Dead Reefs

 PC
Metascore
51

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 14
  3. Negative: 4 out of 14
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  1. Worth Playing
    60
    While the crisp graphics hold up their end, the story deflates through a series of recycled clichés and a gradually diminishing sense of drama and excitement to a rather unsatisfying short — and somewhat hysterical — conclusion that leaves you feeling your time could have been better spent watching folk dance.
  2. GameSpot
    55
    Puzzle problems and a terrible interface land Dead Reefs on the rocks.
  3. Four Fat Chicks
    60
    An initially engrossing horror mystery takes serious damage on the "reefs" of a confounding interface, frustrating linearity and mind-boggling puzzles.
  5. PC Gameworld
    50
    All harshness aside, I think there is a good game buried deep in there. If just a little more time was spent on programming the game and ironing out the quirks, they could have had a success on their hands. As is, it’s not worth the time or money.
  6. GamerNode
    52
    Dead Reefs has a good game hidden deep down inside, but there are a few layers of obfuscation that disallow the gamer from ever experiencing it.
  7. GameZone
    55
    Despite the good story, great graphics and nice characterization, playing this game isn’t any fun. The interface is painful.
  8. Quandary
    50
    Considering that the gameplay in Adventure Games revolves around exploration and puzzle solving, doesn't highlighting every single interactive object dull the exploratory experience a little?
  9. AceGamez
    70
    A solidly entertaining and enjoyable horror adventure that is fairly short but quite engaging while it lasts. The story is well told, even if it travels some familiar territory at times, while the setting, visuals and overall effect of the presentation of the tale make it worth experiencing, despite the poor control scheme.
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  10. Just Adventure
    58
    This game has replay value because of the alternate endings. Let’s hope I have an alternate ending of being able to play this game all the way through without frustration.
  11. Game Chronicles
    55
    Dead Reefs is about that, pretty dead in the water. If you really enjoy these searching adventure games you may be amused for a while but the keyboard and character issues are pretty annoying.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. JohnSerrano
    Sep 27, 2008
    3
    Nice atmosphere at the beginning, then the story begins to make no sense whatsoever. The interface is horrible and the game is incrediblyNice atmosphere at the beginning, then the story begins to make no sense whatsoever. The interface is horrible and the game is incredibly buggy. You are forced to do things in sequence unnecessarily, and against logic. If you miss something or do something out of sequence it's possible that you can't go back and the game dead ends. Greatly disappointed.… Full Review »
  2. PaulJ.
    Aug 22, 2007
    5
    At first I couldn't even load the game; the monitor default was set at an unsupported resolution. Then I couldn't control it - for At first I couldn't even load the game; the monitor default was set at an unsupported resolution. Then I couldn't control it - for some reason the keys had been mapped for several different commands. Fortunaltely, choosing the default sorted this out. The graphics on a whole aren't bad, with some nice water effects. The dialogue however is a bit stilted and the rather dodgy English voices spoil the atmosphere. The controls (similar to Broken Sword 3) work okay, but it is still difficult to control. The story is rather linear, and the puzzles range from easy to infuriatingly obscure. Not bad. Interesting story, but there are better examples out there.… Full Review »
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