Narcosis Reviews

Narcosis is ranked in the 44th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Nov 23, 2018

This review began before with a parallel to early man, so why stop now? Narcosis, in its own way, brings humanity's drive for survival to the forefront of the player's mind, showing that the will to live is truly a harrowing war of attrition. The game is unrelenting in its goal of putting you into the shoes of someone haunted by the depths of the sea, both figuratively and literally. The story is simple but well-written, with even the flavor text of the fallen co-workers showing humanity in a couple of sentences each. The visuals are good, the controls are formidable, and the audio is stunning. Sure, the gameplay and story can be a little slow, and the narration is somewhat gauche and not well mixed, but these are minor issues in an otherwise intriguing, original game that shows the potential of human helplessness in a visceral and highly informative way. Narcosis is a mystery that plays on how little we know about our own world, as the game aggressively reminds us with elements of supernatural terror.

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9.8 / 10.0
Aug 27, 2018

Narcosis represents the best of what horror games should strive to be. It's immersive, in nearly every possible way. With an interesting and well presented narrative, you'll find yourself not wanting to stop, as you turn every corner with a sense of dread as to what lies ahead. While the play time is somewhat short, and the absence of support for PlayStation VR is a drawback, there is more than enough in the package to appease true fans of the horror genre. With it's unique setting and atmosphere, Narcosis is a true dive into fear itself.

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70%
Aug 10, 2018

Narcosis is a solid first effort from indie Honor Code. As a first-person survival game, it provides a nice experience with its gloomy setting where one false step can send you plummeting down to your death. If you're not careful, you might run out of oxygen, which I'm sure is a painful way to go. And then there are the giant and deadly crabs that can puncture your suit with a single stab. There's danger around every corner, and Honor Code has done a great job at portraying that on PS4.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 9, 2018

Take a journey through the most hostile unknown environment on Earth inside a claustrophobic suit while you're also going mad from trauma. Narcosis pulls out all the stops in its pursuit to be the best underwater survival horror and for the most part, it succeeds in that lofty goal.

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7 / 10
Aug 5, 2018

If you are not a fan of the genre or you cant get along with its slow tempo, it may be better to just ignore it. But nevertheless, an engaging story mix with a deep atmosphere make Narcosis a very unique title.

Review in Persian | Read full review

75%
Jul 29, 2018

Narcosis' biggest strength is its oppresive atmosphere, created by the inner feelings of a person trapped in the deep sea.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 25, 2018

For me, a game with a normal story and strong ending is more memorable than a game with good story and weak ending, but fortunately, Narcosis has both advantages in the story and narrating with a beautiful story-telling and memorable ending. For some of us that still are in love with single player and story-telling games, it is very good to see games like Narcosis in the generation of online shooters that repeat again and again. Narcosis takes you to an stressful and beautiful journey and make you some fun hours. Despite some troubles in gameplay and control, Narcosis is still a game that absolutely worth your time.

Review in Persian | Read full review

75 / 100
Jul 25, 2018

Narcosis is a short experience that can be enjoyed. It compensates for its short duration with achieved moments of tension and a really good setting, but it is a bit far from offering a complete experience. Still we are before a remarkable game. Recommended for those looking for an intense and fast game with which to spend a couple of afternoons of underwater stress.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Jul 23, 2018

Narcosis' voice acting and writing might hold water but the outdated visuals, laughable horror, and poor gameplay weigh the game down and cause it to sink faster than a corpse with cinder block shoes.

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65 / 100
Jul 21, 2018

Narcosis is a polarizing game, on one hand, the underwater setting and isolation captures the sense of unnerving tension of being alone but at the same time, the gameplay is slow and vexing. The developers successfully crafted stressful situations forcing you to cautiously walk through the next room but also included frustrating moments of getting stuck in the world's geometry. Narcosis is a great horror title for fans of the genre if they can endure the slow pace.

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No Recommendation / Blank
Nov 3, 2017

It has potential but just does not live up to it. Looks good, and sounds great but oh my, it falls short in too many other departments. This will appeal to those that have a great deal of patience and tolerance, if you don't have those in great abundance stay clear.

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GameGrin
BishopTheTroll
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Jul 26, 2017

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.

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7.7 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2017

Narcosis tells a great story that will lead you through the bottom of the ocean, among deadly crabs, pressure to hight to bare, just to shock you at the end. The second playthrough is almost mandatory as playing again when knowing the ending allows us to understand some strange actions. Refreshing, but dark game.

Review in Polish | Read full review

8.2 / 10.0
Jul 3, 2017

Immerse yourself to a new level of Psychological terror!

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.8 / 10.0
Jun 2, 2017

Narcosis isn't much of a game, but it is an amazing, immersive horror that everyone should experience.

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7 / 10.0
May 25, 2017

Narcosis benefits from a unique environment and some really solid writing, though a short campaign and a story that loses steam detract from the overall experience. In the end, Narcosis winds up being decent, but not as great as it could have been.

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May 21, 2017

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.

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8 / 10
May 18, 2017

Narcosis feels designed for VR, and as such, it's a relatively short experience, lasting only a handful of hours. The game runs smoothly on Xbox One, and even without VR, I found the game unnerving. The fear of the pitch dark unknown on the ocean with all sorts of nightmarish creatures is enough to give me nightmares. Combine it with the disturbing imagery and the death of all your colleagues, and you have an intriguing premise with some great narrative set pieces.

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Drew Leachman
Top Critic
5.5 / 10.0
May 18, 2017

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.

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80 / 100
May 18, 2017

Narcosis is a game that draws you into its aquatic world of horrors and makes you hold your breath until you come out the other end. It's just a shame that you could almost finish it in that one breath, as it can be completed in about four hours. All in all we shouldn't hold this against it as not every game has to be a forty hour open-world epic. In the end, this brief adventure was well worth experiencing. Now excuse me while I go out and buy a VR set to dive back in!

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