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The Pulse of Evil

The Pulse of Evil Game Cover
95%Game Brain Score
gameplay, atmosphere
story, replayability
95% User Score Based on 151 reviews

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PCWindows
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The Pulse of Evil Game Cover

About

The Pulse of Evil is a single player shooter game with horror, mystery and violence themes. It was developed by Mads and was released on June 11, 2023. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Find yourself on a mission exploring the depth of an ominous forgotten mine. You arrive barehanded but quickly find the tools needed to go deeper. Destroy the infected living parts of the mine and face the final threat and complete your mission.

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The Pulse of Evil screenshot
The Pulse of Evil screenshot
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95%
Audience ScoreBased on 151 reviews
gameplay16 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and engaging inventory management system that adds tension and strategy to combat.
  • It successfully captures the atmosphere of an 80s horror film, providing a fun and immersive experience.
  • The respawn mechanic, where new squad members take over after death, adds an interesting layer to gameplay and encourages exploration.
  • The game is quite short, which may leave players wanting more content and depth.
  • Some players found the inventory controls to be awkward and difficult to master, leading to frustration during combat.
  • There is a lack of story or lore, which could enhance the overall experience and provide more context to the gameplay.
  • gameplay
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by solid combat mechanics and a unique, challenging inventory management system that adds depth to the survival horror experience. Players appreciate the game's gritty visual style and the stress-inducing atmosphere, though some find the inventory mechanics initially difficult to master. Overall, the game offers a fun, albeit short, experience with potential for expansion and further development of its core mechanics.

    • “It has solid combat mechanics and a very nice, gritty visual style.”
    • “Game overall has some decent production values, a good variety of enemies that threaten you in clever ways, a novel death mechanic where you respawn as a new person following the previous run's footsteps, and even a boss fight to top it all off.”
    • “I loved the mechanics in this game; at first I was confused because of the difference between its inventory system and other games - but it wasn't long before I began to master it and really enjoy it.”
    • “A fun little survival horror where the gameplay is frantically trying to cram items into your pockets while monsters harass you.”
    • “To get right to what I mean, the core mechanic is inventory management and it is the most horrendous inventory mechanic I've ever used, which works really well for this game.”
    • “If you're going for all the achievements, and know what you're doing after your first run, you'll probably reach about 2 hours worth of gameplay.”
  • atmosphere
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its spooky and stress-inducing qualities, enhanced by classic pixel art and effective sound design. Players appreciate the tension created by the inventory system, which adds to the immersive experience. Overall, the game is described as fun, atmospheric, and replayable, with a strong sense of dread that complements its gameplay mechanics.

    • “Very atmospheric horror game with some interesting inventory concepts that keep you on your toes while dealing with whatever is down that mine.”
    • “A simple top-down shooter with an interesting death mechanic and a small yet terrifying and stressful world, with a stress-inducing atmosphere.”
    • “I love how new squad members get sent in to pick up the pieces when you die, and I love the spooky atmosphere.”
  • graphics
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are praised for their retro style and atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the horror experience. While some players suggest that vector graphics could improve the clarity of inventory items, the overall aesthetic and unique inventory system are well-received, contributing to an engaging gameplay experience.

    • “I love it! The pulse of evil hits the spot I needed; the graphics make the game feel more horror than most up-to-date horror games.”
    • “Graphics, atmosphere, and music are all great, and the inventory system is simple yet lots of fun!”
    • “The game features nice pixel graphics and a bumpin' soundtrack.”
    • “Since the art style is so simple, the dev could've used vectors or mesh instead of those pixel sprites for the rotating items inside the inventory.”
    • “That would mean no rotated pixels in the game's screen with the largest resolution visuals.”
    • “Graphics: retro”
  • emotional
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game highlights the critical role of human interaction and nurturing environments in a child's emotional development. While intellectual stimulation is abundant, the absence of genuine relationships and stability can lead to emotional stunting and hinder the development of empathy and self-identity. The contrasting experiences of isolation versus communal bonds illustrate the complex interplay between emotional growth and the influences of one's upbringing.

    • “The absence of a stable and nurturing environment might hinder the baby's emotional growth, empathetic understanding, and overall well-being.”
    • “Though such connections might be tempered by the violent nature of their profession, the bonds forged could provide a foundation for emotional growth and resilience.”
    • “The intellectual potential within the giant brain may be vast, yet a lack of genuine human connection limits the baby's emotional and social growth.”
  • story
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story aspect of the game is described as intriguing yet underdeveloped, with players expressing a desire for more lore and narrative depth. While some found the gameplay enjoyable, the lack of a satisfying story and replayability detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the narrative leaves players wanting more, despite the fun they had.

    • “Has difficulty without being onerous or annoying, and an intriguing story that's hinted at.”
    • “Short and sweet, a little confused about the story but I had fun overall; it's free and you should play it.”
    • “I just wish there was more story and/or lore here.”
    • “The game didn't have any story/lore to piece together either, nor a combat model that's satisfying or deep enough to replay for itself, like Dead Space or Resident Evil 4.”
    • “Maybe throw in upgrades, allies, and all that because honestly if this game had the time and variety, story, and replay loop, I would pre-order and spend a good chunk of money to support that.”
  • replayability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players enjoy the fun and atmospheric elements along with achievements that encourage replay, others find the lack of randomization and interesting modifiers limits the incentive to replay, especially given the short playtime.

    • “Fun, atmospheric, and replayable.”
    • “Fun trying to find secrets and hunting for the achievements, which adds some replayability.”
    • “Learning this was a bit of a double-whammy in that not only is the map boring, but it means that my assumed replayability of the game by switching elements up is practically non-existent (which I was hoping would offset the short playtime).”
    • “As mentioned above, not only did the game not have enough randomization to generate replayability and offset the short run time, but it didn't have any interesting modifiers or difficulties.”
    • “A couple of achievements to add replayability and challenge, and it's free.”
  • music
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its creative use of synths and a "bumpin'" soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere. The soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal alongside its graphics and gameplay.

    • “The soundtrack is really something as well.”
    • “I love the creative use of synths in the soundtrack, very tasteful.”
    • “The game features nice pixel graphics and a bumpin' soundtrack.”
  • grinding
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as progression relies on repeated runs after death, with the challenge of retrieving lost inventory from distant locations adding to the frustration.

    • “Progression after death is achieved through successive runs, with the dead player’s inventory left where they dropped it, which can be tedious if the player died far from the start.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the humor in the game to be enjoyable, particularly highlighting the amusing elements of the boss fight and the unexpected comedic touch of a baby character at the end. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted charm to the gameplay experience.

    • “Amazing! I loved getting all the achievements, and the boss fight was fantastic. The baby at the end was unexpectedly funny!”
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Pulse of Evil is a shooter game with horror, mystery and violence themes.

The Pulse of Evil is available on PC and Windows.

The Pulse of Evil was released on June 11, 2023.

The Pulse of Evil was developed by Mads.

The Pulse of Evil has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

The Pulse of Evil is a single player game.

Similar games include Endoparasitic, EMPTY SHELL, FROSTBITE: Deadly Climate, Whisper Mountain Outbreak, DRACOMATON and others.