The Subject

About

The Subject is a single player survival puzzle game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by DarkStone Digital and was released on July 28, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Can you survive the experiment? The Subject is a Sci-Fi horror game from DarkStone Digital. Play as a prisoner sold off to a deep-space testing facility. Navigate the maze-like complex and solve various puzzles while a strange creature hunts the next subject forced into its halls. You.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 48 reviews

atmosphere7 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

Strong atmospheric horror experience with excellent sound design and lighting that creates tension and immersion.
Challenging and varied puzzles that reward problem-solving skills and provide a satisfying sense of accomplishment.
Well-designed sci-fi environment with detailed visuals and compelling backstory, enhancing exploration and narrative depth.

Navigation is frustrating due to a large, maze-like map, lack of proper mapping tools, and frequent getting lost.
Monster AI and mechanics cause annoyance and imbalance; frequent encounters disrupt puzzle solving and induce frustration.
Minimal direction and hand-holding leave many puzzles obscure and confusing, sometimes leading to player dead ends or perceived bugs.

atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
43%
7%
The game delivers a highly immersive and intense atmosphere, combining claustrophobic sci-fi environments, dark and spooky settings, and unsettling horror elements. While its sound design and visuals effectively build tension and urgency, some navigation issues can detract from the overall experience. Nonetheless, the atmosphere remains a standout feature that greatly enhances the game's appeal.
- “The combination of sound, claustrophobic environment, dark areas, and dystopian theme creates a great atmosphere throughout the game.”
- “If you enjoy horror games with incredible atmosphere and music, this is one to pick up.”
- “It has the most unsettling atmosphere I have experienced in a very long time.”
- “It's such a drawback that it can ruin the spooky atmosphere and horror to the point where the horror just gets annoying.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The gameplay is generally praised for its fluid mechanics, smooth flow, and compelling puzzles set in a well-designed environment. However, some users criticize the game for artificially prolonging playtime by causing aimless wandering and question the relevance of certain elements like the monster, which doesn't impact core puzzle-solving. Overall, the gameplay is appreciated for its atmosphere and design, though pacing and certain mechanics receive mixed feedback.
- “The gameplay was fluid, and the mechanics worked well.”
- “While the pressure mechanic is great, I would honestly like to be able to solve these puzzles at my own pace, with the ambiance of the ship as the only 'scare' factor.”
- “Gameplay starts off with instructions over a speaker, so you feel like you are in a lived-in place.”
- “The game artificially prolongs its gameplay by making you run in circles without a clue.”
- “Beautifully designed environment and a poorly designed monster and monster mechanics.”
- “The monster that stalks the area you're in is locked out of main puzzle areas which begs the question why the monster even exists if it's not a core gameplay element.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
64%
The graphics are praised for their solid quality, effective lighting, and atmospheric sci-fi space station design that enhances immersion. The art style is reminiscent of classic sci-fi horror games but maintains unique and engaging visuals. Overall, the visuals successfully contribute to the game's moody, immersive atmosphere.
- “Solid graphics, I especially liked the lighting in some corridors.”
- “The graphics are really good; it looks like a sci-fi space station and the design gives the player just enough to build atmosphere and hint at what to do.”
- “The art direction is familiar but still has a lot of unique visuals going for it.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The story provides an intriguing and subtle backstory that effectively sets the premise without being overly explicit, allowing players to immerse themselves naturally in the character's experience. While the narrative is compelling and complements the gameplay, it remains somewhat minimal, leaving much open to interpretation.
- “The backstory of why I was on a biomass ship is very interesting!”
- “It's not a very in-your-face story but more of a subtle tale that unfolds naturally as if you were actually the character in the game experiencing these insane events.”
- “Its story elements provide a contextual background of the main character's (your) situation while leaving many aspects up for interpretation by the player.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and frustrating, with puzzles being difficult but mostly involving brute-force solutions. The lack of clear indicators for puzzle completion and a somewhat ineffective map contribute to a repetitive and aimless experience during exploration.
- “Great concept but the puzzles you have to solve at each hall are incredibly difficult and tedious.”
- “There are 4 rooms that have some real puzzles, but these are the tedious, brute force solving kind.”
- “When the game takes off in terms of action it made trying to do everything else on the ship much more difficult, and much more tedious.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game effectively enhances the horror atmosphere, using spooky cues and ambient sounds to build tension and signal impending danger. Fans of atmospheric horror will find the soundtrack particularly immersive and well-crafted.
- “If you enjoy horror games with incredible atmosphere and music, this is one to pick up.”
- “You know that stuff is going to go wrong for you pretty quickly from the bloodstains, spooky music cues, and steam everywhere.”
- “♬ Music and ambience ♬”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers high replayability due to procedurally generated puzzles each playthrough and a permadeath mechanic, preventing memorization and ensuring a fresh challenge every time.
- “Also, the codes you need to discover generate anew each playthrough, so if you survive to the end, there is genuine replay value and you can't just memorize every puzzle answer.”
- “It never feels unfair, and because of permadeath, the replayability is very high.”