Into The Dread

5/10 I was lost all the time. Add a map.

2D in 2024 ? Nah...

Pretty cool short and tense classic survival horror. The story is negligible, and yes, like others have said, the lack of a map does hurt this game a bit. That said, knowing that I wouldn't have a map going into it resulted in strategically dispatching enemies to serve as breadcrumbs within the maze, which actually made for a sort of fresh approach to your typical survival horror gameplay. Into the Dread is by no means trying to reinvent survival horror or push the boundaries of the genre, but if you like classic resident evil and silent hill style games then you could do MUCH worse. Despite a few issues (noted below) I found it to be a fairly polished experience. The game has a few other issues beyond not having a map that are important to mention. The camera would have really benefited from the classic silent hill treatment (being able to maneuver it behind you when it becomes stuck directly in front since the game is mostly made up of dynamic cameras rather than fixed), the way it is right now the camera has a habit of swinging too many times while trying to navigate the extensive maze of sewers and with no map the combination is pretty much guaranteed to get even the mos…

I wanna start off this review by saying I really like the oldfashion type of gameplay this game has to offer. I enjoy the old Silent Hill and Resident Evil-games alot! That being said: Into the Dread is a game where you spend the entire game exploring my least favorite parts of those type of games: Sewers. Sewers are usually two one dimensional when it comes to the layout and the design. It gets old quite fast and this game lacks a very important detail regarding navigating said sewers: A map. Trying to remember where you have been in these very "samey" type of sewers is a nightmare. I got lost and eventually gave up. I really like the effort of trying to emulate older type of horror games though. I think alot of my current issues would be fixed with a map.

I'm not going to hate on this like many others. While it is one of the weakest RE1/SH1 era survival horror clones, it's still fine, overall. Tank controls feel genuine, the visual aesthetic is spot on, and I enjoyed those aspects. My only real gripe is that the labyrinthine layout of this game is kinda nonsensical - but that's mostly if you approach it with the instincts you built up from the games it is inspired by. All in all, this isn't great, but there was a real attempt at trying to make something akin to the games it homages, and in some aspects, this did achieve that - whether the total package itself is not up to par. But also, $2.49 is a fair price for what this is.

If you enjoy games that are controlled with car controls and involve navigating using CCTV cameras, then this game is for you! To progress, you'll follow some red arrows that lead you to clues. Other than that, enjoy making your way through a small maze. You may find yourself going back and forth, trying to locate items you overlooked, which can lead to a lot of backtracking. Expect to navigate in circles as you work your way back to your progress point. The game features no music, just a repetitive static sound.