Don't Be Afraid 2
Don't Be Afraid 2
Game
Game2025
BLACKSHARD
Developer Redlock Studio, Enclave
BLACKSHARD is a first-person exploration game. Wander through a strange megastructure, the Labyrinth, to unravel its mysteries... Your behavior within the Labyrinth will define the outcome of your journey. What path will you choose to take? From the Steam store page
248 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 30, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
92
LovedLoved
183 positive · 15 negative
95% range 88–95%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 183 | 15 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 26 | 0 | 24 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
233 of 249 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
93% recommend · 184 yes, 13 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 197 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (433 of 469 positive).
Players praise the game's stunning visuals and architectural design. [1][2][3] Many compare it favorably to games like NaissanceE and BLAME!. [4][5][6] Some reviewers report technical issues and poor movement mechanics. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
DO NOT BUY IF: * You have a monitor resolution higher than 1920x1080. The devs will tell you that the game doesn't run properly on anything higher. * You have an Nvidia graphics card. The devs updated the game to include a splash screen that says the game will crash with Nvidia drivers. * You want to use DX12 and ray-tracing. The devs will tell you that DX12 causes the game to crash in a game designed for DX12 and …
- [1]
Absolutely gorgeous, incredible world, narrative and characters, it does needs to be on a certain mentality, willing to walk for long minutes to reach points of interest because the zones are gigantic, but extremely satisfying rewards on the visuals and the story. It's not entirely lineal, there are one way corridors but you can easily go and climb through everywhere, the maps look like just a bunch of shapes with …
- [7]
A shame movements and collisions are so outrageously bad and inconsistent, that broke my sense of wonder way too many times. An exploration of those infinite labyrinths of the impossible with such a banger OST would have been a lifetime gaming experience without this feeling of wackiness. One of the best megastructures i've explored. A shame i did so in such an uncomfortable and arduously irratiting way. Everything …
- [13]
Blackshard is one of those games that comes out of left-field and completely exceeds your expectations. The atmosphere and beauty of the megastructure is sublime. The music also fits perfectly. What sets Blackshard apart, however, is its brilliant inclusion of 'The King in Yellow' lore. Beats what Fromsoft did with H.P. Lovecraft's work, imo. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
- [2]
Rarely games make me feel such deep emotions, and never before a game has managed to do so near-exclusively with its architectural and landscape design. The artistic direction of Blackshard is insanely good - I have been spamming my friends with screenshots at every turn. Every room you can visit is a masterpiece, served by a soundtrack that sets a contemplative mood - and brilliant shifts in sound ambience on …
Summarised from 34 of the 250 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked BLACKSHARD talk about beautiful and immersive environments; those who didn't talk about poor movement and collision mechanics. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 248 · most liked firstBLACKSHARD is a NaissanceE & The King in Yellow Inspired Megastructure exploration game with breathtaking architecture Out now on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3223390/... Gameplay Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I_J... by #gamedev @redlockstudio.bsky.social #indiedev #indiegame #gaming
neutral · AI labelView post →Blackshard is a massive NaissanceE/Blame!-esque megastructure exploration game inspired by The King in Yellow! www.alphabetagamer.com/blackshard-b... Gameplay Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Ap... by #gamedev @redlockstudio.bsky.social #indiedev #indiegames #gaming
neutral · AI labelView post →DO NOT BUY IF: * You have a monitor resolution higher than 1920x1080. The devs will tell you that the game doesn't run properly on anything higher. * You have an Nvidia graphics card. The devs updated the game to include a splash screen that says the game will crash with Nvidia drivers. * You want to use DX12 and ray-tracing. The devs will tell you that DX12 causes the game to crash in a game designed for DX12 and ray-traced lighting. IF you can get the game to run, it's really, REALLY…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blackshard is a gorgeous "explore the megastructure" type of game, mixing the brutalist architecture of the genre with a lot of other artistic influences, combined with a fantastic music and, well, let's just say releasing last month didn't help store.steampowered.com/app/3223390/...
positive · AI labelView post →BLACKSHARD @redlockstudio.bsky.social Every room, place in that game is potential shot. Not even sorry for the amount of shots I have and will post. #VirtualPhotography #vpsupport #vprepost #vpinbw #TCCHighContrast
neutral · AI labelView post →BLACKSHARD @redlockstudio.bsky.social Not sure how that game appeared on my Steam page but happy it did. I am in love ! #VirtualPhotography #vpsupport #vprepost #vpinbw
positive · AI labelView post →BLACKSHARD, this exploration game is one for megastructure sickos. Video from @alphabetagamer.bsky.social youtu.be/31Ap2WSGCMA?...
neutral · AI labelView post →Absolutely gorgeous, incredible world, narrative and characters, it does needs to be on a certain mentality, willing to walk for long minutes to reach points of interest because the zones are gigantic, but extremely satisfying rewards on the visuals and the story. It's not entirely lineal, there are one way corridors but you can easily go and climb through everywhere, the maps look like just a bunch of shapes with good lighting at first but it's full of surprises on the exploration, plus the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A hundred thanks to @alphabetagamer.bsky.social, who made us the honor of releasing a video on BLACKSHARD's demo. If you'd like to see what the labyrinth looks like before venturing into it yourselves... Here's what you need ⬇️ youtu.be/31Ap2WSGCMA?...
neutral · AI labelView post →I dont understand the reviews for that game. I fell asleep after half an hour of running around aimlessly through sterile black and white identical looking environment, looking for the next "memory shard" or whatever to "progress" the "story", which was nothing more than getting a few nonsensical lines of unvoiced dialogue. Mind you, I have a tendency to really like walking simulators, but they need to have a great story and great presentation. This game has neither, it's merely a mediocre…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the devs of the extremely cool megastructure exploration game BLACKSHARD just announced a new game, HYPNOS, which looks awesome! don't know of blackshard? well great news i'm checking it out TODAY on stream, along with some other cool megastructure games like NaissanceE! come watch! www.bimbo.city
positive · AI labelView post →Rarely games make me feel such deep emotions, and never before a game has managed to do so near-exclusively with its architectural and landscape design. The artistic direction of Blackshard is insanely good - I have been spamming my friends with screenshots at every turn. Every room you can visit is a masterpiece, served by a soundtrack that sets a contemplative mood - and brilliant shifts in sound ambience on certain areas create an appropriate sense of unease. This game, with its…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A shame movements and collisions are so outrageously bad and inconsistent, that broke my sense of wonder way too many times. An exploration of those infinite labyrinths of the impossible with such a banger OST would have been a lifetime gaming experience without this feeling of wackiness. One of the best megastructures i've explored. A shame i did so in such an uncomfortable and arduously irratiting way. Everything else is great.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is just BLAME! the biblically accurate walking sim and I am here for it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shots from #Blackshard Nice game but didn't finish it since I was lost )) Full album here ⬇️ www.artstation.com/artwork/qJl1Wz
neutral · AI labelView post →As much as the concept is nice and I like exploring large and alien environments, I can't in good faith recommend this game. GOOD points : The music is REALLY good. The art (characters, loading screen) is also REALLY good. It makes for nice screenshots. Labyrinth-ish but still legible enough to remember where you've been or not, and where you can go, which feels quite rewarding when you find something new. The level design does funnel you towards progression effectively while not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blackshard is one of those what I'd consider weird games. Its setting/story is a mix between Abrahamic mythology, Lovecraftian concepts, and even some strange curveballs thrown in that don't match the tone or setting at all. But it presents all of these in large, visually stunning environments. Perhaps the biggest draw of the game is that it is unapologetic in its encouragement in exploration. When playing, I've jumped and parkour'd on pieces of the environment that 99% of other games would…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When I think of Sacred Geometry, this game will be forever carved into my psyche. Truly a beautiful masterwork of level design and traversal. This game will be in my benchmark suite for OLED testing, absolutely beautiful HDR mastering and perfected graphic design. Has one of the absolutely visual stunning levels I have ever seen on a calibrated OLED, I legitimately had to stop and just observe. Absolutely enrapturing music and sound design, it will envelop you. I really, really enjoy the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Foundations of Cruelty by @ekhudson.bsky.social Another unique style compared to most others in this jam. Fairly lengthy and difficult. Some of the earlier bits reminded me aesthetically of the game BLACKSHARD (which is a very good thing). Thumbs up!
neutral · AI labelView post →It was fun until it wasn't. I clicked on something in game that gave me a meme ending that closed the game and now I have to start a new playthrough to continue the game... The walking around was already getting tedious and I'm not starting over after being an hour in to see a different ending.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played many games, for many hours, such as Destiny 2 for nearly 10,000 hours. I've played EQ and WoW for just as long. I have played countless console games across countless systems. I've won tournaments, I've lost tournaments. I've had world firsts, and I've had disappointments too. I've been stressed out in so many games, and also witnessed wonder and awe, experienced excitement and beauty, made friends and beaten opponents - achieved so much, lost so much, and have always learned from…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like a Kairo, or a NaissanceE, or a Fugue In Void, this is one of those x infinity.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We wrapped up stream! A lot of demos that game me... a time to put it nicely. Thank you to @yuraite.bsky.social @makiizme.bsky.social and @adreancard.bsky.social for the raids! We sent the love to @camronjk.com who is playing BlackShard. www.twitch.tv/camronjk
neutral · AI labelView post →BLACKSHARD is 20% off on Steam until June 16! Grab our megastructure game inspired by Blame! and the King in Yellow for less than 8€ 🩶✨⬇️ store.steampowered.com/app/3223390/...
neutral · AI labelView post →An impressive interactive experience, a tiny bit more than just a barebones walking sim, but that was enough for me. Exploring a cosmic megastructure was something I didn't expect for someone to pull off very well but here I am quite smitten with the game. 4 to 7 hours long, solid vibes, makes very good use of unreal engine's shading (which I usually find not very appealing but the visual representation of Blackshard made it work towards its strengths instead, very cool). As for graphic…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blackshard is one of those games that comes out of left-field and completely exceeds your expectations. The atmosphere and beauty of the megastructure is sublime. The music also fits perfectly. What sets Blackshard apart, however, is its brilliant inclusion of 'The King in Yellow' lore. Beats what Fromsoft did with H.P. Lovecraft's work, imo. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Reminds me of NaissanceE. Interesting to walk around, relax and listen to music.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →completly hypnotized by @redlockstudio.bsky.social latest creation BLACKSHARD, hooked on it like it unlocked something in my brain, thank you so much for this game, here's a Zdzisław Beksiński cross for you #art #artshare #darkart #blackshard #redlockstudio
positive · AI labelView post →This game was great. I've never had a game make me feel small and insignificant. This one did. But in a good way... there was this... place. This huge place. What's around this corner? What's around that corner? Can I get there? And when you dig far enough you're rewarded with lore. There needs to be more of this. The developers clearly had this well thought out universe (no pun intended) and it left me wanting more. It is primarily a walking simulator but the place you're walking in! The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →games like these are rare and have a very small playerbase, however i enjoyid it. sound effects could been better. Like wind when falling, very little interactive objects. Better move mekaniks, the game is teckinkly a museum,
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Was expecting something like POOLS. 10 mins in I quit the pirated version I was playing and bought it. When I read the first mention of Carcosa though I knew I had found a unique item with this one.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The same identical feelings to playing NaissanceE for the first time but much stronger. BLACKSHARD is THE walking simulator as NaissanceE was in the past. Prepare your mind for you have not seen, the depths of the labyrinth may yet ravage your fragile ego.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm always looking for a video game that completely takes me over. Something I am always looking forward to getting back to. Blackshard has done this to me. Very unexpectedly.
positive · AI labelView post →This game is truly excellent. Scratches a very niche itch that only a very few other games (Outer Wilds, Echo, Observation) manage to hit. Bringing cosmic scale and cosmic horror across is hard to do, and it's even harder to do on a budget, but this game manages it through creative architecture, tonally-exact writing, and a surprisingly open exploration structure where you actually get rewarded for trying strange routes. If you've ever looked at a picture of a black hole and felt that thrill,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Instead of wasting time on triumphantly making homoerotic loading screens, how about you put in more effort into making pc input not feel terrible? It's a huge mysterious world with lots of detail. I really wanted to play this game, but it feels bad. Most of the time ingame was a frustrating strugle with control inputs. Maybe it's different on consoles, but I'm on pc. The most important thing about FPS exploration is that you don't have to think about mouse movement or about navigating the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A brilliant and beautiful game about wandering through the ever-expanding megastructure beyond the bounds of time and space, and at the end of the world no less. Gorgeous vistas with an atmosphere wrapped in a blanket of dreamlike melancholy easily sucked me into this world for hours on end, with a great and unique soundtrack that perfectly compliments the game world. It's definitely not a linear walking sim, there's tons of interconnected paths to take and it's up to you to figure out what…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do you like cosmic horrors? Do you like megastructures? Did you enjoy BLAME!? Did you enjoy NaissanceE? Then, please for the love of the Yellow King, buy this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Visually stunning -- feels like an understatement. Exploring reveals one striking environment after another, akin to traversing an art exhibit made in the medium of Unreal Engine. Many a small nook surprised me with emotions of being -- what I can only fail to truly describe as -- beautifully alone. This vast expanse, somehow inviting one to want to "knock on the sky and listen to the sound". It is games like this one that inspire me to want to go into making games. Also not sure about anyone…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tsutomu Nihei Robert W. Chambers French sci-fi Gnostic Christian abstract megastructure walking simulator. This is my hole, it was made for me. Some comments -The slow, meandering gameplay where you're walking for a long time in a maddeningly empty space surrounded by titanic structures of unknowable function is good actually. It's called vibing. Some people just can't vibe. If you can't vibe, maybe this game isn't for you. It plays the same way BLAME reads. -The abstract word-salad Gnostic…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this game because I played NaissanceE long ago and then every now and then again. I just love wandering in a mega structure that seems full of order and purpose beyond comprehension. However, all my expectations were surpassed with this one. I remembered the things I did not like about NaissanceE and so far this game seems to not only take inspiration from it but learned from the weaknesses. This game does not force you onto a linear path. With a somewhat generous jumping height,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has been almost one week since I finished the game but I still miss it.I loved losing myself in weirdly beautiful megastructures and labyrinths which nobody knows about and more important than all,I loved yellow eyed girl.I dream two of us in cliffs,corridors and halls of Blackshard's world.I love you girl..
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →LIVE NOW! BLACKSHARD! Vacation is over and I picked a game that is killing me PC cause of course I am... www.twitch.tv/CamronJK Let's see how much I can fix, lmao. #goinglive #furrylive #furry #vtuber
neutral · AI labelView post →Game of the week 26 for 2026 is: Blackshard This game is my shit. Explore a big ass megastructure filled with arcane sigils, biblically accurate angels, hard as fuck artwork, and sweeping cosmic themes. Eldritch horror sprinkled on top. All you do is run around and explore Too Big Spaces - it rules
positive · AI labelView post →Very immersive and runs well. Great music. Otherwise, it's a bad game. The lack of a map is a killer...Also, the platforming is pretty bad. If you fall, it starts you over at the beginning of the level. The game needs a map and more checkpoints!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Immaculate vibes and beautiful scenery. Absolute screenshot porn. Interesting story as well. My only minor criticisms are some awkward platforming at times, and the glacial move speed given the map size. Using a speedhack at 3x fixed this annoyance for me entirely. In summary, if you like megastructures at all, I can highly recommend this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredible work of art. Just, incredible. Wishlisted this for a time and I only played it after I saw how awesome the Hypnos demo is. I decided to take my chance with this. Everywhere you look can be framed and put on a wall. With the incredible soundtrack, this game became quite an experience to inspire my dreams. The designs are so well, not one bit I was bored. It was the best experience I had for a long, long time. Most of the time I was just paused and look at the incredible architecture,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played the demo for HYPNOS by @redlockstudio.bsky.social The follow up to their game BLACKSHARD. Much like BLACKSHARD it's a exploration and story focused walking sim that's beautiful and just oozes atmosphere. *Really* looking forward to this one! store.steampowered.com/app/2861210/
positive · AI labelView post →A beautifully made game with a dreamlike quality that brings you into a world of liminal spaces and the feel of an endlessly expanding megastructure. No jumpscares, just you and the vast structure and mystery of the unknown to ponder as you move through the hypnotic rooms and halls. If you enjoy walking-sims, megastructures, and unknowable cosmic horrors, you might just enjoy this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What I’ve played I loved, but that was the demo, which worked on my steam deck. I bought this without even checking since the demo seemed to work fine. I’d love for this to either be steam deck verified or released on consoles. This game is really cool and could use any wider market it can get. Anyway. Hope to be playing the full thing eventually. Editing this to thumbs down until steam deck verified.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →tl;dr - A steal at full price if you like walking simulators, cosmic horror, or looked at the screenshots / trailers and thought "that looks kind of cool". Genuinely my favorite walking simulator I have ever played. Gameplay consists of...well, walking around while occasionally getting bits of story. There is light platforming, though with no fall damage (!), very good controls, and a remarkably snappy respawn if you tumble off a cliff. The levels are an absolute joy to explore, and the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Blackshard by @redlockstudio.bsky.social + Enclave "This eerie first-person exploration game feels like a brutalist dream, where the walls are watching, statues are whispering, and the architecture itself seems to have its own agenda. Cosmic dread distilled into cold unfeeling concrete."
neutral · AI labelView post →Despite consisting almost entirely of untextured cubes with static lighting, BLACKSHARD manages to run at 40FPS and take up about as much space as *Skyrim*. It's the least optimized game I have ever tried.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Such a weird game... I bought it because the OST on the store page was incredible. The vibes you get from just the menu are incredible and I loved it. The whole game is basically a megastructure walking simulator. There is no real interaction aside from what is shown in the trailer, you can go anywhere you want, no time constraint. Very enjoyable. I believe a lot of work went into the design of the maps and it was really fun to discover the different sections of the labyrinth. They all have…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →but if "broken ps2 serial expiriments lain" game is less your vibe... try HYPNOS Some of the coolest character art and vibes i've ever seen in a game with some BEAUTIFUL structures by the creators of the fantastic BLACKSHARD. Really excited to try this one out, although it is still in early access.
positive · AI labelView post →Another stunning game by Redlock Studio. In this game they capture the feeling of being in an actual megastructure. As someone who loves megastructures this one takes the cake, a true spectacle. 10/10 Can't wait for their next game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, I'm not entirely sure what is the proper name of it; maybe megastructure-punk? A dream simulator perhaps? Or even a surrealist art piece? When I was younger, I had recurring dreams of wandering through colossal halls, structures built on the scale of giants rather than human beings. The pillars were impossibly thick and tall, staircases stretched endlessly, skyscrapers afar with no windows... and there was no one around, no life, no flora or fauna, just cold, pale architecture. There…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game reminds me of those portinos of "heaven" (for lack of a better term) that are off-limits to humans. The administrative levels of angels. i was able to glimpse them once - but was sent back to Earth to live another life as punishment during one of humanity's low points. i digress. i've played quite a few of these parkour-megastructure games and i enjoy them a lot. this is one of the best ones. the non-Euclidean vistas (that no human was meant to gaze upon) are worth the price of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →From a technical point of view, this game fascinates me, particularly looking at the level design. For the purpose of game play flow, the levels had to be deliberately architected. But so much of what you see on screen would have had to be procedurally generated. The environment is fractally complex, and how they managed to merge the deliberate/generated processes for level design is something I'd like to know more about. The sound and music is also, IMO, top notch...you have the combination…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yet, a day would come when all those fragments of added knowledge would bring terrifying perspectives on reality, about our dreadful place within it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think this is one of my 2 favorite games this year (2025) , this and Stellar_Blade
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
