DYING: Reborn
Rating Summary
Based on 17 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Top Critic
Despite its interesting puzzles, DYING: Reborn struggles to be much more than a poor example of horror; the scares are few and far between, the plot and its characters are horribly played out and given how generic it can frequently be, it's alarming how seriously it takes itself.
Top Critic
Dying Reborn is an escape room game with some creepy elements to it. The story has an interesting premise, but quickly becomes uninteresting and confusing. Some puzzles feel rewarding, while far too many feel obscure and annoying.
Top Critic
Dying: Reborn isn't a particularly scary game, especially since you can't die. But it does possess a delightfully odd atmosphere and lots of fun puzzles to solve. This style of game, with all its indie seams and quirks, won't be for everybody. But if you can attune yourself to its quirky presentation (or just want those easy Achievements), Dying: Reborn won't kill your good time.
Top Critic
Dying: Reborn is a textbook example on how to set up the groundwork for an 'Escape Room' experience, but it largely feels unfinished and content is repeated in order to fill in those gaps.
Top Critic
On a system bursting with great horror games, you can safely side-step Dying: Reborn. While we appreciate the attempt, the production values just aren't in place to create the tension that's intended here, and even though there are a couple of decent puzzles on display, there's not enough meat on this murder mystery's bones to make it worth the price of admission.
Top Critic
Despite this generous clutch of problems, there is an odd charm to the game. Its schlock is part of its allure, and each time I loaded the game, I felt as though I was returning to a well-thumbed piece of pulp horror trash or sliding an old VHS B-movie slasher into the machine – its cheap ghouls awash with scan lines.
Top Critic
I wasn't compelled by the story, the characters, or the atmosphere. I didn't feel any sense of tension or immersion with Mathew and his plight. The presentation of the game from graphics to on-screen font to voice-acting was very generic and lackluster too, making the whole experience a struggle and not very enjoyable. Without a walkthrough, I probably would not have pressed on because I just was not finding the experience worth my time and effort.
Top Critic
Perhaps the only good thing that can be said about Dying: Reborn is that you can easily get a Platinum trophy from it, provided you only backtrack after finishing the game. It's faster if you use a guide for the more obtuse puzzles, but the whole endeavor takes only a few hours to accomplish. If you aren't into Trophy hunting, however, there's nothing of value in this title. Poor puzzles that repeat often, dodgy presentation with worse audio, and a story with too many plot holes are all wrapped up with a price tag that's too expensive for what you're getting. On a system that already has plenty of good horror games, there should be no reason for anyone to pick up Dying: Reborn.
Top Critic
There isn't much reason to revisit the Last Harbour Family Hotel, but I enjoyed my stay.
The focus in DYING: Reborn is on its puzzles, and their difficulty is right up there with classics such as MYST. The visuals get the job done and the game even features a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy! So if you're looking for a puzzle/adventure game on PS4, you might want to check this one out!
