Its about time to start covering horror games, October is both right around the corner, and pretty short, so, better hop on it.
Today, I will be covering, surprise surprise, another indie game, just by the cover alone its pretty obvious what its biggest influence is, if you still don’t know, its a Resident of the Evil kind.
There really isn’t much else to say really, small dev, is part of the current wave of PS1 nostalgia, it wears its influences quite openly (besides Resident Evil).
So, without further ado, let’s get on with it.
Story & Setting
Multiple disappearances have taken place, there is nothing in common among the victims, first disappearance, then appearing dead, authorities are stumped.
This is just a regular night for you, watching the news, have some microwave pizza, and get ready for bed, yet, you have felt strange presence roaming around your apartment.
Chalking it up to fatigue, you decide to just go to bed, and whatever happens happens.
You wake up in the grounds of a manor you have never seen, there are monsters, and a talking cat, is it dream? Or, is it real?
The black cat says that no one leaves the nightmare alive, go, and prove that furball wrong.
This is just a regular night for you, watching the news, have some microwave pizza, and get ready for bed, yet, you have felt strange presence roaming around your apartment.
Chalking it up to fatigue, you decide to just go to bed, and whatever happens happens.
You wake up in the grounds of a manor you have never seen, there are monsters, and a talking cat, is it dream? Or, is it real?
The black cat says that no one leaves the nightmare alive, go, and prove that furball wrong.
Presentation
It is quite obvious that this game is heavily inspired by classic Resident Evil, its also filled with references, not just to horror games.
First-person classic RE, no tank controls tho, even the zombies themselves are very reminiscent of the ones from the PS1 REs.
Although most of the enemies are zombies, there is some minor variety, sometimes with enemies that show up for exactly 1 room… Not counting bosses.
Most enemies are what you would expect from a RE inspired game, zombies, dogs, spiders, thankfully there is some variety with the zombies, in their clothing that is. There are other enemies, like cultists clearly inspired by Blood, mimics to keep you guessing, skeletons, regenerators, among others.
The UI is pretty utilitarian, including the map screen, nothing gets in the way, but, the inventory screen can get cluttered, forcing you to use the filters.
Environment wise, well, The Specencer Mansion with the lab replaced with a medieval dungeon, that’s pretty much it, there are a lot of paintings, and some gore in the form of eaten or mutilated bodies. There is only so much that can be done with the 5th generation inspired graphics, all things considered, it looks pretty decent.
First-person classic RE, no tank controls tho, even the zombies themselves are very reminiscent of the ones from the PS1 REs.
Although most of the enemies are zombies, there is some minor variety, sometimes with enemies that show up for exactly 1 room… Not counting bosses.
Most enemies are what you would expect from a RE inspired game, zombies, dogs, spiders, thankfully there is some variety with the zombies, in their clothing that is. There are other enemies, like cultists clearly inspired by Blood, mimics to keep you guessing, skeletons, regenerators, among others.
The UI is pretty utilitarian, including the map screen, nothing gets in the way, but, the inventory screen can get cluttered, forcing you to use the filters.
Environment wise, well, The Specencer Mansion with the lab replaced with a medieval dungeon, that’s pretty much it, there are a lot of paintings, and some gore in the form of eaten or mutilated bodies. There is only so much that can be done with the 5th generation inspired graphics, all things considered, it looks pretty decent.
Sound wise, I can’t for the life of me remember any of the music tracks, they just blend in and its hard to actually notice them.
For enemies, each one has an identifiable sound, which makes it easier for you to know what you are dealing with, especially with the zombie growls easily giving you heads up that they are indeed around.
Sound can also give you a warning, as to when an enemy is about to attack, or you can track where they are by listening to the footsteps.
Some moments are enhanced by using sound, like ambushes, or some bosses who like to taunt you.
All in all, although it isn’t amazing on the presentation department, it gets the job done.
For enemies, each one has an identifiable sound, which makes it easier for you to know what you are dealing with, especially with the zombie growls easily giving you heads up that they are indeed around.
Sound can also give you a warning, as to when an enemy is about to attack, or you can track where they are by listening to the footsteps.
Some moments are enhanced by using sound, like ambushes, or some bosses who like to taunt you.
All in all, although it isn’t amazing on the presentation department, it gets the job done.
Mechanics
First-person Classic Resident Evil, but without tank controls.
The game does add a few changes to make it more difficult for the player, like, each time you attack, your movement speed slows down significantly for a few seconds, making backing up while shooting/stabbing not an end all be all. Your movement speed is also slowed when reloading, forcing you to pick tactically when to do so.
Unlike Classic RE, you can move while shooting, its just that moving while shooting has very unreliable accuracy.
The weapon progression, is pretty similar to The Chris route in RE1, knife, pistol, shotgun, and revolver. There is no grenade launcher, but there are explosives, like dynamite and holy water, you also get a crowbar later on to replace your knife.
Saving wise, it uses the Silent Hill notepad, you can save as much as you want, but, amount of saves does reflect on your rating at the end of the game.
The game has puzzles, but, they are extremely easy, most of them being glorified fetch quests.
The inventory has no limit, but it can get quite cluttered as the game progresses.
You are also rewarded for paying attention to the environment, finding little breakable objects that will net you some resources.
The game does add a few changes to make it more difficult for the player, like, each time you attack, your movement speed slows down significantly for a few seconds, making backing up while shooting/stabbing not an end all be all. Your movement speed is also slowed when reloading, forcing you to pick tactically when to do so.
Unlike Classic RE, you can move while shooting, its just that moving while shooting has very unreliable accuracy.
The weapon progression, is pretty similar to The Chris route in RE1, knife, pistol, shotgun, and revolver. There is no grenade launcher, but there are explosives, like dynamite and holy water, you also get a crowbar later on to replace your knife.
Saving wise, it uses the Silent Hill notepad, you can save as much as you want, but, amount of saves does reflect on your rating at the end of the game.
The game has puzzles, but, they are extremely easy, most of them being glorified fetch quests.
The inventory has no limit, but it can get quite cluttered as the game progresses.
You are also rewarded for paying attention to the environment, finding little breakable objects that will net you some resources.
Enemies wise, zombies will try to grab you, if they do, you get a small window to kill them before they bite, thing is, this game follows a damage formula similar to the RE2 Remake, with zombies sometimes being very tanky, other times being killed in 2 shots.
Most other enemies have a more simple attack pattern, just rushing towards you and attacking, sometimes with windup to their attacks, other times, they just need to be close to you.
Enemies don’t follow through doors, just like in classic RE.
With enough damage, you can force them into a hurt animation, but, its seemingly random when this animation happens.
Although most of the time, the strategy is to bait them into their attack animation, and just move out before the hurt frames happen, the timing varies between enemies.
You can sprint, but it has a caveat, when you are in a safe area, you can sprint indefinitely, when there are enemies around, you get a stamina bar.
Cultists, just try to take cover from you, sometimes trying to flank you, since they have guns, they can be quite annoying.
The game also has bosses, most of them are pretty straight forward, with only 1 gimmick boss, they are memorable, but, not too difficult.
There is even a little side quest, which is quite worth it.
The health system is the same as RE (Fine, Caution, Danger), but, instead of herbs to heal, you use the healing bottles from Silent Hill, and medpacks. The game is generous at the start, but don’t get careless.
The game has a little shooting mini-game, that you can play using a pellet gun with infinite ammo, getting a high score, rewards you with extra items.
Finally, you can unlock extra game modes, Dungeon Escape, Horde Survival, and Randomizer.
Dungeon Escape, is roguelike mode, you go through procedurally generated levels, killing enemies for money, which you use to buy weapons and supplies, this mode also adds a mini-boss which isn’t in the main game.
Horde Survival and Randomizer are self-explanatory.
Most other enemies have a more simple attack pattern, just rushing towards you and attacking, sometimes with windup to their attacks, other times, they just need to be close to you.
Enemies don’t follow through doors, just like in classic RE.
With enough damage, you can force them into a hurt animation, but, its seemingly random when this animation happens.
Although most of the time, the strategy is to bait them into their attack animation, and just move out before the hurt frames happen, the timing varies between enemies.
You can sprint, but it has a caveat, when you are in a safe area, you can sprint indefinitely, when there are enemies around, you get a stamina bar.
Cultists, just try to take cover from you, sometimes trying to flank you, since they have guns, they can be quite annoying.
The game also has bosses, most of them are pretty straight forward, with only 1 gimmick boss, they are memorable, but, not too difficult.
There is even a little side quest, which is quite worth it.
The health system is the same as RE (Fine, Caution, Danger), but, instead of herbs to heal, you use the healing bottles from Silent Hill, and medpacks. The game is generous at the start, but don’t get careless.
The game has a little shooting mini-game, that you can play using a pellet gun with infinite ammo, getting a high score, rewards you with extra items.
Finally, you can unlock extra game modes, Dungeon Escape, Horde Survival, and Randomizer.
Dungeon Escape, is roguelike mode, you go through procedurally generated levels, killing enemies for money, which you use to buy weapons and supplies, this mode also adds a mini-boss which isn’t in the main game.
Horde Survival and Randomizer are self-explanatory.
Final Thoughts
A somewhat short review, for a pretty short game.
Its obvious that its a labor of love, and a homage to classic survival horror, with some extra little references to other media for funsies.
It has a pretty low price, and for what it offers, I’d say its pretty fair.
It doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any shape or form, the puzzles are pretty easy, the whole game can be completed in about 2 hours on your first playthrough.
At the end of the day, its a pretty humble indie survival horror, it knows what it wants to do, and it knows its limitations.
All in all, for the low price it asks for, its worth a try if you have a few hours to kill, and feel like playing a short survival horror.
Its obvious that its a labor of love, and a homage to classic survival horror, with some extra little references to other media for funsies.
It has a pretty low price, and for what it offers, I’d say its pretty fair.
It doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any shape or form, the puzzles are pretty easy, the whole game can be completed in about 2 hours on your first playthrough.
At the end of the day, its a pretty humble indie survival horror, it knows what it wants to do, and it knows its limitations.
All in all, for the low price it asks for, its worth a try if you have a few hours to kill, and feel like playing a short survival horror.
Pros
- + Solid Core Gameplay.
- + Pretty Good Atmosphere.
- + Low Price.
Cons
- - Too Short.
- - Puzzles Are Too Easy.
8
Gameplay
Its simple, and it gets the job done, there isn't much else to say, is pretty well thought out, but there are some minor annoyances, like having to deal with the inventory.
8
Graphics
For the PS1 graphics, it does a pretty good job, there are some rooms which look absolutely fantastic, the enemy variety is low, but, each one does feel unique in a way.
4
Story
Barely anything, yes there are the notes, some survivors, and the cat, but, there isn't much else, your only motivation is leaving, and the story behind the mansion is pretty generic imo.
8
Sound
Its alright, it helps with the atmosphere, it also helps a lot in the gameplay, giving you hints as to where and how many enemies are around, all in all, does a good job, will benefit with more music.
5
Replayability
The main story is pretty straight forward, and there are no multiple endings, its just for challenge runs, the extra game modes don't offer much variety, same core, but with different objective.
7
out of 10
Overall
Nightmare Of Decay, is a short and simple game, heavily inspired by classic Survival Horror games, it wants to be a homage, but it doesn't stop it from being its own unique experience, has a pretty solid core gameplay which can be translated to multiple gamemodes, its only hurt by how short the main game is, as well as how little the extra game modes adds, if you are in the mood for a short and sweet survival horror game, with next to no fat and busy work, can't go wrong with this one.
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