UnderDread

UnderDread is a Slender Man game disguised as an 18th century horror game, but there are no Slender Man appearances and it isn’t scary. If you dig far enough down, it has a redeeming quality or two, but at the end of the day it’s an unpolished game with a weak story that doesn’t do much more than waste your time.

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UnderDread is a single-player, first-person horror adventure game that takes about 9 hours to beat. Set in the early 18th Century, you search for your missing daughter in a creepy, abandoned castle. Follow the footsteps of a detective and researcher, uncovering the castle's dark secrets and facing its supernatural dangers in a story-driven experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

36%

Audience ScoreBased on 60 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game has a well-done atmosphere that is unnerving and intense, contributing to a spooky experience.
There is a lot of potential in the game, with some nice graphics and sound design that can create a creepy ambiance.
The game can provide moments of joy and hope, as it has helped some players find motivation and positivity during tough times.

The gameplay is marred by frustrating stealth mechanics that often break immersion, making it difficult to progress.
The story feels disjointed and lacks depth, leaving players confused and unengaged with the narrative.
There is excessive backtracking and a lack of clear objectives, leading to a tedious and slow-paced experience.

gameplay
35 mentions
11 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its broken stealth mechanics, which force players to hide in specific spots and rely on a flimsy crouching system, making progression frustrating. Many reviewers noted that the game feels like a poor imitation of "Amnesia: The Dark Descent," lacking engaging mechanics and offering minimal gameplay time. Overall, the gameplay is deemed lacking and boring, detracting significantly from the overall experience.
- “Problems with getting scared and following the story aside, it was time to sink my teeth into the mechanics.”
- “After the first part of the game, you are introduced to the game's stealth mechanic, which the second part heavily relies on.”
- “The majority of the game involves hiding from a wraith, represented by a floating skeleton with some extra skulls thrown in, with a pretty flimsy stealth mechanic where in essence you just crouch near a wall.”
- “I, however, could not handle the broken stealth mechanics as it made it impossible to progress in the game.”
- “This game looked promising at first, but I ended up requesting a refund after being dramatically disappointed by the gameplay.”
- “Overall: atmosphere is okay, gameplay is lacking, and too boring to say the least.”
story
26 mentions
12 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The story in the game is largely criticized for being disjointed and underdeveloped, relying heavily on poorly written journals that fail to engage players. While there are elements of a personal quest, such as searching for a missing daughter, the narrative lacks depth and motivation, leading to an unsatisfying conclusion. Overall, the story feels like a missed opportunity, overshadowed by frustrating mechanics and a reliance on clichéd horror tropes.
- “There's even a storyline about searching for your missing daughter.”
- “There's just enough gloss and plot to keep it interesting throughout, and some of the enemy designs are lovely, particularly the portable corridor of vengeful corpses that stalks the tunnels under the castle.”
- “Could have used a little more story setup to really make us care and feel motivated about going into this dangerous place.”
- “The story feels disjointed.”
- “You collect notes that add to the story, except that they don't really.”
- “The story is almost non-existent apart from the journals that just say some lore because god knows, everyone wants to be told a story by reading in some tough to read font.”
atmosphere
24 mentions
25 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its eerie and charmingly spooky qualities, reminiscent of titles like Amnesia, and is enhanced by effective music. However, many reviewers feel that the potential of this atmosphere is undermined by an overreliance on jump scares and a lack of genuine horror, leading to a lukewarm experience overall. While some find the atmosphere engaging, others criticize it for not being sufficiently scary or immersive.
- “The atmosphere is really well done.”
- “If you enjoy creepy, atmospheric horror games with a very large helping of mystery, with a few very disturbing monsters thrown in the devilish mix, you will love this game.”
- “As it stands, [b]underdread[/b] is a solid title; perhaps a little expensive for what it actually is considering the original's going for less than £1 on Google Play at the minute but still charmingly spooky in its atmospherics and inventively expansive in contributing to the Slender Man mythology.”
- “Sad thing is, atmosphere is there, and so is the potential, but the devs really don't know how to make a good horror game.”
- “The eerie atmosphere is kind of ruined by a thorough saturation of jump scares.”
- “Overall: atmosphere is okay, gameplay is lacking, and too boring to say the least.”
graphics
19 mentions
32 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the crisp textures and decent artwork, while others criticize the janky animations and lack of realism, suggesting that the visuals reflect its mobile origins. Overall, while the graphics may appeal to some within the genre, they are considered underwhelming for a recent release.
- “The graphics and artwork weren't the most realistic, but the textures were nice and crisp.”
- “Nice graphics for the genre and no glitches as of yet.”
- “The visuals are nice enough, all things considered, and the sound is pretty effective apart from the occasional jarring moment of abruptness, when a ghoulie departs the area you're in with all the subtle smoothness of someone pressing the stop button on an old cassette walkman.”
- “Very janky animation and movement, pretty terrible graphics that are either stock assets or might as well be.”
- “Graphics wise this game shows its mobile phone game origins, as well as wishing it were Amnesia: The Dark Descent.”
- “Graphics were nothing special at all, particularly for a game released so recently.”
music
12 mentions
25 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as generic and primarily serves to create atmosphere, with some users finding it relaxing. However, it often relies on clichéd jump scare techniques that fail to deliver genuine scares, leading to a mixed reception. Overall, while the music contributes to the ambiance, it lacks originality and impact.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “Nice atmosphere, music, and a really pita ghost.”
- “I love this game, I love it so much I recognized the music at the beginning!”
- “It's generic of the time but relies way more on cheap, and I mean really cheap, jumpscares and jumpscare music to startle you.”
- “The funniest thing about it is the failed jumpscares, like a skull falls onto a desk and it does a music sting. I'm pretty easily startled, but it wasn't even close.”
- “Music is just there.”
stability
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Overall, the stability of the game is inconsistent, with some users reporting significant bugs and glitches that pose risks during gameplay, while others have experienced no issues and praised the graphics. This mixed feedback suggests that while there may be potential, the game's stability remains a concern for many players.
- “Nice graphics for the genre and no glitches as of yet.”
- “I can see some kind of effort put into this, but it's buggy and I don't like it.”
- “It's full of glitches and a risk if you download it.”
grinding
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and painfully dull, despite the atmosphere providing a sense of fear. This repetitive nature quickly detracts from the overall experience.
- “It's tedious, painfully dull, although the atmosphere wasn't that bad; it brought a sense of fear.”
- “It quickly becomes tedious.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players often find the emotional impact of the game resonates deeply, prompting them to revisit it years later, suggesting a lasting connection and significant emotional engagement.
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of *Underdread* is positively noted, as it has removed in-app purchases from its predecessor, *Slender Man Origins 2 Saga*, making it a more straightforward experience for players.