The Scourge | Tai Ương
- October 23, 2024
- Rare Reversee
Get on Steam"The Scourge" is a first person horror puzzle game, immersing you in the heart of Saigon (Vietnam) through urban legends from the 1990s. You will follow the tragic fate of a family and the main character, who made mistakes in the past and is now haunted by a sinister supernatural force. The protagonist, a person overwhelmed by delusions due to past tragedies and life's despair, freque…
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a haunting atmosphere that resonates with Vietnamese culture.
- The storytelling is engaging, utilizing creative elements like radio ghost stories to enhance the narrative.
- The voice acting and sound design are impressive, contributing to an immersive horror experience.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive, especially during certain chase sequences that drag on too long.
- There are several bugs and performance issues, including frame rate drops and controller sensitivity problems.
- The story, while interesting, is somewhat predictable and lacks depth, with some dialogue feeling awkward.
- story24 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story features two intertwined narratives: the protagonist's family tragedy and the mystery of a haunted building, which players can explore through engaging radio ghost stories that enhance the overall experience. While some players appreciate the storytelling and its ability to evoke curiosity and emotion, others find the plot to be predictable and lacking depth, with criticisms aimed at its brevity and dialogue quality. Overall, the narrative is seen as a compelling element that adds to the game's horror atmosphere, despite some shortcomings.
“Creative way of revealing the storyline through radio.”
“There are actually two intertwined stories for you to explore their secrets: the tragedy of the protagonist's family and the mystery of the haunted building.”
“I’m pleased with the storytelling and how the game carefully drops hints, each like a puzzle piece, allowing players to piece these clues together into a complete picture.”
“However, the story is still paper-thin; you could summarize it in under three minutes without even playing.”
“So, despite the improved graphics, great sound design, and smoother gameplay, I still wouldn’t recommend the game due to its shallow plot, poor dialogue, and a few remaining graphic bugs.”
“But the plot is predictable, and some dialogues are painfully bad, even in Vietnamese.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Scourge | Tai Ơn" features a mix of puzzle elements, chase scenes, and hide-and-seek moments, providing a varied experience. While improvements in movement speed and graphics have been noted, some players find the gameplay sluggish and feel it detracts from the overall experience, leading to mixed recommendations despite the appealing visuals and sound design.
“The gameplay of the scourge includes puzzle elements.”
“Overall, the gameplay is quite varied; it's not just about puzzles but also features chase scenes and hide-and-seek moments.”
“The gameplay is sluggish—everything feels like it’s in slow motion, as if the main character is dealing with chronic sciatica. The graphics are photo-realistic, so no complaints there.”
“Despite the improved graphics, good sound, and smoother gameplay, I still can't recommend The Scourge to my friends due to the shallow storyline, poor dialogue, and some lingering graphical glitches (especially in the [spoiler]escape from dad mission[/spoiler]).”
“Gameplay is also improved: movement is faster, and running actually feels distinct from walking now.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game have received positive feedback, with many users praising their beauty and quality, especially for an indie title. While some noted minor graphic bugs and a few concerns about gameplay sluggishness, the visuals are generally described as excellent and even photo-realistic, contributing to a strong atmospheric experience.
“The sound, graphics, cultural model, and atmosphere are great considering the price.”
“Graphics in the game are beautiful… and yes, I really mean beautiful for an indie game.”
“The graphics are photo-realistic, so no complaints there.”
“The graphics are decent compared to the overall standard.”
“The gameplay is sluggish—everything feels like it’s in slow motion, as if the main character is dealing with chronic sciatica. The graphics are photo-realistic, so no complaints there.”
“That said, the visuals are chilling enough to make up for some of it.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture, effectively blending everyday life with a haunting ambiance that resonates with local ghost stories and urban legends. Players appreciate the high-quality sound and graphics, noting that the absence of cheap jump scares enhances the immersive experience, creating a balance between comfort and unease.
“The sound, graphics, cultural model, and atmosphere are great considering the price.”
“It made me feel both comfortable, as I was immersed in an everyday atmosphere despite playing a game, and haunted when I imagined that the world around me could be just as terrifying.”
“Being Vietnamese, I love playing in the Vietnamese settings and horror atmosphere. Growing up here, I guess every Vietnamese is used to hearing a lot of ghost stories or urban legends.”
“It's worth mentioning that the game doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares, which adds to the overall atmosphere.”
- music3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a well-crafted theme song that enhances the eerie and haunting atmosphere, though players express frustration over its unavailability on platforms like YouTube or Spotify. While the melodies throughout the game effectively complement the overall tone, some find the Vietnamese dubstep menu music to be jarringly out of place, detracting from the horror experience.
“Not to mention the songs used throughout, their melodies perfectly match the game, adding an eerie, haunting quality with a hint of sorrow.”
“The Vietnamese dubstep menu music is wildly out of place for a horror game, giving more of an awkward action vibe.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that while there have been improvements in frame rates, with steady performance around 50-60 fps, significant drops to 15 fps occur in specific areas, indicating that certain effects, particularly water, are not fully optimized. Minor bugs also persist, suggesting further performance enhancements are needed.
“The FPS has improved, now holding steady around 50–60 FPS, though it still drops significantly to 15 FPS when entering the water puppet room (guess the water effects aren’t fully optimized yet).”
“Minor bugs sometimes cause FPS drops; performance needs improvement.”
“My setup: i7 13700K, RTX 4080 Super, 64 GB RAM.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it requires an unrealistic amount of effort, akin to needing a second life to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
“I spent hours grinding for minimal rewards.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong emotional impact, feeling a comforting immersion in a relatable everyday setting while simultaneously experiencing a haunting sense of dread about the underlying darkness of the world. This duality creates a compelling emotional experience that resonates deeply.
“It made me feel both comfortable, as I was immersed in an everyday atmosphere despite playing a game, and haunted when I imagined that the world around me could be just as terrifying.”
“The emotional depth of the characters left a lasting impact on me, making their struggles feel incredibly real.”
“I found myself deeply connected to the story, experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions that resonated long after I finished playing.”
