Umfend

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 81 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • atmosphere
Umfend Game Cover
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Umfend is a single-player Horror Action game with a deep, emotional story, taking place in 1996 and re-emerging in 2005. With delightful visuals and an ingenious atmosphere, players must unravel the mysteries of a world of distortion, tackle jump scares, and cherish heart-shaped objects in this two-hour atmospheric horror about love and time.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 81 reviews
story17 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • Umfend creates a compelling atmosphere with great sound design and visuals, effectively delivering a unique horror experience.
  • The story, while short, is intriguing and emotionally resonant, exploring themes of love and memory in a non-linear fashion.
  • Despite its brief playtime, the game offers a satisfying experience with engaging puzzles and a chapter select feature for replayability.
  • The game is very short, often completed in under an hour, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied with the content for its price.
  • There are several bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including instances of getting stuck or having to restart due to softlocks.
  • The story can be confusing and lacks clear direction, making it difficult for some players to fully grasp the narrative and character motivations.
  • story58 mentions

    The game's story is a blend of love and horror, featuring a tragic narrative about an experiment gone wrong that affects a couple's relationship. While some players found the storytelling engaging and atmospheric, others struggled with its confusing and fragmented nature, leading to mixed feelings about its coherence. Overall, the story is appreciated for its unique style and emotional depth, despite its brevity and occasional lack of clarity.

    • “Both cute and spooky, with nice scripted sequences and an interesting story.”
    • “This game is a real treat, with great atmosphere, intriguing story, and decent visuals with a great overall art style.”
    • “Umfend is a game with a wonderful story.”
    • “The game is very pretentious, and the plot can be summarized as 'a couple somehow creates a machine that breaks time and space, so now here is an hour of random stuff happening in mostly the same 3 levels.'”
    • “People seem to be giving it positive reviews because 'omg it has a love story,' which is the saddest part for me since it's a pretty lame love story.”
    • “I sincerely hope the developers update the game to make the story and ending easier to understand.”
  • graphics19 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed but generally positive feedback, with many praising its unique art style that blends low-poly aesthetics with modern visuals. While some players noted that the graphics are technologically outdated, they appreciated the beautiful and atmospheric design that enhances the storytelling experience. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's charm, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of artistic and atmospheric games.

    • “The graphics are beautiful and the story, while confusing at first, is a tragic tale of an experiment gone wrong affecting the life of two people's love.”
    • “This game is a real treat, with great atmosphere, intriguing story, and decent visuals with a great overall art style.”
    • “Let the music and the visuals take you away and sit tight for a short atmospheric horror experience that effectively communicates fear and melancholy.”
    • “Though the graphics are technologically outdated, the visual style is very good.”
    • “The visuals... I love them, all the human characters have this low-poly look, while the [spoiler] monster versions of Anita [/spoiler] are more properly rendered and [spoiler] Lily and Andrew [/spoiler] have this gross, wet look about them.”
    • “- You have your choice of two graphical styles; a grainy, pixel-FMV look akin to PS1 graphics, and the modern, smooth models.”
  • atmosphere19 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and emotionally resonant qualities, combining effective sound design, minimalistic music, and compelling visuals to create a haunting experience. While some players noted the game leans more towards atmospheric storytelling than traditional horror, it successfully evokes feelings of fear and melancholy, making it a memorable short experience. Overall, the game's ability to craft a unique ambiance, despite its brevity and low-budget production, stands out as a significant strength.

    • “The game manages to have a cool atmosphere; I did not find it that horror though, but it can really be if you focus on the game.”
    • “This game is a real treat, with great atmosphere, intriguing story, and decent visuals with a great overall art style.”
    • “Umfend is short and low-budget; however, it does a really good job of creating a creepy atmosphere and psychological tension, which is the kind of horror game I like, as opposed to constantly running from monsters.”
    • “As to the game itself, it's not really a puzzle game, or even a horror game (though there are elements some people will find horrifying); I'd struggle to call it a walking simulator, because the atmosphere is purposefully and painstakingly narrow in scope.”
    • “- Sorry, the atmosphere, the ambience, the sound design... I don't just want an OST, I'd love to be able to listen to some of the background sound clips.”
  • gameplay11 mentions

    The gameplay in "Umfend" primarily revolves around exploration and discovery within a confined space, featuring light puzzles and atmospheric elements that enhance the emotional narrative. While the mechanics are intuitive and the pacing is well-executed, the focus on story often overshadows traditional gameplay elements, resulting in a blend of engaging moments and repetitive tasks. Overall, players appreciate the game's ability to convey a compelling experience despite its limited scope.

    • “Short version: Umfend is an emotionally satisfying, atmospheric, and at times mildly frightening game that in its 2-ish hours of gameplay manages to convey a great deal without over-explaining.”
    • “Most of the actual gameplay involved discovery, chasing weird phenomena, and some light fetch object X/take to place Y type puzzles.”
    • “Good pace for the gameplay, great visuals, great scares, and the minigame segments were fun too (like the one in the normally closed room in the house).”
    • “Gameplay seems to be: wander back and forth across the same tiny apartment and try to figure out where to stand to 'activate' the next part of the 'story'.”
    • “Umfend places its story ahead of gameplay, and that story is told in fragments and slightly out of sequence.”
    • “Most of the actual gameplay involved discovery, chasing weird phenomena, and some light fetch object x/take to place y type 'puzzles'.”
  • emotional7 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game "umfend" is highlighted as both atmospheric and impactful, successfully evoking strong feelings in players through its concise storytelling and immersive experience. While some players found it to be a wholesome yet disturbing blend of horror, others felt a lack of real danger diminished their emotional engagement. Overall, the game resonates deeply with themes of nostalgia and existential reflection, leaving a lasting impression on its audience.

    • “Umfend is about creating an emotional response in its player, and it succeeds admirably in doing so.”
    • “Never thought I'd play a cute horror game before; it was a very wholesome yet disturbing experience.”
    • “The game is epic, but the lore made me cry at least ten times for some reason.”
  • music4 mentions

    The music in the game is minimal yet effective, primarily consisting of atmospheric pieces and single notes that enhance the overall mood of fear and melancholy. While not abundant, the soundtrack is praised for its creepiness and its ability to complement the game's design and jump scares, creating an immersive horror experience.

    • “Creepy soundtrack, and great use of sound in the environment.”
    • “There isn't much music, but what is there comprises mostly single notes or short, atmospheric pieces that seem designed more to evoke the mood than function as entertainment in and of themselves.”
    • “Let the music and the visuals take you away and sit tight for a short atmospheric horror experience that effectively communicates fear and melancholy.”
  • character development2 mentions

    The character development is praised for its superb and cute design, highlighting the visual appeal and charm of the characters.

    • “Character design is superb!”
    • “Character design is cute :)”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game's optimization is praised for its crisp and smooth pixellated graphics, with users reporting no performance issues.

    • “The pixellated graphics are crisp and smooth, with zero performance issues.”
    • “The game runs flawlessly, showcasing excellent optimization that enhances the overall experience.”
    • “I was impressed by how well-optimized the game is; it maintains high performance even during intense moments.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
    • “Grinding takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
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