The Textorcist

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 915 reviews

gameplay109 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

Unique blend of typing and bullet hell mechanics that creates a fresh and engaging gameplay experience.
Great pixel art and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere of the game.
Challenging yet rewarding gameplay that encourages players to improve their typing skills under pressure.

Frustrating control scheme that requires players to switch between typing and dodging, making it difficult to maintain a smooth flow.
Lack of difficulty settings and unskippable cutscenes can lead to a tedious experience, especially after multiple deaths.
Some players may find the humor and writing juvenile or cringeworthy, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.

gameplay
291 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
56%
6%
The gameplay of this title is a unique blend of typing mechanics and bullet hell elements, offering a challenging yet engaging experience that tests players' reflexes and typing skills simultaneously. While many players appreciate the innovative concept and find the mechanics enjoyable, others criticize the execution, citing issues with controls, difficulty spikes, and the tediousness of certain interactions. Overall, the game is praised for its originality and fun factor, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its steep learning curve and occasional frustrations.
- “The gameplay is ingenious; you won't find anything like it anywhere else.”
- “The combination of the quirky visuals, catchy tunes, and zany gameplay creates a truly enjoyable and addictive experience.”
- “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.”
- “But it's connected to a gameplay loop that is punishing for its own sake and the only accessibility features are changing the text as it appears above Ray's head and using a controller (which is both buggy and defeats the point of a typing game).”
- “I have had my doubts about recommending this game... it has very good things like fantastic pixel art, a well-written story and a spectacular soundtrack but... it is a game that it's become not funny at some point, its gameplay is a continuous penalizer to the player, especially in the final phases of the last three bosses, which, together with unfriendly controls, means that luck has more weight than the player's ability to avoid the bullet hell, making the final experience bittersweet.”
- “The gameplay is atrocious; it's pretty telling when you have hundreds of thousands of cheated scores on the scoreboard.”
story
281 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
60%
5%
The story of *The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia* is generally viewed as entertaining but not particularly deep, often described as silly or crass with a mix of humor and dark themes. While some players appreciate its quirky dialogue and engaging premise, others find the writing elementary and the narrative pacing uneven, leading to moments of tedium between intense gameplay segments. Overall, the story serves its purpose in providing context for the gameplay, but it may not be the main draw for players seeking a rich narrative experience.
- “The storytelling shines with a wholesome and captivating narrative, effectively drawing players in and maintaining their interest.”
- “The story is surprisingly thorough.”
- “The game combines a wonderful storyline, one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, and fun gameplay that I really enjoy.”
- “The story was silly in several places and really just didn't make sense in others, at least not without filling in the blanks myself.”
- “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 behave differently in different scenes constantly, every 'big reveal' is laughable, and the story is almost impossible to follow.”
music
203 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
30%
1%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the soundtrack composed by gost as "fantastic," "banging," and "a constant banger." It effectively complements the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience with its high-energy, retro synthwave style that fits the game's chaotic atmosphere. While some players noted that the music can become repetitive during extended play, the majority agree that it significantly elevates the game's appeal and is a standout feature.
- “The game's OST was made by gost and it hits hard, 'Ray's Master' being my personal favorite track.”
- “The soundtrack is really great and perfectly fits the gameplay.”
- “The music is one of the best things in the game; you get some kind of 8-bit funky music that changes according to the type of scene, battle, conversation, etc.”
- “The soundtrack for this game goes really hard but even that can become jarring if one repeats the same boss fight until they lose count.”
- “So for tens of hours I have been experiencing this single song on repeat, it's ridiculous.”
- “The music is pretty bland.”
humor
112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its quirky, dark, and often absurd comedic elements, particularly in the dialogue and character interactions. While some found the humor to be clever and entertaining, others criticized it as crass, dated, or cringeworthy, suggesting that it may not resonate with all audiences. Overall, the game's unique blend of humor and gameplay has garnered both praise and criticism, making it a polarizing aspect of the experience.
- “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.”
- “The dialogue is clever, witty, and often downright hilarious.”
- “The game leans into its over-the-top Catholicism/exorcism theme, but it never takes itself too seriously, and the humor keeps things light.”
- “Some of the most painfully unfunny dialogue I have ever had to read in a video game.”
- “Chi-ro is an old-timer (thus unfunny) pun for an Italian, but for someone to understand it, you should explain that one of the common names is Ciro, pronounced 'tchi-ro', and sum this to the wapanese setting of Naples.”
- “I have had my doubts about recommending this game... it has very good things like fantastic pixel art, a well-written story, and a spectacular soundtrack but... it is a game that has become not funny at some point. Its gameplay is a continuous penalizer to the player, especially in the final phases of the last three bosses, which, together with unfriendly controls, means that luck has more weight than the player's ability to avoid the bullet hell, making the final experience so bittersweet.”
graphics
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
39%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful pixel art style, vibrant visuals, and charming retro aesthetic, which effectively complement the gameplay and soundtrack. Many reviewers highlight the detailed character designs and the overall artistic cohesion, although some express frustration with technical issues like frame drops and a lack of customization options. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's unique atmosphere and engaging experience, making it a standout feature despite some minor drawbacks.
- “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 about this game is great, like the story, visuals, music; everything is great apart from one tiny thing - gameplay.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
- “The game graphically is janky as f***.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers some value through hardcore modes and global leaderboards, many players find it limited due to the short main story and repetitive boss encounters. The lack of diverse gameplay options, such as survival or random modes, detracts from its long-term appeal, leading some to question its overall worth. Overall, it may be enjoyable for a few runs but lacks depth for sustained engagement.
- “Plenty of replayability and an incredible soundtrack!”
- “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.”
- “The replayability is quite on the short side since, once you finish the main story, you can only attempt the same bosses but with different (random) patterns and a 'boss rush mode' that lets you fight every boss with a single pause, so replayability... meh.”
- “The replay value seems very low and I doubt I'll ever touch it again.”
- “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.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
8%
83%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly during lengthy boss fights that require restarting from the beginning upon failure. The slow-paced navigation and excessive text interactions contribute to a sense of monotony, making the experience feel drawn out, especially during prolonged play sessions. While some enjoy the game in short bursts, the overall consensus is that the grinding can detract from the enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Boss fights can be very long and tedious, and dying during them brings you back to the beginning.”
- “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.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by frequent glitches and micro-freezes that can disrupt gameplay, particularly during battles, making it frustrating and at times unplayable. While the art and story are praised, the core mechanics suffer from significant bugs, including game-breaking issues that detract from the overall experience. Despite these problems, some players still find enjoyment in the game, highlighting its fun elements amidst the instability.
- “During battles, every word seems to have a momentary freeze up while typing, no matter the size of the word, it freezes.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of art, music, and storytelling, creating a cohesive and immersive experience. While some reviews note that it occasionally falters, the overall aesthetic—characterized by striking pixel art and a noir vibe—effectively enhances the gameplay. The attention to detail and the integration of various elements contribute to a captivating and enjoyable atmosphere.
- “It's remarkable how even minor details like these can contribute to the game's overall positive atmosphere.”
- “The Textorcist is a unique, beautiful game with its mixed genres and startling atmosphere.”
- “With the addition of the atmosphere and the music, the art is even more emphasized, resulting in beautiful scenery.”
- “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 very detailed backgrounds, however compared to other games that use this type of pixel style it just looks kinda bland and boring.”
- “Well, the art style is really well-pronounced and oozes noir atmosphere in the pixel art form, the writing is quite entertaining even though corny and cringy at times, and the OST is nice and doesn't distract from the action.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a captivating narrative that balances serious moments with humor, allowing players to process emotional highs and lows. While some players found the storytelling convoluted and the character dynamics clichéd, others experienced genuine emotional impact, with certain scenes evoking strong feelings, including tears. Overall, the game elicits a mix of engagement and frustration, as players navigate its emotional landscape.
- “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.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players experiencing frequent crashes and performance lag, particularly during critical moments like boss fights. While it is acknowledged as a strong indie title, issues such as janky hitboxes and overall performance inconsistencies detract 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.”
- “The wearable items you bring will affect your performance and abilities, ultimately altering your final score of each battle.”
- “Performance: 8/10”
- “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.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Character development is highlighted through engaging side-quests that enhance the protagonist's personality, fostering player investment in their happiness. However, some reviewers noted that the development could benefit from avoiding clichéd tropes, despite appreciating the character designs 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.”
- “There could have been slightly better character development that was less steeped in cheesy tropes.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is criticized for its reliance on retro pixel aesthetics, often associated with low-effort "shovelware" and cash grabs. Additionally, the lack of promotional efforts from the Italian comedian and rapper involved raises questions about the game's marketing strategy.
- “Gamemaker Studio is often used to make retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs.”
- “One of the minds behind this game is an Italian comedian and rapper, who for some reason didn't promote it, and I don't know why...”