The Textorcist
- November 4, 2019
- MorbidWare
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple Store"The Textorcist" is a intense bullet hell game with a unique twist: you play as an exorcist who fights demons by typing out the prayers that will banish them. The game features a thrilling story, fast-paced action, and a typing system that rewards speed and accuracy. As you progress, you'll face tougher challenges, unlock new abilities, and uncover the mysteries of Ray Bibbia's past.
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Reviews
- gameplay396 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is a unique blend of typing mechanics and bullet hell elements, creating a challenging yet innovative experience that tests players' reflexes and typing skills simultaneously. While many players appreciate the originality and engaging boss mechanics, some find the controls cumbersome and the gameplay loop punishing, leading to mixed feelings about its overall enjoyment. Despite its flaws, the game is praised for its aesthetic appeal, soundtrack, and the clever integration of its core mechanics, making it a noteworthy entry in the genre.
“The gameplay is ingenious; you won't find anything like it anywhere else.”
“This game introduces a genius mechanic (that being exorcism-chanting via typing) and implements it damn near perfectly.”
“The combination of the quirky visuals, catchy tunes, and zany gameplay creates a truly enjoyable and addictive experience.”
“The main problem of this game is that the core gameplay mechanic sucks.”
“But not fun enough to get through the incredibly frustrating gameplay.”
“The gameplay is atrocious; I mean it's pretty telling when you have hundreds of thousands of cheated scores on the scoreboard.”
- story356 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia" is generally viewed as entertaining but not particularly deep, serving primarily to provide context for the gameplay. While some players appreciate its humorous and quirky elements, others find the writing inconsistent and the characters unengaging. Overall, the narrative is seen as a functional backdrop that complements the unique typing and bullet-hell mechanics, though it may not be the main draw for all players.
“The storytelling shines with a wholesome and captivating narrative, effectively drawing players in and maintaining their interest.”
“The game combines a wonderful storyline, one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, and fun gameplay that I really enjoy.”
“Awesome game with captivating gameplay, compelling story and amazing pixel art.”
“The overall presentation isn't to my taste, and the constant mix of crass, base humor before going back to being vaguely serious was jarring, so the story wasn't interesting to me in the least.”
“The characters and story aren't noteworthy at all, and are even kind of annoying in my opinion.”
“It's nothing special, consisting of just a few dialogues that somewhat explain the existence of the demons and the backstory of the exorcist himself; however, it wasn't particularly interesting, which led to me skipping some of the dialogue entirely or at least scrolling through it, waiting to get my hands on the gameplay again.”
- music262 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, particularly for its energetic and engaging soundtrack composed by gost, which enhances the gameplay experience and fits well with the game's themes. Players appreciate the variety and quality of the tracks, often describing them as "bangers" that elevate the intensity of boss fights and overall atmosphere. While some critiques mention issues with looping and memorability, the overwhelming consensus is that the soundtrack is a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
“The soundtrack for this game is genuinely awesome and appropriate to the bosses.”
“The music by gost is awesome and fits really well both for the fast-paced game and the exorcisms theme.”
“The soundtrack is great, the art is great, overall the game has great aesthetics.”
“So for tens of hours I have been experiencing this single song on repeat, it's ridiculous.”
“The music was too loud on startup and took me a long time to figure out how to even use the menu -- I was already frustrated at this point.”
“The music is pretty bland.”
- humor144 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it clever and entertaining, while others criticize it as crass or outdated. Many appreciate the offbeat, tongue-in-cheek dialogue and the unique premise, though some feel the humor can be hit-or-miss, veering into cringe territory at times. Overall, the game's comedic elements contribute to its charm, but opinions on their effectiveness vary widely among players.
“The dialogue is clever, witty, and often downright hilarious.”
“It's a unique and hilarious adventure that will test your typing skills while keeping you entertained with its devilishly funny dialogue and challenging gameplay.”
“As demonic adversaries come at you with all their hellish might, you must channel your inner wordsmith and type out exorcism chants faster than you can say 'qwerty.' It's a bullet hell shooter meets a typing contest, and boy, does it make for some hilarious moments.”
“Some of the most painfully unfunny dialogue I have ever had to read in a video game.”
- graphics122 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant pixel art style, which adds a charming retro touch and enhances the overall atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the detailed animations and unique character designs, while the combination of visuals and a catchy soundtrack creates an engaging experience. However, some players noted issues with flashing lights and occasional glitches that detract from the visual enjoyment.
“Finally, the Textorcist has one of the best pixel art styles I have encountered in a game.”
“The pixel art graphics add a charming retro touch, while the catchy soundtrack will have you bobbing your head as you type away.”
“Everything is well animated and expertly detailed, with little modern graphical flourishes to make it really pop.”
“I also found it weird that for a game with blood, vomit, and demons rendered about as realistically as possible for the medium, that the story could be easily adapted into a Disney film if you gave it new visuals.”
“[*] annoying unimportant visuals interfering with actual gameplay elements”
“It's akin to a AAA company making a highly GPU-heavy game and adding no graphic options.”
- atmosphere20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of art style, music, and writing, creating a cohesive and engaging experience. While some reviews note that it occasionally falters, when it succeeds, it delivers a striking and immersive ambiance, particularly through its pixel art and noir elements. Overall, the game's attention to detail and thematic consistency contribute significantly to its positive reception.
“It's remarkable how even minor details like these can contribute to the game's overall positive atmosphere.”
“With the addition of the atmosphere and the music, the art is even more emphasized, resulting in beautiful scenery.”
“I am not sure if I should rate it up or down, but I want to be fair because it's a unique genre merging, and it's 'tight' in everything - art style, atmosphere, soundtrack, story, gameplay... it all works together very well, and it feels like one strongly cohesive experience.”
“This game doesn't always get the atmosphere right, but when it does, it nails it.”
“The game looks decent, being very dark, which fits the atmosphere of the game and has very detailed backgrounds; however, compared to other games that use this type of pixel style, it just looks kind of bland and boring.”
“Well, the art style is really well-pronounced and oozes noir atmosphere in the pixel art form, but the writing is quite entertaining even though it's corny and cringy at times.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The game offers a mix of replayability through its story mode and hardcore challenges, but its overall value is diminished by a lack of features like a boss rush mode and the brevity of the main campaign, which can be completed in about four hours. While global leaderboards and high score challenges provide some incentive to replay, many players feel that the limited options and inability to skip non-action segments detract from the overall experience. Ultimately, the replayability is seen as decent but not sufficient to justify the price for some players.
“Plenty of replayability and an incredible soundtrack!”
“It is a bit short (beat the base game in 4 hours) so think about if you'd like the gameplay before you buy, but it's very rewarding if you do because it has a lot of replayability with extra modes and just being a really fun game.”
“Replayability comes in the form of high scores, and leaderboards, and is honestly just fun enough to want to refight bosses just to do it.”
“This game lacks replayability because of the lack of a boss rush mode; without that, I cannot recommend this game at its 15 EUR price tag.”
“I'd love to be able to skip the adventure bits and get straight to the action, and currently it seems you can't, and that detracts from replayability for me.”
“And that style turns out to be very important to this kind of game, so I'm hard pressed to recommend it given the brevity and lack of much in the way of replayability.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly during the early stages and between combat encounters. Many express a desire for a way to skip non-combat segments, as the gameplay often involves repetitive actions like walking and typing, which can become monotonous over time. While the game is enjoyable in short bursts, prolonged play can lead to boredom due to the grinding nature of the experience.
“I think I'd just like to point out that the gaps between the combat and fights can be a bit tedious at times. Even early on in the game, I began to notice the feeling of wanting to get over with whatever story progression was currently happening and get into the fight.”
“But needless to say, it felt unnecessarily tedious at times. I wish there was a way to skip straight to the fights considering there's basically no gameplay other than walking around and typing the words 'look', 'examine', or 'talk' over and over.”
“The story of Ray Bibbia overall is a fun game to play, yet sometimes repetitive. It does get boring and tedious if played for a long time, but is a great little casual action game to play in short bursts!”
- stability14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and game-breaking glitches, particularly during battles, which can lead to crashes and frustration. While the core gameplay is enjoyable, the technical issues detract from the overall experience, making it feel unstable despite its appealing graphics and engaging mechanics.
“Game-breaking glitches or even outright crashes can occur during battle, which adds further frustration to an already bland experience.”
“As much as I like to recommend this game, its core mechanic is still buggy.”
“It gets major points for the art and gameplay, good points for music and story, and mild point loss for length (I completed it in about 3 hours - there are only 10 levels off the top of my head, and each one took me between one and five tries) and minor glitches.”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a captivating narrative that effectively engages players, balancing serious moments with humor to provide emotional relief. While some character developments and plot twists may feel contrived or confusing, the storytelling can evoke strong emotional responses, with certain scenes leaving players unexpectedly moved. Overall, the emotional impact is a mix of heartfelt moments and comedic relief, creating a unique experience.
“The storytelling shines with a wholesome and captivating narrative, effectively drawing players in and maintaining their interest.”
“They strike a delicate balance between being serious and being ridiculous - working in 'breathers' with small jokes or silly moments to let you recover from the emotional hits.”
“The end of one fight (along with the events that immediately followed) almost made me cry.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game faces significant optimization issues, with frequent crashes and performance lag, particularly during critical moments like boss fights. While it is recognized as a commendable indie title, players have reported janky hitboxes and overall frustrating performance that detracts from the experience.
“I spent 2 years to find and create the most optimized keyboard layout for the English language, yet here I am, 2 hours in, being thwarted by Latin and having a helluva good time.”
“Now, I know this is an indie game, and a very good one at that, but the game suffers from some optimization issues. I may not have one of the best computers on the planet, I admit, but the game crashed so many times it has legitimately baffled me.”
“On the other hand, the writing is bad, the hitboxes on walls and objects are janky, and the performance lag, which was especially noticeable on the last boss, was annoying to say the least.”
“Now, I know this is an indie game, and a very good one at that, but the game suffers from some optimization issues. I may not have one of the best computers on the planet, I admit, but the game crashed so many times it has legitimately baffled me.”
- character development6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted through clever side-quests that enhance the protagonist's personality, making players invested in his happiness. However, some reviewers noted that the character arcs could benefit from avoiding clichéd tropes, despite appreciating the overall character design and pixel artwork.
“The side-quests where you have to type into a computer's command prompt were clever little diversions that also characterized the protagonist, and by the end I wanted him to be happy, which is a win in my character development book.”
“Good character designs and reasonable pixel artwork.”
“The side-quests where you have to type into a computer's command prompt were clever little diversions that also characterized the protagonist, and by the end I wanted him to be happy, which is a win in my character development book.”
“There could have been slightly better character development that was less steeped in cheesy tropes.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game appears to be underwhelming, as it lacks effective advertising, despite being associated with a notable Italian comedian and rapper. This absence of promotion raises questions about the game's visibility and potential revenue generation.
