Lone Survivor PC
User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 87 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 87
  3. Negative: 14 out of 87

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  1. timed
    May 10, 2013
    3
    A terrible port. No video options menu, no windowed mode, terrible controls (WARNING: esc instantly closes the game), no mouse compatibility (really?). A graphics style chosen due to laziness, it adds nothing to the game. Other "retro features" such as terrible shooting and unreadable text also included.
  2. Rolotoast
    May 2, 2013
    3
    I'm a bit into this game and I can promise it has no real RPG characteristics. The story is muddled, a combination of Silent Hill and Resident Evil written in a hurry. I'm just completely unimpressed with this as an indie game, let alone one I paid $3 for on sale. I haven't completed it, but from what I've played over several hours (broken up), I am not impressed. This is flash game quality.
  3. ns0l
    Feb 5, 2013
    4
    I don't think this is a good game. Scary, hungry, sleepy. What is this?. I'm just getting sick and nervous all the time. I can't enjoy by playing that. Can you?. This is torture, not a game.
  4. Staki9
    Jan 9, 2013
    9
    Lone Survivor is a a truly compelling, thought-provoking and unforgettable experience. The 2D handpainted art style is creepy and fits very well with the music Jasper Byrne has composed (which may I add is phenomenal on its own) for the game. The art style may not be for everyone - nowadays a lot of people seem to like big, fancy blockbuster titles and graphics to go with it - but these kind of *good* indie games are truly a refreshing experience for the retro and modern gamer alike. Lone Survivor features multiple endings that change depending on your decisions and actions in-game, even those that you'd think are irrelevant, but the psyche report at the end of the game lists 'contributing factors' which surprised me, and made sense after I thought about it. A lot of things aren't explained, but it's left open to interpretation and is a truly clever piece in that sense. The combat is simple, but it isn't a combat-centric game - the real selling point is a compelling story and creepy ambience which will keep you on edge throughout.… Expand
  5. suneater
    Dec 17, 2012
    4
    Side scrolling pretentious indie survival horror with emphasis on the survival. Gameplay is clunky, tedious, and requires a lot of backtracking. It doesn't do anything necessarily wrong (except the graphics strained my eyes at the default "aspect ratio") , but it's nothing special apart from the poorly executed concept. Clocking in at about 4 hours I had no clue what happened during this game. I guess it was just too deep for me.… Expand
  6. KonataGoTimotei
    Dec 15, 2012
    8
    This is an amazing take on that whole, Silent Hill feel of games, where your more helpless, alone, where your psychologically and physically attacked almost all of the time, the vibe this game gives is great. I cant say that i'm a fan of the indie feel of it, with the side-scrolling and sprites, but surprisingly this game pulls it off pretty well. You would think that ugly sprites wouldn't be scary, well you'd be wrong. The enemies, as mentioned before, are very Silent Hill-like, same with the environments, making the game have an absolutely horrid vibe to it, but one of the best feels out of a horror game you can get. Main complain that comes out of this game though is the way you keep your character healthy, you have to eat, sleep, make sure you don't eat bad things (i.e. rotten meat), etc. While that is an interesting concept, it gets kind of annoying having to scarf down cheese and crackers every 5 minutes to keep your character from complaining. But, overall, the vibe, visuals, and even story out-weigh the bad things in this game heavily, its definitely worth picking up if your a fan of Silent Hill, or any kind of survival horror kind of game.… Expand
  7. Vex
    Nov 29, 2012
    3
    I feel bad about buying into all the hype surrounding this game. Judging by the reviews I was expecting some kind of unforgettable masterpiece, but the game turned out to be a mediocre, somewhat nonsensical 2d adventure. I can understand that this genre appeals to some people but it is a very specific niche and if you are like most people out there, you will probably be hard pressed to like this game. Furthermore, contrary to some reviews here, the game isn't scary at all. I don't know how a 8bit 2d game with extremely low resolution can possibly be scary. If you want to experience a truly terrifying game, you're better off playing Amnesia The Dark Descent.… Expand
  8. Subject98
    Oct 28, 2012
    8
    I like this game quite a bit, it's very weird and unconventional, yet keeps you glued with wide eyes trying to help the main character get out of the mess he's in. The claustrophobic approach to gameplay coupled with the vague story and visuals make this one of the most unsettling games I've played in recent memory. It's definitely not worthless or nonsensical as some of the other reviewers try to make it sound. The story is told fine, it just requires you to pay very close attention and piece things together for yourself.… Expand
  9. poundmysnatch
    Sep 24, 2012
    1
    Probably the worst game i've received in a HIB. Horrible graphcis, horrible level design, horrible gameplay. Constant messages proclaiming that your character is hungry or tired. The story makes no sense, the flow of the game doesn't make sense either. It gets a 1 because you can atleast start the game up and play it without any problems. It gets -9 for being a complete piece of trash.
  10. fhouse
    Sep 3, 2012
    4
    I bought it because I wanted to enjoy a suvival horror story, not a time management and character management simulator. I give it a 4 because it has atmosphere and some nice ideas. As others have written, I was also bored by the constant messages of being hungry and sleepy. I could not go back to the game and finish it. The graphics are TOO low res, you need to shrink the aspect ratio with "q" or sit far away from your monitor to actually enjoy it.… Expand
  11. pinguiniv
    Aug 19, 2012
    10
    I did put 10. That is not a mistake.
    Because this is a complete masterpiece.
    The feelings I felt as I was playing it, is completely unique and no second-rate thriller about the uprising Dead or global virus can outmaster that. No, this is not Silent Hill. This is something completely different. This is exactly what I've been waiting all these years, a game that I will beat again and agai    n, and, maybe, ten years after, I re-install it, and show it to my children, God forbid, playing in Modern Warfare 8, and tell them: "This game is incredible. It being almost unnoticed general public, won my heart. She set the bar to which no game in the genre has yet climbed. Is this the first time you see it? Well, remember, the name is Lone Survivor ».… Expand
  12. sh4dow
    Aug 19, 2012
    6
    I would have to agree with people saying that the game spamming you with messages about having to sleep or eat makes it thoroughly unenjoyable. I really liked the beginning of the story, the atmosphere and presentation. But the constant messages made me stop playing after just 2-3 hours total and when I just thought about whether I should just finish the game, it simply felt like it would be a hassle. And I'd rather play games that don't feel like I constantly have to do menial tasks.… Expand
  13. danman113
    Aug 18, 2012
    10
    Silent Hill 2D. Everything that the Silent Hill franchise got right is in this game. The creepy, simple flesh colored monsters complete with static noises: Check. The extreme scarcity of ammo (As well as clunky combat): Check. Fantastic ambient tracks as well as some extremely creepy tracks: Check. I also really enjoyed the survival elements, really added a sense of urgency. Overall I really enjoyed this game more than I thought I would.
    Survival horror has consumed the second dimension.    … Expand
  14. FFStudios
    Aug 3, 2012
    9
    Most titles from the indie bundle turned out to be alright to me, but Lone Survivor definitely stands out for me as being the best of the bunch. Just like many other bundle games, the game is very retro style with a gameplay system somewhat akin to Silent Hill; creeping through dark hallways and using a map to navigate apartments. Unlike Silent Hill though, you must keep returning to your room to sleep and eat which, while challenging, can start to grate after a while. Overall though, I enjoyed Lone Survivor: it's atmospheric, intriguing and quite well-paced. Buy it with the Steam bundle.… Expand
  15. UglyBaby
    Jul 30, 2012
    9
    You have got to be down for an old school side scroller romp, (2D! PIXELS!) but if you've got the taste - THIS GAME IS AWESOME. My GF and I were an hour in when we realized we loved it. Lone Survivor has got enough to it - both the bizarre campy horror of a side scroller, the RPG drama that is 16-BIT and a fantastic exploration of what genius is possible in a one man gaming project. Buy it. Play it. Support indie game design. Love the game. _Ugly Baby… Expand
  16. truefreestyle
    Jul 25, 2012
    10
    A few issues with gameplay mechanics and UI choices. But more than makes up for it with original survival horror gameplay that will open an entirely new genre.
  17. taco241
    Jul 13, 2012
    6
    Overrated. I love indie titles, and play my fair share but many reviewers got caught up in the appeal of something different with this title. I get this game is a bit of an homage to throwback 16-bit-ish titles but gameplay is still clumsy and repetitive. Flashlight batteries die too fast, ammo is scarce and I can't go 5 minutes without needing to slurp down a squid stick. Gets old after a few hours...and the fun fades as quickly as the battery pack for that flashlight.… Expand
  18. Rolento
    Jul 10, 2012
    9
    I have very little complaints about this, one of them being the animations and the other being that this guy basically did my idea for a game but 10 times better and iMad, but apart from that this is possibly the best indie game I have ever played? An actual survival unlike many games that call themselves that, manages to use 2d modern-retro graphics and to integrate them so well in such a kind of game, references to magnificent works such as Twin Peaks and Silent Hill, gorgeous music and atmosphere, a bit of replayability. Would be tempting to say this is a 10/10 if my opinions weren't a bit altered by the moment AND by being a fan of stuff this game references, but even without all that I can easily say this is a 8 or even a 9/10.

    And a thing about the ever-complaining guys: the stuff about being hungry and sleepy are apparently not stuff you die for or that you are forced to acknowledge, but it will give you a better ending. I'll give you that those mechanics are pretty unclear, I didn't find the frequency of the text boxes annoying though.    … Expand
  19. LeyendaV
    Jun 18, 2012
    7
    Lone Survivor supone una nueva manera de transmitir sensaciones, y rompe con el paradigma de "los gráficos como propulsores de un juego". Jasper Byrne ha logrado hacer que el terror, la desesperación y la soledad que el personaje experimenta en la historia se puedan sentir como jugador, y eso es mucho decir.
  20. Chroma
    Jun 14, 2012
    8
    Lone Survivor: Developer/Publisher: Superflat Games Release: April 23,2012 Genre: Survival Horror, RPG, Simulation Language: English DRM Free http://www.lonesurvivor.co.uk/buy.html Lone survivor was an indie game primarily made by Jasper Byrne. I got it in the Humble Bundle 5 sale. This is a interesting game to review because it's easy to spoil things which leaves the review being more broad with an lack of examples. I do hope this review will give you an understanding about the game though.

    Story:
    You play as a guy named "You" who is supposed to be a stand in for your self. An incident has happened where you have locked yourself in your apartment for days. Running out of supplies and losing your sanity you decided to venture out. The most interesting part of this game in my opinion is the story. It's vague and mysterious at first like random sets of puzzle pieces. I found myself constantly questioning what was going on in the game and try to figure out how things relate. Once you reach the end things will start to make sense but you kind of need to get the other two endings to really get the story. It deals with a theme that all of us have dealt with or will deal with sometime in our lives and is done well. I could relate to some parts of the theme and the story.

    Game play:

    The game is a 2D side-scrolling survival horror game. I emphasize on survival as you have to take care of yourself in the game. You have to feed yourself good food, sleep when tired, take care of your sanity by to healthy activities, and other things that I can't spoil. Experiment and try things out, use your head and read the notes. Depending on what you say and do affects the ending you get and the scenes you see at the end. The game is not easy and can be very unforgiving if you make a mistake or don't realize about the sanity system. It does not tell you about the sanity system but hints at it in dialogue nor does it tell you what can affect sanity. Controls in this game are non-reprogrammable and can take time to get use to. They are not the best and could have been much better. Reaching the shortcut keys requires you to move your hand to reach the number keys. Combat is okay with one standard enemy if you shoot them in the head but it best to avoid all combat if possible. Another annoying aspect is that your game only saves when you sleep but your strongly encouraged not to do it when ever you feel like otherwise you will be penalized. It can be frustrating when you have gone through a hard part but can't save yet. Unless you want to risk a penalty. A nitpick I have with the level design is that you will end up using a lot of flares to get past area's due to the lack of hiding spots. This means you will have to backtrack often to trade for new flares. One other problem with the level design is that sometimes you will stumble into a combat situation due to how close they are to the entryway that you come in from with the flashlight on, or if they block your way to getting an item. I sometimes wonder if the developer intended it to have more combat at first and these were leftovers of that idea. Despite these problems I did manage to enjoy playing it. It can take you between 1 hour and 8 hours tops.

    Graphics:

    The graphics are in a old style 16bit pixilated style. The low quality gives it a horror feel due to how hard it is to distinguish some of the backgrounds. It's not that you can't see what is important but rather environments and enemies only have enough details to be their but leave a lot to your imagination. It adds a nice touch but it can be awful to look at in full screen or resolutions higher then 720p in window mode. Window mode has to be configured in the programs location outside the game. Thanks to some people on the steam forums this is how you ahve to do it. Open up the application.xml inside the META-INFAIR folder from Lone Survivor with your favorite text editor and take a look at line 57 and 60.

    640

    480
    Just remove the    … Expand
  21. TactiKs
    Jun 4, 2012
    10
    This game is a 10, for one reason, who's going to make a 2d game that will scare the Sh** out of you, this developer... This is silent hill in the 2D world. The game provides a very spooky atmosphere with very spooky sounds. And frankly, you won't want to play this game with the lights off. This game really sucks you in to the world of survival horror. Buy it, play it.
  22. bombrero
    May 22, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Old School Style...I thought I would never see a game like this ever. I thought these games were buried long time ago...I'm glad I was wrong:

    This game made me travel to the past,to the golden era of videogames,when the graphics were pixels in exchange for an AWESOME gameplay. For the last years i've been complaining about the loss of the old game experiences that sent you beyond the screen limits,making you feel like you're part of the game. This phenomenom won't be understanded by those who started gaming a few years ago,but for the old playeres like me,it's the best experience that a videogame can offer.Let me explain: Games today are driven mainly through the graphics,it's not a bad thing,in fact it's great to see such fact of realism in our virtual entertainment,but with time,the developers have gradually started to focus more on the graphics than any other things,and that ended with the loss of the old magic of videogames,that which could make you feel a monster slayer in diablo 2,make you feel misplaced on the odd world of Silent Hill,make you feel a Badass in doom or duke nukem,those games,their dark style,their therrorific enviroment created by desolated depiction and threatening (and i mean REALLY THREATENING) sound effects (which were in fact pretty simple,but effective as hell) transported you to their world and turned you into a hardcore bastard as cold as ice and as hard as steel,this doesn't happen nowadays,since developers are investing their budgets in graphics,which end up costing 70% of the game allowance,but not this game, this game has no resident evil-dead space graphics,but has the essence of the old Silent Hill: Pure Psychological Therror,A feeling of misplace that makes you feel really uncomfortable in a GREAT way: you feel like you've abandoned this world,and sooner or later you will be asking yourself if you (your character) is still human,if it exist,and even if you can trust him (you),you feel indefense and vulnerable against the constant changing world and the mysteries that riddle your way to...¿exist? at the begining of the game theres no real objective,you just want to meet other survivors in order to reaffirm your existance,to feel like a human,and trust me,YOU WILL SUFFER...Those pixels will turn into a threatening world as soon as you wake up in your appartment and start to live your life. It's a MUST BUY for therror lovers,you wont regret it.    … Expand
  23. Roebocop
    May 22, 2012
    10
    After being starved for truly amazing psychological survival horror for so many years, Lone Survivor by the one man development team of Jasper Byrne steps up to the challenge. You play "You", the lone survivor in a city plagued by horrors and disease. This is survival horror in definition, you'll need to scavenge for food, ammo, batteries and so on to survive, while hiding or facing the Silent Hill 2 inspired monstrosities. The psychological element is the element that messes with your head, you have no idea what's real, what isn't and what you want to be real. Gameplaywise you'll need to keep "you" fed properly, not that it's a necessity, but your mental health and well-being relies on it, with multiple endings being the consequent of nearly all of your actions. You have a flash-light and ammo for your pistol, and supplies for these are scarce, meaning you'll have to be rummaging around in the twisted surrounding for these. With the gun, you aim and shoot as an untrained ordinary person would, you can aim up, down or straight forward and you'll need to get in close for the headshots. Its refreshing to see combat like this again after Silent Hill 1-4 as a major part of the tension in combat doesn't come from being an action hero. Silent Hill 5 was guilty of this horror crime and Lone Survivor does it brilliantly. There's also pills you can take, or not, that will give you different dreams that transport you to bizarre realms with intriguing characters. Much of this is however optional and whether you take drugs to keep going or abstain from them impacts upon the course of events the game will take.

    The game uses a distinctive retro style which surprisingly works wonderfully for the horror. The monsters look more horrifying as you can't exactly make out all the features. They look mangled and lanky with features enveloped by flesh Silent Hill 2 style. It always seems as graphics and gameplay get better, survival horror gets worse and Lone Survivor brings it right back. How good all the other features are demonstrate that pixelated graphics can still provide genuine horror and atmosphere. There's no use saying anything about the story as so much is up for interpretation or a spoiler. The music, created by Jasper Byrne himself, is utterly magnificent. It isn't hard to tell the soundtrack is inspired from both Silent Hill and Twin Peaks, including the industrial twangs and acoustic melodies from Silent Hill, and the creepy jazzy tunes from Twin Peaks. In short, the soundtrack plays a major role in creating the tense creepy atmosphere. As far as criticisms go, there aren't many. The map has an overhead view of the surroundings which can sometimes be a little confusing as the gameplay is in 2D. this just means you'll have move left and right a bit whilst checking the map to see if you're moving upwards of downwards on the map. Another issue with the map is that is doesn't pause the game while you look at it. I guess you could consider it adding to the realism but I just found it a little annoying. In short, if you like Silent Hill 2, get this game right now. If you're wanting to try something new, get this game. Even if you're not interested in horror I'd try it out seeing as at around 4 hours gameplay it doesn't take up much of your time. However with multiple endings and various play styles, there's excellent replay value there if you want. It is a genuinely emotional and scary game that will leave you satisfied. Seriously, get the ending you want and you'll feel something. Old school survival horror is finally back. Although Amnesia was truly terrifying, it lacked the feel and atmosphere of hope, despair and survival that Lone Survivor and Silent Hill 2 bring to the table. Get this game!

    -You might notice that the two negative user reviews for this game are from someone who "hates" survival horror and someone who is angry that this game's success and gives no indication what-so-ever that he even played the game. Just throwing that out there.    … Expand
  24. Freez
    May 20, 2012
    6
    Ok so.... this game is a decent game, if your a fan of oldschool graphics and a ummm interesting? storyline? its kinda crazy but i guess thats the point. The reason i give this game a 6 is not because of the gameplay, the controls or the story, its because every 2 minutes you must quickly run back to your "main room" to either cook food or sleep" otherwise your spammed with "im hungry" or "im sleepy" type texts, im not sure if this will actually kill you because i never let it try, but that spam ruined this game for me : / i had a really hard time finishing this game because of this unnessary feeding and sleeping bulls@#$...it just bugs me so much they did this, its every minute not every half hour its ALL the time and it makes it hard to play the game...later on you can trade pills u get in your bathroom for food or ammo then its somewhat bareable, but every 1-5 minutes you must port back to your room thru mirrors to collect these pills and deliver them to the source...then! then! by the time you start to progress your hungry or sleepy again...arrrg, freaking rediculous....cooking the food makes it last a bit longer but not much....such a waste of a would be good game. You cant really enjoy the story or the "fear" because your more worried about when its gonna spam you to sleep or eat, thats far more scary than what was intended...spend your 10 bucks elseware...if you dont believe me then try it..............… Collapse
  25. Vorpaltide
    May 4, 2012
    9
    This game is amazing the game play goes beyond just cheap thrills and really strives to create an environment that provides the player with genuine fear and the tailor made soundtrack does nothing but further immerse the player in this true to the genre survival horror game. Lone Survivor beats all expectations I have for indie games and stands out as an instant classic that stays with the player long after the game is completed.… Expand
  26. Eradan
    Apr 30, 2012
    7
    Great atmosphere, nice and immersive storyline and a wise game-play to keep the tension constant. It would have been a 8 or a 9 but i've found the latter part of the game kinda slow and repetitive and i was disappointed by the ending (i don't want to spoiler but for me it wasn't clear where the "choices" took places in the game). Knowing that all game comes from the mind of a single designer is remarkable and my personal opinion aside this is a gaming experience that everyone should try, even if the genre doesn't suit you. I played it straight until the ending line.… Expand
  27. Friendofafriend
    Apr 27, 2012
    10
    I'm going to give this a 10 out of 10, because i feel it has made it into one of the three only scary games made, Amnesia, and Silent hill, and lets face it, there have been so many attempts and so, so many fails, but these three are what the makers of the others should consider finishing for ideas on how to capture horror at its finest.
  28. dak
    Apr 26, 2012
    10
    Thrilling, scary, stylish a atmospheric adventure with sounds and music that sit as a bespoke suit. The game provides you with feelings and immersion that commercial survival horrors are after.
  29. Scissorman11785
    Apr 24, 2012
    9
    This is the first 2D game that genuinely scares me. The graphics are cartoonishi and pixelated but the layers of murk and darkness coupled with the superb soundtrack make you feel a dread not felt since the first two Silent Hill games.
  30. HaVoK308
    Apr 23, 2012
    10
    So a great game. It does survivor horror better then any big budget title has done it over a decade. The atmosphere, overall tone, and sound design are fantastic! There is a demo available online that you can play right in your browser. Just google it. And you can purchase the DRM free from from the developer or you can opt for the just released STEAM version. I would choose the latter if you are reading this before the end of April since its currently on sale for about $7.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 13, 2012
    88
    Lone Survivor has a great atmosphere that keeps getting more oppressive as the game goes on. At times there is too much running back and forth, but other than that it's a pure horror masterpiece. Just don't play it on a large monitor or the pixels will hurt your eyes. [Aug 2012]
  2. PC Master (Greece)
    Aug 31, 2012
    80
    2D, pixilated graphics are not the best thing to happen in a 2012 game ("oh, how the years have gone by, etc"), but those of you who judge solely a game from the graphics and reject it, think again: it may look simple and outdated but through its simplicity, Lone Survivor is extremely profound, content-wise (definitely more profound and "horror" than other failed horror blockbusters that we have witnessed the last years). [July 2012]
  3. RPG Fan
    Jul 30, 2012
    87
    Lone Survivor bears doubtless resemblance to that classic survivor horror franchise, Silent Hill. After all, Lone Survivor has creepy monsters, a mostly-empty city, a basement you don't want to be in but must be, fleshy red membranes, and a psychological bent. I like to think of Lone Survivor not as a tawdry imitator, but as an intelligent and surreal homage to a once-powerful series, and even perhaps a comment on the genre itself.
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