The 9th Charnel Reviews
While the review here tends toward the critical, I didn't hate my time with The 9th Charnel. It is definitely over-priced as a first-time developer's project and I don't think anyone will feel that its 4 hour runtime justifies a price close to that of Silksong. If this was around £5 then it'd be a different matter but I can't really recommend the game as things stand. If Saikat Deb builds on this, however, and focuses on the gameplay over the confusing narrative then their next project might be more successful.
First-person psychological survival horror experience that fails to stick the landing
The 9th Charnel presenta ideas interesantes y un objetivo claro: ofrecer terror psicológico centrado en su atmósfera. No intenta medirse con los grandes del género en términos de presupuesto, pero sí aspira a destacar en ambientación y narrativa ambiental. Sin embargo, no todo está a la misma altura. El diseño de niveles puede resultar confuso y a la vez demasiado lineal; las decisiones técnicas —especialmente en animaciones— recuerdan su naturaleza modesta. La IA enemiga es tan simple que a veces provoca risa en vez de miedo, y la gestión del inventario y las armas deja mucho que desear. Aun con todo, quienes disfruten del terror de ritmo lento, de explorar con calma y de reconstruir historias pieza a pieza encontrarán aquí una experiencia disfrutable si no van con expectativas elevadas.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The 9th Charnel ends up as a scrappy horror experiment, but one that's rough around the edges in many places.
The 9th Charnel is a short cult horror game where you work your way through half-built sites in a closed-off valley, hiding from brutal stalkers and solving tile and logic puzzles that call back to older survival horror. Clumsy enemy behaviour, stiff gunfights, and flat cutscenes hold it back.
The 9th Charnel has its problems, but for an indie game made by a solo developer, I was overall pretty impressed by what it had to offer. Its story was interesting, and its visuals were nice; however, the game’s flawed animations, poor sound design in areas, and coin-flip performance may dissuade you from playing. It is, however, deserving of much more attention than it currently has.
As a huge horror fan, the game seems to lack the ability to immerse me. A poor sound mix with low-end graphics creates a constant immersion break. Although if you put yourself in the seat of a small team, it’s not half bad. My overall experience with the 9th Charnel was mostly a letdown, although the game has potential and lots of room to grow. For now, it leaves me frustrated, confused, and looking for the volume button.