Betrayer

 PC
Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 35
  3. Negative: 3 out of 35
  1. PCGamesN
    Apr 3, 2014
    40
    Betrayer is an FPS where the shooting is lackluster and the enemies annoying.
  2. Quarter to Three
    Mar 24, 2014
    40
    Unfortunately, Betrayer falls apart quickly, and it can’t afford to do this given how short it is.
  3. Game Revolution
    Mar 24, 2014
    30
    Betrayer is a game that suckered me in with its alluring visuals, but once it had me within its grasp it outright refused to let me enjoy myself. This is a game that is far below the standard of quality one would expect from the creators of F.E.A.R., and further proof, if we ever needed it, that presentation shouldn’t take precedence over gameplay.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 134 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 134
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 134
  3. Negative: 18 out of 134
  1. MadJaples
    Mar 26, 2014
    5
    This game is like Marmite. You will either love it, or utterly hate it.
    When initially presented with a largely monochrome menu screen with    This game is like Marmite. You will either love it, or utterly hate it.
    When initially presented with a largely monochrome menu screen with the exception of a red face on a post, I was a little put off. I hadn't seen reviews of this on Youtube, or any trailers. It threw me. A lot.
    After about five minutes playing in a generally monochrome setting, I got tired of it and tried to change the graphics options and sure enough, was presented with a means to give the playing field a lot more colour and a lot more life of which this game is otherwise entirely void of except for deadly spaniard spirits and a woman doing her best to resemble a grown up Red Riding Hood
    I've found the gameplay thus far massively frustrating. The colour scheme of the hud doesn't match well with the environment of the play itself - with white being the same colour as the clouds, it's hard to determine the direction of noises when a block either side of the compass bar is generally masked by white cloud. So you're still none the wiser about what direction to go in unless you're hiding in the shadows of a tree.
    Combat is woefully punishing. This game FORCES you to play carefully and quietly. In some ways this would be a good thing, but it's not. I think it takes a lot of the "fun" factor out of the game. You have one central base in which to return, only two swigs of some kind of healing liquid to patch your health back up to 100% - and within a couple of always ruthlessly accurate shots, you've used those two gulps and find yourself having to either find another source for that liquid or having to traipse back to Fort Henry just to resupply for health alone. It's remarkably tedious, and you most likely *will* have to take the latter of those options just to be able to actually get anywhere.
    For some reason the sound is a little confusing - the audio quality needed fine tuning here - I've heard better sound engineering from Ubisoft and the like, but it still did the job. The noises though can be particularly unpleasant on the ears with the wind, the bells, the whole nine yards - if you have sensitive hearing, which can be caused by all manner of tricky issues with ears, this is not one of those games with which to wear earphones.
    It's a little bit of fun in very small doses, but the dangerously (and historically unbelievably) accurate musket fire of long distance contacts makes this game remarkably unrewarding, no matter how patient I may be, this in turn makes it impossible to keep wanting to play it for extended periods of time after the third or fourth trip back to base to get resupplied and the like.
    It's certainly original in many respects, but originality is not always the hallmark of quality, and there are some aspects of this game in which it seems to be missing that little bit of finesse in it's final production.
    A risky purchase for any gamer I reckon, and those who gave it 10 out of 10 are either remarkably tolerant and forgiving, or just really liked the game - for reasons I doubt I could fathom.This is not one of those games I would absolutely recommend to just anyone. This one will definitely be appreciated only by those who have "acquired" tastes.    … Full Review »
  2. angelikmayhem
    Mar 25, 2014
    9
    When you spend your career giving out 10-out-of-10s in exchange for thousands of dollars, when a truly good game comes around you can't beWhen you spend your career giving out 10-out-of-10s in exchange for thousands of dollars, when a truly good game comes around you can't be blamed for missing it. Read the critic reviews at left. What do they say? Aw, it's not call of duty. Aw, I have to take my time to find everything. Aw, I have to walk through the wilderness in a game that takes place in North America in 1600!!!

    These people have been whores for so long they no longer enjoy foreplay. This game is excellent... a great story, VERY challenging combat, and a love of exploration prerequisite.

    [PROS]
    - The black-and-white esthetic is beautiful, but replaceable if you're not into that.
    - The storyline is amazing and the characters you meet are written to make you like or hate them -- a lot.
    - The stealth combat is great -- creep into shadows and expect to get owned if you go running at two bad guys like an idiot.
    - Shadows count toward stealth
    - Wind counts toward stealth
    - When you're nearby important items, there are audio cues to draw your attention
    - Four hits and you're dead
    - You are rewarded for exploration
    - You can't lose aggro -- enemies will follow you until either you are dead or they are dead
    - Very simple inventory system; tons of lore and each clue you find is recorded just in case you want to review it later.
    - While sprinting, you never get winded
    - In my opinion, good game length
    - If the combat is too difficult or time consuming, there's a button for that
    - Full rekeybinding with warnings when you unbind a key
    - Audio cues are important, but if that's an issue, there's an option to turn them into visual cues

    [CONS]
    - Limited graphics options (no 1080; MAX = 1280x720)
    - There is no warning when you are exploring and walk into an "exit zone" to the next area. So while exploring, you might accidentally leave the area and then have to come back -- which is a pain.
    - FOV slider goes to 110, but it looks very weird visually and really hinders you given how important it is to zoom in to hit targets at range with your bow and arrow.
    - Light refraction off of water is junky
    - Enemies always walk in a triangle, so you can anticipate where they'll be.
    - Enemies occasionally walk on top of a tree
    - Enemies make a huge ruccous when they spawn
    - There's no letter or other device to tell you why you're here at the start of the game. You can piece together the story as you go along, but the first fifteen minutes of the game could be a lot more informative
    - Game is very linear all things considered
    - Each area takes about an hour to fully explore and technically you have to explore them twice (I won't spoil why)    … Full Review »
  3. loosifur
    Apr 3, 2014
    8
    It's not a big-budget title, and it might not appeal to everyone, but Betrayer is a fantastic blend of old-school FPS, survival horror, andIt's not a big-budget title, and it might not appeal to everyone, but Betrayer is a fantastic blend of old-school FPS, survival horror, and adventure that oozes atmospheres and creativity. If you think that FPS specifically and games generally have been "dumbed down" for the console generation, you'll appreciate the influence of the developers' experience working on classic PC FPS such as NOLF and FEAR. Casual gamers might be turned off by the difficulty and some might take exception to the unique (and slightly controversial) art design, but overall this is a must-buy if you're looking for an alternative to the hand-holding of modern console shooters like Call of Duty.

    If your experience with the FPS genre begins and ends with CoD: Modern Warfare or Far Cry 2, this game will come as something of shock. Even on the normal difficulty enemies are challenging, and you can't expect to wade into a group of foes and emerge victorious. There is no cover system, and health doesn't regenerate, so expect to be punished for charging blindly into combat unprepared.

    The game's signature art style is also the game's biggest source of complaints. The game is intended to be played in a high-contrast black and white, with red the only visible color. Per the dev team, the point of this is to both disorient the player, making exploration and combat more intense, and emphasize creatures and items of note (which glow a jarring red). Normal colors can be restored in the settings, but this takes a lot of atmosphere out of the game. I found adjusting the black and white levels slightly was an acceptable compromise.

    I got in on the Early Access part of the game and have watched it improve over time. The devs were active in the forums and engaged in the community from the get-go, and comments and critiques made in the forums found their way into the final product. It's refreshing to see developers in this day and age actually listen and respond to players in a professional manner, and even more so to see them actively incorporating player concerns and suggestions in the final product. The point of Early Access, i.e. that players can take an active role influencing the development of a game, seems to get lost pretty often, so it's always good to see a dev team using Early Access as more than just a way to get funding.

    This game isn't really made to appeal to a wide audience. There are a lot of people who will find it too challenging or will be put off by the lack of eye-candy. For fans of classic FPS, survival horror, and atmosphere, and for "hardcore" gamers, there's a lot of bang for the buck here.    … Full Review »
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