Venge
- July 28, 2020
- Ekrcoaster
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Venge is a single-player Horror Stealth game with an interesting plot, excellent mechanics, and plenty of humor set in the haunted world of Rotnic Entertainment. Explore different lands with unique bosses and art styles, and experience a dynamic world that adapts to your choices. Act 0 introduces the backstory for Act 1, with more acts to be released."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and engaging horror experience with clever puzzles and a captivating story.
- It is an impressive indie title developed by a single person, showcasing a lot of passion and creativity.
- The game is very affordable, providing a significant amount of content and replayability for its price.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including resolution problems and clunky controls that can hinder gameplay.
- Some design choices feel bizarre and detract from the overall immersion, such as odd character models and inventory management.
- The horror elements may not be as effective for everyone, with some players finding it not very scary or relying too heavily on loud jump scares.
- story90 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story has received largely positive feedback, with many players praising its engaging narrative, memorable characters, and effective presentation. The incorporation of branching paths and player choices enhances replayability, while the overall atmosphere and immersive elements contribute to a compelling experience. Some critiques mention issues with pacing and clarity, but the anticipation for future acts remains high among players.
“The characters are memorable, the story is cohesive, the music is awesome, and the gameplay is fun and, for the most part, solid.”
“Not only is the story amazing, but the immersion is awesome, and is truly creepy.”
“The story takes a used concept and spins it on its head while keeping you on your toes.”
“Poorly written story and "notes" everywhere, which breaks game flow and don't make sense.”
“Not that hard of a story to make.”
“Part of what this game does for me is that due to it not being well known, I have been able to avoid spoilers, which means I have no idea what the story is, what anything does, what I'm doing, what to do.”
- gameplay60 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its fun mechanics and unique ideas, while others criticize it for being simplistic and reliant on fetch quests. Players appreciate the diverse experiences between acts, the memorable characters, and the strong atmosphere, though some express a desire for improvements in voice acting and the save system. Overall, the game is seen as solid and enjoyable, particularly for its low price, but it may not satisfy those seeking more complex gameplay.
“The characters are memorable, the story is cohesive, the music is awesome, and the gameplay is fun and, for the most part, solid.”
“What started as a game that seemed like it was going to be a bit silly ended up getting me really good with scares that I didn't expect and gameplay that was extremely fun.”
“Highly recommend for a unique, mechanically varied, genuinely creepy, charming, and funny horror game.”
“The gameplay is a bit simple, a lot of fetch quests so far.”
“Bland environments, boring gameplay, cheap loud jumpscares... sure it seems like the original concept that Poppy took came from this game, but Poppy is like 100 times better, scarier and more polished; this game is trash.”
“It feels pretty basic in gameplay; Act 0 for me was by far the worst thing I saw in a horror game since it's well the demo.”
- graphics46 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting decent visuals and impressive monster animations, while others find them underwhelming overall. Despite minor graphical issues and bugs, many agree that the game's ambiance and gameplay compensate for any visual shortcomings. Additionally, the game performs well even on low-end systems, maintaining a good frame rate across various settings.
“I find the animation quality of the monsters very good and the style of the graphics nice.”
“Even on a low-end computer, this game still manages to look good and run fairly well on low graphics settings.”
“Game is overall pretty good, decent graphics, amazing lighting, sound and scene setting.”
“The issue persists on all graphics settings, with or without mouse smoothing, and it makes navigation a nightmare.”
“My only issues with this game are the weird resolution bug (opening the settings menu changes resolution to 700 x 400) and graphics card crashes (crashes that result in me needing to force reboot my computer).”
“The graphic settings kept changing as well, which was annoying.”
- atmosphere32 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its ability to create a suspenseful and terrifying experience, effectively blending comedic elements with well-timed jumpscares. Many reviewers highlight the game's impressive sound design and visual aesthetics, which enhance the overall immersion, although some note that pacing issues can occasionally detract from the experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's enjoyment and horror elements.
“Venge is one of those games that is absolutely perfect when it comes to maintaining a terrifying atmosphere.”
“Honestly, I love this game; it's really scary at times and the atmosphere is amazing. The story is also pretty good.”
“The atmosphere in this game is phenomenal and it's beautiful too!”
“Disregarding what I said earlier about the atmosphere, sometimes you'll spend entire minutes walking from one room to another, and in a game this short, it occasionally gets tedious.”
“The music volume is linked to the atmosphere audio, so if you turn the music off, you're missing the ambience.”
“Some of the AI was a little wonky, but the atmosphere and sound stage in the game are very good.”
- music22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and fit the tone of various scenes, contributing significantly to the overall experience. However, some users noted issues with sound balance, where the music's volume is tied to ambient sounds, potentially leading to a loss of immersion if the music is turned off. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, effectively heightening tension and engagement during gameplay.
“I can't praise the soundtrack enough, especially during tense sequences.”
“The music during the entire game fits the tone of the scene perfectly.”
“I even got fooled a few times with the music, thinking I wasn't in danger, but the music would pick up again causing me to panic, which is, in my opinion, amazing music design and use.”
“The music volume is linked to the atmosphere audio, so if you turn the music off you're missing ambience.”
“I even got fooled a few times with the music, thinking I wasn't in danger but the music would pick up again causing me to panic, which is in my opinion amazing music design and use.”
“Next, the music.”
- humor18 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, with players enjoying the funny loading texts, post-it notes, and character gags, particularly from Ethan. While not the funniest game ever, it successfully elicits genuine laughter and effectively balances humor with horror, enhancing the overall experience. Many players appreciate how the humor lightens the mood, making the scares more impactful.
“The loading text is funny and makes a usually dull period somewhat humorous.”
“Ethan also has a really great sense of humor; the gags in this game were hilarious!”
“Highly recommend for a unique, mechanically varied, genuinely creepy, charming, and funny horror game.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, players have noted that while the game exhibits impressive optimization for a Unity title, particularly in high graphics settings, there are still performance issues, such as lag when entering new zones. Some users have experienced unexpected changes in mouse sensitivity when adjusting graphics settings, indicating room for further optimization improvements.
“Venge genuinely has some of the best optimization I've seen in a Unity game.”
“Performance plays well on full graphics, but when you tone those down, it doesn't really affect your FPS, but your mouse sensitivity.”
“Optimization and performance improvements would also be nice; when you enter a new zone or room, the game lags a bit.”
“Performance - plays well on full graphics, but when you tone those down, it doesn't really affect your FPS, but your mouse sensitivity?”
“I eventually just decided to play the game at that resolution with the performance slider more toward the left (I have a decent mid-range system, so this game shouldn't be crashing it).”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its adventure map style, which highlights branching paths and missed opportunities, encouraging players to explore different outcomes. Priced affordably, it features multiple modes and minigames that enhance replay value, although some players wish for a cutscene skip option to streamline repeated playthroughs. Overall, it stands out for its replayability compared to similar titles.
“The 'adventure map' style for indicating progress through the story and making clear what you could have missed in branching paths enhances replayability.”
“This game is extremely well made and it's super cheap while offering several modes and minigames alongside the main act, making it very replayable (unlike other games of a similar type).”
“Wouldn't hurt though to have a cutscene skip, especially with the replayability this game has to offer, with choices affecting the outcome of how things play.”
“There is a lot of replayability for a game that is only a couple of dollars.”
“The 'adventure map' style for indicating progress through the story and making clear what you could have missed in branching paths is helping replayability.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally impactful despite its short duration, with particular praise for the character Lucy, who evokes strong feelings by the end. The emotional weight of the narrative is heightened during subsequent playthroughs, leading to a mix of discomfort and engagement. Overall, the experience is deemed worth the investment, leaving a lasting impression.
“Lucy was pretty cute and emotional at the end.”
“Knowing that information, the second run made me feel really uncomfortable, and I definitely spent a lot of hours trying to draw him out so I could get a good look at the fella.”
“Granted, the game time is fairly short; however, by the end, it made me feel like it's the best $2 I had ever spent on Steam!”
- character development6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the creative character designs, noting that they offer a refreshing departure from typical mascot horror aesthetics. Additionally, the integration of character designs with gameplay and puzzles contributes to a well-balanced overall experience.
“The character designs for sure are a nice change from the usual mascot horror; they were very creative.”
“The character designs, gameplay, and puzzles all work together in a balanced way, which is always good.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, noting that the lengthy traversal between rooms can feel excessive, especially in a game that is relatively short. This can detract from the overall experience, making it feel like a chore rather than an engaging part of gameplay.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Disregarding what I said earlier about the atmosphere, sometimes you'll spend entire minutes walking from one room to another, and in a game this short, it occasionally gets tedious.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the game's monetization approach, noting it feels genuine and driven by passion rather than a cash grab, contrasting it with other titles that rely on exploitative practices. Overall, the game is seen as a refreshing departure from typical monetization strategies in the genre.
“The game feels like a cash grab, relying heavily on monetization strategies rather than genuine gameplay.”
“It's disappointing to see such a great concept overshadowed by aggressive monetization tactics.”
“The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the overall experience and enjoyment of the game.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game exhibits several stability issues, including glitches that can obscure furniture and cause gameplay interruptions, such as needing to restart after a bug during a bike scene. While these problems are noted, players generally seem to accept them as common in gaming experiences.
“Let me start with the brief cons to playing this game: there are definitely some issues. It glitches out in one room and hides all the furniture. The scene after the phone when you're riding the bike bugged out and I had to restart the game. I also got stuck on some furniture twice in the game. It's whatever, and I'm not mad about it, but I just wanted to point out that it has its bugs, but what game doesn't?”
“There are definitely some issues with stability. I encountered glitches that made certain rooms unplayable, and I had to restart the game multiple times due to bugs. It's frustrating, but I guess it's part of the experience.”
“The game has a lot of potential, but the stability issues really hold it back. I found myself getting stuck in the environment and experiencing frequent crashes, which made it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
