- Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
- Release Date: Apr 8, 2026
- Also On: PC, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Apr 7, 2026The Occultist succeeds greatly in its atmosphere, narrative construction, and the way it uses first-person horror to create constant tension and truly effective scares. The setting of Godstone and the mystery surrounding the protagonist are engaging enough to keep the player invested from beginning to end. However, the underutilization of some important mechanics, the lack of a functional map, and limitations such as the absence of chapter selection prevent it from reaching an even higher level. Still, it's a solid and memorable experience within the genre.
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Apr 7, 2026The Occultist proves that horror doesn't need to rely on screams and gore to scare. DALOAR delivered an experience that focuses on atmosphere, narrative, and intelligent gameplay to guide the player through a journey that captivates both through curiosity and the mystery surrounding Godstone and its inhabitants.
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Apr 9, 2026The Occultist is a work that expertly blends puzzles and exploration in a compelling and mysterious setting. DALOAR’s debut work entertains and encourages you to continue your investigation to fully understand what Godstone Island holds. The only drawback is its very limited running time and its technical performance, which is at times lacking.
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Apr 13, 2026The Occultist gets enough of its world right to be an interesting game but it drops the ball on its gameplay.
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Apr 7, 2026Taking on the role of a paranormal investigator, The Occultist gives you multiple unique abilities to make use of as you explore areas and solve an assortment of puzzles. It's a bit rough around the edges, but fans of narrative driven supernatual adventures will likely get plenty of enjoyment out of it.
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Apr 7, 2026The goal The Occultist sets for itself is a noble one: to artfully blend the world of the occult with that of survival horror—offering no weapons and no means of self-defense, relying instead solely on wits and puzzle-solving. It is a journey that did not always unfold harmoniously, yet one that successfully established the right atmosphere and maintained a high level of tension. However, one must also take into account certain technical limitations encountered on consoles, including a frame rate that is not exactly stable.
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Apr 10, 2026The Occultist is an experience with some good ideas and standout moments, but it doesn't quite come together. It falls somewhere between what it wants to be and what it could have been. It's a game with its share of interesting elements and plenty of personality, but it needs a little more punch to truly stand out.
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Apr 7, 2026The Occultist has a great ambient and some interesting moments, but it doesn’t deliver fresh moments throughout the game.
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Apr 7, 2026This is not a bad horror game for people looking to jump into the horror genre or looking for a new horror experience. There are a few jump scares but nothing too outrageous for those gamers who find horror games to be overwhelming. But big horror fans may feel a little underwhelmed.
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May 4, 2026The Occultist is largely focused on building a series of atmospheric, Lovecraftian-inspired stages, and it succeeds in delivering a visually engaging aesthetic. The experience is supported by simple yet satisfying environmental puzzles. However, its storytelling feels bland, the voice acting is subpar in many cases, and the stalker-type enemies should have been removed entirely.
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Apr 10, 2026The Occultist has a strong premise, interesting narrative, and engrossing atmosphere, but unfortunately it fails to capitalise on this with some pretty tedious gameplay, a lack of scares, a boring protagonist and out-of-place voice acting.
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Apr 7, 2026The Occultist is a fairly by the numbers horror game, with an unlikable main character and lack of scares that really let it down.
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Apr 7, 2026There is something that really irks me when a horror game doesn't provide any scares or tension. The Occultist looked like it was going to be an entertaining experience, but it doesn't provide much entertainment. The puzzle-solving and exploration are passable, but everything else is a huge letdown.