysteries of its numerous accidents and disappearances. Evade the terrifying dangers lurking within while experiencing the harsh realities of a miner's life. Immerse yourself in this atmospheric, short horror game.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a great atmosphere and sound design that immerses players in the eerie environment.
- Jump scares are well-timed and effective, providing genuine moments of fright.
- The game offers a unique setting in an abandoned mine, which adds to the overall intrigue and exploration experience.
- The game relies heavily on jump scares, which can feel excessive and detract from the overall horror experience.
- Navigation can be frustrating due to backtracking and the inability to return to previously missed collectibles.
- The story and gameplay mechanics are somewhat clichéd, following a predictable formula that may disappoint seasoned horror gamers.
- atmosphere24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its chilling and immersive qualities, enhanced by superb audio and visuals that create a nerve-wracking experience. Players appreciate the blend of atmospheric suspense and jump scares, which effectively draw them into the eerie environments, making it a compelling choice for horror enthusiasts. Overall, the atmosphere is described as haunting and realistic, significantly contributing to the game's appeal.
“However, it shines in crafting a chilling atmosphere that fully absorbs players into its eerie environment.”
“In essence, the descent provides a haunting journey that blends atmospheric suspense with precisely timed frights.”
“The combination of the scares along with the audio effects creates a good horror atmosphere in general throughout the entire journey.”
“Way too much to create a subtle atmosphere.”
“This game has a very, very high potential, in terms of atmosphere, sound, and tension.”
“The atmosphere of the mine was like real; it reminds me of when I used to go in a real mine before.”
- story20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, featuring an intriguing backstory centered around a forsaken mine that encourages exploration, but it ultimately falls into cliches typical of the horror genre, such as predictable jump scares and a reliance on scattered notes for narrative progression. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and lore, others find the storytelling lacking depth and originality, often comparing it to other horror games they've experienced. The use of an AI voice for narration has also drawn criticism, detracting from the overall immersion.
“It's a nice walking simulator with great atmosphere and storytelling.”
“The backstory of the forsaken mine ignites intrigue and leaves players yearning for further exploration.”
“You are playing as a journalist investigator and mainly you follow the story through papers, notes, and posts left around the mining facility and in the tunnels of the Rockwell mine.”
“Was really promising at first, but it all got ruined by an unnecessary amount of jumpscares, running back and forth looking for triggers, and then it became a cliché paranormal demon summoning story.”
“It's passable, but let's be honest here: if you play a lot of horror games, it's pretty much just a trigger/jumpscare and keys/note reading game with a basic storyline you've likely played before.”
“The jumpscares are predictable and have a low-budget game type of style, and much of the story is based on the notes or newspaper clippings scattered around.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their quality and atmospheric presentation, especially when settings are maximized. However, some users report issues with graphics settings not saving and problems with v-sync and frame rate limiting, which may be related to running the game on Linux with Proton. Overall, while the visuals are well-received, there are notable bugs that the developers are actively addressing.
“Atmosphere, audio, and visuals (I'm running everything on max) are superb.”
“The graphics are good, and the soundtrack and sound effects complement the gameplay.”
“Good graphics.”
“Some bugs with the graphics settings not sticking to what you set them at, and v-sync on/off and frame rate limiter does not seem to work at all.”
“Graphics settings and v-sync/frame limiter might be a Proton issue and not the game.”
“Some bugs with the graphics settings not sticking to what you set them at, and v-sync on/off and frame rate limiter does not seem to work at all.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay primarily revolves around basic mechanics such as walking, picking up items, and using them in specific locations, with a camera feature limited to photographing ghost sightings. While the gameplay is straightforward, players find it enjoyable and engaging, complemented by a decent story. Overall, it offers a spooky yet simple experience.
“Spoooky fun game and it was decent and the story was cool.”
“The gameplay involves walking, picking up items, and using them in their appropriate places.”
“The camera mechanic was primarily used for photographing ghost sightings.”
“The camera mechanic was only needed for photographing ghost sightings of a girl and not for the documents that were present in the mines.”
“There are no game mechanics other than walking, picking up items, and using them in their designated places.”
“The gameplay feels extremely limited and lacks depth.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music, including the soundtrack and sound effects, is well-received, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
“The graphics are good, and the soundtrack and sound effects complement the gameplay.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the significant effort invested in the game, noting that the inclusion of collectibles and achievements enhances its replayability, encouraging them to revisit the game for a more complete experience.
“The amount of effort put into this game is impressive, and the way they implemented collectibles and achievements adds a significant level of replayability.”
“The game's design encourages multiple playthroughs, making it enjoyable to explore different strategies and outcomes.”
“With various collectibles and achievements to pursue, this game offers a refreshing level of replayability that keeps players engaged.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is noted to be imperfect, as it is quite demanding on hardware; however, it remains in a playable state, with many players finding that 60 frames per second delivers a satisfying experience.
“The optimization of the game is not perfect; it feels very heavy, but it remains in a playable state. For some reason, 60 frames per second feels really good in this game.”
“The game's optimization leaves much to be desired, as it struggles with performance issues despite being playable.”
“While the game is enjoyable, the optimization is lacking, leading to noticeable lag and frame drops during intense moments.”
