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Game
Game2025
Butcher's Creek
Developer David Szymanski
Butcher's Creek is a 2025 first-person melee survival horror game developed and published by David Szymanski. The player controls an unnamed loner on a search for videotapes, which leads him to an abandoned cabin near the titular town of Butcher's Creek, Pennsylvania. The game is heavily inspired by the horror games Manhunt (2003) and Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005). The game was released for Windows on January… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
317 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
94
LovedLoved
206 positive · 13 negative
95% range 90–96%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 206 | 13 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 44 | 1 | 50 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Overwhelmingly Positive
1,333 of 1,396 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
94% recommend · 192 yes, 12 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 204 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (1,604 of 1,699 positive).
Players praise the game's brutal melee combat and oppressive atmosphere. [1][2][3] Many compare it favorably to Condemned: Criminal Origins and Manhunt. [4][5][6] Some note the short length and repetitive enemy AI as drawbacks. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
I spent the entire second half of this game annoyed and ready to give it a bad review, but the ending made up for it. Now I'd call it a neutral review. The good: +The ending sequence. +The notes are actually very well-written and interesting. They're presented quickly and easily and you don't have to trudge through a journal pause menu or anything. +The visuals and sound design are great. The horror theme is …
- [1]
I loved every second of this game. The combat, the story, the horror. An amazing game. This is by far my favorite game from David Szymanski.
- [3]
My friend bought me this for my birthday and honestly, I was not disappointed. Butcher’s Creek had me on edge pretty much the entire time. The atmosphere, sound design, and overall presentation do a great job of making you feel like something horrible is always about to happen. I also really enjoyed the combat, especially the Condemned: Criminal Origins-style melee. It’s brutal, messy, and satisfying in exactly the …
- [6]
Condemned: Criminal Origins is one of my favorite games of all time and this might be the closest thing we ever get to a part 3. If you go into this with the right expectations, you will have a great time. Obviously, this game is not quite as good as Condemned, but it’s definitely scratches the itch..which is pretty impressive when you know this game was made by a solo developer. My nitpicks with this game are: 1. …
- [2]
Finished a single play through of the story on normal difficulty. Was a very fun experience, similar in ways to Condemned, with a strange story and brutal combat.
Summarised from 34 of the 290 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 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Butcher's Creek sits at 94% positive across 219 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Dominic Tarason of PC Gamer says Butcher's Creek is "the sort of short, low-fi and pointedly horrible experience that [Szymanski] is increasingly known for." Tarason also states that the "horror adventures of movie length or less" are "long enough to get under your skin and have you turning them over in your head for a while." Sean Shuman of Horror Geek Life rated the game with 3.5 out of 5 stars, saying that while it "may not have met all my (admittedly unfair) expectations", he admits that "it'll remind me that there's still a devoted audience for the kind of edgy and unpleasant terror seemingly left behind in the 2000s."
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 317 · most liked firstPlayed an early build of David Szymanski's upcoming game Butcher's Creek and it's very good! Simple but very visceral and gritty first person melee combat, great music and visuals, interesting world and story, a great bite-sized action-horror-comedy experience you can beat in one go.
positive · AI labelView post →The Butcher's Creek demo is now available! store.steampowered.com/app/3144590/...
neutral · AI labelView post →BUTCHER'S CREEK - Violent Found Footage Horror Game by @duskdev.bsky.social , Full Playthrough Watch: youtu.be/putdV8hqA20 GIVEAWAY: Giving a steam key to a random person that Likes and comments on this!
neutral · AI labelView post →BUTCHER'S CREEK Release date announced! (I'm late so what :p) 23 January 2025! Loved the demo, need the full in my life: store.steampowered.com/app/2512560/... @duskdev.bsky.social is cooking! #IndieGames #IndustrialHorror
positive · AI labelView post →Diving into the lore of Butcher's Creek for my first game review yielded mental images I wasn't prepared for. @duskdev.bsky.social , I had an absolute blast playing the night fever trilogy and hope you enjoy my peerless editing skills as much as I enjoyed the games 🤘
positive · AI labelView post →Ok, like, legitimately, I don't know how @duskdev.bsky.social keeps doing it, but yet again, another banger video game with Butcher's Creek. My notes are literally just "Awesome. Yes". Check it out if you like horror games. Its worth it. store.steampowered.com/app/2512560/...
positive · AI labelView post →Belated happy new year! Usually I do a big rundown of everything I've finished over the past year, but this year was mostly game updates, the Iron Lung movie, and personal life stuff. The Iron Lung movie, Butcher's Creek, and more to come this year!
neutral · AI labelView post →Something has gone horribly wrong in Butcher's Creek the new game by @duskdev.bsky.social youtu.be/5RM8BBSZJPM
neutral · AI labelView post →I played Butcher's Creek's demo (a game from @duskdev.bsky.social, the mind behind Dusk) on Steam and holy shit it was so good and scary at the same time. I'm actually hyped for the full game, you should absolutely give it a try. store.steampowered.com/app/3144590/...
positive · AI labelView post →And a shout-out to Butcher's Creek, David Szymanski's latest game, about a guy who loves murder so much he doesn't even bother putting clothes on before storming a cult compound.
neutral · AI labelView post →Yet again, couldn't help but write about some of @duskdev.bsky.social's work in the form of 2025's Butcher's Creek. ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/p/the-voyeur... #horror #gaming #videogames #horrorgaming
positive · AI labelView post →Here is my belated review for "Butcher's Creek" by @duskdev.bsky.social. Great game that wears its influences on its sleeve. I absolutely recommend anyone with an affinity for horror to check it out. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRZb...
positive · AI labelView post →I'll be streaming Butcher's Creek this weekend. It's a new horror game from the Dusk guy.
neutral · AI labelView post →I loved every second of this game. The combat, the story, the horror. An amazing game. This is by far my favorite game from David Szymanski.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First-person melee horror game Butcher's Creek launches today. From the creator of Iron Lung and Dusk. Wishlist here: store.steampowered.com/app/2512560 #indiegames #steam #horrorgame #indiegame
neutral · AI labelView post →Finished a single play through of the story on normal difficulty. Was a very fun experience, similar in ways to Condemned, with a strange story and brutal combat.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just dropped my Butcher’s Creek highlights and I’m STILL not okay, analog horror has HANDS 😭💀 🎥 Watch here: youtu.be/alRwoxgaQWA #VTuber #HorrorGame #ButchersCreek #ENVtuber
neutral · AI labelView post →🔴LIVE PLAYING BUTCHER'S CREEK FOR THE FIRST TIME I've been so excited to get into this game and eat it come eat this game with me EAT IT www.twitch.tv/loony_frinke...
neutral · AI labelView post →Butchers creek is what you get if you mix condemed crimal origins and bloodshot with manhunt its a indie game made by David Szymanski the same guy that made a game called iron lung. Story of this game is you are some guy lured to place called butchers creek cause of the promise of finding snuff films once you arrive you enter a building with seems deserreted only to confronted by you're first enemy a sack wearing cultist that attacks you once defeating him you find a way out only to stumble…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I spent the entire second half of this game annoyed and ready to give it a bad review, but the ending made up for it. Now I'd call it a neutral review. The good: +The ending sequence. +The notes are actually very well-written and interesting. They're presented quickly and easily and you don't have to trudge through a journal pause menu or anything. +The visuals and sound design are great. The horror theme is excellently done. People say it's a ripoff of Condemned or Manhunt, and it probably…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finished "Butcher's Creek" last night (about 3 hours). Fantastic little horror FPS game and I recommend it. Only $10. store.steampowered.com/app/2512560/... Fantastic sound effects and music work which creates 10/10 mood and atmosphere. Chunky combat. Great levels. Great weekend game. #gamedev
positive · AI labelView post →My friend bought me this for my birthday and honestly, I was not disappointed. Butcher’s Creek had me on edge pretty much the entire time. The atmosphere, sound design, and overall presentation do a great job of making you feel like something horrible is always about to happen. I also really enjoyed the combat, especially the Condemned: Criminal Origins-style melee. It’s brutal, messy, and satisfying in exactly the way I was hoping for. Definitely a game that kept me uncomfortable in the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game wif great combat and atmosphere. I was looing for a game with condemned criminal origins type combat and this game really scratched that itch. Really recommend this game for those with the gritty melee combat itch such as myself. Im kinda sad this game was short and i believe it couldve been something more but i hope someone would be inspired by this game and make it a more full fledge game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't believe my penar was swaying in the wind the entire game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Butcher’s Creek, developed and published by David Szymanski, is a grim, first-person horror experience that blends brutal melee combat with oppressive atmosphere and psychological unease. Set in the early 1990s, the game places players in the role of an isolated and morally ambiguous protagonist whose obsession with discovering illicit underground recordings leads him into a decaying rural nightmare. What begins as a misguided search quickly spirals into captivity and survival, as he finds…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →what does someone expect from playing a game called BUTCHER'S CREEK
neutral · AI labelView post →Butcher's Creek is out today... Ya know what that means? 🍒IM STREAMIN A HORROR GAME TODAY🍒 Gonna try for 6pm / 6:30pm PST, roughly 8 hours from now. I've been looking forward to this game for like, a year, I'm so excited 🤩
positive · AI labelView post →Butcher's Creek soundtrack preview! youtu.be/55Ian6_ZDeU?...
neutral · AI labelView post →There's a mechanic in the game where you heal by taking pictures of blood, and gore piles with a polaroid camera. I think the only jumpscare in the game involves that and i ♥♥♥♥ my pants. Great game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While I still highly recommend squirrel stapler and pony factory, Butcher's Creek isn't landing for me. I'm gonna give it another go and may revise my review, but the enemy AI is just bad. A guy comes up to me, yells "♥♥♥♥ YOU!", takes a swing, and then like. Goes in to another room.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The killing/enemies was quite repetitive. Doesn't matter. Never been so on the edge of my seat for a game in my life. Amazing game, start to finish.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We've been busy this week, But that does nothing to stop the arrival of... Friday Night Horror! Tonight we play two games, the analog horror anomaly game Captured! And another fever dream by the creator of squirrel stapler called: Butcher's Creek! Live at 5 pm! www.twitch.tv/apollodelian
neutral · AI labelView post →TODAY at 10am EST! HITSMONDAY is back!!! what with?? why a game full to the brim with hitting of course!! starting BUTCHER'S CREEK! we'll see how far we get, only at twitch.tv/vixibombae
neutral · AI labelView post →Horror games starting off strong this year. Butcher's Creek is quite good, mix of Condemned and Manhunt. ~ 2 hours. Great creepy vibes, solid melee combat. store.steampowered.com/app/2512560/...
positive · AI labelView post →Butcher's Creek Trailer for you: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLL... Be sure to wishlist! :D #IndieGames
neutral · AI labelView post →I don't know how triple AAA companies just doesn't get it. We don't want clones. We don't want celebrity voice actors. We want interesting games. This was made by one dude in unity version 2019!!!? Triple AAA has no excuse. The developer deserves all the rewards given from this game and more. Simplicity is the key to success.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Depravity Not many other words can describe the themes of this game. The atmosphere is EXTREMELY thick with a haunting and dense soundtrack, crispy and creepy VHS quality lighting and textures, and even darker secrets in texts, etc.... I recommend to fans of horror games, it's short, simple, and does not overstay its welcome.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →played this game on shrooms, nearly had a heart attack, but the plot was solid as ♥♥♥♥ and the gameplay was pretty original too. $10.00 well spent
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →an incredible experience top to bottom, emphasis on bottom, if you know you know. its not super often i just buy a game at its full price, but 9.99 is a steal for a heck of a time. i wish it was maybe a bit longer but otherwise no thoughts just whack and kick, great music great writing great everything. i saw someone give this game a thumbs down because they found the combat too easy, to which i say twofold: yes i sort of agree, i played through on hard and only died twice because i flubbed…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →heard the new szymanski game had savehymn references... tonight we're going to BUTCHER'S CREEK! this game looks like manhunt and plays like condemned... !! 🔴LIVE NOW🔴 twitch.tv/savehymn twitch.tv/savehymn twitch.tv/savehymn
neutral · AI labelView post →short game but pretty interesting. to find story you have to read notes or you will not know what the F you are doing plot wise, so READ MF READ
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The atmosphere is great, there is basically no plot to speak of (whatever the notes we find scattered around tell us), but there is no such thing as "gameplay." Whatever sticks, pipes, pickaxes, or shovels we find lying around, we just smash over heads until they break. For 3 hours, we just do the exact same things over and over. If you've played Dusk, there is no need for you to play this. And if you haven't played Dusk, you should just play that instead.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A violent, disgusting, and beautiful game. Fun and interesting melee combat and makes be beg for more even after I completed it, 9/10 would recommend for those into FPS's (First Person Slashers [Though I do admit the ai is really dumb])
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →LIVE NOW with Butcher's Creek! I've been generally excited to finally play this game, but it's ALSO a follow up to a couple other games we played last year(?): The Pony Factory and Squirrel Stapler! twitch.tv/kerbumble
neutral · AI labelView post →Live now! Finishing the 2025 indie horror game Butcher's Creek dev by @duskdev.bsky.social 🎮 #indiegames #streamer #livenow YouTube: www.youtube.com/@gamedotfilm... Twitch: Twitch.tv/gamedotfilm TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@gamedotfilm Twitter/X: x.com/gamedotfilm
neutral · AI labelView post →Quick writeups: Butcher's Creek & Secret Agent Wizard Boy are games by @duskdev.bsky.social Butcher's Creek is the next entry in the Pony Factory / Squirrel Stapler horror saga that plays like a modern Condemned Criminal Origins SAWB is a hilarious early access retro romp [Alt text for more info]
neutral · AI labelView post →WE ARE LIVE, YAPPING THEN NEW AGE CONDEMNED- sorry, i mean Butcher's Creek, a game where you kick with bare feet. COME ON DOWN!!! (do not sit in the forbidden chair) #vtuber #VtubersEN www.twitch.tv/drowsyspeeds...
neutral · AI labelView post →I have loved this game, it feels like someone has played Manhunt and Condemned, and said "hey let's make a game that has a story inspired by Manhunt and gameplay like Condemned and give the players an option to interact with the props on the environment to fight the enemies like Half-Life 2. It felt like it took some of the best elements from some games. I recommend this if you like Manhunt and Condemned, and survival horror games in general. Also thanks cop_fighter for gifting me this game on…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Backlogging this for 1.5 years was my biggest mistake in 1.5 years
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Condemned: Criminal Origins is one of my favorite games of all time and this might be the closest thing we ever get to a part 3. If you go into this with the right expectations, you will have a great time. Obviously, this game is not quite as good as Condemned, but it’s definitely scratches the itch..which is pretty impressive when you know this game was made by a solo developer. My nitpicks with this game are: 1. The AI is slightly lacking 2. There could have been just a little more variation…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game does not have combat like in the trailers. Most of combat is standing still waiting for your stamina bar to start regenerating. The enemies will stand still and stare at you too, as if they are waiting for their stamina bars to let them fight. Enemies have a lot of health, which means you will run out of stamina and have to stand still for it to regenerate before fighting again. The combat is so slow with the stamina system it feels turn based.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Combat is repetitive. Gameplay basically consists in moving between rooms and picking up a key that unlocks the next set of rooms. Story is told only through notes, there's no "showing". Enemies have no AI (besides chasing and fighting you), they don't interact with each other or patrol around or do something else; I hate the fact that sometimes they decide to pop up when you pick up a key (as if they have a sixth sense for it) but they ignore you bashing the door of the room there're in.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has that sauce, and I think solidifies David Szymanski as a horror game master. Particularly the sound design is incredible, the music is fantastic in setting the tone. The writing somehow perfectly balances goofy and funny with horrific and disturbing. This game thrives in its simplicity and it is truly inspirational. There's no fat with the mechanics, nothing that does'nt serve the tone, theme, humor, and scares. I love it. These games made by Mr Szymanski give people like myself…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →became a force of god for a canablistic, pleasure cult. I guess. I just know i don't want to go to the "fairy castle" ever again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I gotta be honest, this game was way better than i thought it would be. It was cool, well made, performed well and was actually kinda fun to play. However the npcs did have some 'quirky' AI but it actually helped me in most of the cases so i don't mind. For some reason it reminded me of Resident Evil 4 with these psycho creeps and then the big creature at the end. I liked it and i recommend everyone to buy this because for that price, it's really worth it. solid 8.5/10 for what it is.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dark, disturbing, and pretty messed up. A consistently unnerving vibe, great atmosphere, fun combat, and a decent length. While certainly not something I'd recommend everyone go and play, if you thought it looked interesting and like the premise, the gameplay is pretty solid and you'll quite likely enjoy it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished Butcher's Creek and it's a pretty good dark gory horror game with goofy kick physics. Reading the little notes left behind by the cultists was really fun and the atmosphere/sound design was top notch. Game was a bit short so you might want to wait for a sale before jumping in.
positive · AI labelView post →CHAT! Tonight we are playing a new @duskdev.bsky.social game called BUTCHER'S CREEK! I am excited to hack up some baddies so come enjoy the sLAUGHTER uwu~ YouTube: youtube.com/@LunaSolarys/live Twitch: twitch.tv/LunaSolarys #VTuber #Livestream #Multistream
neutral · AI labelView post →beat Butcher's Creek, @duskdev.bsky.social's new game a good condemned-style romp through a grimy murder dungeon. i actually didn't know he was making the duskdev cinematic universe so the connections to squirrel stapler and pony factory caught me off-guard lmao
positive · AI labelView post →I've been so excited for D. Syzmanski's new game Butcher's Creek ever since I saw it on steam after playing Dusk and I'm so fucking upset that it comes out on the first day i'll be at magfest i wanna playayyyyyy ittttta;skdfjhg;dflkgh but its fine its Fine i'll play it as soon as i'm back
neutral · AI labelView post →
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