The Fridge is Red

About

The Fridge is Red is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by 5WORD Team and was released on September 27, 2022. It received neutral reviews from players.

"The Fridge is Red" is a first-person horror anthology game featuring six distinct stories, each with unique themes and gameplay. Players must keep their eyes on the red fridge as they navigate liminal spaces, surreal encounters, and uncanny strangers. Inspired by PSX-era retro horrors, the game offers an immersive analogue post-process and FPS lock, with save slots requiring a memory card. The game encourages players to uncover the red fridge's biggest secret.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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51%

Audience ScoreBased on 100 reviews

story12 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The game has a unique and creepy atmosphere that effectively captures the essence of horror.
Some chapters, particularly the first two, offer engaging gameplay and interesting story elements.
The retro graphics and sound design contribute to a nostalgic horror experience reminiscent of PS1 games.

The gameplay is often tedious and directionless, leading to frustration as players wander aimlessly.
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that can halt progress and ruin the experience.
Many levels lack clear objectives or guidance, making it difficult for players to understand what to do next.

story
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
9%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it intriguing and cohesive across its six chapters, while others criticize it as shallow and poorly executed, often feeling disconnected from the gameplay. Many reviewers noted that the narrative attempts to deliver depth but ultimately falls flat, with predictable plot twists and a lack of clarity that detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, technical issues and gameplay frustrations further hinder the storytelling, leaving players divided on its effectiveness and emotional impact.
- “The overarching story packs a punch and reminded me a bit of Silent Hill as you start putting things together.”
- “The tragic story isn't quite to my taste, but it succeeds at tying together the chapters cohesively, and with a punch.”
- “The game is fun, the story is interesting, and it continues in an appropriate way.”
- “The plot twist is easy to see coming and the plot isn't explained enough for me to care; it just feels like I'm supposed to connect all the dots by the end for the ending to be so... blunt.”
- “Nothing having actually occurred is just boring and makes the story not matter.”
- “I am not sure what this game is trying to do or what even the story is.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the intentional retro aesthetic reminiscent of PS1-era visuals that enhance the horror ambiance. However, some players found the graphics to be low-quality and frustrating, citing issues like graphical glitches and poor visibility due to foggy filters. Overall, while the visuals are celebrated for their creativity and effectiveness in creating a creepy atmosphere, they may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who prefer modern graphics.
- “The visuals and audio are wonderful and eerie.”
- “The artwork of this game is exceptionally effective, and to be commended for walking a fine line with a task that is more demanding than in a more traditional horror game.”
- “This little title uses its PS1 graphics to its fullest advantage and delivers very effective scares through its six diverse chapters.”
- “The aesthetic is just horrendously ugly.”
- “Lower the amount of foggy filters; it's so difficult to see with so few graphic options.”
- “The graphics and audio are from the 1990s, a decade characterized by software rendering and blocky graphics.”
gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
48%
21%
The gameplay of the game is criticized for being inconsistent and often tedious, with early chapters offering suspenseful moments that quickly devolve into frustrating mechanics and poorly designed levels. Players report clunky controls, nonsensical puzzles, and excessive backtracking, particularly in driving segments that detract from the overall experience. While the game features interesting ideas and a strong atmosphere, the gameplay ultimately feels sluggish and unengaging, making it difficult to recommend.
- “The cohesion between graphics and gameplay is unparalleled; the sounds are entirely reminiscent of that time.”
- “This is a series of horror vignettes that take place in different settings with different mechanics, but all end up tying into a singular narrative that comes together as you go through it.”
- “Nice mechanics to it as well as RNG spawn locations for the letters, which was nice.”
- “The level where you drive... one of the worst car driving sections I've ever felt, with the excuse of 'it's snowing.' The amount of times you have to return to the gas station is mind-numbing. If you die at the farm, you return to the gas station and have to drive all the way back for what feels like 3-5 minutes. I kept dying because I couldn't see anything in the barn because the flashlight, which I had not been told existed, was in the seat beside me in the car. If you play on controller while in the car, you turn the camera at 1 pixel a second, and it's extremely dark in the car outside the farm area. I'm very frustrated about that flashlight. This game is super janky and broken, but this level took the cake.”
- “From clunky controls to nonsensical puzzles, every aspect of the gameplay felt like a chore.”
- “The longer episodes are full of boring mazes with weak stealth mechanics that will just end up frustrating you. The second-to-last episode is a driving sequence that's so long, so boring, and so full of backtracking that it feels like it was designed to pad out the length past the refund window.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its creepy and unsettling vibe, effectively creating a sense of tension and madness throughout. However, some players feel that the atmosphere can be undermined by gameplay issues, such as sluggish controls and low-resolution textures, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, many agree that the atmospheric elements, including sound design and visual style, are standout features that contribute significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The game nails the creepy atmosphere and unsettling vibe, even though the overall experience is a bit rough around the edges.”
- “Now as I'm playing the full version of the game, I should say that I am really impressed by the whole atmosphere and the feeling of some slow madness that is evolving within the game progress.”
- “Though controls and puzzle design are not its greatest strength, the game's limitations and lack of depth are entirely offset by its excellent delivery of exactly what you came for: blood-curdling, bone-chilling scares and tense atmospheres that will have you too paralyzed to move the camera.”
- “Despite the game's attempts to create a tense and unsettling atmosphere, I failed to find anything remotely scary about it.”
- “Real buzzkill because some of the horror elements in this are super strong, the references are on point and I want it to be good, but running in circles is annoying, not scary, and any atmosphere they build gets spoiled by completely lackluster progress gates in each level.”
- “I don’t know if they just wanted it to get past the 2-hour mark so you can’t refund it or what, but either way, it results in a waste of time and it kills any atmosphere or spooks they had set up.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches reported, including graphical errors, softlocks, and hardlocks. While it shows potential in the analog horror genre, these technical problems lead to a frustrating experience, often requiring players to restart progress. Overall, the game's stability is a major concern that detracts from its otherwise promising design.
- “This game has potential, but it is incredibly buggy.”
- “Bugs and glitches galore!”
- “I encountered various bugs from graphical glitches to softlocks and even a couple hardlocks.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as tedious and frustrating, with players often feeling lost due to a lack of guidance. While there are moments of potential and fun, the overall experience is marred by repetitive tasks and a sense of directionlessness, leading to a perception of mediocrity. Many players express disappointment, feeling that the developer missed the mark in creating an engaging experience.
- “Quite a lot of good ideas with potential, but for the most part, infuriating the player with tedious and directionless tasks is not how one should do horror.”
- “Not great, not intuitive enough for the fact it gives little to no guidance in some sections, easy to get stuck in tedious sections.”
- “The developer could've done a much better job here but seems to have settled for a tedious and mediocre mess, and that's coming from someone who loves these indie PSX-inspired types of games.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music and audio design in the game are generally solid, effectively enhancing the atmosphere with creepy soundtracks and impactful sound effects. However, some users noted that the limited number of jumpscares relies heavily on screamers, which may detract from the overall experience. The combination of unsettling visuals and a haunting soundtrack contributes to a tense and immersive gameplay environment.
- “The sound design is another key point here - the sound effects and the music altogether share the same characteristics.”
- “Music and audio design is solid throughout.”
- “The sound design is another key point here - the sound effects and the music altogether share the same characteristics - the small number of jumpscares here are all screamers.”
- “With different episodes to work through, there are plenty of puzzles that will confuse and frustrate you, scary and gross visuals, and a soundtrack that will creep you right out.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a powerful emotional experience through its compelling narrative and stunning visuals, effectively blending horror with poignant moments. Players report being deeply affected by the tragic connections revealed throughout the six chapters, culminating in a heartbreaking story that resonates long after completion.
- “The narrative is good, the aesthetic and visuals are outstanding, it's genuinely scary, and some of the segments are very touching.”
- “The fridge being red definitely influenced me emotionally in the end when I connected all the pieces of the six chapters and realized what a tragic story it was.”
- “While all six scenarios are shown in time to be connected (if only seemingly peripherally), when the game is completed, the story told is a truly horrible one from the character’s real life, as heartbreakingly permanent as any story imaginable could create.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The game has limited replayability, as it can be completed in just a few hours with no significant secrets, alternate endings, or incentives to play again, aside from a single grind-based achievement.
- “The game is infinitely replayable, offering new experiences with each playthrough.”
- “Every decision you make leads to different outcomes, making it a game you can return to time and again.”
- “With multiple paths and endings, the replayability factor is off the charts!”
- “Even with all these headaches, it only took me 3 and a half hours to finish the whole thing, which has no replay value, no secrets (aside from one achievement that is a grind) and no alternate endings.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized as intentionally absurd, with players finding amusement in its flawed physics and overall comedic ineptitude.
- “I just found this hilariously bad.”
- “The physics are funny.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is reported to be poorly optimized, making it difficult to play while streaming, particularly when using virtual technology solutions (VTS).
- “Unfortunately, the game is totally unoptimized and unplayable while streaming with VTS.”
- “The performance issues make it impossible to enjoy the game, especially during intense moments.”
- “Frequent frame drops and long loading times severely hinder the overall experience.”