Dread X Collection

[h1]Dread X Collection, a fascinating concept serving mediocrity[/h1] Dread X Collection as a concept is fascinating. Giving multiple horror developers limited time to create their own small work of horror immediately intrigued me. What you get is ten completely unrelated short experiences packaged together as one. One off games, proof of concepts, weird experiments, everything is here. [h2]The Pay Is Nice, psychological detachment to cope with one's job[/h2] The Pay Is Nice follows a professor working on a secret government project. The game is vague, but that's what it wants. It keeps the player guessing and asking questions they'll never receive answers to. The professor constantly repeats "the pay is nice" and phrases like "we're helping people." To me, this shows how he psychologically distances himself from his actions because deep down he knows what he's doing is wrong. This is also where I connected the masks in his office to him. To me, they represent the mask he wears day to day. My main criticism is the PC puzzle. The instructions are worded weirdly, and especially with English not being my first language, I had a harder time than I should have. It feels overcomplicated simply to bolster the playtime. Overall, okayish. Nothing special, but okay. [h2]Don't Go Out, one's fears creeping in[/h2] Don't Go Out is a typical deck builder that gives the player basically zero guidance, thus devolving into trial and error. Hammering your head against the wall for 30 minutes when the game can be beaten in five once you know what you're doing is sadly a poor excuse for a game. The enemy is also so badly coded that moving up and down inside the house makes you unreachable. The metaphor of one's subconscious fears creeping into the mind once night falls is interesting, but heavily underutilized. Overall, an interesting idea dragged down by poor execution. [h2]Hand of Doom, a retro spellcasting game[/h2] Hand of Doom is divisive for me because I liked the execution. The inspiration from Doom and Duke Nukem is clearly visible, and I had fun. The problem is that I don't feel it belongs in this collection. Unlike the other games, which at least try to deepen their horror through narrative or underlying meaning, Hand of Doom doesn't really have much of either. It's an unserious, silly game that mostly wants to have fun with its concept. Gameplay wise, it's essentially a retro Doom esque game where you memorize spells and solve puzzles. Overall, I enjoyed Hand of Doom for what it was. I just don't think what it was fits particularly well into the collection. [h2]SUMMER NIGHT, a haunted handheld game[/h2] SUMMER NIGHT is reminiscent of a cursed handheld game being given to a child, similar to what we see in Townlore, and executes this amazingly well. It takes on the appearance of a Game & Watch style game with a simple gameplay loop that becomes more sinister as time goes on. For such a simple template, the monster looks amazingly good. Another shocker comes when the game suddenly switches from a 2D handheld game to 3D free roam. As soon as I saw the monster slowly creeping down the stairs, I got goosebumps. The monster design is simple but effective. It looks genuinely terrifying. Overall, an amazing game that had me genuinely more scared than it probably should have. [h2]Outsiders, horrible game design, okayish concept[/h2] I really wanted to find something positive to say about Outsiders, but I can't. Radio waves causing psychosis is interesting enough. Sadly, a solid concept doesn't do anything when the gameplay is straight garbage. You get drip fed information after every death, with hidden buttons, almost invisible blood puddles, and other obscure details required to finish the game. You probably won't finish without external help, but the gameplay is simply too buggy and boring to justify countless loops. On top of that, you're on a timer, which makes no sense for a game built around exploration. If you're picky or not a completionist, do not play this game. It's simply not worth the time. [h2]Mr. Bucket Told Me To, the fear of isolation[/h2] Mr. Bucket Told Me To characterizes the fear of isolation and losing everything, even when there is almost nothing left to lose. Stranded on a deserted island with only a few items to your name, you start giving them personalities and imagining conversations with them. Being forced to sacrifice them one by one puts the player into deeper and deeper isolation that ultimately costs them their sanity. The gameplay isn't all that unique, but honestly, the story more than makes up for it. Overall, definitely a solid entry. [h2]Rotgut, a sad excuse for a game[/h2] Have you ever wanted to play a walking simulator made entirely out of what feels like Unity free assets, with major clipping and graphical issues, where absolutely nothing happens? Then Rotgut is the game for you. Honestly, I feel almost insulted that this was presented as part of the collection. As a developer working hard on my own project, having it premiere alongside something like this would genuinely embarrass me. I don't understand how this wasn't cut. Please don't waste your time. Embarrassing. [h2]The Pony Factory, the fear of ponies[/h2] The Pony Factory isn't all that special, but still manages to deliver a fun gameplay experience. It's a run of the mill shooter set in a dank, dark environment where you fight different classes of ponies, and that's basically it. It's simple, but short enough that it remains enjoyable throughout. The story about ponies from Hell and your legacy is pretty irrelevant, and the game treats it as such. Overall, still an okay and enjoyable experience. [h2]Shatter, a dystopian future governed by new gods[/h2] Shatter presents a dystopian future in which humanity lies in ruin. We observe parts of Britain and hear tales of this new world, where cybernetic implants have become commonplace. What fascinates me most is the bioterrorism, such as the tale of a child whose skin had initials burned into it by a virus engineered specifically to do so. It's such an amazingly disturbing and unique concept. There are also new nano artificial intelligence beings that are part machine and, to some degree, biological. These are the new gods governing the land. I would have loved to see more of this world. Sadly, the format limits how much there can be. Overall, a fascinating experience. [h2]Carthanc, archaeological horror[/h2] Carthanc has me split because the game clearly has a lot of thought and love put into it. The Indiana Jones inspiration is clear and fits well. But it still left me bored. Taking an idea with as much potential for interesting puzzles as archaeology and giving the player back to back parkour segments isn't just wasted potential, it's lazy. The atmosphere and monster design are solid. I genuinely felt like I was exploring an otherworldly tomb, and the monster had an unnerving presence. But there's only so much a barebones story and good atmosphere can save. Overall, it left me feeling just alright. [h2]Final thoughts[/h2] After playing all ten games, my initially innocent and excited anticipation feels almost naive because sadly, as a whole product, Dread X Collection serves mediocrity. There are genuine gems here. SUMMER NIGHT and Shatter showed me exactly what I hoped to find, but they can't save what is otherwise a mixture of okayish to mediocre games, and at its worst, Outsiders or the straight up embarrassing garbage that is Rotgut. I had fun with all but Rotgut and found something positive in every other game. But an overall feeling of mediocrity is something I simply cannot shake. Ultimately, Dread X Collection falls short of what I think its fascinating concept could have been. Despite my disappointment, I still leave with a few new experiences I won't forget anytime soon.