Vomitoreum

About

Vomitoreum is a single player shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by scumhead and was released on July 30, 2021. It received very positive reviews from players.

"Vomitoreum is a single-player horror shooter Metroidvania game with an interesting plot, good gameplay, stunning graphics, and an ingenious soundtrack. Explore a dark, interconnected world inspired by the paintings of Zdzisław Beksiński, battling eldritch monsters and searching for a cure for a deadly fog. As the Nephilem, survive the harsh environment, gather weapons and tools, and restore life to the plagued land."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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91%

Audience ScoreBased on 773 reviews

story88 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

Unique and grotesque art style inspired by Zdzisław Beksiński, creating a haunting atmosphere.
Engaging exploration with a large interconnected map that rewards players for finding secrets and upgrades.
Fast-paced gameplay with satisfying movement mechanics, including dashing and double jumping.

Combat can feel repetitive and easy, with most bosses being defeated through simple circle strafing.
The story, while intriguing, can come off as disjointed and relies on heavy themes that may not resonate with all players.
Some gameplay mechanics, like the light homunculus, can be frustrating and poorly implemented, leading to tedious navigation.

story
272 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
65%
3%
The story of the game is characterized by its dark, existential themes and is conveyed through environmental storytelling, cryptic texts, and NPC interactions, creating an immersive yet fragmented narrative that encourages player interpretation. While many players appreciate the intriguing world-building and emotional depth, some criticize the story for being simplistic or poorly executed, particularly towards the ending, which can detract from the overall experience. The narrative's heavy themes, including references to sexual assault, may not resonate with all players, leading to mixed reactions regarding its impact and presentation.
- “The story unfolds through environmental storytelling, cryptic texts, and encounters with NPCs, immersing players in a narrative steeped in horror and existential themes.”
- “This narrative ambiguity adds depth and encourages repeated playthroughs as players seek to piece together the overarching story.”
- “The world around you is so enthralling, and the story you're in is incredibly compelling and has real emotional weight.”
- “For a game with such a radiant atmosphere, its story is quite lacking.”
- “You are not given much context about the fallen world, the humans, the enemies, and the environmental storytelling doesn't leave much to imagination, being sparse with finer details to leave room for gameplay.”
- “The story is simple, but hits some strong notes, especially near the end.”
graphics
233 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
54%
3%
The graphics of "Vomitoreum" are characterized by a unique and unsettling pixel art aesthetic, heavily inspired by the works of artists like Zdzisław Beksiński and H.R. Giger, which effectively enhances the game's dark atmosphere. While the visuals are often praised for their creativity and ability to evoke a creepy ambiance, some critiques point to inconsistencies in quality and a lack of originality in certain areas. Overall, the game's art style is a standout feature, appealing to fans of retro and horror aesthetics, despite some technical limitations inherent to the GZDoom engine.
- “The pixel art aesthetic, though retro, is meticulously designed, providing clear visual feedback while enhancing the unsettling mood.”
- “Its combination of fluid gameplay, intricate level design, and hauntingly surreal visuals creates a unique experience that stands out in the indie game landscape.”
- “Vomitoreum is a dark and disturbing FPS metroidvania based on the artwork of Polish painter Zdzisław Beksiński and running on the GZDoom engine from developer Scumhead, creator of the Shrine and Lycanthorn series.”
- “The art style is all over the place, with some areas looking like postmodern self-aware vomit and others out of a middle schooler's sketchbook.”
- “Much of the artwork looks bad, including important characters and the repetitive, uninspired environments.”
- “While the graphics aren't anything to write home about, I think its style works well in its favor.”
gameplay
194 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
56%
7%
The gameplay of "Vomitoreum" is characterized by solid mechanics and enjoyable gunplay, blending classic shooter elements with metroidvania-style exploration. Players appreciate the fast-paced combat and unique movement mechanics, though some criticize the simplicity and lack of challenge, particularly with bosses and enemy design. Overall, while the game offers a visually captivating experience, its gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, leading to mixed reviews on its engagement and replayability.
- “Gameplay in Vomitoreum emphasizes exploration and player agency within a carefully interconnected world.”
- “Combat is visceral and relentless, featuring a variety of weapons with unlimited ammunition, allowing for creative engagement with enemies while maintaining the intensity of classic shooter mechanics.”
- “Its combination of fluid gameplay, intricate level design, and hauntingly surreal visuals creates a unique experience that stands out in the indie game landscape.”
- “Gameplay is lackluster.”
- “The gameplay itself is just mediocre, at best.”
- “Sadly, vomitoreum's level design and clunky gameplay do not live up to its atmosphere and aesthetics.”
atmosphere
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
45%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, surreal, and oppressive qualities, effectively immersing players in a nightmarish world filled with eerie visuals and haunting sound design. Many reviews highlight the unique art style and ambient music that enhance the overall experience, making exploration feel both rewarding and unsettling. While some critiques mention shortcomings in gameplay or story, the atmospheric elements remain a standout feature that captivates players throughout their journey.
- “The dark, dreary atmosphere and the hopeless feeling you get from the visual, sound, and gameplay design is phenomenal.”
- “The atmosphere is second to none, full of horrifying and surreal sights and sounds.”
- “Vomitoreum delivers a very dark and unsettling atmosphere set in an interesting and really twisted universe.”
- “The game is also teeming with an atmosphere of pure dread and unease.”
- “Sadly, vomitoreum's level design and clunky gameplay do not live up to its atmosphere and aesthetics.”
- “There is a single section where the atmosphere almost works for it, but it's poorly executed because of the mechanics of that area and it ends up being frustrating and feeling like you're wrangling with the game design more than actually feeling tense or scared.”
music
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
48%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the overall experience with eerie ambient tracks and climactic soundscapes during boss encounters. Reviewers noted that the soundtrack complements the game's dark themes and unique environments, creating a haunting and immersive atmosphere, although some felt it could be more consistently present throughout gameplay. Overall, the sound design, including music and effects, is considered a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's aesthetic and emotional impact.
- “The music also adds to this ominous feeling, with droning ambiance that builds and falls, and changes depending on the area you're in.”
- “The music is a mixture of eerie ambient tracks, but gets much more aggressive during the boss fights.”
- “The entire world does an excellent job of portraying this bleak, body-horror apocalypse that creates an incredibly eerie and gruesome atmosphere when paired with some very nice ambient music.”
- “The way ambiance/music is mixed in the game is jarring; entering new areas can cut the music off abruptly, and there are parts of the game that go too silent.”
- “Nonetheless, the grotesque and creepy art style is beautiful and gives you goosebumps, yet the sound and music in this game could be a lot better to create an even more sinister feeling.”
- “The sound is equally noticeable, with music that is dreadfully somber, and even sometimes silent.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players find it enjoyable enough to warrant multiple playthroughs due to its layout and hidden secrets, many criticize its short length and lack of additional difficulty settings or modes, which significantly limit replay value. Several reviews highlight that once the game is completed, there isn't much incentive to return, aside from speedrunning or hunting for collectibles. Ultimately, the consensus suggests that while the game offers a good experience, its replayability is hindered by its brevity and limited content.
- “I can't recommend this game enough, and I believe it is absolutely worth the price despite the short playtime, and I find it to be incredibly replayable.”
- “Fun shooter, not too long, good replay value.”
- “I'd say it actually does have good replay value because of simply how the game is laid out.”
- “For such a short game, having no replay value really kills its appeal.”
- “Sadly there is no ng+ nor higher difficulty for replayability.”
- “Under 3hrs of gameplay with no replay value.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to repetitive backtracking and cryptic level design that complicates navigation. Boss fights, while interesting, can become frustratingly long and monotonous, often requiring players to rely on simple strategies like circle-strafing. Overall, the game's short length mitigates some of the grind, but the combination of tedious mechanics and unclear objectives detracts from the experience.
- “The bosses are all beatable with the good old circle-strafe while jumping, and their health bars are ridiculously tedious.”
- “Content-wise there's about 2 hours of solid gameplay in here, extended by tedious backtracking or vague objectives.”
- “The level design is sometimes needlessly cryptic; you can't tell when water is about to kill you, and once you clear an area, it's dead content that's tedious to backtrack through.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is marked by a mix of minor glitches and bugs, particularly with alt-tabbing on Windows 11 and some graphical issues. While players report a generally playable experience, especially in FPS games, 2D sidescrollers are noted as particularly clunky. Despite these stability concerns, the game's aesthetic and engaging world help mitigate the impact of the glitches.
- “Their FPS games are far more playable than their 2D sidescrollers, which are frankly clunky, buggy messes that I would recommend to no one.”
- “It often glitches in front of you.”
- “It's a little buggy and jank, but the world and characters are very interesting.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
38%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its compelling story and impactful moments that resonate deeply with players, evoking feelings of nostalgia and heartbreak. While some find the narrative to be a powerful emotional journey, others critique its linearity and pacing, which can detract from immersion. Overall, the game is praised for its emotional weight, particularly in its climactic moments.
- “The world around you is so enthralling, and the story you're in is incredibly compelling and has real emotional weight.”
- “The story being an emotional gut-punch is just the icing on top of the cake.”
- “I won't talk much on the story for the sake of spoilers, regarding the tone of this game from looks alone you should only expect the most heart-breakingly depraved story.”
- “The emotional depth of the story is lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I felt no real emotional impact; the narrative fell flat and failed to engage me.”
- “The game tries to evoke feelings but ends up feeling superficial and unconvincing.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with players finding amusement in unexpected moments, such as the quirky design of characters and absurd cutscenes, like the final one featuring a comically exaggerated character. While some aspects, like the overpowered secret weapons, are seen as humorous, others, like the manual save feature, evoke a lighthearted critique of game design choices. Overall, the humor resonates with players, often catching them off guard and enhancing their enjoyment of the game.
- “I still wonder why the last mason looks like he's smiling all the time, but I find his face pretty funny.”
- “The final cutscene made me laugh really hard when the naked anime-tumblr-woman looked into the camera with her big anime eyes while Imagine Dragons was epically playing in the background.”
- “My friend gifted it to me as a joke, but the only thing funny was how much I loved it.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
Overall, the character development in the game is praised for its excellent design and integration into a beautifully crafted world, with diverse and interesting environments. However, some critiques highlight that not all characters are equally compelling, with a few, like a certain knight, being perceived as less engaging. The unique and twisted character designs evoke strong artistic influences, enhancing the overall experience.
- “Good story and excellent world/character design.”
- “I'm terrible at words but this game is beautiful; the environments are all super diverse and interesting, the sound design and music are amazing, and I really love the character design and story.”
- “The world/enemy/character design is so oddly twisted; I got some H.R. Giger vibes from a portion of the level textures, and it was great.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is generally viewed positively, as players appreciate the absence of ads during boss fights, which allows for a more enjoyable experience. While some find the bosses to be easy, the game is not perceived as a cash grab and retains a sense of authenticity.
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I feel like I'm constantly being pushed to buy in-game currency just to keep up with the content.”
- “The prices for in-game items are outrageous, and it feels like a pay-to-win scenario.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including a long-standing bug that prevents progress by blocking the fetal soul rebind feature. Additionally, the infinite ammo for weapons, combined with their subpar performance, detracts from the overall experience.
- “Poorly optimized, with a long-standing bug that has persisted for over 4 years, preventing the fetal soul rebind and hindering progress.”
- “The infinite ammo pools for all weapons, combined with their generally poor performance, further detracts from the overall experience.”