The horror genre is immensely popular, both through movies and video games. People love to be frightened! A recent scare that caught many gamers off-guard came from The Last of Us Part 2. It wasn’t the numerous rumors and leaks, but the initial “indefinite delay”. Naughty Dog eventually announced a new release date, putting those worries at ease. While The Last of Us Part 2 will end up seeing the light of day, not all games can be as fortunate. Back in August of 2014, Konami released P.T. exclusively for PS4 on the PlayStation Network. This standalone playable teaser was created to preview a Silent Hill reboot. Taking place in an isolated hallway, P.T. encapsulated nightmare fuel in a short standalone experience. Silent Hills ultimately got canceled due to Konami and Kojima’s infamous fallout. Thankfully P.T.’s legacy has lived on through many other developers and their games. While many titles released to praise and success, others are ill-fated with a feeling of emptiness. What was it that made the P.T. teaser such a horrifying experience? A small group of indie developers explored that question through Dread X Collection which recently hit Steam.
P.T. was a standalone experience that tied into a larger picture, without sacrificing the experience. It was an experience unhindered by its small scale. Ten developers teamed up with P.T. in mind, each producing their own short horror experience. Their goal was to complete their game in only seven days on a low budget. These titles combined form the Dread X Collection. Due to the nature of the collection, each game will have its own mini-review. These mini-reviews will be tallied up to form my final opinion on the collection as a whole. My opinions will be in the order in which the games were played.
“10 Tales of Terror from 10 Twisted Minds.”
Rotgun – Snowrunner Games
The first game I played was Rotgun, by Snowrunner Games. Rotgun is a first-person exploration game, similar in vein to Gone Home. Thrown into an eerily dark city, players are tasked to locate “The Circle World Party”. The only hint provided is the invitation given by the mysterious “Crystal Tigers”. Based on true events, players have no attack and simply traverse the environment. My initial playthrough was incredibly glitchy. While trying to find where to go, I dropped down into the ground. Initially, I couldn’t tell if it was part of the game, or not. Rotgun’s textures are very low even at max settings. It wasn’t until I saw the area I was supposed to be inside, floating above my head, that I knew it was a problem.
After restarting the game, I was finally able to progress. I made my way through to the end, only for another game-breaking glitch to appear. The game locked up on me, spoiling the ending through sound clips. Rotgun had incredibly glitchy gameplay and unappealing visuals. Much like Gone Home, the game also suffers from an anticlimactic ending.
The Pay is Nice – Oddbreeze
With the first game being a huge disappointment, my hopes had plummeted. Oddbreeze’s contribution to the collection, The Pay is Nice, was next. Taking place in a mysterious facility, players take on the role of a “scientist”; At least that’s what he was told to tell people. Having been recruited through a letter, even he doesn’t know much about his employers’ company. Our scientist goes through his daily regimen, all while documenting the quarks of the job. He proceeds to end all of his entries with “But The Pay is Nice”.
The Pay is Nice plays from a third-person fixed-camera perspective, in combination with tank controls. The atmosphere and controls definitely give off a classic Resident Evil vibe. While Resident Evil has combat, The Pay is Nice acts more as an interactive story. While the diary entries were enjoyable, the gameplay was frustrating, to say the least. The game controls worse than the 24-year-old title it was clearly influenced by. With some more refinements to the controls, The Pay is Nice shows potential.
Carthanc – Scythe Dev Team
Scythe Dev Team’s title Carthanc came next. Having prior experience making indie horror games, my hopes were high with this one. As an Archeologist, players explore the ruins of a fallen society, The Dalvikate Civilization. If abandoned tombs weren’t scary enough, it’s located on an isolated planet. The incredibly dark tomb is explored from a first-person perspective. Carthanc suffers from intentionally horrible visibility. You’re only provided a camera and lighted tripod to help guide the way.
The ultimate goal is to reassemble the remains of an alien mummy. Solving puzzles, and handling some tricky platforming sections are the only way to survive. While I really enjoyed Carthanc’s concept, the poor lighting hindered the experience. Every error on my end was caused by the inability to see. Having to repeat sections over, all while relocating my tripod, became quite a chore. Unfortunately, that one technical issue keeps me from recommending this specific teaser. If Scythe Dev Team fixes that issue, they may have the ingredients for success.
Don’t Go Out – Secret Cow Level
Secret Cow Level’s take on the genre was my next play. The studio was founded by Justin Reynard, who previously worked on Fallout New Vegas and Alpha Protocol. While finishing DOOMTROOPER, their upcoming game, this teaser in Dread X acts as their debut. Don’t Go Out is a 16-bit horror strategy game. With its turn-based gameplay, players are tasked with surviving nine moves. Each round consists of playing cards and moving characters. Players moving on a grid takes up an action, however, using cards does not. Some cards grant more moves, while others take them away. Using your hand in a strategic way, all while avoiding enemies, is crucial for victory.
While I’m typically not a fan of grid-based gameplay, Don’t Go Out had me coming back for more. It’s definitely well suited for pick up and play sessions. I kept finding myself saying “Just one more time” after every death. The soundtrack also grew on me the more I played. It only consists of one simple track, but a catchy one none the less.
Shatter – Lovely Hellplace
After coming out of the last game impressed, I hoped Shatter would follow suit. Developer Lovely Hellplace, aka James Wragg, specializes in creepy content. With his previous horror-themed games and interesting animations, I went into Shatter with expectations. Taking place in a dystopian future, the world is filled with bioterrorism. This era, known as “The World Winter” resulting in Britain being split in two. One side worships a species of cyber insects and their god “Morrigan”. These people undergo neural implant surgery, which connects them to “The Network”. Once implanted, they begin seeing giant pink flies, and their larva. The second side of Britain still practice law and order and obeys authorities.
Shatter’s environment is reminiscent of the Fallout franchise; a silent wasteland. Our unnamed protagonist must connect to “The Network” in order to fulfill their prophecy. In this first-person exploration game, players must locate the Divine Pupa. The bug overlords also scattered larva around the dystopia. Collecting those will help complete the game, but are completely optional. Graphically, Shatter is styled after the fifth-generation console era. Textures look like they were stripped right out of an original PlayStation. It’s an artistic choice that some will likely be split on. I personally think they did a good job capturing that nostalgic look. Mechanically, Shatter controlled well. I ran into no technical issues and was able to complete the game in one sitting. This teaser has me excited to see what’s next instore for Lovely Hellplace!
Hand of Doom – Torple Dook
Hand of Doom was the sixth teaser I played; a game with a name that foreshadowed its content. Initially, I thought Torple Dook’s title would play like Doom. I quickly learned, however, not to judge a book by its cover. While stylistically, the game resembles old-school Doom, there is no physical combat. There is a knife, but it is not used in the way you think. Players must instead chant incantations, to perform specific tasks. Gameplay-wise, Hand of Doom shares a bit in common with the Forsaken franchise.
All movement is controlled with W, S, A, and D, or optionally a controller. Hand of Doom’s demonic scenery is a nice call-back to id Software’s past. Incantations are commanded by clicking phrases in specific combinations. Combinations are unlocked the further you progress. The combination process worked really well and was fairly intuitive. While I could see an experience like this dragging on a bit as a full-fledged title, I enjoyed it for the short experience it was. It’s an interesting take on the old-school first-person genre.
Summer Night – Airdorf Games
Retro LCD games are a relic of the past, an era where the horror genre was fairly foreign to the gaming industry. Airdorf Games clearly saw that lack of LCD horror, releasing Summer Night into the collection. The game’s description nudges this fact, by stating “Nothing Scary Happens!” Obviously being part of a horror game compilation, you’d expect this not to be true. Summer Night has you controlling an LCD handheld, from the first-person perspective of the person playing it. It’s a unique look, that modernizes an LCD game.
Paying homage to Nintendo’s Game & Watch lineage, Summer Night controls simply. Move into the directions of toadstools to pick them up. Move toward the incoming monkeys to chase them away. Throughout the levels, Summer Night progressively gets more challenging. I really don’t want to say much more, as to not spoil the experience. If you grew up playing this era of games, you’ll appreciate Airdorf Games’ graphical nostalgia trip.
The Pony Factory – David Szymanski
Having previously created the critically acclaimed title Dusk, David Szymanski’s The Pony Factory was next. In this experience, Winston thought having a secret candle-lit séance to contact Hell was a good idea. Unfortunately for him, this unleashed magical ponies onto the earth. Winston must now fight through deadly ponies in this action-packed first-person shooter. Being the first actual shooter in the collection, I was eager to play.
The shooting mechanics are pretty good! Shots missed is usually due to user error and not the game. Ammunition is incredibly scarce, making bullets all the more valuable. Though availability is limited, there are a few health packs spread throughout each level. Visually, The Pony Factory’s dark and somber greyscale environment is reminiscent of the Condemed franchise. David Szymanski’s latest creation started out a lot of fun but became increasingly more frustrating.
Outsiders – Mahelyk
Mahelyk, developer of VR hit SCP: Blackout released Outsiders exclusively to the Dread X Collection. Mahelyk’s take on the P.T. formula immediately felt the most like Konami’s ill-fated teaser. Players take on the role of a person who wakes up with amnesia. Unable to remember who they are, players are encouraged to explore a seemingly normal house. Taking place almost entirely inside the house, this first-person experience has a lot of depth.
At first, Outsiders was difficult; leaving me not knowing where to go or what to do. As one dies and restarts, additional hints are splattered onto the walls. And I do literally mean splattered. Outsiders handles smoothly and is probably the most graphically appealing game in the collection. Cranked up to the max setting, Outsiders looks incredibly polished. I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this one. Outsiders contains a surprisingly deep experience, with a fairly small map.
Mr. Bucket Told Me To – Strange Scaffold
The tenth and final game in this collection was Mr. Bucket Told Me To. Developed by Strange Scaffold, the writer behind Hypnospace Outlaw, this entry tackles the survival genre. Players take on the role of the lone inhabitant on a desolate tropical island. In typical island fashion, loneliness overcomes, as our survivor’s inanimate tools become his only companions. Players must keep track of their thirst, hunger, and cleanliness in order to survive nightfall.
The story focuses on the mental illness our player endures during isolation. I don’t want to explain much more, story-wise, as there is a big twist. While an interesting concept, Mr. Bucket Told Me To is very harsh on the eyes. Having a simple art style and few textures, the game is ugly. The sound department could also use work, as the looping audio track became repetitious quickly. That said, I think there is a really good concept here. I hope Strange Scaffold returns to the deserted island idea after finishing their upcoming title.
After completing all 10 games, the Dread X Collection left a surprising impression on me. I wish more indie developers would come together to create a collection of like-minded games. While I liked some games more than others, half of them ended up impressing me. Some experiences were incredibly unique. Summer Night takes a retro-inspired LCD game and turns it into something frighteningly relatable. Proving to be my favorite experience of the collection, Shatter was a well-polished short story. It truly felt like the beginning of a larger experience and I hope it becomes just that.
Hand of Doom and Don’t Go Out show potential, where-as some titles are less fortunate. Mr. Bucket Told Me To could use a complete graphical overhaul. I’m not the pickiest person with my graphics, however, these were just bad. Obviously, these teasers were made in one week and purposely lack a big budget. That said, the difference in quality between titles can be pretty jarring. It goes to show what some independent developers are truly capable of.
So how scary are the games? I personally didn’t even get remotely scared, throughout my playthroughs. This is, however, an ongoing struggle I face with horror games. I think I have issues with immersion. That said, I do believe some will be frightened by this collection. Said and done, it’s not fair to give the Dread X Collection an overall rating. I would however like to recommend it to specific groups of gamers. If you’re a horror game junkie or an indie fanatic, this collection is a no-brainer. If you’re looking for a polished and full-fledged experience, look elsewhere. The games aren’t perfect, but there are definitely hours of enjoyment for a measly $7 USD. Not only that, but $2 of each game sold also goes to the Doctors Without Borders non-profit. Support a good cause, and get the shit scared out of you!
Dread X Collection is available now on Steam. A digital copy of the game was provided for the purposes of this review.
