Daymare: 1998
DAYMARE: 1998 is a third-person survival horror with hardcore survival mechanics and hard to kill enemies. It requires a strategical approach to combat and puzzles and offers a multi-character point of view on the story, revealing a deep and obscure lore. The scene is set with a secret research facility, a deadly chemical weapon and a special security team to investigate this incident with the potential to become much more than just a security breach. Follow the steps of an elite soldier, a helicopter pilot and a forest ranger, as they play out their roles in an event that transforms one peaceful small town into a deadly zone and its citizens into bloodthirsty monsters. Take the creatures down first, before looking for any clues and evidence to bring more sense to the mess. Keep track of your itinerary, as resources are scarce in a situation like this! Anything can happen when your daymares become real… Fans of the iconic cinematographic brands and classical gloomy survival horror games of the '90s will be thrilled, seeing how DAYMARE: 1998 recreates the atmosphere of the most beloved works from the end of the millennium and places a typical yet fresh story in the middle of it. The plot unfolds through the eyes of various characters, putting players in the shoes of different personalities that will guide them through their theories and doubts about the situation.
Steam User 22
Daymare is a Game by a small Italian game development team. It wears its Resident Evil influences proudly on its sleeve in both gameplay and worldbuilding. If I had to compare it to any of them it would be the remake of RE:3.
The combat is clunky but has genuinely a lot of interesting aspects. Especially the reloading with having to reload with magazines that have to be reloaded from the inventory lends itself to incredibly stressful moments. The shotgun sadly does away with this, I wish they had fully commited to the bit.
The characters, while simple, are well executed with decent voice acting and direction. They are clearly not industry veterans but they get the job done.
The story is nothing you have not seen before, again clearly inspired by RE. They do however put their own interesting spin on it, especially with the latter part of the game. Saying a lot more would spoil the impact quite a bit.
The environments and atmosphere are pretty damn good and pretty varied. From winding city streets to wide forest areas and claustrophobic sewers, they really hit every mark. And it is pretty scary in my opinion, both rich in suspense and sprinkled with a few well placed jump scares.
It is also quite difficult. I played on normal and constantly had to scrounge for resources, struggled with ammo and health. If you are good at 3rd person shooters, play on normal. If you are not, I really would recommend easy mode.
The main gripes I have with the game are twofold.
1: The puzzles are fine for the most part and they did really try to do unique puzzles. Sadly, unique does not always equal good. Don't be emberassed to look up the solutions to some puzzles. They can be very confusing.
2: The "Hexacore Website" execution. When you find documents in the game, you can either read them right away, or they give you a code that you have to put in on a real life website. While the idea is pretty interesting and reminiscent of some puzzles in "The Secret World", the execution is not very good. It breaks immersion, you have to alt-tab out and the website is at glacier-speed. I commend them for trying a leap of faith, but they sadly did not stick the landing.
Other than that, the game has polish issues. A few typos here and there and an occasional feeling of just... wrongness. I can't even describe it.
All in all, if you are a fan of the Horror Genre and don't mind a few rough edges, Daymare:1998 brings a lot of fresh ideas to the table, mixed with a good execution of the classic formula. I am very excited to see what the studio comes up with next and hope for more games set in this universe.
7+/10, would recommend at full price.
Steam User 29
This really is a hidden gem, Resident Evil crossed with Dead Space, i wish i got into it earlier!
You will need to persevere with the controls as they are a bit hard to get used to but when you do its a lot of fun! Also Some puzzles really are hard to do,
I really am enjoying this game, not worth full price but a damn good go at a zombie game, 9/10!
Thank you devs!
Steam User 12
I was eager to play this game and take in the vintage atmosphere and game play as a lover of the genre.
The realism and attention to detail in "Daymare: 1998" are among its positive attributes. the game expertly mimics the appearance and atmosphere of the classic survival horror games from the late 1990s. Fans of the genre are sure to connect with this nostalgic approach.
"Daymare: 1998" has good sound and graphic design. The settings are well-designed and elicit a tense and unsettling feeling. The game's horror components are enhanced by the sound effects and music, which also contribute to the overall immersion.
The game does, however, have some drawbacks. Intense combat situations can be difficult when the controls feel clumsy and unresponsive at times. The game's puzzles are also a little underwhelming, frequently coming off as monotonous and unimaginative.
Furthermore, the game's difficulty spikes can be very difficult and occasionally feel unfair. This may result in frustrating situations where it seems like cheap fatalities or numerous enemies are impeding progress.
Despite these issues, "Daymare: 1998" makes a respectable effort to recreate the standard survival horror scenario. It does a good job of capturing the atmosphere and nostalgia of the genre, but it falls short in several others, such controls and puzzle design. It's worth giving "Daymare: 1998" a shot if you enjoy retro survival horror games, but be ready to experience some setbacks along the way.
Steam User 8
Super Awesome game for me personally Feels like a lower budget game then a AAA title which I'am guessing it is but its super cool with evil mercenaries that you just gotta love reminds me of a corny 90 action movie like snake escape from New York or Judge Dread in a good way.
Has Multiple levels of difficulty can be played in an easy story mode with auto aim and the ability to skip puzzles.. Skip puzzles? I love this rather then forcing me to google the answer when i don't want to think or cant figure it out i can just skip it i love this feature. Or an extremely hard mode with over powered enemies and not enough ammo in your into that. so far im loving the game is a pretty average zombie story in the vein of resident evil but its way more kick butt with the evil mercs you play as
Not the best graphics out there but super clean and nice to me, Voice acting is awesome. controls are average but the story and atmosphere are epic. 8.9/10
Steam User 12
I like Daymare: 1998... It is not the best game ever but it has its place. lots of enemies and cool weapons to take them down.
The game is well built with little to no issues that I could point out. some are calling it a knock off RE, but it has its own story, characters, and items. from what I have seen after 16 hours Daymare: 1998 is a great game with its own qualities that are worth the game time.
Steam User 9
The game is good. Despite of it's terrible battle system, it's a must have if you are fan of survival horror style. Buy it on sale.
Steam User 16
This game looks so amazing. They nailed the camera angles. The movements and the death visual is so realistic. The subtle breathing sounds.