Narcosis

 Xbox One
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Jun 2, 2017
    88
    Narcosis isn't much of a game, but it is an amazing, immersive horror that everyone should experience.
  2. GameCritics
    Jun 26, 2017
    80
    Despite the second half not equaling the taut opening, Narcosis is still a great horror title. Now that first-person horror is a dime a dozen, it’s easy to be skeptical about these games, but Honor Code left a solid impression by mixing effective jump scares with abstract horror. They also know when to let off the throttle to build suspense instead of ramming enemies down players’ throats every ten seconds — and hey, if players (like me!) are incredibly creeped out by spider crabs and other gross ocean wildlife, they should get ready for a stressful ride in almost all the right ways.
  3. GameSpew
    May 17, 2017
    80
    As horror games go, Narcosis is a triumph, managing to get under your skin and stay there long after you’ve put the pad down.
  5. Windows Central
    May 10, 2017
    80
    A short experience of about three to four hours, I was surprised the game ended when it did, because I'd become gripped by the story and revelations throughout. The horror is mild, and the only resource to worry about is oxygen, so it makes Narcosis a relatively gentle entry into the psychological survival horror fray. It's a thought-provoking and story-driven experience that I wanted more of, and a gripping narrative and boisterous sea creatures make Narcosis definitely worth a play.
  6. Generación Xbox
    May 16, 2017
    78
    In Narcosis we are an expert diver, where we will experience an oppressive and claustrophobic survival experience. Rarely is it possible to generate in the user such an intense experience in an environment as so infrequently recurrent as the deep sea bottoms. This an adventure of psychological terror and survival in extreme conditions with a remarkable technical section.
  7. Gamers' Temple
    Jun 27, 2017
    70
    If you're in the search for a good psychological story then Narcosis might be a good pickup for you, but the gameplay in between is rather boring.
  8. ICXM
    Jun 7, 2017
    70
    Narcosis could easily be one of the best survival horror games on Xbox One if the Xbox One had VR. But without VR, Narcosis becomes clunky and nauseating after long periods of play. The game comes in at just under 5 hours, which I had to break into multiple sittings in order to avoid throwing up. The story, environment, and level design make the game worth it if you can get past the shadow that VR has left on the game.
  9. TheXboxHub
    May 22, 2017
    70
    Narcosis is a solid game with a great premise, some excellent voice acting and a great story. The problems I have are with the central premise, which is the pacing of being underwater, and the unwieldy aspects, which this evokes.
  10. SomosXbox
    Jul 26, 2018
    68
    Narcosis is a "walking simulator", perfect for purist fans of the genre. Honor Code, Inc. brings us a tense story, with interesting moments and jump scares. However it's a simple game that doesn't bring any novelty to the genre or gameplay.
  11. GameGrin
    Jul 26, 2017
    65
    While the game didn't impress me all that much on the Xbox as is, I can see how the game would perform better in VR. I did enjoy many aspects of Narcosis such as its environment and its unique controls. However, the lack of real tension and linear level design hold the game back too much to not notice.
  12. TrueAchievements
    May 11, 2017
    60
    Narcosis is neither a great nor terrible horror title — it's simply fine. The premise is so strong but the full experience only partially achieves that potential. Its place as a quick completion will attract many of this community, but if you need more than narrative from your games, look elsewhere. It delivers a brief but interesting story with a greatly memorable ending, but in several other ways, most notably atmosphere, Narcosis is dead in the water.
  13. ZTGD
    May 18, 2017
    55
    There’s not much I can say about Narcosis. It was too short of an experience to really gather a lot for it. At the same time, this was made for VR and I’m sure if I had played it in VR it would have had a bigger effect on me. Unfortunately, while this is supposed to be a horror game, I never once jumped or was creeped out. To be honest, I was more slightly confused and annoyed with some of the choices the developers made when it came to both exploration and platforming. If you’re still interested, there are a few redeeming qualities, but not many. I’d still hold off until a price drop.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. SuperkenGaming
    Jul 20, 2018
    7
    Narcosis
    Under the sea
    Narcosis is a little less than 4 hour long first person survival horror game that takes place in the depths of the    Narcosis
    Under the sea
    Narcosis is a little less than 4 hour long first person survival horror game that takes place in the depths of the ocean
    you play the entire game in a giant under water suit big daddy style
    your able to thrust forward, also big daddy style, as well as throw flairs and melee attack..
    this at first feels like a super linear underwater walking simulator, the environment is cool and creepy, and then you run into a giant sea spider and you’re like nah, this aint no edith finch
    this is layers of fear under water, there are dead bodies of fellow personnel that you’ll run into as you’re trying to get to a shuttle to evacuate, where the survival bit comes into play is that oxygen is your health, you will have to search for decently spaced oxygen tanks to allow you to keep going as your oxygen is slowly depleted, though fish will attack you which while cause you to breathe harder and lose oxygen faster, this is where flairs and melee come into play.. you and slice and dice these fish or distract them… thankfully encounters such as these are greatly placed out.. youll mostly be using your flairs to see in dark rooms as youre exploring 2 separate bases in the game trying to get power back to the panels, I hate base exploring period, but these bases offer some purely terrifying and probably the best moments in the game, there will be shifting rooms, illusions… again reminding me of an underwater layers of fear and its really cool.. really got my heart racing…
    I felt in suspense through my entire playthrough not really knowing hwat the game is going to throw at me next..
    I do have quite a few issues with this game..
    I felt like the overall experience was more stressful than it was enjoyable scary.. it could just be because of the setting and the whole under water base thing that I automatically don’t like… but I didn’t enjoy exploring these areas.. I don’t have a solutionfor make space station like areas enjoyable to explore.. but theyre just not for me.. they stress me out.. but this is jjsut a personal vendetta.. not so personal though there are heavy chunks of this game where direction is just awful… specifically the laval cavern giant spider bit towards the end of the game…
    I ran around in circles, fell through what I felt were walls to land in some sort of spider nest only to be insta killed by the giant spider at the top after sruggling to climb back up only to learn that hes actually supposed to move when you get close and theres something wrong with his programming… once I got all of the triggering to work an hour later it was back to mildly enjoying being terrified, but this chunk of the game almost brought down the entire experience completely.. thankfully the final act picks it up and is well worth getting to
    I don’t want to spoil thing so ill lust say this game has a really great pay off, and there’s tons of mystery going on with some glowing green ghost guy
    This game is super stressful to get through, but I promise you it’s worth getting through…
    Narcosis is far from a polished enjoyable horror experience
    But its overall such a neat game that horror fans owe it to themselves to play through
    I give narcosis
    a 7/10    … Full Review »
  2. osprey
    Jan 17, 2018
    8
    I almost bailed on this game at a certain point but persevered and I am so glad that I didn't give up. I ended up loving this game and theI almost bailed on this game at a certain point but persevered and I am so glad that I didn't give up. I ended up loving this game and the reason is the great story and the twist ending. I do not want to spoil any of this for gamers who want to give it a try so I only want to warn you not to give up. At a certain point I used a guide for one level that had me frustrated but after using the guide this level became one of my favorites. I was able to complete the game without further help and recommend not using a guide more than necessary as the less you know ahead of time the better. If you stick with this game I think you will enjoy it and I think the low price makes it worth a buy. I really loved it in the end and am so happy I didn't give up on it.… Full Review »
  3. gamerUSA
    May 22, 2017
    10
    Survivor horror, very good claustrophobic game. And hava a litle price in the Xbox Live Store. Survivor horror, very good claustrophobic game.Survivor horror, very good claustrophobic game. And hava a litle price in the Xbox Live Store. Survivor horror, very good claustrophobic game. And hava a litle price in the Xbox Live Store.… Full Review »
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