Those Who Remain

Those Who Remain is a strong horror game, but it's not for everyone.

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"Those Who Remain" is a single-player horror platformer game with an intriguing story and pretty visuals, set in the eerie, darkness-shrouded town of Dormont. Players navigate through two interconnected dimensions, solving puzzles and making morally challenging choices that impact the story. However, the game is reported to be very grinding, buggy, and has a dense atmosphere, which may not appeal to all players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

61%

Audience ScoreBased on 254 reviews

story64 positive mentions

gameplay15 negative mentions

The game features a great atmosphere that effectively builds tension and evokes a sense of dread, reminiscent of classic horror titles.
The narrative is intriguing, exploring themes of guilt and morality, with choices that impact the outcome of the story.
The graphics and sound design are well-executed, contributing to the overall immersive experience.

The gameplay can be tedious, with repetitive puzzles and a lack of meaningful interactions that detract from the overall experience.
The saving system is frustrating, with infrequent checkpoints that force players to replay sections after dying.
Some mechanics, such as the inability to crouch or effectively hide from enemies, undermine the horror elements and make encounters feel less engaging.

story
135 mentions
47 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its intriguing and atmospheric narrative, which includes moral choices and unexpected twists. However, some critics found the plot predictable, unoriginal, or poorly executed, leading to a lack of engagement. Overall, while the story has its strengths, it is often overshadowed by gameplay issues and a reliance on familiar horror tropes.
- “The story was interesting, and the ending caught me off guard.”
- “This was an amazing psychological thriller/horror game, and it is very long, with lots of story and great twists and turns.”
- “The story is very good, it's all about morals without trying to tell what's good and what's right.”
- “The lackluster story is reminiscent of something inspired by Silent Hill but fails miserably to even dip its toe in the depths that it reached in terms of storytelling, character building, and psychological horror.”
- “The story makes no sense; you start by going to a motel to find your dead wife or something, then you end up passing judgment on these random adults for being idle in the death of a random 13-year-old girl who you're supposed to just suddenly care about.”
- “The story is very weak, and sadly that's not something you can fix with a few tweaks.”
gameplay
73 mentions
16 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it simplistic and static, often feeling like a walking simulator with basic puzzles and chase sequences. While some appreciated the atmospheric elements and the "stay in the light" mechanic, others criticized the repetitive nature, clunky controls, and lack of engaging mechanics, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as underdeveloped, failing to elevate the intriguing narrative and visuals.
- “A great game with a simple investigative gameplay that becomes really special because of the oppressive and dark atmosphere that reminds so much of Silent Hill.”
- “The constant danger of having to stay in the light was a good mechanic to keep you alert on each level, the puzzles were surprisingly creative and the story, even if predictable for the most part, was a good way to drive your main character through the game.”
- “Reminiscent of Alan Wake with the 'stay out of the darkness' type gameplay, you'll explore the town of Dormont by solving puzzles in the police station, the post office, the sawmill, fire station, and other locations.”
- “I ran into a few bugs, which given the gameplay honestly don't set you back very far -- but that's in large part because the gameplay is quite underdeveloped and static. The 'zombies' essentially force your path both inside and outside; and in cases where they don't, your path is mandated by doors which lock and unlock for no reason other than 'it's time to do so,' and hallways which appear and then are gone for the very same reason.”
- “The puzzles I encountered were insultingly easy; the gameplay consists of opening drawers to find keys, with nothing to make that specific lame mechanic interesting.”
- “While the game has some interesting ideas, they aren't used to their full potential and quickly get buried under the static and repetitive nature of the gameplay loop: avoid the darkness, search lockers/drawers/etc. for documents or a key/item you need to progress, solve a puzzle, escape or hide from a creature, do a narrative decision and repeat.”
atmosphere
54 mentions
57 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its creepiness and unsettling qualities, reminiscent of classic horror titles like Silent Hill. Reviewers highlight the effective use of sound design, lighting, and environmental details that create a tense and immersive experience, although some note that gameplay flaws can occasionally disrupt this atmosphere. Overall, it is recommended for fans of atmospheric horror who appreciate narrative-driven experiences over traditional jump scares.
- “A great game with a simple investigative gameplay that becomes really special because of the oppressive and dark atmosphere that reminds so much of Silent Hill.”
- “The atmosphere is king.”
- “The environment and sound design work well together to create an eerie atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere ends up being a swing and a miss.”
- “It took me roughly 4 to 4.5 hours to complete the game and during that time, there were 3 things in particular that bothered me quite a bit: lack of immersion, inconsistency and the lack of proper horror atmosphere.”
- “Finally the horror atmosphere or rather, the lack of it.”
graphics
46 mentions
41 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the high-quality visuals, lighting, and unique aesthetic, while others criticize the inconsistency in graphical fidelity and the presence of glitches. Many players appreciate the immersive atmosphere created by the graphics, but some find the overall execution lacking, with dated animations and poor design choices detracting from the experience. Overall, while there are standout elements, the graphics are often seen as a double-edged sword, contributing positively in some areas but failing to meet expectations in others.
- “The graphics and sound work perfectly in tandem, making the whole thing feel like a horror flick.”
- “The graphics are great, high textures, fantastic lighting.”
- “Good graphics, fantastic lighting in a style of its own.”
- “There are almost no graphic settings, and you can't adjust the brightness mid-game.”
- “The visuals, graphics, and gameplay are all pretty bad.”
- “While the concept is interesting, the dated graphics and bad animations make the game not even close to being creepy.”
music
17 mentions
18 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its ability to set the tone and enhance the atmosphere, particularly during tense moments. However, others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking variety, which detracts from the overall experience. While some find the radio songs enjoyable, the sound design and mixing are noted as inconsistent, with a few players expressing disappointment in the overall quality of the music.
- “The music and sound mixing are good for such a small team.”
- “The music picks up as you approach the darkness area where all you can see are these glowing blue eyes looking into your soul in a very judgey way.”
- “The music also picks up when big mama sees you and starts running at you to eat your face off, not the most welcoming mother in the world.”
- “Music was kinda shitty too; when everything's on a crescendo, that kind of just becomes normal and you don't care anymore.”
- “And the music does a lot to hamper this game, but not because it's bad in particular.”
- “During certain parts, the 'dramatic/suspenseful' music was kind of annoying as it was the same repetitive sounds and didn't seem necessary, or needing to last as long as it did.”
stability
10 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits notable stability issues, including frequent glitches, occasional crashes, and frustrating gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the aesthetic and graphics, many report significant bugs that remain unaddressed, leading to a less polished and at times frustrating gameplay experience.
- “If anyone today can find a game that doesn’t have glitches, issues, and all-around frustrating features or lack of features, by all means, let me know.”
- “The minor glitches, rare crashes, and occasionally confusing puzzle system are the only reason I did not rate this higher.”
- “The game does suffer from some really bad glitches that I'm quite surprised were never fixed or patched in later, and it's not just me that encountered these glitches; many others did as well.”
grinding
10 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious, with players expressing frustration over repetitive fetch quests, simplistic puzzles, and the need to repeatedly navigate through cut scenes and challenging sections. This grind detracts from the overall experience, draining excitement and making gameplay feel more like a chore than an engaging adventure.
- “Turns into a horribly tedious fetch quest, where you have to explore every nook and cranny for text files, which drains all the tempo and excitement out of the horror.”
- “The story, while overdone, would have resonated more with me if not for the incredibly tedious puzzles.”
- “You're just gonna get one-hitted back to the beginning of the 'chapter' and have to re-do 30 minutes of tedious puzzles to hopefully not get smacked again.”
emotional
8 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its strong narrative and emotional depth, delivering a heart-wrenching story that explores tragedy through moral choices and multiple endings. While some players feel the emotional investment in characters could be deeper, the overall experience is described as a mysterious emotional adventure rather than traditional horror, with gameplay that emphasizes psychological themes over survival elements.
- “While the gameplay is fairly simple and slow-paced, the strong narrative and emotional ride is definitely the strong point.”
- “There's a hard emotional charge in the narrative, that tells a story about an unfortunately mundane thing that ends up in tragedy.”
- “It's a sad emotional story with puzzles and moral decisions that branch in several different endings.”
replayability
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-500 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the replayability of the game due to its nuanced moral choices, which are not straightforward, encouraging multiple playthroughs to explore different outcomes.
- “The moral choices are not obvious, which adds a layer of depth and encourages replayability.”
- “Each playthrough feels unique due to the diverse paths and outcomes available.”
- “The game offers multiple endings that make you want to replay it to see all the possibilities.”
- “Moral choices are not obvious and offer some replayability.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play through it again.”
- “The lack of diverse endings makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
optimization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for feeling unpolished, with lazy animations and subpar performance impacting the overall experience.
- “Feels really unpolished; animations look lazy and performance isn't great.”
- “The game suffers from significant frame drops, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
- “Loading times are excessively long, which disrupts the flow of gameplay.”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the character design is perceived as unusual or unconventional, which may impact players' connection to the characters and their development throughout the game. This distinctive approach could either enhance the narrative experience or detract from the emotional engagement, depending on individual player preferences.
- “The character design feels strange and inconsistent, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I found the character development to be lacking depth, leaving the protagonists feeling one-dimensional.”
- “The choices I made didn't seem to impact the character's growth, which made the experience feel unfulfilling.”