Welcome to Doll Town

About

Welcome to Doll Town is a single player survival shooter game with horror, drama and anime themes. It was developed by Bad Wish Games and was released on February 20, 2026. It received neutral reviews from players.

Step into Ningyōmachi, once a thriving hub of doll-making mastery, now a decaying ghost town haunted by the bloodstained legacy of a twisted craftsman. As you uncover the town's dark secrets, you'll confront the eerie remnants of the Hanabira Doll Factory and the lifelike creations that refuse to stay still. Will you survive the horrors hidden within the forgotten "Doll Town," or will you become a…

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52%

Audience ScoreBased on 252 reviews

story48 positive mentions

stability13 negative mentions

The game features a unique and appealing PS1-era inspired visual aesthetic with a strong atmosphere and ambiance.
The story, while short, is engaging, dark, and explores heavy themes such as bullying, suicide, and loss, showing potential for depth and emotional impact.
The combat system, featuring wrestling-style moves and finishers, is fun and satisfying, providing a distinctive gameplay element.

The game is very short, with minimal combat encounters and limited exploration, leading to poor replayability and feeling more like a demo or tech slice than a full game.
It suffers from technical issues such as bugs, glitches, poor camera controls, awkward fixed camera angles, and lack of controller support and essential settings.
The narrative and tonal inconsistencies, including poorly written dialogue, confusing story pacing, and inappropriate content, detract from the overall experience.

story
254 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
73%
8%
The story is generally considered short, unevenly paced, and poorly written, often confusing players with disjointed plotlines and underdeveloped characters. While some find its dark, unsettling themes engaging and appreciate its emotional impact, many criticize it for heavy exposition, lack of player agency, and tonal inconsistencies. Overall, it shows potential and has a compelling premise but would benefit greatly from further development and refinement.
- “The storytelling felt beautifully dark romantic, almost like wandering through a fragile dream that slowly reveals its cracks.”
- “The story is solid and the plot is great.”
- “It's got rather responsive controls, every piece of flavor text is hilarious, especially if you play horror games regularly, the camera option is fine since the day 1 patch, and the story is lovely, heavy, and you can feel the love put in to the game.”
- “The story is a complete mess, very hard to understand the plot even if there is one.”
- “The story was so loosely put together a middle school fanfic writer could've done a better job.”
- “The length of the game wouldn't be a problem if it told a refined story that knew exactly what it wanted to say in its short run time but this story is stupid, boring, doesn't know what it wants to be most of the time and when it gets something of a footing it completely swaps tone and style with a silly and needless cat "sneaking" section.”
gameplay
93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
76%
9%
The gameplay is generally criticized for its short length, limited depth, and repetitive, simplistic combat and puzzle mechanics, often feeling more like extended walking or narrative segments than engaging interactive play. While some appreciate its nostalgic inspirations and occasional unique ideas (like the cat segments), many find the mechanics underdeveloped, unpolished, and lacking meaningful challenge or exploration. Overall, the gameplay feels incomplete and fails to fully deliver on its promises, with significant room for refinement and expansion.
- “I love the feelings and gameplay.”
- “In short, the game does a good job of mixing classic horror game elements, silly wrestling mechanics, and an interesting and straightforward story.”
- “Overall: the gameplay was enjoyable, and for $9 I was perfectly happy with my 2.5 hour experience; it was a solid narrative and the emotional impact landed as well as most movies would've with the time given, and the only real negative is that there wasn't more of it.”
- “The gameplay loop consists of going to point A to point B, story section walking from point A to B, repeat.”
- “There is about 10 real minutes of gameplay in this, most of the actual gameplay is reading rough dialogue and moving through the 'cinematic experiences' to see more dialogue.”
- “The fighting mechanic is also limited, just consisting of spamming a button and being able to do like a finisher sometimes.”
graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
62%
5%
The game's graphics feature a distinctive, nostalgic PS1-inspired art style with a strong gothic and surreal atmosphere that many players find charming and visually captivating. While the aesthetic and atmosphere receive consistent praise for their creativity and mood, some criticize the limited exploration, graphical bugs, and performance optimization issues that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics effectively establish a unique and moody vibe, though certain visual and technical shortcomings impact gameplay clarity and immersion.
- “I enjoyed the art style, which reminded me of retro PlayStation 1 games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, with the main difference being the character's anime art style which I find very nice.”
- “The game absolutely nails the atmosphere, visuals, and music, an obvious homage to Silent Hill, and it does it well.”
- “The art style is beautiful with a low-fi charm that reminds me a lot of a PS1 game.”
- “The graphics were unique, but end up being a hindrance later on as you can't make out doors or stairs.”
- “Graphics: the dolls have the same level of expression as a cheap store mannequin.”
- “Everything looks like the graphics engine is running on a scientific calculator.”
atmosphere
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
50%
6%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its strong, moody, and eerie vibe, heavily influenced by PS1-era horror classics like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, with standout art style, music, and environmental storytelling. However, many feel that tonal inconsistencies, such as comedic or meta elements, and occasional immersion-breaking dialogue diminish the intended horror ambiance. Despite some flaws in execution and polish, the atmosphere successfully evokes a chilling, haunting experience that resonates with many players.
- “The art, the PS1 era feel, the music, the atmosphere, and more all tie together to show the passion the developer has invested in this game.”
- “Welcome to Doll Town delivers a chilling, atmospheric experience driven by strong environmental storytelling and subtle sound design.”
- “The game absolutely nails the atmosphere, visuals, and music, obvious homage to Silent Hill and it does it well.”
- “Worst game I have ever played on Steam. It had major potential from the art to the character designs and the atmosphere.”
- “Any 'atmosphere' or tone is completely destroyed with bizarre mechanics that are seemingly stapled on in an attempt to make the game seem as ridiculous as possible for social media trending, even if those things are completely contrary to the topic of bullying and suicide that this game pretends to take seriously.”
- “The dialogues also deserved a bit more substance. Beware of stereotypical one-liners which immediately kill the 'creepy eerie atmosphere' and discredit your message.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
54%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric, PS1-era style and emotional main themes, enhancing the overall mood and tone reminiscent of classic horror titles like Silent Hill. However, some players find certain gameplay segments feature awkward or mismatched music that disrupts immersion, and note a lack of consistent ambient sound or music during parts of the game. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point that adds depth and passion, with demand for an official release due to its memorable and impactful compositions.
- “The game absolutely nails the atmosphere, visuals and music, obvious homage to Silent Hill and it does it well.”
- “The soundtrack really rocks, and it's used very nicely based on each situation.”
- “With the PS1 style graphics, the camera, the music, the heartbreaking backstory, and the eerie atmosphere, this game sure was worth waiting for.”
- “I can't forget to talk about the music, the main theme and the music during the emotionally heavy plot points is good but the music during gameplay (especially in two sections that I'll avoid detailing to not give spoilers) is terrible; if the tone was already all over the place, the music doesn't help one bit.”
- “There was no music or even really ambient noise a lot of the time.”
- “It's boring and it has those stupid musics that totally ruin the mood of the game.”
humor
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94%
6%
The game's humor is largely characterized by quirky, dark, and meme-inspired jokes that blend campy and edgy tones, often leading to amusing but sometimes awkward shifts in mood. While some players appreciate its unique, playful moments and humorous references, others find the writing uneven or AI-like, with some comedic elements feeling forced or underdeveloped. Overall, the humor adds a distinctive, if inconsistent, flavor that balances levity with the game's heavier themes.
- “Making a sequel bait at the end when it's one hour of gameplay is hilarious.”
- “I love the strange humor, and the melee combat feels good to pull off.”
- “The game also knows how to be a fun, silly game with hilarious implementations like going gangnam style over an enemy's corpse, getting taunted by a boss, finding yellow paint.”
- “Unserious and not scary but also unfunny.”
- “There are numerous meaningless interactions with objects that are not funny and don't add anything to the game.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and softlocks that can require restarting progress. Visual problems like texture glitches, screen tearing, and flickering lights are common, alongside control and camera malfunctions. These technical flaws, combined with underdeveloped features, significantly detract from the overall experience despite some enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “It's a buggy mess, I got softlocked in the prologue of the game by skipping dialogs and had to start from the very beginning.”
- “Have severe oversight glitches and bugs. In the school portion, if you leave the school when asked to go to the roof, you get teleported to the entrance of the city and can only go back to the school if you reload the game. Textures glitching, v-sync not working causing a lot of screen tearing in certain scenes. The cat part is really buggy, with frequent clipping through walls. The camera is laggy and mouse sensitivity issues cause the camera to 'fly away'. Visual bugs include massive flickering lights and scenes.”
- “Really really cool game, it's a lot of fun, but sadly it's hella buggy. There were at least five different bugs in the first 30 minutes where I had to restart my game, and sometimes those bugs reoccurred.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game received mixed reactions, with some praising its haunting atmosphere, music during key plot points, and a compelling narrative that evoked strong feelings akin to films, while others found the tone inconsistent and the story lacking emotional depth. Players expressed a desire for deeper character development and more content, highlighting both the game's potential and its disappointing shortcomings.
- “For me, they are an emotional outlet, which is why I wanted to leave a review that I hope would be useful to the author themselves, to whom I express my respect for the work done.”
- “Overall: the gameplay was enjoyable, and for $9 I was perfectly happy with my 2.5 hour experience. It was a solid narrative and the emotional impact landed as well as most movies would've with the time given, and the only real negative is that there wasn't more of it.”
- “With the PS1 style graphics, the camera, the music, the heartbreaking backstory, and the eerie atmosphere, this game sure was worth waiting for.”
monetization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users criticize the monetization of the game as a cash grab relying heavily on AI-generated content and Unity assets with minimal polish, feeling the developer prioritized advertising over actual game quality. The marketing promised features like frequent wrestlemania-style combat, skateboarding, and emotes that are largely absent, leading to disappointment and a sense of misleading promotion.
- “At worst, this is a cash grab of AI-generated content and Unity assets placed without much care.”
- “This was clearly just a misguided cash grab masquerading as something cooler.”
- “Feel the dev put more effort into advertising than they did into polishing the game.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
34%
44%
The game suffers from poor optimization, with large file size and frequent performance issues even on high-end PCs, causing overheating and occasional crashes. Although some players didn't experience lag, many report graphical problems and subpar frame stability. Overall, the game's technical inefficiencies detract significantly from the experience.
- “I like the aesthetic and many of the story beats, but it has huge problems with performance (I have a pretty good gaming PC and had no drops in game, but the system was running full fans and still hot).”
- “There are far too many performance issues, lack of good pacing, and the story feels short and not fully realized by the time the game ends.”
- “Because of the lack of optimization, there are moments where the game just breaks on you.”
- “Also, the game is really badly optimized and doesn't look good, despite being made for low-end PCs (I have a high-end PC for reference).”
- “Graphical issues, the optimization is bad even on powerful rigs, fighting mechanics are lackluster, and the story is meh.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The character development received mixed feedback: while the character designs and overall aesthetic were praised for being memorable and fitting the setting, several users felt there was insufficient buildup and depth to fully support key story twists.
- “The outfits and character designs are genuinely cute and memorable.”
- “The character designs were also serviceable and I thought the main character and the references to other horror IPs within the game's dialogue were pretty cool.”
- “It has a good vibe, good character design; the use of AI I don't mind much due to it being made by a completely solo dev.”
- “Worst game I have ever played on Steam, it had major potential from the art to the character designs and the atmosphere.”
- “There isn’t enough buildup or character development to support that twist.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is described as dull, tedious, and frustrating, contributing to a repetitive and unenjoyable experience. Additionally, the controls add to the challenge, making the overall process feel more cumbersome.
- “But on the other side of that waiting and potential excitement is just one of the dullest, most tedious, and deceitful indie games I've ever experienced.”
- “The controls were a little tedious to figure out.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's replayability is limited, primarily revolving around the second ending, with few opportunities for combat or character development and delayed access to certain features like costumes. Players hope for future DLC to expand exploration, utilize unused locations, and add missions to enhance replay value.
- “The game would benefit from a little more combat, the main character getting more screen time and depth, and allowing players to use their costumes much earlier than in New Game+, since there's not much replayability outside of the second ending.”