Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel Reviews
As a first effort for Pulsatrix Studios, FOBIA St. Dinfna Hotel is commendable. The hotel has exquisite level design and the numerous puzzles kept me interested and engaged over the campaign. I also love the camera alternate reality mechanic, it's a neat twist on a familiar concept. Combat needs improvement, as does the voice acting, but overall FOBIA is an easy recommend for fans of classic Resident Evil or Silent Hill.
The tense exploration of the hotel calls back to the good old days of Resident Evil. It’s a wonderfully designed location that is easy to get lost in thanks to the little direction, yet still doesn’t feel too obtuse. Unfortunately, the game is let down by some weak combat and a story that is completely forgettable.
Fobia: St. Dinfna Hotel is not a terrible game. While it has its flaws, horror fans will find plenty to like about it and will likely love the majority of their time spent with it.
Phobia: St. Dinfna Hotel is a good debut for Pulsatrix Studios: in four years they have managed to package an aesthetically and playfully pleasing horror, with the right mix of puzzle-investigative and shooter elements.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The puzzle portion of the game is a major part that will have you backtracking a lot to progress. It can halt the progress of the game with how long it takes to solve something or find a one-room out of many within the hotel. The puzzles can range from an easy solution to pre-planning, so definitely have your thinking caps at the ready.
Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel delivers a great story and innovative concept, but poor combat, cumbersome inventory, and gameplay holds it back from being a great indie horror entry.
There’s not much else I can say about St. Dinfna Hotel. If you’ve played horror games then you know what you’ll be getting from this one. If you haven’t played many horror games in the past then the clumsiness of the combat, and the lack of assistance through the puzzles, makes this a poor entry point to the genre. Indeed, if you’re not familiar with the classic horror titles St. Dinfna is in homage to, the entire experience is almost pointless. I do think the developers have talent and passion for the genre, and I hope that this is successful so they can get a second run at it. If they do, all they need is to have their own voice and the confidence to add to the genre, rather than parrot it, and I do think they have it within them to create something special.
FOBIA – St. Dinfna Hotel is still worth a look if you truly enjoy survival horror titles; just don’t expect to be surprised as it’s a journey you’ve likely taken before under better circumstances.
Fobia: St. Dinfna Hotel may not reinvent the wheel when it comes to survival horror, but it's an engrossing thrill ride nonetheless.
You will not be afraid with it, but you will feel like in the old days of survival horror, thanks to its worked puzzles and its mysterious story.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Don't judge Phobia – St. Dinfna Hotel just because it's an indie title. The game is very well crafted and with incredible detail. Despite some technical and story-tightening issues, it can be considered one of the best horror games I've ever played.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
There's a lot of potential in Fobia: St. Dinfna Hotel, and it has some moments of excellence. Unfortunately, the lackluster visuals, weirdly unfriendly UI, and general awkwardness drag it down. It's a fine game to play if you want to scratch the survival-horror itch and you've already gone through a lot of other titles, but it doesn't do enough to distinguish itself. I'd be deeply interested to see a more polished and refined sequel because the potential doesn't shine through as well as it should.
Let's imagine that apart from this analysis there is another. A similar one, but with a different approach in its approach. It could be that, instead of analyzing the work developed by the people of Pulsatrix Studios, he focused, that he left aside the annals of terror to deal with many other genres. That is the theory of parallel realities. Wandering along the steepest paths of consciousness, FOBIA – St. Dinfna Hotel gets lost in the dark limits of reason looking for the most hidden fears, to offer us a descent into madness where terror, suspense and fiction converge to sow multiple unknowns.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite it’s flaws, and low production value, FOBIA is a decent alternative to Resident Evil.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Fobia may tread familiar ground, but it does so confidently and effectively. The game manages to build tension and fear without relying too heavily on jump scares, and its excellent sound design only adds to the spook factor. Anyone who likes survival horror games should give this one a try.
With an interesting environment packed with puzzles and mysteries but a distinct lack of enemy variety and scares, Fobia should only be checked into if you can overlook its detriments.
Ultimately, how much enjoyment you get out of Fobia depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re just dying for gripping gunplay with myriad monsters to encounter, there’s no denying that you’ll probably be pretty disappointed with what this title has to offer. But if you can look beyond its rougher edges, Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel offers tantalizingly terrifying accommodations for survival horror fans.
Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel lifts liberally from the best of the horror genre but its unsatisfying core gameplay loops leave you out in the cold. A nifty camera mechanic allows for some entertaining time-bending exploration and the game has a solid grasp on 2000s grunge aesthetics, even if the story at its heart is a little old hat.
The puzzles are challenging but satisfying, the spooks are wonderful, and the story draws you in from the very start—Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel has all the right elements, just may need a couple of gameplay tweaks for the console. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a horror game with all the puzzles you could ever need, look no further.