Neverending Nightmares

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 101 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 101
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 101
  3. Negative: 21 out of 101

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  1. Homncruse
    Mar 14, 2015
    10
    This game is not for everyone, but for those it IS for - horror fans with a penchant for the disturbed and a slow burn to keep you on edge, rather than the gore and jump scares that permeate modern horror - it will resonate within your psyche for a while. If you like fast-paced action, obvious story, open-world exploration, or your sanity, please move on, because you will find none ofThis game is not for everyone, but for those it IS for - horror fans with a penchant for the disturbed and a slow burn to keep you on edge, rather than the gore and jump scares that permeate modern horror - it will resonate within your psyche for a while. If you like fast-paced action, obvious story, open-world exploration, or your sanity, please move on, because you will find none of that here. However, for what this game is - an atmospheric horror game with an ambiguous story open to interpretation - it's fantastic.

    The game is short. There are 4 possible endings, and as of this review, I've completed 2 of them with only 2.4 hours on record, and even then there were a few times when I left the keyboard for a few minutes or would intentionally do something stupid just to see what would happen. Your first playthrough will only take about two hours (maybe less), then you can use a waypoint-like system to revisit earlier chapters to get to the other endings. I'm estimating 4-5 hours for completion of all 4 endings (assuming you use a spoiler-free guide to know where the branching points are, like I did).

    The game is very linear. But that's not always a bad thing. Not every game needs to be an open-world Bethesda behemoth. Linear works great for this game. It's high tension, and it manages to encourage exploration while still discouraging you from getting too far off the intended path. I won't explain how - because spoilers - but that's a tough act to balance, and this game does it without breaking the atmosphere.

    The art is, put simply, evocative. It holds multiple layers of detail. There were countless times when I took a closer look at a scene or a room I'd walked through before and realized the nuances I hadn't consciously observed prior, but at some level I know I witnessed them unconsciously and they added to the overall atmosphere.

    Don't even get me started on the soundtrack. Oh my god the soundtrack. I want the soundtrack as a standalone purchase for my horror-themed events. It's amazing background ambience, and it's superbly mixed with haunting sound effects to deliver an experience like none other, especially through headphones (the game highly recommends headphones and utilizes a special audio mixer for that immersive experience).    … Expand
  2. Sjalka
    Oct 3, 2014
    8
    i got that game - waited till it was past 11pm - went to bed, put my headphones on, switched off my mobile - and started that game.

    30 minutes later - i had to quit. - to be relieved to return to my bright windows desktop and fire up some silly youtube video..... yea - i have to admit, i was scared. and i am also the kind of person who grabs my friends arms in a suspension movie and    i got that game - waited till it was past 11pm - went to bed, put my headphones on, switched off my mobile - and started that game.

    30 minutes later - i had to quit. - to be relieved to return to my bright windows desktop and fire up some silly youtube video.....

    yea - i have to admit, i was scared. and i am also the kind of person who grabs my friends arms in a suspension movie and claws into him - and who always get caught by a jump-scare.

    soo - with that in mind, this game totally fulfilled its purpose. it is scary and fulfils the 101 of suspense through sound, music and visuals. - using headphones really does a good job there since the low frequencies involve the entire body.

    other than being tense and scary - it offers a pretty unique graphic style and simple controls

    now - i will give the game a 8, because it does what its meant to do in a very stylish and well done manner. but will i try to play it again? - probably not - at least not as it is meant to be played ( meaning, maybe during the day, without headphones .. because i am a coward )    … Expand
  3. jettison37
    Oct 7, 2014
    9
    A tight, compellingly frightful game. The atmosphere is oppressive, the mystery at the heart of the game is engrossing, and you find yourself wanting to go just that much further to find out what's going on. The artwork and style is amazing, directly taking inspiration from the work of Edward Gorey, which makes it unique.

    Sadly the flaws of the game must be mentioned as well. There is    A tight, compellingly frightful game. The atmosphere is oppressive, the mystery at the heart of the game is engrossing, and you find yourself wanting to go just that much further to find out what's going on. The artwork and style is amazing, directly taking inspiration from the work of Edward Gorey, which makes it unique.

    Sadly the flaws of the game must be mentioned as well. There is little interaction with the environment, which is a shame given how well drawn everything is! Some of the 'puzzles' are not well thought out, and the initial shocks are not as strong the second time through. Other than that though, this is a great game to pass a dark autumn evening!    … Expand
  4. jackthelion
    Sep 26, 2014
    10
    You may be looking at the trailer for "Neverending Nightmares" and wondering if it will scare you.  You might be accustomed to games like "Amnesia" or "Outlast" terrifying you, and wondering how can a little indie project with a hand-drawn art style be as terrifying as larger budget horror titles you may have played.

      Well, I'm here to tell you that this game will horrify you in    You may be looking at the trailer for "Neverending Nightmares" and wondering if it will scare you.  You might be accustomed to games like "Amnesia" or "Outlast" terrifying you, and wondering how can a little indie project with a hand-drawn art style be as terrifying as larger budget horror titles you may have played.

     

    Well, I'm here to tell you that this game will horrify you in ways you never thought possible.  The "Edward Gorey" Styled Imagery will shake you to the bone in ways that no first-person horror experience ever could.  You will look at the world in darker shades after experiencing it.  The multiple endings will serve to confuse/disturb/fascinate you.  You will be analyzing and interpreting this events of this game long after you finish holding a controller.  And you will know just how scary interactive gaming can be.

     

    I was lucky enough to play this game before release.  It has been 12 hours since I put the game down...and I am still shaken. 

     

    This is one of those games that sticks with you long after you put it down.  This game will give you Neverending Nightmares.    … Expand
  5. aiat_gamer
    Sep 26, 2014
    9
    The game is like a slow decend into your own madness...
    I did know it was possible to do a proper horror game with such simple 2D graphics but somehow they pulled it off! The gameplay is pretty simple, you just walk around and explore while being scared s***less, it is more about the atmosphere than anything else. Of course I have not finished it yet and it does get a bit repetitive in    The game is like a slow decend into your own madness...
    I did know it was possible to do a proper horror game with such simple 2D graphics but somehow they pulled it off! The gameplay is pretty simple, you just walk around and explore while being scared s***less, it is more about the atmosphere than anything else. Of course I have not finished it yet and it does get a bit repetitive in one part but overall, it is everything I had hoped it would be. It really makes you question your own sanity: did that doll`s eyes just move? Did the wallpaper on behind me suddenly change?
    If you are interested in atmospheric horror game, you owe it to your self to try this one!    … Expand
  6. albiking98
    Sep 26, 2014
    10
    Neverending Nightmares is a little, great game: it's really scary even though it's quite short.
    The game has a well done design concept, accurate on all accounts, one of the best indie horror of these years.
  7. BrupcatBR
    Dec 11, 2015
    10
    I can't really explain, but Neverending Nightmares is one of the best Survival and Psychological Horror games i've ever played. The storyline for me may be the best point. The game really was scary and damn it was violent. I don't really have much to say, the final rating for it is: 10/10 ~Yet another Indie Horror Masterpiece
  8. TheRecFan
    Dec 4, 2015
    9
    Well, this game succeeds significantly in presenting a realistic portrayal of a mentally sick person (I guarantee it from personal experience)
    The game displays disturbing imagery and keeps you on the edge until the end.
    It has 3 different possible paths to take and 3 endings. Some would think its short but if you seek all the posible outcomes you´ll see it´s a complete experience. Not    Well, this game succeeds significantly in presenting a realistic portrayal of a mentally sick person (I guarantee it from personal experience)
    The game displays disturbing imagery and keeps you on the edge until the end.
    It has 3 different possible paths to take and 3 endings.
    Some would think its short but if you seek all the posible outcomes you´ll see it´s a complete experience.
    Not much interactivity but that´s not a problem given it´s a narrative focused game.
    The 3 different kind of enemies are scary with their unique actions and design.
    Art style is breathtaking with the hand drawn and gothic design.
    I really recommend this game to anyone that doesn´t want a fast and caotic freakshow.More of a contemplative and slow descent into madness.    … Expand
  9. StranaMente
    Oct 20, 2014
    9
    This is a wonderful and eerie game.
    Its art style is thoughtfully curated, and reminiscent of Edward Gorey macabre illustrations.
    It's not a game about fighting, or running away from enemies, but one about an increasing sense of discomfort and tension. A deep sensation of wrongness ebbs from it, while you play, thanks to the maze of similar rooms creating confusion and preventing you    This is a wonderful and eerie game.
    Its art style is thoughtfully curated, and reminiscent of Edward Gorey macabre illustrations.

    It's not a game about fighting, or running away from enemies, but one about an increasing sense of discomfort and tension. A deep sensation of wrongness ebbs from it, while you play, thanks to the maze of similar rooms creating confusion and preventing you from ever feel safe, and the masterfully crafted sound effects and music accompanying your actions.

    The most important aspects of this game are its atmosphere and its tone, and those are certainly excellent.

    If you let yourself immerse in this weird unsettling world of nightmares and weird dreams you are going to love it.    … Expand
  10. almos666
    Feb 1, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "Neverending nightmares" are one of a kind gaming experience. The story begins with a young man waking up from a terrible dream - only to find that his nightmare has only begun. The next two hours of gameplay are a brutal confrontation between Thomas and his guilt - but what is the nature of this guilt, we (initially) don't know. What we do know is that it seems to concern a woman called Gabrielle - whose identity shifts from one dream to another. She's in turn Thomas sister, therapist, wife - she's both the demon stalking Thomas' nightmares and his guardian angel. Like any dream-character, she's in constant flux - but so is the identity of the protagonist himself. The game, in short, captured the tangled logic of dreams in a way none before it did.

    On the other hand, "Neverending Nightmares" are a horror game, and one of the best two I've played in 2014 (the other being "Slender: The Arrival"). There are few jumps scares involved; but apart from that, what works for the game is the atmosphere; the one some of us perhaps had encountered when we woke up from a troubled dream to find that things are still not quite right... Thomas goes through such a cycle repeatedly, each apparent awakening taking place in a more surreal and dreadful circumstances.

    "Neverending Nightmares" are both one of the most unusual games to come out lately, a decent horror, and a work of art, showcasing the potential of the medium. In the game Matt Gilgenbach touched upon the very essence of horror: it's not about the deformed monster lurking in the dark, it's to be found in the darkness that fills the innermost corners of the human soul.    … Expand
  11. jazz3601
    Aug 27, 2015
    10
    Great game liked how the mainly black and white tones gave it a surreal dreamlike quality. Also succeeded in giving me my first nightmare over 10 years
  12. Overvulture
    Nov 9, 2015
    8
    I found myself tentative to recommend this at first, as it's a very slow burner that can prove irritating during some of its clumsy chase sequences, but digging deeper and giving it time to sink in has left me with a positive overall impression. It's thoroughly dark and depressing, with no coherent central plot until you start to read into things, and legitimately frightening. The artI found myself tentative to recommend this at first, as it's a very slow burner that can prove irritating during some of its clumsy chase sequences, but digging deeper and giving it time to sink in has left me with a positive overall impression. It's thoroughly dark and depressing, with no coherent central plot until you start to read into things, and legitimately frightening. The art style is fantastic, though animations are clunky. There are a few different endings to discover, but none of them will take more than a few hours to get to. There's not a lot of game here for full price, but it's solid fare for horror fans.

    What makes it more interesting is knowing the context behind its development. Created from a dark place, it's an expression of depression and other psychological issues the developer was suffering from at the time. Taken with that in mind, it becomes a deeply personal exploration of someone's troubled mind, and offers an unsettling view of illness that's eye-opening    … Expand
  13. garygreen
    Sep 4, 2020
    10
    Verry good stroy to tell a player about the horror in the game,the soundtrack make verry good in the game

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 21
  3. Negative: 2 out of 21
  1. CD-Action
    Feb 7, 2015
    30
    The problem with Neverending Nightmares is that to understand it you need the developer’s sidenotes or your own experiences with depression. Otherwise it’s just a poorly designed, boring horror game. [01/2015, p.76]
  2. GameCritics
    Nov 29, 2014
    70
    Those who are willing to look past its flaws will find a truly gripping tale of psychological horror, and possibly a greater empathy for those suffering from psychological disorders who endure such hell on a regular basis.
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Nov 27, 2014
    25
    Neverending Nightmares is a heavily scripted walk through a weird museum rather than a game. Even encountering monsters feels mundane here.
    Read full review
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