Conarium Reviews
The exploration of one's gradual slip into insanity and the experience of otherworldly isolation is palpable and well-executed, but anyone who isn't a fan of the source material will likely grow tired of Conarium's lack of anything new and innovative to the horror genre.
Remarkably then, even through disappointing attempts at horror and puzzling, Conarium is just about compelling enough to warrant seeing through to the end. It’s not particularly mind-blowing from a narrative perspective, but it is engrossing and satisfying. If only it pushed harder for a sense of dread and terror, or even simply provided more of a challenge, then we’d be talking about something that truly stands out as a thoughtful, engaging horror game.
Conarium is a short game which will only take you a few hours to complete. You can go back if your a completionist but there’s just not enough to make me want to play through it again.
Conarium is a game with a lot of potential. Those early hours spent with it will prove to be difficult to walk away from. However, it is too willing to toss away its fairly slow and tense pace to thrust forward the reveal of the truth behind its mysteries. With those questions gone, all that remains is a standard adventure experience of some puzzles and brainteasers on the way to the end of the story. The ending does its best to redeem the weak middle section, but it is not quite strong enough to lift the whole thing back up to those suspenseful and tension-filled first couple of hours.
I never truly felt scared or even at unease while playing Conarium. That’s perhaps the biggest disappointment that coloured my rather negative review of the game: It never succeeded at making me feel anything. The Literature inside the game somewhat does the source material justice, but it’s a short experience with its ~3 hours runtime that left me wondering what could have been.
When looking back at my time with the game, I don't feel horror at its revelations. I feel disappointment in light of what it could have been concealing, and simply wasn't.
Conarium leans too heavily on Lovecraftian mythos without bringing anything new to the table. Complete lack of peril in the game robs it of any meaningful stakes. Most puzzles in the game are simplistic, and the most difficult ones were not particularly challenging. The storyline is a muddled mess that relies too much on style and not enough on substance.
Conarium's fascinating world is closely based on a Lovecraft story, taking players through ancient tombs abandoned for eons. The adventure puzzles are a bit too simple and its rough edges needed smoothing, but it is still a faithful adaption.
Conarium is a solid Lovecraft-inspired title that will please fans of his work despite some design and production flaws
A true "lovecraftian" game short in length and interactivity. The plot is a bit messy to. Just for lovers of the the Providence's writer.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Conarium is a well-crafted slow-paced adventure to dark corners of the Earth. True declaration of love for a legacy of H.P. Loveсraft.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Conarium overall captures the mood of Lovecraft, if not the more extreme bizarreness present in his stranger stories. If you want a game that plays like a Lovecraft story, Conarium is probably the most accurate, accessible option available.
It’s certainly not the ideal game for those expecting sweat-inducing horror or adrenaline-pumping action, but for those who like to explore eerie environments and unravel a good story, there’s a good evening’s worth of entertainment.
All in all, Conarium does a fantastic job on the atmosphere and giving players those fearful moments of panic where you are holding your breath at every turn.
Conarium is a good, plot focused and atmospheric walking sim puzzler. Though it's billed as horror, it serves to get under your skin, rather than producing any massive frights. That said, the world created is wonderfully realised and quite beautiful in its freakishness. The way that the game captures the otherworldly vibe of Lovecraft's work, and develops such an engaging story quickly, is something to applaud. Ignoring the poor voice acting, bad character models, and the odd frustrating puzzle, if you're looking for a disturbing, plot focused walking sim experience, or you're just a huge Lovecraft fan, you won't go far wrong here.
Puzzles and controls leave a lot to be desired, but Conarium does much else well, making it an easy recommendation for any fans of the author.
Conarium offers a game with a extremely simple gameplay that relies completely on its narrative aspect. In spite of some flaws, this reimagination of a lovecraftian world is visually stunning and able to catch the players' attention from the very beginning and retain it through the whole game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Serving the niche of Lovecraft fans, this is a marvelous game to play, but as a horror video game it will easily lose those not already interested in this style of macabre.
Conarium is an enjoyable first-person adventure game featuring a very nice atmosphere, an interesting story featuring core themes from Lovecraft's works and unusual spin on game progression reminiscent of Metroidvania games. The game, however, does very little outside the usual for the genre, so if you're not into Lovecraft-inspired games there isn't anything unique that Conarium can offer you.