The Nameless City

About

"The Nameless City" is a first-person adventure game inspired by Lovecraft's short novel, featuring lo-fi 3D graphics and AI-generated images. The game offers a narrative-driven experience with a playtime of 40-50 minutes, and a demo that shares the same save file. Follow Paradnight Studio on Twitter or itch.io for updates, using only mouse controls to explore the mysteries of the nameless city.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 70 reviews

story4 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game effectively captures the atmosphere and themes of Lovecraftian horror, providing a unique and immersive experience.
The voice acting and sound design enhance the eerie ambiance, contributing to the overall unsettling vibe of the game.
Despite its short length, the game offers a well-crafted narrative and engaging gameplay elements, including light puzzles and a unique rune casting system.

The game is very short, with a playtime of around 45 minutes to an hour, leading to concerns about its replay value and overall worth.
Technical issues, such as graphical glitches and low-resolution graphics, detract from the experience and may hinder immersion.
The use of AI-generated images for certain elements has been criticized, with some players feeling it undermines the quality of the game's visuals.

story
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
79%
9%
The game offers a faithful adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Nameless City," effectively capturing the atmosphere of creeping dread and eldritch horror. While the narrative is well-written and delivered through a hypnotic voiceover, some mispronunciations may detract from the experience. Overall, players appreciate the game's immersive storytelling and environmental details, though familiarity with the source material enhances the experience.
- “Paradnight's The Nameless City is an exceptional take on Lovecraft's short story, with a hypnotic narrator and nostalgic gameplay through the city of Araby beneath the deathless sands.”
- “The game is highly atmospheric, with great voice acting and incredible environmental storytelling.”
- “Even though I was familiar with the story, I was left in great unease at several portions of the game; the visions and eerie chants that surround the runes were especially disconcerting.”
- “There is text with a voiceover to explain the story - the text is really well-written, but whoever did the voiceover is clearly not a native English speaker and mispronounced a lot of the harder words, which was a bit unnerving.”
- “The story is delivered through the narrator's voice, who comments on what is occurring to him and makes observations, but there are no big surprises.”
- “As someone that read the short story, there were no surprises, but it was accurate and I never felt cheaped out on.”
atmosphere
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
18%
11%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie, Lovecraftian vibe, enhanced by excellent audio and voice acting, as well as charming retro graphics. Reviewers note that the oppressive and mystical ambiance effectively complements the narrative, although many feel the short gameplay duration of around 45 minutes does not justify the price. Overall, the atmosphere is described as immersive and captivating, leaving players wanting more.
- “The audio does a really good job of setting the atmosphere.”
- “The game is highly atmospheric, with great voice acting and incredible environmental storytelling.”
- “This is a 45-minute walking simulator game in the atmosphere of H.P. Lovecraft's short story 'The Nameless City.'”
- “It marries the oppressive and mystical atmosphere of Lovecraftian fiction with gameplay elements that both add variety and serve a narrative purpose as well, then caps it all off with an ominous ending that felt just right for a game in this particular genre.”
- “I personally found its PSX-style graphics charming, albeit I realize it may not be everyone’s cup of tea; that said, it stands testament to the quality of the game’s atmosphere and storytelling that its low-poly presentation didn’t particularly take much away from the impact of its narrative.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The game's graphics are characterized by a nostalgic PS1 aesthetic, which some players find charming and evocative, enhancing the eerie atmosphere of the horror walking simulator. While the low-resolution visuals and occasional graphical glitches may deter some, many appreciate the retro style as a fitting choice that complements the game's storytelling and overall experience.
- “Overall an enjoyable experience, and the objectives are well signposted to keep it moving at a good pace. Loved the PSX graphical style.”
- “I personally found its PSX-style graphics charming, albeit I realize it may not be everyone’s cup of tea; that said, it stands testament to the quality of the game’s atmosphere and storytelling that its low-poly presentation didn’t particularly take much away from the impact of its narrative.”
- “If you enjoy PSX graphics and you like alien gods and ancient civilizations, I'm sure you'll enjoy this game as much as I did!”
- “And then there was a graphical glitch that followed me throughout the game: a series of yellow dots always appeared on the right side of the screen.”
- “Another horror walking simulator with a PS1 aesthetic.”
- “The extremely low resolution graphics can be off-putting for some.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The gameplay is characterized by a strong atmospheric presence and a nostalgic homage to Lovecraftian themes, featuring a mix of walking and a few puzzles. However, many players feel that the short duration—around 45 minutes to an hour—does not justify the price, with some describing it as more of a tech demo than a fully realized experience. Overall, while the gameplay is engaging and unsettling, opinions vary on its value relative to its length.
- “Paradnight's The Nameless City is an exceptional take on Lovecraft's short story, with a hypnotic narrator and nostalgic gameplay through the city of Araby beneath the deathless sands.”
- “It marries the oppressive and mystical atmosphere of Lovecraftian fiction with gameplay elements that both add variety and serve a narrative purpose as well, then caps it all off with an ominous ending that felt just right for a game in this particular genre.”
- “I enjoyed the gameplay overall; it is unsettling and unnerving.”
- “There is a bit of gameplay and a handful of puzzles, but mostly it's just walking.”
- “It's a bit of a tech demo that doesn't really mechanically come into itself, but it's a neat bite-sized chunk of lovecraftian walking sim.”
- “The mechanics in the game need to be explored in greater detail.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The music in the game is praised for its perfect ambiance and ability to enhance the overall experience, with rising and falling melodies that complement key moments. Users noted the effective use of silence, particularly during significant scenes, which adds depth to the adventure. However, some experienced technical issues, such as crackling sounds in the initial music file.
- “Perfect ambience, textures, and soundtrack accompany you through this adventure that makes you feel insignificant.”
- “First there was a music file at the beginning that crackled in my headphones when it played.”
- “The mood, the music, and the narration are all worth re-experiencing.”
- “The rising and falling of the music at just the right times influenced and enhanced my experience, especially the silence that dominated when reaching the water-filled expanse.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Overall, the game has limited replayability, with many users suggesting it is best purchased on sale for its memorable experience rather than for repeated playthroughs.
- “I'd say get it on sale; you won't have much replay value. 3-5$ makes sense.”

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