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The Tartarus Key

The Tartarus Key combines thoughtful puzzles, engaging writing, and a compelling setting and melds them together inside a PS1 package. It may not create a great deal of horror, but the writing and suspense keep you moving forward.
The Tartarus Key Game Cover
83%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
replayability, grinding
95% User Score Based on 238 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 10 reviews

Platforms

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The Tartarus Key Game Cover

About

The Tartarus Key is a single player action adventure game with horror, mystery and thriller themes. It was developed by Armor Games Studios and was released on May 31, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

The last thing Alex Young remembers is being at home alone in her apartment… so why has she suddenly woken up in this strange mansion? All the doors are locked by bizarre puzzles and traps, there are cameras following her every move, and she keeps thinking she sees… things… out of the corner of her eye. If she wants to escape alive, along with the other captives she discovers, she’ll need to use h…

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95%
Audience ScoreBased on 238 reviews
story33 positive mentions
grinding1 negative mentions
  • Engaging and well-designed puzzles that are challenging without being frustrating, often requiring logical deduction and careful observation.
  • Strong and atmospheric retro PS1-inspired art style and sound design that effectively create a spooky, eerie, and nostalgic horror vibe without relying on jump scares or combat.
  • Well-written and likable characters with humorous and natural dialogue that enhance the narrative, along with multiple endings that encourage replayability and deeper engagement.
  • Some puzzles have obscure or unintuitive solutions that may require external guides, and a few are seen as too easy or too hard, leading to moments of frustration.
  • The story and narrative depth can feel incomplete or underdeveloped, with a somewhat predictable and rushed ending, leaving some questions unanswered.
  • Excessive and sometimes unnecessary dialogue, with no voice acting, can disrupt pacing and immersion; additionally, some players find the retro visuals either charming or dated.
  • story
    100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is a subtle, atmosphere-driven mystery told through environmental clues, dialogue, and multiple endings shaped by player choices, blending horror vibes with puzzle-solving. While praised for engaging characters and intriguing plot twists, some find the narrative predictable, uneven in depth, or overshadowed by dialogue that can feel excessive and detract from pacing. Overall, it complements the game's puzzle focus and retro aesthetic, delivering a concise but occasionally flawed narrative experience.

    • “The narrative unfolds gradually through environmental storytelling, conversations, and hidden documents rather than exposition-heavy cutscenes.”
    • “As the story progresses, players must make choices that influence the fate of other captives and determine which of the game’s multiple endings they will receive.”
    • “The story's mystery continuously builds and it never feels predictable.”
    • “90% of the plot boils down to: enter the room, solve the puzzle, save the friend, repeat, which is kinda boring ("90%" when we take the good ending - yes, there's more than 1 ending - otherwise it's 100%).”
    • “That wouldn't be a bad thing if the writing actually added to the story, but 90% of the dialogue is just pointless unnecessary backstory and side conversations that don't advance the plot.”
    • “This game is 90% story + mystery and goes all the way to jumping the shark by the end, but somehow doesn't manage to tie anything up.”
  • graphics
    93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics embrace a nostalgic PS1-era low-poly, retro horror aesthetic that effectively enhances its eerie and atmospheric vibe. While some players appreciate the charming, intentionally "janky" visuals and CRT-style effects, others find the low resolution and shaky textures occasionally obscure puzzle details. Overall, the distinctive art style is a key highlight, complementing the spooky theme and puzzle gameplay, especially for fans of classic 90s horror visuals.

    • “The visual presentation embraces a retro, low-poly aesthetic reminiscent of early 3D horror titles.”
    • “Though this game is only part of a wave of recent horror games making the stylistic choice of emulating PS1-era graphics, that choice is used to great effect, with the shimmering textures, z-fighting objects, and short draw distance keeping me on my toes and not quite able to trust what I was looking at, tying in nicely with elements of the narrative.”
    • “Striking retro PS1-inspired visuals, a very slick, focused game design, and puzzles that were challenging, but in almost all cases, completely fair.”
    • “I also found the graphics to be poor quality, making it hard to actually figure out some puzzles.”
    • “There are some good puzzles but often they are either way too simple, way too obtuse, or way too reliant on spotting something minuscule (especially given the low fidelity art style).”
    • “The premise of the game is okay, but after less than 20 minutes, I got frustrated with the visuals.”
  • atmosphere
    66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game excels at creating a tense, spooky atmosphere through its retro PS1-inspired graphics, eerie soundtrack, and thoughtful sound design, successfully blending psychological horror with puzzle-driven exploration. While it avoids heavy jump scares and overt horror, its unsettling mood and nostalgic art style effectively build immersion and suspense. Overall, the atmosphere is consistently praised as a core strength that enhances the horror experience without resorting to typical scares or overwhelming tension.

    • “The atmosphere’s on point and that is in no small part due to the game’s fantastic art direction, music and sound design as well as its writing.”
    • “The Tartarus Key has a great atmosphere and retro art style complemented by an eerie Silent Hill-inspired soundtrack.”
    • “It manages to be both relaxing and tense... the puzzles are relatively simple and there's no combat to stress over, but it can still get tense thanks to the atmosphere, mild jump scares, and the perilous stakes facing the characters you meet.”
    • “I do feel though that at times the creepy atmosphere falters in being sufficiently oppressive, and I wish there were more interactions with the characters.”
    • “The atmosphere set by the graphics is seriously undermined by the "ironic millennial" attitude of the player character and two-dimensional NPCs.”
    • “Unfortunately, the story was less interesting than expected and the constant chatter between Alex and Torres sometimes hurts the atmosphere.”
  • gameplay
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay combines first-person exploration with well-crafted escape-room style puzzles that demand careful attention, creating a tense and immersive experience without relying on jump scares or gore. It features creative mechanics, branching narratives with multiple endings, and a retro horror aesthetic that enhances suspense. While generally praised for its puzzle design and atmosphere, some players noted minor drawbacks like underused mechanics and occasional unclear puzzle hints.

    • “By combining escape-room mechanics, retro horror aesthetics, and branching narrative consequences, it offers an engaging and immersive experience that respects the player’s intelligence.”
    • “A neat little horror game which combines a compelling suspense/mystery story with gameplay that encompasses both first-person exploration and room-based puzzle solving.”
    • “Gameplay consists of exploring and a lot of puzzle solving and while they don't reinvent the wheel, they're done pretty well and at least the main puzzles require you to pay a lot of attention or you'll think you found the correct solution only to learn better when it's too late.”
    • “Which feels like it comes out of nowhere in a gameplay and narrative sense.”
    • “I'm less wanting to interact with your environment knowing that a majority of interactables will result in 'witticisms' that serve no purpose to the story or gameplay.”
    • “There is a 'radio' mechanic which seemed like it could have been a cool Metal Gear Solid type thing but it winds up just being kind of pointless.”
  • music
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music is widely praised for its atmospheric and eerie qualities, effectively enhancing the game's retro, horror-inspired vibe and overall immersion. While most find the soundtrack fitting and integral to the mood, a few feel it can detract from the experience or be underwhelming in volume. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a strong element that complements the art style and setting.

    • “The shaky PS1 graphics mixed with the incredible music made for a world I wanted to curl up in and just stay forever.”
    • “The Tartarus Key has a great atmosphere and retro art style complemented by an eerie Silent Hill-inspired soundtrack.”
    • “The atmosphere’s on point and that is in no small part due to the game’s fantastic art direction, music and sound design as well as its writing.”
    • “Given the absurd amount of dialogue, having to read through all that with nothing but spooky music in the background is painfully boring.”
    • “The soundtrack is completely mediocre.”
    • “Music itself is fine, but it doesn't work with the game for some reason.”
  • humor
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its witty, sarcastic, and charming dialogue, particularly through the main character's commentary, which adds freshness and levity to the story. Players appreciate the well-written, funny interactions and likable characters, though some wished the game focused more on horror than humor in the endings. Overall, the humor is deemed a strong and enjoyable aspect of the experience.

    • “Alex (the main character) has some hilarious dialogue and commentary on her situation that keeps things fresh.”
    • “The writing in this is so friggin good, filled with humor and charm and characters you can't help but grow to love.”
    • “I did really enjoy this game, it was an easy 100%; the characters are interesting, the dialogue is funny and the puzzles are logical and can be solved quite easily if you just think from a few different perspectives.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability primarily stems from its branching narrative and multiple endings, encouraging players to explore different story paths. However, beyond pursuing alternate endings, there is little additional incentive to replay.

    • “This branching structure adds replay value and encourages deeper engagement with the narrative.”
    • “The game features multiple endings based on player choices, encouraging replayability and exploration of different narrative paths.”
    • “Some may not like that there isn't any replay value outside of going for the various endings.”
    • “The game has essentially no replay value as well, unless you want to get the other endings.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is minimal, offering just enough to keep players engaged without extensive depth or long NPC interactions. While the story is intriguing, it remains light and may leave those seeking deeper narrative and character growth wanting more.

    • “A fun, breezy four hour or so puzzle game that doesn't overstay its welcome while still providing an entertaining story and just enough character development for you to stay invested.”
    • “Sparse narrative depth: the storyline, while intriguing, may lack depth and character development, leaving some players wanting more from the narrative.”
    • “It's not a bad thing per se, but people expecting loads of character development or long conversations with NPCs are going to be left wanting.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's puzzles strike a good balance by being challenging yet logical, providing a satisfying sense of accomplishment without frustrating players. This thoughtful design effectively evokes positive emotions of intelligence and achievement.

  • grinding
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding is mostly engaging with many clever puzzles, though it includes some tedious sections that may slow down the pace.

  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game demonstrates excellent stability, running smoothly on the Steam Deck without issues.

    • “It runs great on Steam Deck.”
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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 10 critic reviews
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6h Median play time
6h Average play time
6-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Tartarus Key is a action adventure game with horror, mystery and thriller themes.

The Tartarus Key is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing The Tartarus Key.

The Tartarus Key was released on May 31, 2023.

The Tartarus Key was developed by Armor Games Studios.

The Tartarus Key has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

The Tartarus Key is a single player game.

Similar games include The Guest, Call of Cthulhu, Call of the Sea, Paradise Killer, Kathy Rain and others.