The Nameless City
- July 13, 2024
- Cyberleaf Studio
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Get on itch.io Store"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.
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PC
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game effectively captures the atmosphere and themes of Lovecraftian horror, providing a sense of creeping dread and cosmic insignificance.
- The voice acting and sound design enhance the overall experience, contributing to the eerie ambiance and storytelling.
- Despite its short length, the game offers a unique spellcasting mechanic and light puzzles that add depth to the exploration.
- The game is very short, typically completed in about an hour, which may not justify the price for some players.
- The use of AI-generated images and low-resolution graphics detracts from the overall visual experience, leading to technical issues and immersion breaks.
- The second half of the game can feel repetitive, with limited gameplay variety and a lack of surprises, making it less engaging.
- story17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game offers a faithful adaptation of Lovecraft's "The Nameless City," effectively capturing the creeping dread and eldritch horror of the source material. While the narrative is well-written and atmospheric, some players noted issues with the voiceover pronunciation, which detracted slightly from the experience. Overall, the storytelling is immersive, with strong environmental cues and a hypnotic narrator, making it accessible even for those unfamiliar with Lovecraft's work.
“Pretty true-to-story adaptation of the Lovecraft book, with some tension as you rush between puzzles, losing sanity but it is recoverable.”
“Like the story it is adapted from, this game feels like something in between a dream and an adventure.”
“The game is highly atmospheric, with great voice acting and incredible environmental storytelling.”
“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.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and eerie qualities, effectively capturing the essence of Lovecraftian horror through its audio, voice acting, and retro art style. While the gameplay is noted to be short, lasting around 45 minutes to an hour, many players found the atmospheric experience to be compelling and enjoyable, enhancing the overall narrative impact. Despite some concerns about the game's length, the atmospheric elements are consistently highlighted as a standout feature.
“The audio does a really good job of setting the atmosphere.”
“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.”
“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.'”
“I personally found its PSX-style graphics charming; 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.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are characterized by a nostalgic PS1 aesthetic, which some players find charming and evocative, enhancing the eerie atmosphere and storytelling. However, the extremely low resolution and occasional graphical glitches may detract from the experience for others. Overall, the retro art style is well-received, particularly by fans of pixel art and classic gaming.
“Overall an enjoyable experience, and the objectives are well signposted to keep it moving at a good pace; loved the PSX graphical style.”
“In certain parts of the game, the retro art style is beautiful, and the atmosphere is constantly eerie.”
“I personally found its PSX-style graphics charming; 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.”
“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.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a strong atmospheric presence and a nostalgic homage to Lovecraftian themes, featuring a mix of exploration and puzzles, though it primarily involves walking. While some players appreciate the immersive experience and narrative-driven mechanics, many feel that the short duration of around 45 minutes to an hour does not justify the price, leading to mixed opinions on overall value.
“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.”
“Your mileage may vary as far as value weighed against an hour of gameplay, but the experience itself does make the price palatable in my opinion.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its perfect ambiance and ability to enhance the overall experience, with well-timed rises and falls that complement key moments. While there was an initial issue with a crackling sound, the overall soundtrack and narration create a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in the adventure.
“The mood, the music, and the narration are all worth re-experiencing.”
“Perfect ambience, textures, and soundtrack accompany you through this adventure that makes you feel insignificant.”
“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.”
“First, there was a music file at the beginning that crackled in my headphones when it played.”
“The music often feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The soundtrack doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, users indicate that the game has limited replayability, suggesting it may be worth purchasing 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.”
“Once you finish the game, there's really no incentive to play it again.”
“The lack of different endings or meaningful choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
