They Came From Venus

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You are alone at your uncles remote mountain estate, when a mysterious package gets delivered to his doorstep. Soon after, things get out of hand and the house becomes your last bastion of survival. 'They Came From Venus' is a otherworldly survival horror adventure from the seventies - inspired by the sci-fi b-movies era of the fifties and sixties. You have to uncover the mystery of your uncles m…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

16%

Audience ScoreBased on 16 reviews

atmosphere4 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Atmospheric level design and a fantastic soundtrack create an engaging retro horror experience.
The first two days of gameplay are particularly scary and well-executed, providing a strong sense of existential horror.
The game features a large area for exploration, allowing players to discover many small details throughout the environment.

The majority of character voices are AI-generated, leading to a lack of emotional depth and immersion.
Performance issues, including frame rate drops and rendering problems, significantly detract from the overall experience.
The writing and dialogue are often criticized as being poorly executed, with many players finding them unengaging and lacking in quality.

story
8 mentions
25 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The story has potential but requires further development, as it lacks depth and clarity in certain areas. While players appreciate the absence of excessive guidance, the protagonist's reactions can feel overly simplistic, detracting from the overall narrative experience.
- “The story still has room for improvement, but it's not that bad!”
- “Not everything should hold your hand and show you a quest marker on your HUD, but the protagonist's casual response, 'yeah sure, laboratory,' adds a unique touch to the narrative.”
- “The story still has room for improvement (but not that bad!).”
- “Not everything should hold your hand and show you a quest marker on your HUD, but the protagonist just goes 'yeah sure, laboratory.'”
- “The third strike is a fairly mild gameplay and story spoiler.”
graphics
8 mentions
25 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The graphics in "They Came From Venus" are generally considered subpar, with players noting that even on the lowest settings, the visuals can hinder gameplay, such as blending objects into the background. However, the game's overall aesthetic and tone are appreciated, suggesting that the art style may have been a deliberate choice, despite its shortcomings.
- “The overall tone and aesthetic of 'They Came From Venus' is really good.”
- “On the lowest graphics settings, it's playable.”
- “I had to answer the phone by echo-locating it through sound since it's a white object on a white desk... the art style isn't doing any favors.”
- “At first, I thought the graphics and the cheesy voice acting were intentional.”
optimization
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is severely lacking, with users reporting significant frame drops and unstable performance even on high-end hardware. Additionally, issues such as inconsistent audio levels and poor localization further detract from the overall experience, highlighting a need for better quality control and optimization efforts.
- “The game also has a major performance issue; I'm running reasonably high-end hardware yet see constant frame drops, almost making the game unplayable.”
- “I struggled to maintain a stable frame rate despite my modern hardware, and there is no discernible reason for this other than terrible optimization.”
- “The game's first strike was poor performance.”
atmosphere
6 mentions
67 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is initially praised for its strong, atmospheric level design and effective use of black-and-white visuals, creating a compelling horror experience. However, as the game progresses, the horror elements diminish, and the monochromatic aesthetic becomes visually exhausting.
- “The level design is incredibly atmospheric, drawing players into the game's world.”
- “The black-and-white design creates a strong atmosphere initially, immersing players in a unique experience.”
- “The game's atmosphere is captivating, especially in the early stages, enhancing the overall horror experience.”
- “Towards the end, the horror atmosphere decreases.”
music
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its fantastic soundtrack and overall style, contributing positively to the gaming experience. However, some users feel that while the music is nice, it doesn't go beyond that to leave a lasting impact.
- “The music is nice.”
- “The music and overall style is good.”
- “Fantastic soundtrack.”
gameplay
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for feeling unpolished and simplistic, resembling a novice's first attempt at game design. Players note a repetitive loop involving lever pulling, backtracking, and poorly executed voiceovers, suggesting that significant improvements and additional features are needed for it to be considered worth its price.
- “The gameplay loop is just... a 17-year-old boy's first game.”
- “This needs a few more months of work, fully rewritten dialogue, tons of rendering-related bug fixes and optimizations, and a few more gameplay gimmicks, and then it's going to be a game worth $10.”
- “Gameplay is almost entirely a series of throwing levers, backtracking, and answering communication devices which then subject you to more godawful generated voiceovers.”