Horace

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 52
  3. Negative: 10 out of 52

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  1. Defrid
    Jul 25, 2019
    9
    Very good game. Sursprising how much you can do with good music and art.
    It is very nice and heartwarming story wrapped in old style platformer.
  2. Jynx980
    Mar 7, 2020
    6
    The art, music, and story are really what makes this game good. The actual gameplay however is primarily all platform jumping that throws rotation into the mix and it was ... a lot. If you have ever played Meatboy you will feel right at home. Checkpoints are few and far between and you will be ready to pull out your hair getting close to the end of a room or boss only to get zapped by anThe art, music, and story are really what makes this game good. The actual gameplay however is primarily all platform jumping that throws rotation into the mix and it was ... a lot. If you have ever played Meatboy you will feel right at home. Checkpoints are few and far between and you will be ready to pull out your hair getting close to the end of a room or boss only to get zapped by an electric fence, fire, saw, or any of the other many killers. On most sections if you eat it too many times you can get up to two shields to help you get through it, but most bosses it's one and done then starting it over again. It wasn't terrible at first, but the difficulty ramps up quick and I didn't enjoy it as much and pushed myself to finish it. The moon base trial almost broke me but I eventually got through. In context it's about a 12 hour game and my death count was around 1100. Not fun when your constantly dying.

    If you enjoy brutal, precise jumping platforms then this was made for you. The story and cutscenes are the saving grace, but you can watch those on online if you would rather not bother jumping and save some sanity. Difficulty aside, this game is not for kids despite being under the platform genre. It gets savage towards the end with executions, shootouts, and a bloody beating.    … Expand
  3. aristotle61
    Jan 17, 2020
    10
    I'm not a big fan of all of these perfect 10 scores on Metacritic. It really is ridiculous. A 10 score should be reserved for a really great game. However, this is the very imperfect review system that we have to work with, and I don't want to penalize a great game just because I want to be realistic, when it's clear that the overwhelming majority of reviewers are not.

    Horace is    I'm not a big fan of all of these perfect 10 scores on Metacritic. It really is ridiculous. A 10 score should be reserved for a really great game. However, this is the very imperfect review system that we have to work with, and I don't want to penalize a great game just because I want to be realistic, when it's clear that the overwhelming majority of reviewers are not.

    Horace is something special. It has done something very different within the platforming genre. It's telling that I like this game so much when platforming games are one of my least favorite types of games. As a whole, I also do not like Indie games very much. There's just too much garbage being pumped out, and it has become trendy to call terrible Indie games "amazing", and refer to their crude graphics as "gorgeous pixel art.". That having been said, Horace is definitely an exception, so I will break my rule about 10 scores to give it the credit it deserves.

    For an indie game that has low tech graphics, Horace does it really well. The graphics are colorful, varied, and overall, are probably more deserving of the description "gorgeous pixel art" than any other "pixel art" game that I can think of. My only grievance with the graphics is that when you are in close up scenes the graphics are so crude they almost hurt your eyes. This applies to all games with crude graphics, not just Horace. Unlike most other games with this type of graphics, when you're not close up, which, thankfully, is most of the time, the graphics are charming, and also unlike most games of this type, the graphics vary so that you really can't wait to see what the next set of screens will look like.

    The way Horace intertwines story and cut scenes in between the platforming levels, and even within the levels, is refreshing to say the least, and is very well done. It's virtually assured that what Horace has done in this genre will be copied in future platforming games, and may well help platforming games increase in popularity.

    The controls are not part of what makes Horace special. Fortunately, they are good enough that they don't really hurt the game. In more traditional platforming games that are so dependent on outstanding controls, it would be much more of a factor. This game isn't nonstop movement like most platformers. It's more slow paced and creative which I really like. When I first started playing the game in the instructional levels I was not too impressed with the controls. Fortunately, this is an Indie game that let's you remap the control configuration. If I had not been able to do so that might have killed the game for me before I even got started. So definitely wait until past the very beginning before forming an opinion.

    In addition to the "gorgeous pixel art", the music is great, and fits the game perfectly. It's not only good music but is constantly changing and altering the mood, which is a huge plus. Music is another aspect of Indie games that I think is very overrated. People just love to rave about music that doesn't seem to be that impressive at all. In this game it really is great.

    Finally, this game has so many fun references, and tips of the hat to other games. I think I will play again just to see if I can recognize all of them because there are a lot of them, and they sometimes pass very quickly. Maybe I'm wrong, but this game does not seem to be getting the recognition and accolades that it deserves. I hope this has been a successful venture for the publisher and or developer because it would be bad for gaming if a gem ( another overused word!) of a game like this wasn't successful. Hopefully it will generate more buzz now that it is free on Epic Games. Sadly, I would never have known about it, let alone bought the game, if I had not looked at it as a free game choice on Epic Games.    … Expand
  4. kikekikee
    Jun 10, 2020
    4
    Horace is neither a good nor a bad game. It has some really good things and some really bad things. And for each good thing, there is a bad one.

    - The control: Horace is basically a plataformer game. The control has a good response overall. But many times hitboxes are not clear, and you will die because you touched something you are not supposed to be touching. Fortunately, you respawn    Horace is neither a good nor a bad game. It has some really good things and some really bad things. And for each good thing, there is a bad one.

    - The control: Horace is basically a plataformer game. The control has a good response overall. But many times hitboxes are not clear, and you will die because you touched something you are not supposed to be touching. Fortunately, you respawn fast and screens are not really long.

    - The gameplay: level design is clever and well done. But in order to make some surfaces dangerous, they cover them with fire, flaring stuff and many other things that can easily saturate your view. If you have some kind of epilepsy, don't even get close to this game.

    - The mini games: this seems the part where developers put the greatest effort. There is an insane amount of mini games. There are even arcade rooms for playing these games. The problem is that these games are just a parody of famous games: Pacman, Pong or Space Invaders, among many others. They are curious, but not specially fun. I had the feeling that they are here so developers can say "hey, look everything we are able to develop". For CV is great, for players, not so much. And when some of these mini games are part of the main story, it becomes really annoying.

    - The story: has some good ideas, with many plot twists. But these plot twists are not well introduced, so I never got really into the story. Also, some cutscenes are long enough to be tedious. Some of them are even ridiculous. And the game takes too long. I won't say anything else to prevent from spoilers.

    - The target player: if you asked me in the first hour, I would have say this game is for kids. Like Yoshi or Kirby. It is basic plataforming and some item collection. But then it turns into a Dark Souls of plataforming. Not only that: during the story you will see really harsh scenes. There is a strange disonance here, that can lead to confusion.

    - The graphics: pixel art seems more beautiful at the beggining. But as you keep on playing, this was probably the worst part of the game for me.

    Pixel art is beautiful when elements are designed for being a bunch of colored squares. Many elements in this game seem a HD image where you lower the resolution. Some other, like Horace, didn't give me this impression. But, on the other hand, pixel art is beautiful when all pixels have the same size. Here we will see some close-up images with huge squares, while images in background keep a smaller size, somethimes blurred. This only happen in cutscenes, not in gameplay. But cutscenes are like half of the game, if not more.

    Also, animations are really basic. Ok, in other pixel art games too, but other pixel art games don't take about 10 hours of cutscenes showing you the same animation once, and again, and again, and again. It ended up being annoying. To make a quick comparison, Celeste o Octopath Traveler cutscenes are kind of a comic under characters, so the characters themselves don't change. I think this is a good solution if you don't want/know how to give a variety of expressions to your character.

    So, would I recommend Horace? Sadly, not. I was about to give it a 5, like saying "yes, play it, it has some lacks, but it is a nice game". But the truth is that those lacks were too frustrating for me. I saw myself finishing the game just for pure pride.    … Expand
  5. karakul
    Jan 19, 2020
    1
    В игре есть куча механик, ни одна из которых не доведена до идеала. В каждом аспекте игры есть мелкие недочеты, которые портят игровой опыт. Плюс к этому на уровне алисы словил баг, который не позволяет мне ни пройти дальше, не вернуться назад по сюжету. Потратил на игру 7 часов, и в итоге получил только гору раздражения. Причем раздражение это асболютно не похоже на раздражение от соулВ игре есть куча механик, ни одна из которых не доведена до идеала. В каждом аспекте игры есть мелкие недочеты, которые портят игровой опыт. Плюс к этому на уровне алисы словил баг, который не позволяет мне ни пройти дальше, не вернуться назад по сюжету. Потратил на игру 7 часов, и в итоге получил только гору раздражения. Причем раздражение это асболютно не похоже на раздражение от соул игр. Если в соулс играх ты умираешь и фейлишь только из-за своего скилла, то тут ты фейлишь из-за кривизны механик и багов. Не тратьте время на игру, господа.… Expand
  6. Byjingo
    Mar 23, 2020
    2
    Gave up after 15 mins. Endless lifeless cut scenes to get to floaty feeling platforming and a bad version of pong....it's so obnoxious it made me sign up to metacritic to say how much I loathe it.
  7. xd2541
    Jul 8, 2020
    10
    forsaaaaaaaaaan showed this game, i was skeptical but it kept never ending, it was really good
  8. Yurro
    Feb 24, 2021
    10
    Один из лучших платформеров в ретро-стиле для тех кто любит глубокий сюжет, оригинальный геймплей и разнообразные головоломки под нео-классическую музыку.
  9. HSuke
    Aug 14, 2021
    9
    This is really special game due to its unique storytelling. It's quite an odd game like Undertale, but in a different way. It's a difficult platformer that's a an homage to many older retro games. The gameplay itself is fun, but tediously long. Nevertheless, the heartwarming and sometimes deadpan humor are what makes it a great game.

    The only part that really frustrated me were the    This is really special game due to its unique storytelling. It's quite an odd game like Undertale, but in a different way. It's a difficult platformer that's a an homage to many older retro games. The gameplay itself is fun, but tediously long. Nevertheless, the heartwarming and sometimes deadpan humor are what makes it a great game.

    The only part that really frustrated me were the ridiculously hard minigames that I had no interest playing. Those should've been optional.    … Expand
  10. CharlyPlayman
    Aug 22, 2019
    9
    I was surprised with this game, at the beginning i thought i was going to be another platform game but then i realized that there is sooooo much crativity & variety within just a game.... Congratulations to the developer, this game is a piece of art.
    PROS: very long game + interesting story + lovely characters + high varied game + lots of bosses + minigames + metroidvania system +    I was surprised with this game, at the beginning i thought i was going to be another platform game but then i realized that there is sooooo much crativity & variety within just a game.... Congratulations to the developer, this game is a piece of art.
    PROS: very long game + interesting story + lovely characters + high varied game + lots of bosses + minigames + metroidvania system + references to multiple games & films + etc
    CONS: maybe when you start to get from the third ability the end is near so you don't use the new ones much time (third, forth, etc)    … Expand
  11. bersi84
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    This is a pixel art indie game that deserves attention. You play as a robot that lives through a life with a real family developing real feelings. The story is a rollercoaster of up and downs while you run, jump, slide and fly through an amazing load of 22 chapters that will take you some good amount of hours to play.

    The soundtrack subpictures the emotions of this game amazingly    This is a pixel art indie game that deserves attention. You play as a robot that lives through a life with a real family developing real feelings. The story is a rollercoaster of up and downs while you run, jump, slide and fly through an amazing load of 22 chapters that will take you some good amount of hours to play.

    The soundtrack subpictures the emotions of this game amazingly perfect while the gameplay is between faily easy and really intense combining platformer and bullethell segments together with some puzzling.

    I do not want to spoil too much so I want to close this with a fairly short review. In my opinion this is one of the best indie games to date and a true contender to best indie game of the year. Its heartful and developed with passion and looks for detail. I m glad I grabbed this game despite it being not known at all and also fairly cheap. Give it a try you most probably wont be disappointed.    … Expand
  12. hi_traffic
    Aug 3, 2019
    10
    This Game is amazing, game of the year for me! Constantly varied game play from hardcore platforming to loads of mini games. With an incredible story topped off with great music and graphics, this Horace is a must buy!
  13. GrumpyMonkey
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    This game combines great art, music, and varied, challenging gameplay perfectly.
    A little (or not so little as the game is huge) masterpiece.
  14. smansell
    Sep 16, 2019
    10
    The best game I've played in a long time. A really touching story line with excellent characterisation wrapped around a tricky platformer with excellent puzzles. Lots (and I mean lots) of retro gaming and "80's life" references, and a massive array of mini games that playfully poke fun at the original arcade classics. Excellent graphics and soundtrack to boot - combined with soooo manyThe best game I've played in a long time. A really touching story line with excellent characterisation wrapped around a tricky platformer with excellent puzzles. Lots (and I mean lots) of retro gaming and "80's life" references, and a massive array of mini games that playfully poke fun at the original arcade classics. Excellent graphics and soundtrack to boot - combined with soooo many great jokes - delivered perfectly by the monotonic hero.

    Can't recommend highly enough - an amazing achievement for a solo developer (with help from friends, I believe)    … Expand
  15. GioErze
    Jan 29, 2020
    6
    The game is surely very original and varied, both story and gameplay-wise. Too bad the same can't be said for the soundtrack, which is mainly comprised of pieces of classical music in few seconds loops, that while charming at first, will get really annoying really fast.
    Add some frustrating gameplay sections (dreadful swimming), unskippable cutscenes and, in my opinion, the excessive    The game is surely very original and varied, both story and gameplay-wise. Too bad the same can't be said for the soundtrack, which is mainly comprised of pieces of classical music in few seconds loops, that while charming at first, will get really annoying really fast.
    Add some frustrating gameplay sections (dreadful swimming), unskippable cutscenes and, in my opinion, the excessive length, and what you get is a game whose goods outweigh the bads, but not by much.    … Expand
  16. PerfectRice
    Mar 8, 2020
    2
    I've never been inspired to join this site before, but I felt I had to review this game, simply because I'm so baffled about how acclaimed it is. This is a basic, fairly playable but sometimes annoying platform game. It plays with the mechanics a bit, but there's still nothing special. I'd give this a 6/maybe a 7 for the gameplay.

    My main issue with this game is that it thinks it's    I've never been inspired to join this site before, but I felt I had to review this game, simply because I'm so baffled about how acclaimed it is. This is a basic, fairly playable but sometimes annoying platform game. It plays with the mechanics a bit, but there's still nothing special. I'd give this a 6/maybe a 7 for the gameplay.

    My main issue with this game is that it thinks it's hilariously funny. I laughed once. Maybe you'll find it funny, but if you don't then it renders the game a tedious slog. Despite the basic story, there are a ridiculous amount of cut scenes and they drag on and on for far too long. There are far too many uninteresting characters with a single joke to them that either falls flat or doesn't work, but get so much time dedicated to them.

    The game clearly wants to tug at your heart strings, but the endless failed comedy meant I ended up (having found the option to do so) skipping the cut scenes after a while. They become painful to sit through. Maybe I missed out, but it wasn't long after that when I abandoned the game altogether.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Worth Playing
    Nov 20, 2019
    75
    In the end, Horace is an engaging experience if you're patient or don't get riled up easily. The platforming isn't as infuriating as most precision-based platformers, but the obstacles in some rooms can be annoying. The instant respawns are nice, but they don't cancel out the frustration of occasionally spotty hit detection. The instant camera rotation can be dizzying, and the repetition of tricky jumps can get old, but the engaging story makes it all worthwhile, especially since this is quite a lengthy game. Horace isn't the next indie masterpiece, but it is good enough to be called a genuine sleeper of a game that people should play.
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  2. TheSixthAxis
    Aug 19, 2019
    90
    Horace is one of the most pleasant gaming surprises in years. I'm clearly a key part of its target demographic, having lived through the 1980s and early 90s that so heavily influenced it, but my enjoyment and engagement went past such an identification. I was completely absorbed throughout, and fully intend to return to collect the remaining pieces of junk. It may not be as immediately impressive as the latest AAA blockbuster, but Horace is essential for fans of retro games or hard platformers and a real contender for Indie Game of the Year.
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  3. The Digital Fix
    Aug 13, 2019
    80
    Technical difficulties aside, Horace is an endearing, nostalgic, platforming masterpiece. Even after having to start fresh at one point, I could not wait to jump right back in and play more. Which is pretty telling considering that, at its heart, this is a game about a robot cleaning up garbage. Once properly patched up to correct the minor technical issues, this game would whole-heartedly be a 10 out of 10 for this writer.
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