Waxworks: Curse of the Ancestors
- December 20, 2021
- Went2Play LLC
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreIn Waxworks: Curse of the Ancestors, players explore a sprawling waxwork museum to lift curses afflicting their ancestors. Each diorama presents unique puzzles and challenges in different historical settings, from Ancient Egypt to Victorian England. Players must collect and use items, interact with characters, and make choices that affect the narrative's outcome in this immersive horror adventure game.
Reviews
- The game captures the atmosphere of the original Waxworks, providing a nostalgic experience for fans.
- The addition of voice acting and a more immersive HUD enhances the gameplay experience.
- The developers show dedication to improving the game, with ongoing updates and communication with the player community.
- The game is riddled with bugs and glitches, making it frustrating and often unplayable.
- Combat mechanics are poorly executed, with inaccurate hitboxes and janky controls that detract from the experience.
- The remake lacks the depth and engaging elements of the original, such as memorable death scenes and a coherent story.
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of experiences, with some players criticizing the clunky controls, poorly placed save points, and outdated graphics, labeling it a "soulless nostalgia cash-grab." Conversely, others appreciate the game's atmospheric elements and the innovative blend of multiple gameplay styles, particularly in the Waxworks segment, which combines dungeon crawling with point-and-click mechanics. Overall, while there are notable strengths in thematic variety and atmosphere, many find the core mechanics lacking and frustrating.
“This game is a full 3D remake with real-time combat, voice acting, lighting mechanics, fog, and more.”
“Visually pleasing, fun gameplay, great atmosphere, and the voice acting is okay.”
“The Victorian era (aka Jack the Ripper) features stealth gameplay with minor combat; the atmosphere is the best, and you must play smart and fast to avoid being caught by the lynching mob or the police.”
“Save points are poorly placed and sometimes may put you directly in harm's way or break game mechanics.”
“It's a soulless nostalgia cash-grab, with bare-minimum effort placed into mechanics beneath stock textures, lazy map design, and clunky combat.”
“The Victorian era (aka Jack the Ripper) is known for its 'stealth' gameplay with minor combat (you cannot even attack at all until the end); however, the atmosphere was the best, and you have to play smart and fast in order not to get caught by the lynching mob or the police.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the atmospheric and high-quality recreation of the original soundtrack, others lament the lack of music compared to the memorable MIDI tracks from the 1992 release. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the eerie atmosphere, but some users feel it falls short in comparison to the original.
“As a preface to this review, I should mention that I played the original MS-DOS release of this game as a kid and fell in love with the creepy, violent art, the bone-chilling music, and the eerie atmosphere.”
“The game is a love letter to the original; the soundtrack has been recreated in very high quality and even improved.”
“The game is very atmospheric, has pretty graphics, great music but mediocre animations & sound.”
“Music is almost non-existent: the original game from 1992 had very memorable MIDI music.”
“Insult to injury, they're selling the soundtrack for $5.”
“The game is a love letter to the original, the soundtrack has been recreated in very high quality and even improved.”
- story7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The story is generally praised for its engaging narrative, but many players criticize its execution due to incomplete dialogues and a lack of depth. Additionally, the absence of a tutorial and various gameplay issues detract from the overall experience, making it feel unplayable for some. While the story has potential, technical flaws and outdated graphics hinder its impact.
“The story has a really good depth!”
“I loved the story, but it is just unplayable due to bugs.”
“Some of the dialogues are incomplete, so the story does not make logical sense.”
“The graphics and the sound are terribly outdated, the story has no real depth, the subtitles have numerous typos, the unrewarding gameplay consists mostly of running annoying chores, the controls are clumsy, and the fighting part is outright atrocious.”
“No tutorial: you're not getting any explanation in this game, aside from the quest tracker.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its creepy and immersive qualities, effectively capturing the essence of the original MS-DOS release while introducing new elements. Players appreciate the visually pleasing graphics and haunting music, which contribute to a chilling experience, although some note that animations and sound effects could be improved. Overall, the game successfully evokes a sense of tension and engagement, particularly in its Victorian-era setting.
“But when I stepped into that bloody mine, I enjoyed myself so much I didn't mind any of that. The game wonderfully captures the atmosphere of the original and builds upon it by adding new elements, like poison level and health management.”
“As a preface to this review, I should mention that I played the original MS-DOS release of this game as a kid and fell in love with the creepy, violent art, the bone-chilling music, and the eerie atmosphere.”
“As someone who's played the original, I have to admit that this is pretty faithful in terms of the atmosphere and the overall look and feel of the original while being its own thing.”
“Decent atmosphere, can hold a candle to the pixel art of the first game.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, reminiscent of 2005, with low framerates at higher settings impacting gameplay, particularly during combat. While the atmosphere and overall aesthetic are praised, including good visuals and music, animations and sound quality are seen as mediocre. Despite these shortcomings, some reviewers note that the graphics are acceptable for an indie title and can compete with other modern games in the genre.
“Graphics are good; while you can't expect crispy, sharp 4K textures in a small indie game, it doesn't need to hide from other modern indie titles.”
“Graphics: good”
“Playing on the highest graphics settings is a detriment: certain actions, especially combat, malfunction at higher framerates, such as lighting enemies on fire.”
“The game is very atmospheric, has pretty graphics, great music but mediocre animations and sound.”
“The graphics and the sound are terribly outdated, the story has no real depth, the subtitles have numerous typos, the unrewarding gameplay consists mostly of running annoying chores, the controls are clumsy and the fighting part is outright atrocious.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that render it nearly unplayable. Issues include flawed gamepad controls and persistent problems like unwanted subtitles, leading to a frustrating experience despite an engaging story.
“Gamepad controls are flawed and incomplete, buggy (I explicitly turn off subtitles - yet they are there), and everything else is just... a joke.”
“It's too buggy; I really tried to play it. I loved the story, but it is just unplayable.”
“Bugs and glitches are plentiful, even game-breaking at times.”
