Daymare: 1998 Critic Reviews

Daymare: 1998 is a game that, far from reaching the level of Resident Evil remakes, still deserves a chance from fans of the survival horror genre for the efforts of differentiation and depth of its created universe. A great debut for Invader Studios.

Built upon the basis laid by the Resident Evil Franchise, Daymare adds its own new ideas to the mix to present a game that, despite some technical issues and bugs, fully catches the essence of Capcom's franchise and delivers a solid survival horror game.

While not perfect, Daymare is a really good indie survival horror that all horror fans should check out.

Daymare: 1998 is a well-honed zombie experience that lacks originality but scratches the itch of those interested in the modern zombie game. It provides an alternate take on the traditional Resident Evil story, one that deals more harshly with the real-world consequences of investigating government science. Everything has a level of varnish, from environmental details to the documents that you read. Some of this must be counterbalanced with the fact that the game is a doppelganger. The well-crafted aesthetics also resemble the Resident Evil remakes, the Evil Within franchise, and countless others. Re-creation is many times easier than synthesis, allowing more time for attention to polish.

It cannot be denied that Daymare: 1998 comes with many flaws, but you have to appreciate what it aims to achieve. Well-crafted locations, a unique reloading system and interesting storytelling are some of the game’s highlights, but since both the game’s story and mechanics take time to get used to, it can’t be denied that those strengths are a double-edged sword.

Daymare: 1998 is a very interesting homage to the 128-bit era survival horror games, even if it struggles a bit technically on PS4. If you understand you’re going to play an indie tribute and not the next AAA horror game, you will have a good time with it.

Invader Studios has more than paid tribute to the most classic survival horror with Daymare: 1998. Unfortunately, the story that you star as a player in this play is not as interesting as the background of it, which can easily go unnoticed. However, the game has gameplay and a series of mechanics and details that do great justice to the horror titles of the 90s and, especially, to the first Resident Evil.

Daymare: 1998 is a nice old-fashioned action horror with the right atmosphere, but some poorly-implemented mechanics and technical errors bring down the overall package.

In the end, Daymare: 1998 is clearly a passion project and it definitely shows (and I absolutely love it for that). Granted, there are some bumps along the way in the gameplay and design departments, and the game itself looks like it is a generation behind current gen. However, if you can live with those things, you have a solid survival horror experience here. Just make sure you've played all the classics first!

Daymare: 1998 is a great alternative to the Resident Evil Remakes. Though it feels a little dated by today's standards, it nonetheless ends up holding its own with some great atmosphere and exploration. It's just a shame a lot of its mechanics are unnecessary and quite honestly questionable.

While Daymare 1998 isn’t going to light the survival horror world on fire, it is a solid first attempt at the genre. Make sure to watch some videos to get a feel for it first.

Daymare 1998 pays homage to classic survival horror games, and brings back elements such as difficult combat, backtracking, inventory management... but has many technical issues.

Daymare: 1998 is a low budget release with an ambition that outpaces its production values, but it's still a good attempt. There are stumbling blocks – hit detection, boss fights, animations – but the lighting is good, the soundtrack is great, and the exploration is satisfying.

While it never manages to rise beyond being a fastidious clone of a beloved series, Daymare 1998 is not as terrible as some might have you believe. Sure, it doesn't have a creative bone in its body, and that is a problem, but it does show that the development team has an understanding of classic video game action/horror, and were they to come back with an original idea and distance themselves from existing, better properties, this developer could end up becoming a solid B-tier players in the space.

Daymare 1998 wears its influence firmly and proudly. It's a decision that stifles creativity and invention when it comes to enemy and environmental design. Whilst a poor imitation in terms of quality and polish, there's some charm to this. The voice acting and writing have an appropriately goofy tone whilst the combat is competent. It feels too linear for my liking but the inventory management has some interesting quirks.

Daymare: 1998 is an ambitious game, but this homage can hardly please fans of the genre. Yet, its mundane scenario and old-school gameplay stand alongside clever puzzles and some true survival horror sensations. At a reduced price, its weaknesses might wear off a bit.

Designed as an homage to 90s horror, Daymare: 1998 tries too hard to mimic its inspiration when it should have focused on being its own game.

Daymare 1998 is a failed attempt to revive a classic survival horror title. An attempt that is nothing more than a weak copy of titles released 20 years ago. It lacks character and identity, and it can't be recommended even to the fans of the genre.

Much like the zombies that threaten the world, Daymare 1998 is a sluggish and ugly take on the Resident Evil formula that's best avoided.

Daymare 1998 is a commendable attempt at 90s horror nostalgia... though its excruciatingly slow controls, frustrating inventory system and problematic framerate make for a near unplayable experience. Shame, cause there's some promise beneath the misery.