Umfend

About

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 122 reviews

story21 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Umfend creates a compelling atmosphere with effective sound design and eerie visuals, enhancing the horror experience.
The game features an intriguing story that combines elements of romance and horror, providing a unique narrative experience.
Despite its short length, Umfend offers a satisfying gameplay experience with some replayability through collectibles and chapter selection.

The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs that can lead to soft locks and a lack of checkpoints, forcing players to restart sections.
Gameplay can feel tedious due to slow character movement and unclear objectives, making it frustrating to progress at times.
The story is often confusing and lacks depth, leaving players with more questions than answers by the end.

story
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its intriguing blend of horror and romance, while others find it confusing and lacking in depth. Many reviews highlight the non-linear narrative and the need to piece together information, which can be both engaging and frustrating. Overall, while the atmosphere and art style receive praise, the story's execution varies significantly, leaving some players satisfied and others feeling unfulfilled.
- “A very interesting story to say the least.”
- “Great horror romance story 👍.”
- “This game is a real treat, with great atmosphere, intriguing story, and decent visuals with a great overall art style.”
- “The story tries to combine romance and horror, but it doesn’t quite pull it off.”
- “Various story points make absolutely no sense even when you fully understand what the story is trying to convey to you.”
- “The dialogue is minimal, and the interactions don't really explain much of the story to you.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
13%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique art style and the option to switch between a retro PS1 aesthetic and a more modern look. While the visuals are described as decent and atmospheric, they are also noted to be technologically outdated, with some players finding them charming despite their low-poly nature. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and storytelling, though they may not stand out in a crowded market.
- “The graphics are beautiful, and the story, while confusing at first, is a tragic tale of an experiment gone wrong affecting the lives 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.”
- “I love this game; I played the demo and loved it, and now that I finally got the full game, I am absolutely amazed at how it came out. I loved the story and how it allowed for the original pixel graphic style and a more detailed style with fewer pixels.”
- “Even so, I opted to play in the default mode, which, while far from aesthetically pleasing, suffices for what the game sets out to do.”
- “However, in the past, they decided to go for more of a PS1 game aesthetic for their graphics.”
- “Now, they've decided to change their graphics to more of your standard indie horror 3D look.”
atmosphere
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
4%
13%
The atmosphere of "Umfend" is widely praised for its ability to create a creepy and unsettling environment, effectively enhancing the horror experience despite its short length and low-budget production. Reviewers highlight the game's sound design, music, and visual style as key elements that contribute to its emotional and psychological tension, making it a compelling atmospheric horror game. While some players found certain sections less frightening, the overall ambiance and unique storytelling approach were appreciated, solidifying its status as a noteworthy entry in the genre.
- “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, which gets tiresome after a while.”
- “This game is a real treat, with great atmosphere, intriguing story, and decent visuals with a great overall art style.”
- “While the story wasn't engaging, I do think that the game sets up an eerie atmosphere that keeps you quite unsettled for the majority of the game, even if some 'scary' sections feel quite silly.”
- “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.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it confusing and slow, particularly in triggering events and character movement. While the game features typical mechanics for its genre, it prioritizes story over gameplay, leading to a blend of exploration and light puzzles that some found engaging, while others felt it lacked depth. Overall, the visuals and atmosphere were praised, but the gameplay itself was seen as either standard or lacking in excitement.
- “Awesome gameplay, nice design, scare factor 4/10.”
- “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.”
- “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).”
- “One big issue I have with the gameplay is that it's entirely unclear how you trigger certain events at times.”
- “Another big issue I have with the gameplay is that the character you play moves way too slow.”
- “Two of the main influences on having fun in a game, gameplay and story, were quite subpar, so it was pretty hard for me to have fun while playing this game.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke strong feelings, with players reporting moments of deep sadness and nostalgia throughout the experience. Despite some critiques regarding gameplay mechanics, the game successfully creates an atmospheric and thought-provoking environment that resonates with players on an emotional level, blending elements of horror with wholesome themes. Overall, it is praised for its capacity to elicit genuine emotional responses without excessive exposition.
- “The game is epic, but the lore made me cry like 10 times for some reason.”
- “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.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game is perceived as tedious and time-consuming, with some players expressing frustration over slow mechanics and mouse smoothing that complicates interactions. Additionally, concerns about the game's integrity, highlighted by instances of account bans for trading card farming, further detract from the overall experience.
- “Eh, slow walking, would have liked to play more but the mouse smoothing makes literally everything you interact with and look at tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It's just tedious.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The music in the game is characterized by a minimalistic approach, featuring mostly atmospheric pieces and single notes that effectively enhance the overall mood and design. While there is limited variety, the soundtrack successfully contributes to the game's creepy atmosphere and complements the environmental sound design, making it a key element in creating tension and jump scares.
- “Great music, design, and atmosphere, along with effective jump scares.”
- “The game utilizes its minimal music options to the best of its ability, creating an engaging experience.”
- “The creepy soundtrack and great use of sound in the environment enhance the overall atmosphere.”
- “There isn't much variety in the sounds or music, but the game definitely utilizes its minimal options to the best of its ability.”
- “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.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for resembling a cash grab, with many reviewers labeling it as low-quality "shovelware" that relies on asset flipping and pre-made templates rather than original content. This raises concerns about the integrity of the product and its value to consumers.
- “There's no evidence, so we need to give the benefit of the doubt... regardless, asset flip or not, the quality here is indistinguishable from many asset flip/cash grab scams, and that's a problem in itself.”
- “These guys do nothing but copy premade game templates and game tutorials, fill out a few things/stamp out basic levels using the construction kit templates, slap on an asset flipped set of sprites/assets, and dump them on Steam and into cheap nasty shovelware game bundles as cash grabs.”
- “Trying to get paid for someone else's game templates and assets... at best, this is shovelware; at worst, it's a scam/cash grab.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 :)”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users note that while the model gallery offers some replayability, it is minimal and not substantial enough to justify the game's full price.
- “The model gallery is neat, and there's a tiny bit of replayability, but hardly enough to warrant the full price.”
- “Once you complete the main story, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices that would encourage multiple playthroughs.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
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 a steady frame rate even during intense moments.”