Narcosis

Narcosis
72
Metacritic
75
Steam
77.437
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$4.49
Release date
28 March 2017
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
75 (1 014 votes)

Survival, horror at the sunless depths of the Pacific Ocean: Stranded on the seafloor with low light and few tools, an industrial diver takes desperate steps to surface before his oxygen — and sanity — give out.

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Narcosis system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows 7 (64 bits)
  • Processor: Intel i5 or better
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 560 or better
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 8 GB available space
  • Sound Card: Any sound card
  • Additional Notes: For VR, please refer to the recommended configuration.
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Chimz
Chimz

If you’re looking for feelings of Thalassophobia or something similar to the movie “Underwater”, then keep searching ‘cause this game isn’t any of that.

I’ve recently taken a liking to themes of Thalassophobia, underwater cave diving and generally the scariness of the underwater world.
Seeing this game named “Narcosis”, how it’s set at such a deep depth in the ocean and the fact that it includes psychological horror pulled me right in. Reading the reviews, I heard more bad than good, but as it went on sale, I couldn’t help but try it myself. After finishing it, I realized that almost every single criticism was right.

Nothing Unique

In my review for Subnautica, I mentioned how even with having a special theme, the Devs put in actual creative work to build a unique experience that you couldn’t get anywhere else.
Narcosis also has a special theme, but the gameplay is so generic and uninspired that you could take the whole thing, put it on dry land and almost everything would still work the same. There is nothing exceptional here.
I’m not sure even the term Narcosis applies, because you’re kept in a suit from the start that is implied to be only refilled with O2 tanks, leading me to believe that your suit is set to the pressure of the surface, not the depth and there is no mixture of gasses being used. So there wouldn’t be a way of experiencing any type of Narcosis anyway.
Hell, even 90% of the environment you traverse isn’t the open ocean. It’s the inside of the flooded research station which is just hallways and rooms after hallways and rooms…and it doesn’t even look special! It’s just an ordinary office that’s full of water. There’s no special design or anything. Take a real-life office building, put automatic doors on it and you get this research station. That’s how bland it is.

Narcosis spends more time telling you you’re scared rather than actually making you scared

Yes, being stuck at such a depth underwater is freaking terrifying, but not here. After the first 20 minutes, all your feelings of dread and despair disappear, and you’re left with a game that keeps telling you your character is scared while you, the player, can’t give two sh*ts about anything.
And so, no matter what is happening, no matter what events you’re going through and what you’re seeing, the only feelings that you experience will be a buildup of frustration and annoyance. I really wanted to like this game but it’s just so pretentious.

The game leans heavily on its “weak human psychology side” by making your character breathe faster in certain situations and twisting the environment around you. While you’d think a twisting environment would be nice to traverse, but it’s not.
You know that trick in games where you’re looking at something, then turn around and look at it again and it’s changed? Or how the hallway you’re traversing changes behind your head? Yeah, that’s a neat trick I always love in every game…except for Narcosis.
Narcosis uses these tricks so many times throughout the game (maybe one every ten minutes) that it loses all novelty and just becomes an annoying part of the game you have to deal with, simply because “your character is scared”. Half the times I died were in these sections because they were heavily scripted and at times poorly designed, leading to instant deaths. Having to replay them after dying left an even more bitter taste.

At times the game feels so basic and bad that you’d think the designer was someone who didn’t play games and only learned what a game is by spending an hour reading about what games are. So it doesn’t feel like a game that you play, more like a series of steps the designer asks you to take. Simply put, the only thing you’re doing all the time is going from point A to B without even knowing why half the time, just looking for any glowing buttons to press. There are enemies that add nothing but annoyance to the game and can actually stun-lock you. Yes, an enemy can stuck-lock YOU the player! Who thought this was good design?
Logically the enemies don’t really make sense either! An angler fish in the depths has no reason to attack something three times its size. It’s like the devs didn’t research anything about the creatures in the depths, but instead just took a look at the angler fish in Nemo and thought “wow that’s a cool fish, let’s put it in the game”.

The last section of the game is the section that includes the most hallucinations and twisting environments. So yes, if you haven’t played any psychological games before, you might find it new and interesting.
But for someone who’s played even a single psychological game before, this section is just another forced “your character is scared” that is just awkward to platform through.

Oh, and throughout the whole game, a narrator is talking in the background about the situation, which not only takes you away from the moment, but the he is also just such a dry person in every manner that you can’t help but want to mute him so you could MAYBE enjoy even a second of the game.

Last but not least, the oxygen system: I’m not against the idea in general. It’s something that comes with a theme and can actually be a great part of the design if implemented correctly. Subnautica had one and it was half the reason why diving to the depths was so dangerous and terrifying.
Narcosis doesn’t use this well. It has an oxygen system that serves no purpose other than to force the player to move faster and set up a few scare sequences. The only place I found it to create actual dread was at one moment at the very end of the game. So you have to put up with this annoying system for nearly three hours, just so you can see it shine for five minutes. That is not worth it.

Conclusion

Hell no! I can’t in good conscience recommend you to play this game, even if it was free. There is nothing special or worthy of your time here. Even though there aren’t many games out there to scratch your itch of thalassophobia and ocean depths, this is still not a game you’d want to spend time and money on.
If you’re REALLY curious to see what’s inside the game, go watch a playthrough on Youtube. At least there you can skip all the unpleasantness.

Bloop
Bloop

Tense uneasy atmosphere. Character loses sanity. Drug-like hallucinations. Possible manslaughter committed. Pretend nothing happened. Stab aquatic wildlife. Hallucinate some more.

Not a bad game. 6/10

Thumper Bones
Thumper Bones

I love games that delve deep into the ocean. The most frightening thing... is the fear of what lives beneath the surface of our own oceans. The twist in the story will also slap you out of nowhere... very reminiscent of Soma (which is also an amazing game). The unsettling dread from being "alone" so far beneath the oceans surface is an unmatched feeling... unless you go deep out into space.

A MONKEY WITH A GLOCK
A MONKEY WITH …

don't listen to the reviews while the combat can be repetitive the story is realty good

Deathwish CRO
Deathwish CRO

Spooky underwater walking simulator.
Works and looks great in VR (played on oculus rift s)

Since i got it for 2.5 euros its well worth the money

JIMI NAITOR TFTU
JIMI NAITOR TFTU

Narrative experience that takes place at the bottom of the sea

The controls are clunky on purpose to acomodate the feeling of a heavy suit walking arround the sea floor, It can be a little Claustrophobic at times but it only adds to the tension that is experiencing the effects of Narcosis while trying to survive the adversities off your mind, the story develops in a narrative way that puts focus on what you are doing or about to do but mostly leaving space to the player to interpret their own meaning of an action

Recommendable to play in one sitting since it's not a long game

"I made mistakes down there, yes. But did I lose my mind? No. No way."

NorkDorf
NorkDorf

If you are claustrophobic then this game is not for you at all! Scary and atmospheric! Great graphics and the controls and movement take a bit to get used to, once you get them down you will love it!If you are claustrophobic then this game is not for you at all! Scary and atmospheric! Great graphics and the controls and movement take a bit to get used to, once you get them down you will love it!
https://youtu.be/82Yy3MHhVB8

Geeks On Hugs
Geeks On Hugs

Great underwater horror. Claustrophobic.

Horrifying right up to the horrifying end.

I was glad to step outside after I finished for some deep breaths of fresh air.

Joomillion
Joomillion

first off; this is definitely not worth 12,49€

the game overall feels pretty low quality, there's just something missing. this game has nothing that would make me want to keep playing it. its equally easy to get lost both in the game and in the story, because both of them are an absolute mess. in the game, there is close to nothing that indicates the path which you're supposed to follow, so you just get stuck very often, trying to figure out what the hell you're even supposed to do, or where to even go.

the story of the game is described and told by you as a memory. every single time you progress, your character tells a little bit more of the story and how they were feeling, but since it takes a while to figure out what you're supposed to do, you can easily forget what was told last - this is where you get lost in the story.

the controls are also really weird, and eventually even annoying or frustrating; every single movement is extremely slow and limited. i get that you were trying to simulate the resistance of water, but it was executed poorly. the fact that the story-related menu was integrated into the pause menu is also just bad. not the first time i am seeing this, but i am not a fan of this in general

overall, its not a good game, but its not a bad one either. i can see there is a lot of effort put into this, but it needs more

Dire
Dire

I absolutely can't recommend this game, unless perhaps as a VR experience, but then again you need to play it with a gamepad or mouse/keyboard, so not sure how immersive that is, but depending on your hardware it might be a bit more interesting.

As it stands as a Non-VR game did I regret playing it? Partially. It started off interesting. Catastrophe, you wander the ocean floor, it's all very moody, bodies, giant monster crabs, annoying cuttlefish. All fine. You slowly start seeing things, losing your mind, and then the rest of the game happens and for the most part I was just bored or irritated by one or two of the puzzles...coupled with the feeling of being totally fucking lost, which I guess would be the point. Just like the point of combat seems to be that it sucks. I get it, it's underwater...what I don't get is a small fish surviving ten plus hits of my combat knife...(tap x)...

It's got its moments, but overall it's just too repetitive. The ending is... interesting, I guess. Yes. I also really hated the save system...there is none. If you die you have to play the whole level again. And listen to the narration again. And again. Granted, there are NOT a lot of possibilities to die, but one level in particular was nasty...or if you're just accidentally falling downwards to your doom. This is...imho just not necessary. Maybe get it on discount or not if you're okay spending over 12 bucks for 2 hours of "gameplay" (it is mostly a walking simulator).

VRShaun
VRShaun

I would recommend for VR. Scary at times. Probably not that great on a standard monitor though.

SAHBATHESAHO(STS)
SAHBATHESAHO(STS)

I like story driven games like Narcosis...They have reasonable length and reasonable price.
Recommended if you looking for 3-4 hours thrill game with acceptable story.

kishisora666
kishisora666

very inconvenient. this is not the type of game that should be given a vr mod. especially if your not going to incorporate the vr controllers. didn't make it past 5 minutes before ripping the headset off my head from sheer frustration in the mechanics.
bright side? looks visually beautiful.

Newseraph
Newseraph

Not bad at all. A game that reminds me of my deep sea phobia.

TehKaoZ
TehKaoZ

One part underwater survival, one part horror. It's an interesting experience.

jabberworg
jabberworg

HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE BEST GAMES IVE EVER PLAYED !! THE BEST MONEY IVE EVER SPENT ON A GAME !!!!! A HORROR GAME LIKE NO OTHER, THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ANXIETY DRIVEN 3 HOURS WERE ACTUALLY VERY ENTERTAINING AND I COULDNT STOP PLAYING!

Dayma
Dayma

Really interesting narrative and great narration to help put context around what is happening. The end was very much a surprise for me! It was great!

On the downside the controls are a bit wonky at times. It's hard sometimes to tell what you can interact with and what you can't.

Overall it's a really good game and worth your time to play.

Figgypwns
Figgypwns

HOLY @#%$ WHAT A STORY 10/10 WOULD PLAY AGAIN

Thunderper
Thunderper

It's not that scary but the gameplay is good too bad I can't finish it

Marmuhl
Marmuhl

Not sure why the main review is acting like the game is difficult - I died like, twice, and a check point was right before.
This is clearly a VR-centric game. If you don't have VR, there are better games to spend your money on. If you do have VR, it offers an exciting look at what the technology currently has to offer, and inspiration for how amazing VR games will become when more widely adopted.
Really great experience. Great moments and set pieces - quite creative. Good level design made it pretty clear where you need to go - follow the lights, and when you hear voice cues, you're on the right track. Combat is very simple - tap Attack right before you get hit. If you can't handle that, you shouldn't leave game reviews. The crab things insta kill you, but they really aren't that hard to avoid. Plat forming was pretty fun.
The price is quite good for what you're getting.

livinghell
livinghell

painfully slow, boring walking simulator with darkness osbtructing the view, clunky controls making each movement not fun and nausea inducing FOV. It has TANK controls, really.
It was overhyped. Play better cryostasis instead, if you can find it anywhere.

iampigman
iampigman

Like if the movie Underwater was a VR game. Wish it had motion controller support but still fun.

Skitch
Skitch

Portions of the game seemed to require a lot of trial-and-error, which interrupted the otherwise commendable flow. Very much worth it at the end.

jmccaughan1
jmccaughan1

If you're playing in VR use a 360 controller. Press "Back" (also known as "select") at any point to recenter your view. To my knowledge this game doesn't support vr controllers.

As for the game then: its quite short, I did it in 2.7 hours and about 15 mins of that was me not knowing where to go, what to do or simply getting stuck on geometry. I don't think its a bad game, but its more of a walking simulator like Edith Finch than a horror game like SOMA. The combat is awful, you should just run past enemies, and when possible distract them with flares.

If its dirt cheap in a steam sale and you're running out of stuff to play in VR, I guess I'd say go for it, just remember Its a very short "one and done" experience though.

CthulhuIsRight
CthulhuIsRight

Underwater Amnesia: The Dark Descent (And SOMA but with less dangerous-feeling enemies in my opinion).

a236937
a236937

The VR mode does not work with HTC Vive Pro.

johnb4467
johnb4467

Finished this in VR in just over 3 hours, and fully enjoyed the experience. For reference, I was using a Quest 2 via Link Cable. Note that this game will not work using the Virtual Desktop app for Quest 2.
I'm pretty stingy with VR purchases, as a lot of them are not overly engaging and/or have little content to enjoy. While this game isn't "long" & won't have much replay value, it kept things fresh for me the entire time -- all within a very enveloping atmosphere & with a great deal of care. Definitely worth it for me, though I don't recall what I initially purchased it for. I don't think it was retail.

I literally died maybe 4 or 5 times, mostly because I tried something I wasn't supposed to...and I didn't lose much progress. In this regard either other reviewers aren't used to this type of game or there have been adjustments / tweaks to the game since then.

This somewhat reminds me of the game "Adrift", which was the first VR game I played at a Siggraph conference a number of years ago (except that one was in space). In this type of game it's more about the environment and experience, and while I suppose the "walking simulator" tag isn't unjustified here, I thought it was wholly enjoyable. I do tend to enjoy those types of games though, if presented with a fascinating setting, ie: Adrift (space), Narcosis (deep ocean), Agony (hell; not in VR) -- all of these games don't tend to 'rate' well on steam, but if you go in knowing what to expect...you won't be disappointed.

Recommended as a very fun and atmospheric experience, and decent length for VR at ~3 hours.

Critical Max
Critical Max

I wish I could review this properly as this seems like my kind of game. I bought this to play in VR. First, it cannot be played with the VR controllers. It does require The mouse and keyboard or controller. Meaning that I had to keep having to put on/remove my headset to try and position myself, go back in the VR setting, changes my gardian boundries, but then, the ''position'' you need to be in is really small. If you are out of that physical space, you cant see anything other than a wireframe model showing you where to position yourself. I tried to recalibrate with the VR buttons but it wouldnt work. I had to physically move over and over and somehow, the position kept going further and further.
Basically, this game was not made properly for VR. Might be good, well never know, I could never play it.

Hiasä
Hiasä

Narcosis is a great narrative horror game. What the game excells at are the voice actors, the writing and the visuals.

To be honest this game has only a bit more gameplay mechanics than lets say a Dear Esther (for example: flares for illumiation, collecting oxygen for survival, knife for self defense and a jumppack for increased mobility).
What makes this game great is the cohesion between narration and visuals. Small little effects and sounds make you feel immersed.
Looking at the horror aspects, you will find no monsters, but isolation, the pressure of the deep sea and hallucinations. So it definitely is more on the psychological horror side.
The last thing i would point out, is the phenomenal ending. I won`t spoil it though.

Queen of the Damned
Queen of the Damned

This is a pretty decent game. It's aesthetically pleasing, easygoing, and interesting. It has a twist at the end, too.

Jaosky
Jaosky

Hauntingly good game. The twist in the end is worth it.

Pickletoes
Pickletoes

Can't give this a real review, only played a short time.

I got stuck at the spider crabs. I assume there's another way to go but i couldn't find it and couldn't be bothered to keep playing this game. Found it uninspiring.

Twist.vmf
Twist.vmf

A fantastic game, short, perhaps, but worth it never the less.

ΤΣΠΠΘ
ΤΣΠΠΘ

Narcosis uses its exceptional premise to great effect. The atmosphere is unnerving and engrossing, complemented by a melange of real and imagined dangers. The pacing of the story is perfect as is its brilliant twist and the monologues are a fitting touch. There is a cornucopia of details that supplement the experience such as the superb UI and HUD.

Claustrophobic. Distressing. Potent.

7/10

InfinityCabbage
InfinityCabbage

A good idea for a vr game that unfortunately boils down into a walking simulator. The only replay value here would be for achievements, but the thought of doing that feels like a slog. I can't say it was all bad since the voice acting and environment produce an atmospheric experience, but for the price you're better off watching a thriller or ocean documentary.

Cosmic Jelly
Cosmic Jelly

Story is good. But authors made many annoying obstacles that kill any motivations to follow. Rare checkpoints and stupid hallucinogenic jumping with timer are not fun at all. Tried to finish it three times. Boring. Annoying. Uninstalled.

C.L. Jesse
C.L. Jesse

I had initially been extremely interested in this game. The idea of a horror game being set at the bottom of the ocean is a fantastic one. I was hoping for a unique, possibly trippy (based on the trailer mentioning hallucinations) horror experience. Instead, I got a generic Jumpstart fest with controls that are so clunky, it's almost impossible to enjoy the game. I'm highly disappointed. I hate saying that regarding a small indie title, but I am.

Tfaltys
Tfaltys

Walk slowly, hold space (a lot), let the crab pass, repeat

It's fine, I guess, or something.
I didn't play it in VR where it would probably be better but my main complaint here is that that the scares start early (You don't get eased into the whole "going crazy" thing and as a result they feel kind of of cheap. Think Layers of fear where the hallucinations start and then keep going and keep going and keep going and a few hours later it's just not having the effect anymore. The game looks very much like a VR game.. because it is a VR game? It's not ugly, infact some parts are quite pretty but it has that big interface, smooth texture, small environment thing going on. Also the movement feels bad (I assume that in addition to providing a sense of weight it's like this for VR purposes) but it's pretty much your gameplay here for the duration of the trip. It's a walking simulator but it makes it annoying to walk.

All that said there aren't many game that offer this setting and I'm very much into deep sea horror. The ending twist is quite good and since it's short, it's not expensive. It's not bad, but I wouldn't personally recommend it. If you want deep sea horror, play SOMA. If you've played that and really want more, this has some of the same vibes I guess.

danielbarneysmith
danielbarneysmith

It seems like an immersive walking simulator as far as I can tell.
But the stuttering movement is very immersion breaking. And the periphery dimming, is effecting the centre of my vision, not the edges.

Turn all that off.
And my first time getting VR sick. 178 games. First time. Bluegh
Game reminds me very much of the book "Rifters".

♥MAKI♥
♥MAKI♥

Strange feelings about this game....
On the one hand, atmosphere is insane, end is sad, sound effects are cool.
On the other hand, I can't say that game will frighten you, it is very slow, not comfortable to move (i think there should be normal travel mode in the settings), sometimes boring, hard to fight.
If you see the achievements percentages you will see that only ~20% beat the game. I believe that this is due to slow gameplay.
Don't recommend to play on your own, it's better to watch on youtube

TimeWaster
TimeWaster

Good atmospheric underwater horror walking simulator, but there is one open area where it is really hard to find your way.

Earl of Lemongrab
Earl of Lemongrab

Very spooky underwater game with a nice story and very good narration. Really captures the tense atmosphere well. Definitely give it a go for a weekend gameplay session.

Nova
Nova

One of the best stories I've ever played. I would recommend anyone get this wonderful game.

Ark Strike
Ark Strike

A really good horror game set at the bottom of the ocean, the quality of the environment is very well balanced between real world scenarios and video game scenarios, with some hints of psychological terror mixed inside, its hard to go wrong when telling stories under the sea and this one is unlike many out there which give you more freedom and tools at your disposal, setting an environment for you to play with yet Narcosis gives you just enough freedom to know you aren't boxed in but takes it away from you when it's necessary so you know something is wrong and that you are in danger.

A creeping feeling of isolation, being now in a desolate place that was once a safe haven, reaching the underwater bases is both a delight and a nightmare, accompanied by rich story telling by means of the environment, a keen eye can make out enough details around them and piece them together in their mind. No shortage of scary situations either.

Overall an excellent underwater survival horror slash terror game, its short but its worth it at full price, the developers deserve every cent for their hard work.

toddhunter
toddhunter

A nicely put together seated VR experience.

It is more or less a walking sim, think a SOMA or machine for pigs. It doesn't outstay its welcome and is reasonably well written. The jump scares are somewhat frequent, but make sense in the context of the story.

Well worth a play for a solid 3 hours.

Klankers
Klankers

Ok, so I just finished Soma and Narcosis feels like a discount version of that game. I finished Narcosis earlier this year, but there's only a few things I can really remember from it.

    • The wildlife is needlessly aggressive.
    • Your pressure suit is made of cardboard.
    • The main voice actor sounds like a leather strap.
    • Few bugs but I do recall falling out of the world and speedrunning some of the levels by jumping on level geometry.
    • The final 3rd of the game was really, really good. I spent the rest of the game waiting, holding down W, or falling off of a platform.

But I wouldn't really compare this to Soma. There's much less to interact with and every level is fleshed out very linearly. Narcosis is much more of a walking simulator, where the sluggish trudge of the protagonist actually makes sense given the scenario. With a

X-Static15
X-Static15

Idk if it's worth the $15, but it is atmospheric and surreal to say the least. You could definitely end up sinking a bit of time into the game, with some real dangers and uncomfortable themes included. If you're scared of dark water and the scary $h*t in it then you will definitely get scared playing this. And if you need some game play to make up your mind on if you want to sink at least a couple hours into it, feel free to use the link!
https://youtu.be/ufgQslKP2Ec

Burningspaceman
Burningspaceman

This is a seated VR title that does not use VR Controllers. It uses the gamepad or Keyboard.

If your terrified of the deep, buy it.
If not buy it on sale.

AI
AI

Chinese Style Retraining of Farmer and Rancher

Antiswagtoby
Antiswagtoby

A thumbs up because I got it on sale, and not at full price. An atmospheric, deep ocean dive that has a few great moments, but is held back by movement & pacing that is beyond snails pace and clunky. Since moving around in your cumbersome suit is all you do in the game, it takes a quite a bit of enjoyment out from the overall experience.

The trippy parts were really cool, but going through the octopus filled industrial corridors was agonizingly bland. Steam really needs a 50/50 button.

Get it on sale.

TheHuskyGT
TheHuskyGT

Not bad, but it has a few bad design choices. The game starts well, but it becomes unnecessarily frustrating mid point. The lack of saves and checkpoints make it more of a chore and it takes away from the decent immersion that the game offers. It also has very cheap indie horror tropes that don't add any quality to the experience. It just makes it feel very random. Probably won't go back. I've seen enough of it.

Want a good underwater horror game? Get SOMA. It is as good as it gets. And if you've played it already, and are browsing for something similar, this ain't it chief.

Rob-Retro(Linux)
Rob-Retro(Linux)

Played on Linux using Proton-GE, Works just as well with normal Proton but for me when i exit back to desktop it gets stuck and i have to kill/close the game, does not do this with Proton-GE-6.16-1.

Very Good Graphics, Good Sound, Plays Great, Nice under water horror'ish Game, Some Boost Jumps can be annoying as is getting past most of the large spider crabs, but overall a really good Game, Walking Only but can use a short boost jump and walking is slow but you are wearing a very heavy underwater suit so it adds to the Game rather than annoy.

I Recommend the Game.

Karrus
Karrus

Holy hell,

This was a slog at first. Taking several attempts to finish, much in the way the narrator talks about as you progress through the situation. The ending was a surprise indeed. Gonna try it again once I get a Valve Index.

Tornzy
Tornzy

Actually really good narrative. Some of the "puzzles" could have been better thought out, but all-in-all it was a fun experience.

Side note, I hate the ocean and fuck crabs....

Larry021
Larry021

A little slow-paced but I enjoyed the experience. There are definitely times where you will question your character's sanity. I did not see the twist coming at the end, either. It's a little on the short side, which I'm OK with, but I would say it's probably best to wait and get it on sale.

ArcticSocks
ArcticSocks

I liked the narrative approach, the VA's also did a great job.
However, the story was not to my liking. It genuinely doesn't make sense. **after the ending**
I wouldn't call this game a good horror game, and I'm not going to lie: I expected something else. I thought this would be a realistic simulation of events that could happen in case of a huge catastrophy, but instead it's just "ghost men" hallucinations from "oxygen deficiency" and incredibly aggressive sea life. Movement speed is incredibly low, and I wish it wasn't so.
I did like the visuals sometimes, but overall I didn't really enjoy this.

Button Eyes
Button Eyes

Narcosis is an underwater walking sim horror game, where you play as a survivor of an undersea lab incident trying to find an escape pod. Unlike most walking sims, there is actually a bit of combat here, where you can use your knife and flares to kill or distract some deep-sea creatures before they kill you. There are no monsters or bosses, though, only wildlife and some hallucinations.

There's a unique survival element in this game, which is oxygen. It's kinda like Amnesia's sanity level, where seeing your fellow crew member's corpses or being attacked will increase the consumption. Don't worry though, there's quite plenty oxygen tanks and refill stations. You oxygen level is always displayed in the suit which also functions as the in-game HUD, but the sad thing is the suit is difficult and clunky to move, like Resident Evil's tank controls. However, seeing this is a heavy-duty deep-sea diving suit it's still forgivable.

To be honest, the thing that made me interested in this game is the fact that it's an underwater horror, like SOMA. However, I think SOMA is better in a lot of aspects, even though Narcosis is in a way more realistic and less sci-fi. It's still a pretty okay horror game, and although I still prefer SOMA over Narcosis, if you like these kind of games I recommend trying both.

doom118
doom118

I honestly found this game by accident and man im glad i did! I loved it from start to finish great story and interesting gameplay!

Tinefol
Tinefol

Still shivering after my playthough.

Generally fairly content with the horror genre and are quite used to VR games. This one got me almost to the point of a panic attack.

So, avoid playing in VR if you're even remotely claustraphobic. Otherwise, you're in for some strong rough thrilling experience.

soundsosound
soundsosound

Okay, the controls are not really very well adapted for VR. But nonetheless the immersion is great. And the storytelling is brilliant. One of the most impressive games I have played in VR!

aatgy
aatgy

Before I say anything, you absolutely need to screw around with the controls and turning settings if you are using VR. This games initial controls are wonky as hell, but it's customizable enough that it works great with some small tinkering. I was using a Vive headset with a gamecube controller so you can definitely make anything work.

If you're not scared of the ocean this game might not do it for you for scares. I found myself just enjoying the environment and pacing rather than being scared, and I rarely used flares to even light up dark places. The first real enemy you encounter I tried to be friends with until it stabbed me in the face... I seriously thought it was a chill homie at first.

Still, I like the game and it's pretty fun. It's worth the price tag imo.

MadPropz101
MadPropz101

Impossible to get my gamepad to work in VR, using Quest 2 and DualSense. Every other game works fine. The game won't even launch in SteamVR mode, just Oculus. The controller only works when the game starts, as soon as you view something else inside the headset (like your desktop or anything else, or enable passthrough) and then come back to the game, it's like the game loses focus and most of the gamepad buttons stop working.

If someone knows a solution please let me know, I will gladly adjust my review accordingly because I want to play this.

hougster
hougster

Update: I gave it another ~25 minutes to see if it got any better than what my original review said. It doesn't.

Don't play this thinking it's a VR SOMA, you will be disappointed. The scares are so far mostly hallucinations and some jump scares, I played in VR and did not have any issues.

Positives: The game visuals are nice, and it does focus OK on psych-horror (isolation + stranded underwater). I was expecting something like SOMA, but the two cannot be compared.

Negatives: It's a walking sim with a dude narrating everything that takes you out of the immersion, all the sea life is aggressive like energy drinks bros and you just talked about their mom. I don't get why the spider things have leg spears sharper than the ones Roman Legionaries had, but apparently they can piece straight through a titanium pressure suit like it's cardboard.

Overall, it's decent but not worth over $10.

mrwiffler
mrwiffler

OK, this is a short, sci fi/horror game with a good story and great ending. The negative reviews seem to be from people who weren't very good at it or who had unreasonably high expectations. Comparing it unfavourably to SOMA is completely daft. This is a small, very indie game that clocks in at around 4 hours. I think they've done a great job and I say poo to all the naysayers.

It's good.

Tank<3
Tank<3

Narcosis is relatively short but highly atmospheric, my first playthrough took about two and a half hours but I was also taking my time at it. There are definite horror aspects to the game, but it's not exactly a horror game. There are also definite survival aspects to the game, but it's not really a survival game either.

Essentially it is an atmospheric, occasionally scary, story game with beautiful graphics, good controls, and an awful lot to explore and find. You can definitely replay it, although a replay is more aimed at 100% item completion than exploring new story or getting a different ending. I didn't try it in VR, but I'm sure in VR the scary atmosphere effect is significantly amplified.

spicy
spicy

just bad jumpscares for an hour

A. BRIDGES
A. BRIDGES

It's OK if you can stand :
- very narrow FOV
- die and retry mechanics
- clunky platform sequences
On my side I got a bit anxious at the end.
I didn't try the VR support, it must be worst I suppose, I don't feel like trying.

wcc
wcc

It's just walking at a snail's pace in a clunky suit just to die to some random stuff. Sometimes it's even hard to tell what actually killed you because it's dark, your field of view is narrow and your suit prevents you from looking around. Everytime you die you've get to creep back from the latest checkpoint, just to die again to some random stuff. With this in mind and the fact that checkpoints aren't actually the points where you can resume later (I've lost progress because of this assumption) led to the conclusion a deliberate rage-quit is my best option here.

GoanSausage
GoanSausage

Just 5 hours of mediocre gameplay with a LOT of time wasted due to the combination of game breaking bugs and very few progress saves. This meant I had to go replay large parts again and again, making this feel even more grindy and boring.

The game itself is very "on rails". There is no controller support and the VR support is also kinda pointless coz you're inside a heavy diving suit with VERY restricted motion and views.

The jump scares are predictable AF and when you're replaying the same bits over and over again coz the game crashed and lost your progress, the same jump scares are just funny at best and irritating at worst.

I picked this game up DIRT CHEAP in the Halloween Sale but unless you get this very heavily discounted its not worth your money and barely worth your time.

ToxicXelta
ToxicXelta

Not a bad game at all, does have a few bugs and such, but overall looks good, sound is good, scares are limited but do the job. If you liked SOMA, you should like this game as well. It's not as good, and only has around 2 hours of actual game-play, but definitely fills that horror deep sea thrill. Only things I didn't really like were the annoying instant kill deaths from super large spider crabs, lack of auto-save spots, and the ending was pretty much a complete cut and paste copy of SOMA done in a slightly different way.

Overall, an enjoyable 2 hours at a decent price.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Was unsure about this one at first but i couldnt put my controller down after awhile. Came away at the end with a real 6th
sense feel that hit the mark. i recommend this one. its worth the Narcosis.

Not a weeb
Not a weeb

Now this is just my own personal opinion. However, after playing about an hour of this game, i just couldn't stand the MC's voice. Even though he doesn't say much, whenever he talks, it kills the immersion for me. He doesn't sound afraid, not even a little bit. I'd get it if the lines were before the spooky stuff happening, but IIRC, that is not the case. Also (and this is totally me nitpicking), the amount of lame one liners start to get old after the first 3. Reminds me of Ethan Winters' one liners from REVIII.

I can't in good faith play this game again.

Pro Clipz
Pro Clipz

Great game, with a great set of developers. For a deep dive (and more puns) check out our full review of this gem, below.

https://youtu.be/wl8XQ7ZvWoo

misfire3
misfire3

I think this might be my first negative review. Normally, I wouldn't leave a negative review, unless there was something really wrong, and here, there is something really wrong. I purchased this game for VR. Let's get that out of the way right now. I have no intention of playing this on the screen. I wanted to play this on VR. So, what's the problem? The game doesn't really work in VR. I have my touch controllers, and even the most basic function of MOVING is broken. I could forgive not being able to move my hands around and see the VR hands on screen. What I cannot forgive is having all of the locomotion controls mapped to a single stick, instead of two sticks. Like, who thought of this? Who thought that this was a good idea? I'm trying to walk forward, and it won't go straight, it's always turning! It won't even let me remap controls! And then, it tells me to press the trigger for thrust, but the trigger launches flares. I later learned, despite what the controller mapping says onscreen, that the thrust button is actually the grip trigger. I checked the forums. Apparently, using the XBOX controller is out too... everybody suggesting using a keyboard and mouse... HELLO? I'm playing in VR, with a HELMET on my head! I CAN'T SEE A KEYBOARD AND MOUSE! I'm actually debating asking a refund on this... I'm sorry to leave a neg review. I really don't like to do that. But, please give us more options here in VR. At least let us remap controls to two sticks, one for forward and side to side, and one for turning. Please.

WeakBetaMale
WeakBetaMale

This game is SO CLOSE to being awesome but it sadly falls short. I thought it would be an amazing VR experience -- and it almost is. Narcosis is really atmospheric and can be very scary and tense at times, especially in the first hour or so. It almost achieves (what I imagine) it would feel like to be stranded at the bottom of the ocean. However, after you settle into this game the cracks start to show.

in my opinion, a game going for what Narcosis is trying to achieve needs to be hyper immersive, absolutely nail the setting, stick somewhat closely to science and be as close to 100% authentic as possible or it will just fall flat. (Which it does.) There's a few nit-picky, immersion killing things that just ruin it for me. I wouldn't normally complain about small things like these in other games -- but it seems warranted in this instance.

For example, I don't mind the game taking creative liberties with things like hallucinations, ghosts, enemies like giant crabs, killer cuttlefish and angler fish -- that stuff all works fine for me. What kills my immersion and makes me unable to suspend my disbelief are little things like computers exposed to the elements functioning at these EXTREME depths (I don't care how "waterproof" the game tells me they are -- there's no way they'd survive at those depths. Hell, I doubt there would be much left of a base at all if it were breached at those depths. The resulting implosion would be devastating.) A game like this needs to commit fully to it's setting or it just doesn't work.

Design choices like the inability to save oxygen tanks and the fact that you don't implode into a million pieces when your suit is breached (by.... crabs?) really ruin immersion for me. Gameplay wise, I also think the platforming sections are dreadfully tedious with far too few checkpoints and not fun at all. There were a few sections where enemy crabs were glitched and I couldn't get passed them, forcing me to start back 10 minutes earlier and listen to the same medicore monologue, over and over. No thanks.

I think the extemely hostile and alien setting of being at the bottom of the ocean, the fear of the ocean potentially crushing you at any moment and the whole host of other dangerous things are scary enough on their own. The real life gravity of that situation hardly has to be fictionalised in any way for it to stay terrifying. I think Narcosis squanders this amazing setting by not sticking to reality close enough and making some very odd gameplay choices.

Afirmity
Afirmity

Short but thrilling. Amazing little game.

radical_chic
radical_chic

This is basically a scary underwater walking simulator. The graphics are a little janky but the story sucked me in.

SumoBill
SumoBill

This game hit all of my fears. Dark water, underwater creatures, claustrophobic areas, and jumpscares. I will warn everyone that this is the first game where I got physically nauseous while playing it. Also, unsure why I couldn't use my Oculus Quest controllers instead of my keyboard and mouse. Was awkward wearing Oculus and using K/M. I wouldn't say the game was fantastic, but the story kept me going wanting to see how it ends.

theleftbicep
theleftbicep

Excellent game with a great story. Some mechanics that can be rough, but overall a good game to kill a few hours on.

Madoka
Madoka

I played this game coming from SOMA and it's a bit of a wonky mess that does deliver in the end. For starters, the controls aren't exactly what you call great. I mean granted, it does make you feel like you're in a deep-diving suit with slow movement and only a little jetpack to get you up to speed but it was kinda annoying navigating through tight spaces. Second, while it does have great atmosphere and jumpscares, I felt like the narration kinda just took you out of the game and into a interview with the main character, which that basically what it does but I would have rather preferred more of the "explain the whole story visually rather than 2 people going at it in the middle of gameplay". And lastly, I felt like navigating through the levels as a whole was easy at the start but got confusing through the middle and end. I get that it's a linear game with some exploration spiced onto it but when I kept dying in one part in the cave with 2 of the big spider mfs that one shot you, it was kinda infuriating. That's really all my problems with this game, I thought the VR version was a great addition on top but after a couple of minutes of me trying it, I felt motion sickness so I stuck with the main PC version of the game. Graphics were great for a Unity game, probably the best I've seen in a while coming from 2017. And I thought the ID cards being the developers were a nice touch. Overall, great game with some mistakes that can be forgiven, but don't be going into it expecting a SOMA experience.

King Dnds
King Dnds

The best story telling in a game. Its only like 3 hours and it gives you the chills

George_the_Crab
George_the_Crab

This game is great. Around 3 hours long. Feels like playing Echo Night: Beyond but underwater. Good experience, works with its flaws. Jumpscares only sell it short, Soma can blow me.

og.re
og.re

It's pretty short, but definitely worth playing.

Big Bear
Big Bear

☠️ Narcosis gives you cause to ask, "Why become a deep sea diver?" ☠️

An earthquake quickly throws your day job as a deep sea pressure diver into disarray, which immediately moves your focus to your own survival. By "survival," I don’t mean following the game's narrative, believing you will be rewarded with an abundance of oxygen, allowing you to casually follow the story. If you focus too much on the plot, you will forget that this is not a game that rewards puzzle solving by giving you respite in the form of 02 tanks where you think they should have been, it will sharply remind you that survival is well and truly about being focused and aware of your 02 level whilst avoiding the numerous things that wish to take it away from you!

Narcosis creates the illusion of control and understanding of the games mechanics by throwing you into a swimming pool, clearly depicting the training that the individuals who have chosen this unbelievably difficult job, alongside the use of flares, the knife, and the boost feature of your diving suit, you realise that these were tools designed to support the work you, as the player, will never experience. Instead, you must use your knowledge to survive long enough in order to assess your steps towards rescue, or indeed rescue yourself!

This was one of the earliest games I purchased on Steam, and I waited for a considerable length of time to play it simply to ensure I could give it my undivided attention (and as it turns out, the time that it deserved).

A word of warning: it doesn’t take long to realise that although your suit protects you from the things lurking in the deep depths of the ocean, a sudden change in your perspective will herald the realisation that you may be walking around in your own tomb.

This is a phenomenal game that I recommend you throw yourself into and see it through to its conclusion.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEz-L82q7vo&list=PL95SGjBsji3t6di9wMxP-…

Dax
Dax

I like the potential but the controls are absolute garbage. The story is neat, but you die from the smallest things sometimes and they give you no warning. Any progress you make is gone and you have to restart the whole level when you die.

Thagomizer
Thagomizer

It's a solid 7 out of 10.

Basically a horror walking simulator on the bottom of the ocean. There's a very solid story here and a lot of atmosphere, but not much in the way of anything else.
5 hours to wrap it up is good - it doesn't overstay its welcome, but doesn't feel too short.

Handsomeless King
Handsomeless King

oh wow, what an amazing horror game, now this is a good psychological horror.

there are some downsides to this game, such as the open world areas, you can go wrong apperently, even tho it looks like that's the way, after a death the game places special barriers wich is good

and there is no autosave mid level, so if you die, gotta do everything in that level all over, thankfully it's easy to get back where you were (the maps where you can die are usually short, good game design)

for the good parts, it's a nice and sweet 3-4 hours long, and a map is around like 30mins, the psychological horror aspect of the game in my opinion is amazing, the story was good, kept me interested and that is good

the controls are tank like but in a first person game

so, overall it's amazing, it's like SOMA but much more psychological horror, i loved it

hassenpheffer
hassenpheffer

If you have a fear of drowning or claustrophobia I'd stay away from this title. It's not a very long game. It has a few hidden things here and there but more of a story driven adventure with a clever premise.

Nicely designed and well rendered imagery that are both precise and haunting.

Controls are simple and effective.

It's more creepy than scary and that's a good thing.

Recommended. 7/10.

Rhyzeless
Rhyzeless

Don't let the reviews put you off. The game had a difficulty patch in 2018 and let me tell you:
While this game isn't perfect; I've never played one that is, it was much better than I expected it to be given its ratings.
The narrative is brilliant, the graphics create a complimenting deep-see atmosphere full of isolation and fear,
and the the story that you navigate is well written and incorporated into the gameplay.
My only criticism would be the implementation of its combat mechanic, which would've been better off not existing.
One of the best indie games I've ever played.

Bobthebuilder
Bobthebuilder

i really want to play this game , after 3 years im still stuck at the tutorial, the thrusts doesnt work on the keyboard or the gamepad

BreakerLove
BreakerLove

I think before playing you should understand that you must use a Keyboard. (A small wireless Mouse Keyboard combo preferably)

You are inside a Sub suit so this control style does not take you out of the game any. So far the games has been really amazing and anxiety inducing. You really feel trapped in that suit and not knowing when you will find your next H2o tank keeps you on edge as you slowly make your way forward. You do not get much time to stop and look around so id suggest getting moving right away and dont stop unless you need to.

But yah over all amazing game so far.

FurianAvenger69
FurianAvenger69

Great psychological walking sim with minor platforming/puzzle solving sections.

Eloujah
Eloujah

This game is so captivating! Like really, I played it with my sister and shared the mouse and keyboard (one on each). It was so thrilling!

zrokeach
zrokeach

4/10 - not recommended. Handling/controls were frustrating. Jump scares were mostly boring, not scary, and/or predictable. The environment was ok. Music was ok. Story was ok. At the very least, I am appreciative that it only took me 3 hrs to play through.

Captain Chaos
Captain Chaos

Narcosis is not for everyone. It's a short and simplistic "walking simulator", a genre frequently ridiculed, and furthermore probably hell for anyone with phobias about tight spaces, the dark, the ocean or sealife that likes to get up close and personal. But if all that is something you can overcome, then Narcosis is worth your time for the sheer immersive experience.

Narcosis tells the grim story of the crew of a methane mine called Oceanova, somewhere in the deep Pacific. Stricken by a a massive undersea earthquake, the facility rapidly comes apart at the seams as you, one of the dedicated diving suit operators, try to make your way to one of the facility's emergency escape modules. Armed only with a folding knife and a handful of flares, and your oxygen rapidly dwindling, you must brave not only unstable rock cliffs, collapsing structures and aggravated sea critters, but audiovisual hallucinations brought on by the stress and oxygen deprivation. At least, that's the rational explanation.

Narcosis can be played using a VR headset and I highly recommend doing so if that's an option for you and you don't have difficulties using VR equipment. Narcosis uses a sort of "go where you look" movement system that is somewhat strenuous on the eyes, though you can turn this off or adjust the speed of your turns if you wish. In my case, it was less an obstacle to my gameplay then part of the overall experience. Like almost nothing else I've played save maybe the much more bleak and speculative fiction-based SOMA, Narcosis excels in its atmosphere of wandering the dark ocean depths with only a few inches of metal between you and the crushing, alien reality around you.

Justice
Justice

Game isnt that so bad... not that so good either though... Combat is limited to slashing cuttlefish and anglers and in my opinion just takes away from the general mood of the game and end up being an annoyance... Without spoiling stuff, some parts are really interesting, worldbuilding is nice.. Game is short though.. get it when its on a discount.

ICEWALLOWCOME2003
ICEWALLOWCOME2003

very much sea
very much sea fish
very much walking coffin sim
10/10

jjbazoka07
jjbazoka07

Great story!
The atmosphere of the game in VR is just thrilling defiantly give it a try!

Augustine
Augustine

Although it is short, and had a couple frustrating parts, the atmosphere is phenomenal and the ending blew me away. I'd highly recommend it to anyone with a fear of the ocean, darkness, or solitude.

madjestyy
madjestyy

Greate game, especially the voice acting.

Amor Fati
Amor Fati

Narcosis is an incredible game, with unreal atmosphere. The story is interesting and quite sad with a twist at the end. There is also a book about the game story that is told from a perspective of a sole survivor, highly recommend to read it after completing the game.

Also don't listen to crybabies whining about controls, they are totally fine due to the fact that you are operating a titanium super-heavy atmospheric diving suit.

If you liked SOMA, you'll enjoy this.