Conarium

 PlayStation 4
Conarium Image
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 17 Ratings

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  • Summary: Conarium is a chilling Lovecraftian game, which follows a gripping story involving four scientists and their endeavor to challenge what we normally consider to be the 'absolute' limits of nature. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's novella "At the Mountains of Madness", but largely set after theConarium is a chilling Lovecraftian game, which follows a gripping story involving four scientists and their endeavor to challenge what we normally consider to be the 'absolute' limits of nature. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's novella "At the Mountains of Madness", but largely set after the original story.

    You, as Frank Gilman, open your eyes inside a room filled with strange, pulsating noises. Patterns of lights executing a Danse Macabre on the walls is presented by a queer device on the table. Having recalled nothing other than that you're in Upuaut, an Antarctic base located near south pole, you find the place deserted and have a distinct feeling of something being terribly wrong. Somehow knowing that your memories cannot guide you enforces a strange feeling of vulnerability, a familiar yet alien sensation of being a part of a peculiar whole... Soon you will discover that having used the device during the expedition, you have died but then returned subtly changed, speaking of strange memories and of strange places. You have lost something important or gained something sinister...

    Explore the antarctic base, as well as dreams and visions. Study clues, unlock secrets but avoid macabre beings at all cost.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Wccftech
    Mar 11, 2019
    72
    Conarium is an enjoyable first-person adventure game featuring a very nice atmosphere, an interesting story featuring core themes from Lovecraft's works and unusual spin on game progression reminiscent of Metroidvania games. The game, however, does very little outside the usual for the genre, so if you're not into Lovecraft-inspired games there isn't anything unique that Conarium can offer you.
  2. Push Square
    Feb 13, 2019
    70
    Conarium is a good, plot focused and atmospheric walking sim puzzler. Though it's billed as horror, it serves to get under your skin, rather than producing any massive frights. That said, the world created is wonderfully realised and quite beautiful in its freakishness. The way that the game captures the otherworldly vibe of Lovecraft’s work, and develops such an engaging story quickly, is something to applaud. Ignoring the poor voice acting, bad character models, and the odd frustrating puzzle, if you’re looking for a disturbing, plot focused walking sim experience, or you’re just a huge Lovecraft fan, you won’t go far wrong here.
  3. PlaySense
    Feb 27, 2019
    70
    Conarium's storytelling and the ominous setting are the game's strong points and they make for an interesting game. As a walking simulator, interaction with the world around you is extremely limited though and the voice acting is a bit over the top. Apart from these minor blemishes, Conarium is a solid experience nonetheless.
  4. Multiplayer.it
    Feb 24, 2019
    65
    Conarium is a horror adventure inspired by the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, but also too linear and with trivial puzzles.
  5. TheSixthAxis
    Feb 12, 2019
    60
    Conarium is a good example of a Lovecraftian game. It focuses on the atmosphere and lore that characterises the genre whilst mostly avoiding the worst excesses. It tells an intriguing story well despite the slightly dodgy voice acting and presents a good approximation of the impossible non-Euclidean geometry of the Elder God’s world. If you like a touch of Cthulhu in your life, then you could do worse than venturing into Conarium’s brand of madness.
  6. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Feb 13, 2019
    60
    When looking back at my time with the game, I don’t feel horror at its revelations. I feel disappointment in light of what it could have been concealing, and simply wasn’t.
  7. 4P.de
    Feb 23, 2019
    60
    The foundation sounds promising, but storytelling as well as puzzle mechanics lack suspense, challenge and dynamics.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 2 out of 5
  1. wesker2012
    Dec 3, 2021
    6
    I liked the escape room-like gameplay mechanic of finding items and putting them to the right use. Had an interesting atmosphere. JustI liked the escape room-like gameplay mechanic of finding items and putting them to the right use. Had an interesting atmosphere. Just wasn't interesting enough to keep playing though.… Expand
  2. BITESCREEN
    Apr 15, 2019
    6
    Lovecraft-Games boomen! Erst kürzlich erschien das Ego-Adventure Call of Cthulhu, im Juni geht es bei The Sinking City sogar in dieLovecraft-Games boomen! Erst kürzlich erschien das Ego-Adventure Call of Cthulhu, im Juni geht es bei The Sinking City sogar in die Open-World. Das jetzt auch für Konsolen erhältliche Conarium bleibt aber in Umfang und Gameplay deutlich kompakter: Im ganz grob auf Berge des Wahnsinns basierenden Walking-Abenteuer löst Ihr in unterirdischen Tempeln, einer ruinösen Villa sowie einer verlassenen Arktis-Station schlichte Rätsel, widmet Euch aber ansonsten im langsamen Spieltempo der entspannten Exploration. Dafür sind die Lovecraft-Anspielungen umso üppiger: Gruselige Sprechmaschinen kommen direkt aus Der Flüsterer im Dunkeln, Dimensionsreisen erinnern an Der Schatten aus der Zeit. Zusätzlich verteilen Tagebücher, Zeichnungen und unheilvolle Skulpturen den Lovecraft-Rundumschlag. So ist das unspektakuläre, aber ziemlich atmosphärische Spiel zumindest für Weird-Fiction-Fans eine klare Empfehlung.… Expand
  4. SuperkenGaming
    Jan 22, 2021
    5
    Conarium
    Something Seems to be missing here.
    Conarium is a 3 and a half hour long lovecraftian game. You play as frank searching for the    Conarium
    Something Seems to be missing here.
    Conarium is a 3 and a half hour long lovecraftian game.
    You play as frank searching for the other scientists on this arctic base, the story is super weird ancient aliens kind of stuff, its defintiley intriguing, but the game built around the story is just such a slog to get through, basically this game is, ooooo theres a lever missing, go find it.
    That s how the game sets out to scare you, missing items, and its annoying… nonstop wheres the lever? Where the mystery item you need for this that were not going to tell you you need to be looking for?
    for 3 and a half hours, its becomes unbearable, and the environemnts outside of couple moments are just not fun to explore or be in, theyre super boring, and stuff weve seen in video games more than dozen times, made worse, in the beginning of the game, the items you need to progress aren’t even in the same area you need them, the game expects you to go up in an elevator and grab a leveor before you go back down to the floor you were at and down again to go to the room where you need that lever, which in that case, why ot just have the lever there.. oh, that’s because that isn’t what the game wants you to do, it knows you are going to go down first and scratch your head, searching veryroom on the 2 levels, waste your time not finding anything cause the game is so short it relies on wasting your time to give you content, look up a yotuube video and see that oh, there is actually a 3rd floor with the thing I need.
    Conarium is only worth picking up if you absolutely have to play every lovecraftian game thrown at you… it at least tries to be a well thought out puzzle game and attempts to make it world cool… its just not a very fun game to play through… like maybe a little bit in the beginning, but then it stops…
    I give Conarium
    5.5/10    … Expand
  5. PeakZach
    Mar 1, 2020
    4
    Not much story development, easy puzzles, and short gameplay make for a title only gaining from a semi-interesting plot point.
  6. Runeknight76
    Sep 14, 2019
    2
    There are a lot of glaring flaws with Conarium. At its core the level designs are lazy with wind debris passing through closed doors and theThere are a lot of glaring flaws with Conarium. At its core the level designs are lazy with wind debris passing through closed doors and the locked door mechanic to force you in once direction with little to make you feel as if you are truly exploring. This is what this game is, over used tropes to give you something to do while they try and convince you that you're playing a game.… Expand