Visage

87%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,681 reviews
  • story
  • atmosphere
  • gameplay
Visage Game Cover
Even if lacking the slickness of some of its genre forebears, Visage still shocks and entertains once you begin to piece it all together.
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"Visage is a nerve-wracking first-person horror simulation, centering around exploration of a vast, ever-changing house with a dark past. Its intricate story unfolds through surreal visuals and atmospheric details, coupled with exceptional graphics, soundtrack, and an ingenious sense of place. Be prepared for a challenging, highly emotional experience that may contain bugs and requires patience."

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

87%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,681 reviews
story246 positive mentions
stability91 negative mentions
  • Incredibly scary atmosphere that keeps players on edge.
  • Well-crafted story with deep themes and character backstories.
  • Visually stunning graphics and excellent sound design.
  • Confusing puzzles that often require a guide to progress.
  • Clunky inventory and control mechanics that detract from immersion.
  • Frequent bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay.
  • story719 mentions

    The story in "Visage" is a complex and often unsettling narrative that unfolds through multiple chapters, each revealing the tragic backstories of previous inhabitants of the haunted house. While many players appreciate the depth and emotional weight of the story, some find it convoluted and difficult to follow, requiring careful exploration and piecing together of clues. Overall, the game is praised for its atmospheric storytelling and psychological horror elements, though it can be frustratingly vague at times, leaving players yearning for clearer direction and cohesion.

    • “Each chapter reveals some heavy backstory, and it makes you genuinely care about what happens next.”
    • “Visage tells a tragic story and doesn't hold itself back from sensitive topics.”
    • “The story is captivating.”
    • “The story is extremely convoluted and hard to make sense of.”
    • “The story is alright, but nothing very original and a bit confusing overall.”
    • “The excessive focus on puzzles leaves the story in the periphery, on the background.”
  • atmosphere624 mentions

    The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its chilling and immersive qualities, effectively building tension through exceptional sound design, lighting, and detailed environments. Many players report feeling a constant sense of dread and unease, with the game relying more on psychological horror than cheap jump scares to create fear. However, some critiques mention that the atmosphere can diminish over time, particularly in later chapters, and that gameplay mechanics occasionally disrupt the immersive experience.

    • “The atmosphere is thick with dread, and the details really draw you in.”
    • “The atmosphere during the beginning was terrifying, the paranormal activity with Lucy, the sanity meter, the general layout of the house, and the fact you have limited resources really make you tense and have to think logically even while being afraid.”
    • “The atmosphere is so dark and ominous that your heart starts racing within the first 10 minutes with each discovery and jumpscare leaving you on the edge of your seat.”
    • “You cannot rely on atmosphere alone.”
    • “The second thing I feel I have to mention is that the overall atmosphere, which is established in the beginning of the game, decreases drastically over the course of the second and third chapter.”
    • “The atmosphere is boring, the controls are wonky, and everything seems to move at too slow of a pace.”
  • gameplay483 mentions

    The gameplay of "Visage" is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of atmospheric horror, puzzle-solving, and resource management that can be both engaging and frustrating. While the game excels in creating a tense atmosphere and offers intriguing mechanics like a sanity meter and light-based interactions, many players find the controls clunky, the inventory system cumbersome, and the puzzles often cryptic or unintuitive. Overall, the experience can be rewarding for horror enthusiasts, but it is marred by technical issues and design choices that detract from the immersion and enjoyment.

    • “Great gameplay, intriguing stories, scary jump scares, and fun puzzles.”
    • “Visage was a surprisingly refreshing horror game with an intriguing story and gameplay that, while at first can seem directionless, confusing, or tedious, later becomes quite enjoyable and fulfilling as you use context clues and subtle directions to slowly uncover the narrative thread, piece by piece.”
    • “The gameplay is tense and atmospheric, with a focus on survival and resource management.”
    • “The gameplay loop is tedious.”
    • “The gameplay itself can be a little slow-paced and confusing at times.”
    • “The inventory system is also counter-intuitive, creating constant stops in the gameplay and ruining the immersion.”
  • graphics405 mentions

    The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning quality and immersive atmosphere, often described as photorealistic and beautifully detailed. Many reviewers highlight the effective use of lighting and sound design that enhance the overall horror experience, although some mention minor bugs and occasional graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's chilling ambiance and engaging gameplay.

    • “Visage is a well-crafted horror puzzle game that succeeds in delivering a chilling atmosphere complemented by its stunning graphics.”
    • “The graphics are stunning and the overall atmosphere of the game is creepy and immersive.”
    • “The graphics, the lighting, the story, the atmosphere are all very well done.”
    • “I have many of my settings set to high but for some reason all the graphics are low poly and bad quality (so bad you can't make out letters in the text).”
    • “It feels like I'm walking around in a Roblox game (most Roblox games have better graphics compared to this when the bug is here).”
    • “The graphics are definitely high quality technically speaking (though my character is apparently a vampire, casting no reflection in mirrors), but nothing very inspiring is ever done with them.”
  • music111 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the eerie atmosphere and build tension, with many reviewers noting its effectiveness in creating a sense of dread. However, some players experienced issues with music cutting out or being repetitive, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the sound design, including ambient noises and musical cues, is generally regarded as high quality and integral to the game's horror elements.

    • “The music and sound effects are insane.”
    • “The eerie sounds and haunting music must have amplified the atmosphere of dread, leaving you on edge.”
    • “The music is incorporated perfectly into the gameplay as well, and seamlessly builds in tension along with the game.”
    • “There was no chase, no music, no tension, and I would simply die after I followed a creature into a room.”
    • “The music gets a bit repetitive over time, and it can lead to less tension once you get used to it.”
    • “The music was also misleading, dramatic cues when nothing was happening.”
  • stability92 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly hinder the overall experience, with many players reporting game-breaking issues, frequent crashes, and frustrating mechanics. While some users find enjoyment in the horror elements despite the instability, the consensus is that the game's current state is too buggy for a smooth and enjoyable playthrough. Overall, stability remains a major concern, overshadowing the game's potential.

    • “Runs great on dual cores!”
    • “The game maintains a steady frame rate even during intense action sequences.”
    • “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
    • “The game is probably good, but it was way too buggy to play.”
    • “I had high hopes for this game during the development process and finally bought it on my main account, thinking that after all these years it would be a good finished product only to find out the game is more buggy than previous versions.”
    • “There are also game-breaking glitches that prevent the retrieval of items or the activation of an in-game event.”
  • grinding53 mentions

    The reviews overwhelmingly describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and frustrating, with players frequently noting the slow pacing, convoluted puzzles, and repetitive fetch quests that detract from the overall experience. Many found the gameplay loop to be a chore, often leading to feelings of boredom rather than tension or enjoyment. While some players appreciated the atmosphere and story, the general consensus is that the tedious mechanics significantly hinder the game's potential.

    • “Puzzles were challenging but not tedious.”
    • “The gameplay loop (yes, there's a loop) is tedious.”
    • “If you want a tedious waste of time with average jump scares, then this is the game for you.”
    • “It does not feel suspenseful, it's just tedious and repetitive.”
  • humor40 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with players finding both intentional and unintentional comedic moments throughout their experience. While some scenes and easter eggs elicit genuine laughter, others create a dissonance that detracts from the horror atmosphere. Overall, the game successfully incorporates humor in unexpected ways, making it entertaining, especially in multiplayer settings, though it may not resonate with everyone.

    • “Kind of funny too how you're literally holding a sledgehammer but stand there and let an old lady kick your ass (though she may be a ghost, but still, lol).”
    • “The easter eggs throughout the game are such a nice touch and the comedy is something not seen in any other horror game and is absolutely hilarious.”
    • “I had a good thrill at the doors opening and closing by themselves and the lights going out, the radio turning on whenever it pleased and other things that may spoil the thrill for some people so I won't mention, but in the end I found myself just laughing because I was basically having a fight with an invisible entity on whether the lights should be on or off.”
  • emotional27 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its deeply disturbing and touching storyline, which evokes strong reactions from players, including tears and intense fear. While some critiques mention issues with writing and voice acting, the overall experience is described as an emotional roller coaster that effectively combines horror with poignant moments, making it a memorable and impactful journey for players. Many reviewers emphasize the game's ability to elicit genuine feelings of dread and empathy, solidifying its place as a standout in the horror genre.

    • “A touching and grimly realistic story, nice music, great atmosphere, good-looking graphics, and a lot of disturbing and violent scenes – this game could become a masterpiece.”
    • “The storyline is very deep and all equally disturbing but in their own way; I found Dwayne's the most emotional and I really felt for his family at the end of the game.”
    • “An emotional roller coaster the whole way through; I certainly recommend this game to any and all horror fans.”
  • optimization23 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues such as jittery framerates, freezing during cutscenes, and crashes, while others report smooth gameplay even on lower-end hardware. Overall, while many appreciate the graphics and technical performance, there are calls for optimization patches to address the various gameplay issues and improve stability.

    • “As for performance, I had no problems running the game maxed at 1440p on a 2080.”
    • “That said, the optimization is pretty great; I have an average-at-best build, and it ran smooth as butter on the highest of settings, with only slight FPS drops that I didn't even really notice.”
    • “It is also really well optimized, achieving 70-100+ FPS with a GTX 1050 Ti and i5 7500.”
    • “A bit unoptimized; jittery framerate and freezing at cutscenes.”
    • “Nothing game-breaking, but sometimes you'll crash on retry, things won't activate, and other small optimization issues.”
    • “The scariest part about this game; it's poor optimization causing my CPU to overheat then shutting my computer off because it's too hot...”
  • replayability14 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is generally viewed as limited, with many players noting that once completed, there isn't much incentive to return, despite some randomness and hidden secrets that may encourage multiple playthroughs. While some players find value in discovering easter eggs and different scares, the consensus leans towards a lack of substantial replay value, making it more suitable for a one-time experience rather than repeated play.

    • “Due to some randomness in the game, it actually has some replay value.”
    • “Huge replay value; you always miss some easter eggs, doors, scares, and other secrets.”
    • “Replayability: 9/10”
    • “I don't think it has much replayability, but it combines a lot of the mechanics and tropes from past horror games into a tight 15-20 hour psychological horror game.”
    • “However, I will say that once you've beaten the game, there is not much replay value, and the chapters that were added to the game for full release are pretty lackluster.”
    • “Final thoughts; a good way to kill a couple of hours and get a cheap thrill, but otherwise, not really replayable... yet?”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The game's monetization is not perceived as exploitative, with players acknowledging the effort and quality put into the content, suggesting it is not a cash grab. However, there are mentions of season passes and microtransactions, indicating some level of additional monetization.

    • “The season pass offers great value for the amount of content you receive, making it a worthwhile investment.”
    • “Microtransactions are optional and don't feel necessary to enjoy the game, which is a refreshing change.”
    • “I appreciate that the monetization model is fair and doesn't hinder gameplay, allowing everyone to enjoy the experience.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, with a heavy reliance on season passes and microtransactions.”
    • “While the game has its merits, the monetization approach detracts from the overall experience.”
    • “The presence of microtransactions makes it feel like the developers are more focused on profit than player enjoyment.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Players find the character development so immersive that it allows them to lose themselves in the narrative, blurring the line between the game and reality.

    • “You lose yourself in the character development and forget it's just a game.”
    • “The depth of character development makes each choice feel meaningful and impactful.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, making every interaction feel personal.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired.”
    • “There is little to no emotional investment in the characters due to poor development.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

77% average critic score

Buy Visage

Play time

7hMedian play time
17hAverage play time
4-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 31 analyzed playthroughs

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