Skip to main content

The Parallax Effect

The Parallax Effect Game Cover
47%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, gameplay
47% User Score Based on 144 reviews

Platforms

PCMac OSWindows
Buy NowGet on Steam
The Parallax Effect Game Cover

About The Parallax Effect

The Parallax Effect is a single player and multiplayer open world simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by Danstarr13 and was released on January 1, 2018. It received neutral reviews from players.

You're a survivor of "The Parallax Effect". A government run project which took a dark, unforeseen turn for the worst several years ago. You are now left with no memory and seemingly lost in an abandoned world reclaimed by nature, but you might not be alone...

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
The Parallax Effect screenshot
The Parallax Effect screenshot
The Parallax Effect screenshot
The Parallax Effect screenshot
Skip Games Like The Parallax Effect

Games Like The Parallax Effect

Looking for games like The Parallax Effect? Here are top open world simulation recommendations with a horror focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with SURVIVAL: Postapocalypse Now, Miscreated or Survive the Nights.

SURVIVAL: Postapocalypse Now Image
48%2.7kreviews

SURVIVAL: Postapocalypse Now

2019Open World Shooter
PCWindows
Games like SURVIVAL: Postapocalypse Now
Miscreated Image
64%23.2kreviews

Miscreated

2018Open World Role Playing Shooter
PCWindows
Games like Miscreated
Survive the Nights Image
64%3.4kreviews

Survive the Nights

2025Open World Shooter
PCTabletMac OS+2
Games like Survive the Nights
Dead Matter Image
19%617reviews

Dead Matter

2023Open World Role Playing Shooter
LinuxPCMac OS+1
Games like Dead Matter
Nether Image
38%10.1kreviews

Nether

2014Open World Role Playing Shooter
PCWindows
Games like Nether
SCUM Image
73%46.9kreviews

SCUM

2025Open World Role Playing Shooter
PCCloudMac OS+2
Games like SCUM
Osiris: New Dawn Image
53%15.9kreviews

Osiris: New Dawn

2023Open World Role Playing
PCWindows
Games like Osiris: New Dawn
No One Survived Image
69%3.9kreviews

No One Survived

2025Open World Role Playing
PCWindows
Games like No One Survived
The Skies Image
35%1.8kreviews

The Skies

2016Open World Role Playing Shooter
PCWindows
Games like The Skies
Mist Survival Image
76%7.5kreviews

Mist Survival

2018Open World Shooter
PCWindows
Games like Mist Survival
More games like The Parallax Effect
Skip User Reviews

Reviews

47%Audience ScoreBased on 144 reviews
story3 negative mentions
  • The game shows potential and has a dedicated developer working hard to improve it.
  • Despite its flaws, some players find it fun and engaging, especially in multiplayer settings.
  • The game is free-to-play, making it accessible for those willing to try it out.
  • The game is plagued with bugs, making it nearly unplayable for many users.
  • The graphics and overall optimization are poor, leading to performance issues even on high-end systems.
  • Players have reported frustrating account creation processes and unclear gameplay mechanics.

  • graphics

    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    18% positive mentions, 64% neutral mentions, 18% negative mentions

    The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many users comparing them to outdated 1990s visuals and describing them as basic and unappealing. Despite some acknowledging potential in the game's concept, the overall execution is criticized for being choppy and poorly optimized, even on high-end systems. While a few users found the graphics decent and playable, the consensus leans towards disappointment, highlighting a need for significant improvement.

    • “I think that the idea of the game is great and the graphics are decent and playable.”
    • “+ many settings for changing graphics”
    • “Same goes for the graphic level being low, but the world as it stands is reasonably large.”
    • “The graphics of the game itself are very reminiscent of 1990s games and don't look nearly as nice as one would suspect from the screenshots in the store.”
    • “Graphics are bad even for a free game.”
    • “This game has Tetris graphics that should run on a TI-86 calculator but instead was using all 16GB of memory and choppy while running on a 1080 GTX.”

  • gameplay

    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    25% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The gameplay is widely criticized for being frustrating and poorly optimized, with many players struggling to understand the mechanics and navigate a bug-ridden environment. The controls are described as clunky, and the overall experience is likened to other low-quality games, leading to a consensus that it is currently unplayable and lacks engaging content.

    • “Let me describe the first 5 minutes of gameplay:”
    • “Gameplay is really like Unturned or Nomad.”
    • “Note: this review is solely based on single-player gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay consists of trying to avoid the bugged hellscape of an incomplete game, and abusing the admin console to grief other players, because the developer apparently didn't bother to lock it up.”
    • “And after 1.3 hours of gameplay, it's still not really clear how this game is supposed to be played.”
    • “Still in early access, the game is at this time horribly optimized and almost unplayable; the controls are clunky and overall gameplay isn't even mediocre.”

  • story

    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    25% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 38% negative mentions

    The story in the game shows potential but is currently underdeveloped, with some players finding it lacking or non-existent. Initial engagement is slow, and while there are hints of a storyline, the absence of side quests detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the narrative aspect needs significant improvement to enhance player enjoyment.

    • “The story has potential.”
    • “I wouldn't recommend it at the moment, but if there come side quests, it would be a lot more fun.”
    • “No story.”
    • “The story in the first 15 minutes takes a bit of time getting used to.”
    • “+ attempt at a storyline.”

  • stability

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches reported by users, particularly related to save and reload functions. While many acknowledge these problems are typical for a pre-alpha release, the overall consensus is that the game is highly unoptimized and requires further development to reach its potential.

    • “While the game has potential, it is also very buggy.”
    • “The game is way too buggy.”
    • “Buggy as all hell and highly unoptimized, but it is to be expected from a pre-alpha game.”

  • optimization

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players report smooth performance on high settings, many others highlight significant issues, including freezing and bugs, particularly at launch. There is optimism for future improvements through updates, but the game currently requires further optimization and patches to enhance the overall experience.

    • “I think it has the potential to be a good choice for anyone looking for a new game, but still needs some patches and performance optimizations.”
    • “The game runs very well on my PC, and I have the settings at max. With future updates, the optimization will continue to improve.”
    • “Update 1: The game has received very good updates and performance is greatly increasing.”
    • “So far, I had a great time with the game, but it needs better optimization and a few minor bug fixes.”
    • “The game has a bunch of performance issues, and when 1.0 was rolled out, you couldn't even play single player without the game freezing upon the loading screen's imminent appearance, and it went on for a good few days.”
    • “Definitely needs optimization.”

  • monetization

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for intrusive ads and poor gameplay mechanics, such as ineffective flashlight functionality and single-fire guns. Players express frustration over the game's dark visuals and the impact of menu interactions on gameplay, suggesting that these issues detract from the overall experience.

    • “The ads are intrusive and disrupt the gameplay experience, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it pushes players to spend money to enhance their experience.”
    • “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it difficult to progress without spending extra.”

  • replayability

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with users noting that it fails to offer engaging content even for a free survival title.

    • “It's honestly a bad survival game, even for a free one, with almost no replay value whatsoever.”
    • “The lack of meaningful choices and variety makes it hard to justify playing again.”
    • “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to return for a second playthrough.”

  • grinding

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, -100% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Players find that grinding is necessary to acquire even basic weapons and armor, often feeling it demands excessive time and effort, akin to needing a second life to keep up with the requirements.

    • “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
    • “The grind is satisfying, as it allows you to see tangible progress in your character's development.”
    • “It requires quite a bit of grinding just to obtain the most basic weapons and armor.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”

  • music

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Users report that the music in the game is notable, but it is overshadowed by technical issues, as the game frequently crashes shortly after launch, often during the initial black screen accompanied by music.

    • “Right off the jump after downloading this game, it crashes after a few minutes of black screen and music.”
Skip Game Offers

Buy The Parallax Effect

Play Times

4h Median play time
11h Average play time
3-27h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The Parallax Effect is a open world simulation game with horror theme. Common tags for The Parallax Effect include free to play, indie and early access.

The Parallax Effect is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 11 hours playing The Parallax Effect.

The Parallax Effect was released on January 1, 2018.

The Parallax Effect was developed by Danstarr13.

The Parallax Effect has received neutral reviews from players. Most players disliked The Parallax Effect for its graphics.

The Parallax Effect is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include SURVIVAL: Postapocalypse Now, Miscreated, Survive the Nights, Dead Matter, Nether and others.