Those Who Remain Reviews
The environmental puzzles thrown at you by Those Who Remain really are tough. There’s usually a couple of things you need to do to progress, and it’s usually easy enough. However, there’s always that one item or interaction you need that can be easily overlooked.
Those Who Remain introduces an interesting thriller that is worth checking out. If you’re a fan of Silent Hill, Outlast, and Amnesia-like games, then this is definitely worth checking out.
There is an awful lot to like about Those Who Remain, but unfortunately, there is also a lot which will leave players deeply frustrated.
I wanted to like it, I really did, especially since the true premise of the game is pretty original. It could lend itself very well to other games in the future. Unfortunately, its fleeting moments of brilliance are lost within the dregs of tired horror tropes, inconsistency with its rules, uninspired gameplay mechanics, and an unfulfilling ending.
This is a scrappy, occasionally interesting horror, that has the capacity to creep you out and make you jump. And it plays with some unexpected, fascinating themes that will at least give you something to think about. For those who remain and see it through to the end, that is.
This isn’t one to just rule out if you decide to go for it, the adventure itself is creepy, unsettling, and truly one I wish I could have enjoyed more than I did. Ultimately, it was let down by performance issues, a lack of variety in gameplay elements, and its overreliance on “search and obtain” mechanics. While there are a few amazingly designed puzzles, this is not one I can say will really pop out and draw you in.
Those Who Remain is a Frankenstein of cool concepts lifted from other horror games and shoddily reconstituted into a mishmash of mediocrity. It’s got some of the ingredients of a good horror game, but they mesh together like pizza and ice cream. Though the game doesn’t deserve to be cast into hell for eternity, it definitely has some mistakes that are hard to forgive.
Those Who Remain tries to stand out (without admittedly putting much effort), but the multiple technical problems, the shallow mechanics, the repetitive gameplay, the atmosphere that disappears after the first hours, as well as the fact that from the beginning you can easily predict everything, make the whole experience indifferent, annoying and boring.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Despite some inventive ideas, Those Who Remain is just another generic horror game, albeit one that offers little in the way of suspense or scares. While its puzzle design is at times inspired, disjointed storytelling, inconsistent visual design, and gameplay that often resigns itself to tedious busywork make for a frustratingly unfulfilling experience.
Those Who Remain is a first person horror game that offers a quite remarkable visual and sound proposal. The story, without being original, has many interesting elements that leave out the common place and offer you food for thought. But what Those Who Remain does best is create atmospheres. The mixture of all its elements make it cause real terror. Its gameplay mixes puzzles with novel elements such as research with the purpose of putting both the living and the dead on trial, according to their actions. And the fact that you have to act as a judge feels in the game as a fairly strong moral weight that affects you too, psychologically speaking.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Those Who Remain leaves much to be desired and never pays off, no matter how many notes you read. Sure, there’s a decent narrative to discover within the game’s dark themes, but that is overshadowed by the sloppy structure and poor control scheme.
It is a pretty bad work within the genre that is compromised by various weak points. Although it might seem like it has an interesting premise, it won't take long to dilute like an effervescent tablet in a glass of water.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Those Who Remain is a strong horror game, but it's not for everyone.
Due to the uncertainty of what you actually do at the beginning of Those Who Remain and what it's all about, everything feels a bit like Twin Peaks at first. But the strong story soon picks up speed and makes sense in the end, which is comforting over the gameplay weaknesses. I give a clear recommendation for fans of the psycho-horror genre.
Review in German | Read full review
According to the developer, there are three different endings depending on how you decide the fates of our subjects. I played through the game twice and made totally opposite decisions in both playthroughs, but still ended up with the same ending. It is entirely possible that there is a certain combination of decisions that need to be made to achieve a different ending, but there is absolutely no indication in the game to say what you “should” do. The team behind Those Who Remain clearly have a love for psychological horror. While I believe they have a good starting point, this entry may be better left in the dark.