Delightful little indie horror! Makes me want to replay to see how the story changes based on who survives. Story had me wanting a bit more, especially on the demon front, but overall had great puzzles, good environment, and fun characters.
While I would have loved for this to be a more traditional survival horror game, what I did play was still pretty marvelous. Loved the creepy tone and atmosphere and thought the puzzles were pretty challenging but reasonable. I did refer to a guide later in the game, though. My patience got the better of me.
Definitely have to tip my hat to the developers for going with first person controls that made the experience ten times better than had they paired the PS1 style graphics with tank controls. I want to see more games like this, please.
Definitely have to tip my hat to the developers for going with first person controls that made the experience ten times better than had they paired the PS1 style graphics with tank controls. I want to see more games like this, please.
The Tartarus Key strikes a near perfect puzzle difficulty for me. I never immediately knew the solution. The puzzle would feel difficult at first. Then, after trying a few things, I would take a moment to think through all the clues in the room again and have my eureka moment where I solve it.
The atmosphere is the real star for me with this one though. It was very reminiscent of Resident Evil 1, finding yourself in a mysterious, creepy mansion with something sinister pulling the strings. Not to mention all the flavor text for the creepy paintings and other grotesque subject matter you can click on that adds so much to the setting and adds to your understanding of the protag's feelings and motivation/thought process.
My main disappointment was that the mansion was not as interconnected as I had hoped. When you enter a room, all you need for that room is in that room. So much so that you can't even access notes and items you gathered from rooms you are not currently in. I would have liked the mansion to feel more like one giant puzzle rather than a series of puzzles, personally.
I wholeheartedly recommend this to fans of this aesthetic and/or genre. It's also at a great price! But I don't think this will wow anyone who isn't already a fan of this stuff.
The atmosphere is the real star for me with this one though. It was very reminiscent of Resident Evil 1, finding yourself in a mysterious, creepy mansion with something sinister pulling the strings. Not to mention all the flavor text for the creepy paintings and other grotesque subject matter you can click on that adds so much to the setting and adds to your understanding of the protag's feelings and motivation/thought process.
My main disappointment was that the mansion was not as interconnected as I had hoped. When you enter a room, all you need for that room is in that room. So much so that you can't even access notes and items you gathered from rooms you are not currently in. I would have liked the mansion to feel more like one giant puzzle rather than a series of puzzles, personally.
I wholeheartedly recommend this to fans of this aesthetic and/or genre. It's also at a great price! But I don't think this will wow anyone who isn't already a fan of this stuff.
A solid throwback puzzle horror for fans of the non-combat side of Resident Evil and Silent Hill
Neat idea, but it left me with a sense of unfinishedness.
I geniunelly thought it was going to be a bit deeper with it's mechanics of saving characters, and it barely mattered in a general way.
I geniunelly thought it was going to be a bit deeper with it's mechanics of saving characters, and it barely mattered in a general way.
A solid, Saw-adjacent room escape game built around an interlocked mansion. The ending(s) were incredibly unsatisfying, and we wish there was more to Alex's character than "Damn, what a selfless role model of a girl." And the humor/horror balance leans too hard into humor for our liking: it destroyed much of the tension that its first hour effectively built. But if you enjoy writing down clues and plotting out solutions in a notebook, there's a solid chance you'll end up enjoying it anyway! (As long as you aren't playing it handheld: bouncing between a Steam Deck and physical journal is far from ideal)
Vamos falar hoje sobre "The Tartarus Key", um jogo que é uma homenagem aos gráficos dos grandes clássicos do PS1, como "Resident Evil", em termos de sua parte visual. No entanto, o combate e os inimigos são completamente diferentes. Além disso, "The Tartarus Key" apresenta uma perspectiva de primeira pessoa. No jogo, você acorda em uma mansão cheia de armadilhas e vários quebra-cabeças, em um estilo semelhante a "Saw".
Sendo assim, a premissa básica do jogo é ser focado inteiramente em quebra-cabeças, e essa é a minha primeira crítica ao jogo. A quantidade de quebra-cabeças presentes nele seria aceitável se fossem criativos, mas aqui existem alguns que são ridículos e até mesmo cômicos de tão sem noção que são. A maioria dos quebra-cabeças é interessante e alguns podem realmente fazer você quebrar a cabeça, mas a grande maioria se resume a tentativa e erro.
A trama de maneira geral é bem simples: você está em uma mansão e precisa descobrir quem o colocou lá. Ao longo do jogo, você é apresentado a outros personagens que estão na mesma situação que a sua, algo semelhante a "Saw". Conforme você avança, deve ajudar e libertar esses outros sobreviventes.
Levei cerca de cinco a sete horas para completar os três finais do jogo. Achei a estética do jogo muito legal, com um visual que remete à geração do PS1, e esse foi o único motivo que me atraiu a jogá-lo. Apesar de ter seus pontos positivos, acredito que "The Tartarus Key" não tenha sido uma experiência tão marcante para mim. Provavelmente, só me lembrarei dele se alguém mencionar que já o jogou.
Prós:
- Quebra-cabeças interessantes, remetendo à era do PS1.
- Enredo aceitável.
- Gráficos bonitos dentro da proposta visual.
Contras:
- Alguns quebra-cabeças são desnecessários.
Sendo assim, a premissa básica do jogo é ser focado inteiramente em quebra-cabeças, e essa é a minha primeira crítica ao jogo. A quantidade de quebra-cabeças presentes nele seria aceitável se fossem criativos, mas aqui existem alguns que são ridículos e até mesmo cômicos de tão sem noção que são. A maioria dos quebra-cabeças é interessante e alguns podem realmente fazer você quebrar a cabeça, mas a grande maioria se resume a tentativa e erro.
A trama de maneira geral é bem simples: você está em uma mansão e precisa descobrir quem o colocou lá. Ao longo do jogo, você é apresentado a outros personagens que estão na mesma situação que a sua, algo semelhante a "Saw". Conforme você avança, deve ajudar e libertar esses outros sobreviventes.
Levei cerca de cinco a sete horas para completar os três finais do jogo. Achei a estética do jogo muito legal, com um visual que remete à geração do PS1, e esse foi o único motivo que me atraiu a jogá-lo. Apesar de ter seus pontos positivos, acredito que "The Tartarus Key" não tenha sido uma experiência tão marcante para mim. Provavelmente, só me lembrarei dele se alguém mencionar que já o jogou.
Prós:
- Quebra-cabeças interessantes, remetendo à era do PS1.
- Enredo aceitável.
- Gráficos bonitos dentro da proposta visual.
Contras:
- Alguns quebra-cabeças são desnecessários.
Finally finished it and really loved it. Puzzles are really well balanced difficulty-wise, the dialogue is cheesy and repetitive in an era-accurate way (but dips into moments of brilliance that I will admit were embraced a little more to replace some of the more "quippy" lines), and the PSX-era aesthetics both serve the game well, and allow for an amount of mystery that some modern horror games have lost.
Be informed: it's an escape room game first and a horror game second. It's about atmosphere and keeping a little journal with combinations and patterns. So it's ideal for me, but won't resonate with all horror fans. It's definitely one of my favorite games of 2023.
Be informed: it's an escape room game first and a horror game second. It's about atmosphere and keeping a little journal with combinations and patterns. So it's ideal for me, but won't resonate with all horror fans. It's definitely one of my favorite games of 2023.
I love that we're firmly in the era of PSX throwback aesthetics. This game looks soooo good. The texture work is great and the weird character boiling we used to get in old games has been replicated pretty well. Total eye candy.
I wish the games writing was slightly stronger. We get introduced to a lot of interesting characters throughout but the game doesn't really do much to flesh them out. Alex's dialogue is also just on the wrong side of too quipy for my tastes. And I wouldn't have minded a few twists in the story. Still, it's a fun time! The puzzles are tricky without feeling impossible and they're all very unique and cool. Almost makes me feel like a smarty pants!
I wish the games writing was slightly stronger. We get introduced to a lot of interesting characters throughout but the game doesn't really do much to flesh them out. Alex's dialogue is also just on the wrong side of too quipy for my tastes. And I wouldn't have minded a few twists in the story. Still, it's a fun time! The puzzles are tricky without feeling impossible and they're all very unique and cool. Almost makes me feel like a smarty pants!
The main character, Alex, has OD'd on being a millenial and Tartarus Key wants to focus on her alienation. She adapts to the insane circumstances of the cult's escape room groverhaus quickly simply to feel wanted, and to see her labor and education actualized.
But even though there are other characters, they're all cutouts compared to Alex. That's perfectly fine, to be frank, but they're adjuncts to an insipid plot that's just not as interesting as our main character. In the end, it drags her down and the game's themes with it.
The puzzles are fine too.
But even though there are other characters, they're all cutouts compared to Alex. That's perfectly fine, to be frank, but they're adjuncts to an insipid plot that's just not as interesting as our main character. In the end, it drags her down and the game's themes with it.
The puzzles are fine too.
wow! what a fantastic game! i saw a demo of this for steam next fest, then was offered a review/stream key. i just went head first in & completely loved it.
you gotta be a fan of puzzles because this entire game is puzzles. & they're awesome! not impossible, but definitely difficult. the story is so interesting, & the true ending got me sitting here thinkin' about it for a while.
feels like 999/nonary games, silent hill (some silent hill quotes in there!! on purpose??), & other psx horror games- of course. such a lovely game & glad i just dove right in. there weren't any guides written yet so i figured it out myself! soo good!
you gotta be a fan of puzzles because this entire game is puzzles. & they're awesome! not impossible, but definitely difficult. the story is so interesting, & the true ending got me sitting here thinkin' about it for a while.
feels like 999/nonary games, silent hill (some silent hill quotes in there!! on purpose??), & other psx horror games- of course. such a lovely game & glad i just dove right in. there weren't any guides written yet so i figured it out myself! soo good!
Com a quantidade de lançamentos diários, muitos jogos passam despercebidos pelos olhares humanos e curiosamente conforme sua idade, eles ficam aptos a entrarem no famoso grupo de “jogos bons e desconhecidos”. Posso achar o termo brega e não muito abrangente, mas não tenho como contrariar ou refutar, pois com a dominação de AAA e AA, jogos de menor investimento devem ter a questão sorte para a popularidade.
Apesar de ser um lançamento de 2023, já posso considerar The Tartarus Key mais um integrante desse grande grupo e mesmo que futuramente ele possa furar a bolha, acho que dificilmente terá o apelo de outros que tiveram tal sorte.
No jogo, controlamos Alex Young, uma jovem que acorda em uma estranha mansão repleta de situações catastróficas e extremamente incomuns, munida apenas um comunicador o objetivo de escapar com vida se torna uma questão de tempo, atenção e cuidado.
O enredo é o ponto forte de The Tartarus Key e a cada novo quarto encontramos novos desafios e informações através de puzzles e armadilhas que desafiam a mente dos amantes do gênero. É óbvio que como em todo jogo com foco em puzzles, o cansaço mental é o maior inimigo e por ter jogado em um momento complicado acabei não prestando tanta atenção, mas graças ao sistema de salvamento acabei conseguindo criar caminhos diferentes que me levaram a finais diferentes.
Por ser um jogo que destaca resoluções, Tartarus não possui combate e inimigos diretos, mas não deixa de assustar, intrigar e instigar. Acredito que o estilo de jogos dos anos 2000 auxilia muito a transmissão da ideia e o torna interessante o suficiente, porém algumas texturas me deram dor de cabeça, o que pode ser um ponto de alerta para algumas pessoas.
Seus personagens conseguem acompanhar muito bem a sensação dos jogos antigos, sendo personalidades comuns, mas extremamente caóticas. Por várias vezes consegui sentir aquele carinho que esses jogos passam através dos diálogos e atrelar isso a genialidade de prender todo mundo em um único lugar é a receita perfeita para criar um núcleo secundário de respeito.
Mesmo sendo um jogo que ficará escondido por muitos anos, acredito que The Tartarus Key é mais um ótimo lançamento, porém em nosso caso o preço dificulta muito a recomendação de lançamento.
Apesar de ser um lançamento de 2023, já posso considerar The Tartarus Key mais um integrante desse grande grupo e mesmo que futuramente ele possa furar a bolha, acho que dificilmente terá o apelo de outros que tiveram tal sorte.
No jogo, controlamos Alex Young, uma jovem que acorda em uma estranha mansão repleta de situações catastróficas e extremamente incomuns, munida apenas um comunicador o objetivo de escapar com vida se torna uma questão de tempo, atenção e cuidado.
O enredo é o ponto forte de The Tartarus Key e a cada novo quarto encontramos novos desafios e informações através de puzzles e armadilhas que desafiam a mente dos amantes do gênero. É óbvio que como em todo jogo com foco em puzzles, o cansaço mental é o maior inimigo e por ter jogado em um momento complicado acabei não prestando tanta atenção, mas graças ao sistema de salvamento acabei conseguindo criar caminhos diferentes que me levaram a finais diferentes.
Por ser um jogo que destaca resoluções, Tartarus não possui combate e inimigos diretos, mas não deixa de assustar, intrigar e instigar. Acredito que o estilo de jogos dos anos 2000 auxilia muito a transmissão da ideia e o torna interessante o suficiente, porém algumas texturas me deram dor de cabeça, o que pode ser um ponto de alerta para algumas pessoas.
Seus personagens conseguem acompanhar muito bem a sensação dos jogos antigos, sendo personalidades comuns, mas extremamente caóticas. Por várias vezes consegui sentir aquele carinho que esses jogos passam através dos diálogos e atrelar isso a genialidade de prender todo mundo em um único lugar é a receita perfeita para criar um núcleo secundário de respeito.
Mesmo sendo um jogo que ficará escondido por muitos anos, acredito que The Tartarus Key é mais um ótimo lançamento, porém em nosso caso o preço dificulta muito a recomendação de lançamento.
I admit, I'm a sucker for games that make you work your way around escape rooms and videogame escape rooms just hit that sweet spot where you feel like the most clever person ever for solving whatever nonsense the game is throwing in front of you, while also avoiding the real world escape room nonsense of having an uninterested person curse your existence as you fail to spot a small key in the open for half an hour.
Here there's a big attempt to coat everything with a horror aesthetic that wants to repeatedly straddle the line between Saw style deathtraps, Cabin in the Woods style claustrophobia and underground organisations and Cthulthu-esque horror. Sadly because of it flicking wildly between all three of these ideas at any given time, it never quite nails any of these, the Saw elements don't feel personal enough, the underground organisation stuff is constantly steered around and the Cthulthu stuff just raises more questions than answers.
As for the puzzles themselves they... are pretty decent with a few that had me genuinely stumped for a bit but most of them generally fall under similar rules which means most puzzle fans will burn through this quite quickly, possibly replaying a couple of times to see what would happen if you got some of the more critical puzzles incorrect.
Oh yeah critical puzzles. As you progress through the game, you'll come across several tasks where, if you get the solution to what the game wants incorrect, will kill off a character permanently for that run (unless you save/reload a lot like a true adventure game fan). This should lead to some interesting elements, surviving characters interacting or being sad at others passing but because none of the characters have any association with each other, theres never anything meaningful going on. Even when hanging out together, theres barely any interaction and barely any dialogue of worth. Its all a bit hollow.
Overall I cant help but just feel if they had focused in on one style or two horror-wise and snuck in either a few harder more complex puzzles, or used a few randomly generated ones, there would be a case to call this a hidden gem. As it is, its merely 'there'.
Here there's a big attempt to coat everything with a horror aesthetic that wants to repeatedly straddle the line between Saw style deathtraps, Cabin in the Woods style claustrophobia and underground organisations and Cthulthu-esque horror. Sadly because of it flicking wildly between all three of these ideas at any given time, it never quite nails any of these, the Saw elements don't feel personal enough, the underground organisation stuff is constantly steered around and the Cthulthu stuff just raises more questions than answers.
As for the puzzles themselves they... are pretty decent with a few that had me genuinely stumped for a bit but most of them generally fall under similar rules which means most puzzle fans will burn through this quite quickly, possibly replaying a couple of times to see what would happen if you got some of the more critical puzzles incorrect.
Oh yeah critical puzzles. As you progress through the game, you'll come across several tasks where, if you get the solution to what the game wants incorrect, will kill off a character permanently for that run (unless you save/reload a lot like a true adventure game fan). This should lead to some interesting elements, surviving characters interacting or being sad at others passing but because none of the characters have any association with each other, theres never anything meaningful going on. Even when hanging out together, theres barely any interaction and barely any dialogue of worth. Its all a bit hollow.
Overall I cant help but just feel if they had focused in on one style or two horror-wise and snuck in either a few harder more complex puzzles, or used a few randomly generated ones, there would be a case to call this a hidden gem. As it is, its merely 'there'.