Daymare: 1998
Daymare: 1998
Game
Game2023
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle
Developer Invader Studios
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a 2023 survival horror game developed by Invader Studios and published by Leonardo Interactive. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
249 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
71
Fresh
128 positive · 52 negative
95% range 64–77%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 128 | 52 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 15 | 2 | 43 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
277 of 380 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
73% recommend · 132 yes, 50 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 182 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (701 of 944 positive).
Players praise the game's improved combat and visuals over its predecessor. [1][2][3] Some find the story weak and the enemy grab mechanic frustrating. [4][5][6] Many note it's a solid indie title inspired by Resident Evil and Dead Space. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [5]
The instagrab feature of the enemies ruined the gameplay and in turn the fun of this game entirely. The game itself, setting, story, graphics whatever is interesting and I want to play it, as I really liked the previous Daymare. But this feature of the enemies giga-sprinting toward you and instagrabbing you, forcing a button mash that always results in loss of HP just completely ruins the gameplay. I get that they …
- [2]
lets get the obvious out the way with... this isnt a AAA budget so the cut scene acting is a B movie Horror film. The main 2 guys in the Story both look like the went to a blind plastic surgeon but after that... no complaints. Unlike Daymare 1996 THIS game plays as smooth as RE2, 3, 4 and 8 remake. it looks great and has boat loads of superb little details and Easter eggs in it from 1994. Youd actually be forgive if …
- [4]
A good Game! Very similar to Resident Evil games but not a copy. But you do have to remember that this is a AA/indie game, so don't expect the same quality as RE games. Pros: 1. Graphics, it looks amazing. If you showed me screenshots of this game then I would have thought it was a AAA game. 2. Atmosphere, very well done. Dark, creepy and eerie. Exactly what it should be for a horror game. 3. Combat, very good. …
- [3]
I'm kind of blown away. I think Daymare: 1998 is a diamond in the rough, and I probably wouldn't recommended to anyone but genre fans, but Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is an incredible and ambitious sequel that improves on the original in just about all ways, save one or two. While the first game is certainly rooted in survival horror with action elements, I'd say that Sandcastle seems to push firmly into horror action, …
- [1]
With 14 hours in the game and all achievements unlocked, I think it's time I gave it a review. Short version; is it worth the money and should you get it? I would say Yes to the latter, but I would honestly price this game a little lower, or just pick it up on a sale. Longer version; The game play of this is an improvement from the first game, I quite enjoyed it. Puzzles aren't difficult they're very straight …
Summarised from 34 of the 251 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 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle talk about improved combat and smooth gameplay; those who didn't talk about frustrating enemy insta-grab mechanic. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle received mixed reviews on Metacritic. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 29 out of 40. GamingBolt criticized the use of jump scares and said the game was not scary, though they said the story was "pulpy fun". The Games Machine praised the atmosphere. They also enjoyed the technical improvements over 1998 but said it still needs to go further. Vandal said it is still entertaining despite its many shortcomings. Multiplayer.it found using a game controller to be very frustrating but said using keyboard and mouse made it tolerable.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 249 · most liked firstMy review of Daymare Town, the latest first-person point-and-click phantasmagoria by Mateusz Skutnik. A gorgeously weird and captivating sojourn through a creepy pen-and-ink fugue state, full of uniquely odd creatures and surreal settings. adventuregamehotspot.com/review/5634/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Pros: + Incredibly Talented Art Team, Especially Environments: If there’s one thing I think this team has down, it is prop and environment art. And this is no small achievement, because I feel like an art background this solid is difficult to come by. Environments are interesting and feel believable, with really solid prop detail scattered around each room. I especially enjoyed the computer screens and posters, as well as certain areas like the underground city. + Has all the Decorations of a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, it isn’t really a horror game, even though it tries to be one at times. Some scenes are a bit spooky. The lighting even managed to scare me once when I mistook a jacket hanging from a bed for something else, but overall it’s rather an action shooter than a horror game. The first few hours feel quite on rails, which can be boring, but later that changes. You'll get a bit more freedom, and I managed to get lost a few times. The puzzles are fairly easy. You won’t need to be a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →“Fans of Mateusz Skutnik’s unique vision will feel right at home in this compellingly twisted four-game compilation”-Will Aickman reviewed Daymare Town for AGH adventuregamehotspot.com/review/5634/... #indiegame #adventuregame
neutral · AI labelView post →The instagrab feature of the enemies ruined the gameplay and in turn the fun of this game entirely. The game itself, setting, story, graphics whatever is interesting and I want to play it, as I really liked the previous Daymare. But this feature of the enemies giga-sprinting toward you and instagrabbing you, forcing a button mash that always results in loss of HP just completely ruins the gameplay. I get that they want you to use the frost stuff to slow and freeze the enemies but that's…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is not what I expected for the follow up game of Daymare: 1998. I absolutely loved 1998, it was a true old style RE1-3 clone and it really showed. However, 1994 is a little different. I think it's probably easier to jump into the pros and cons list before I get into too much detail. So let's get to it! Pros: * As I stated it's very similar to the first 3 Resident Evils and their counterpart remakes, if you like those games you'll like Daymare. * Controls are better…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The terrible story and plot combined with stuff like "sometimes the right click to aim down sights just doesn't work even if you press it multiple times" and the zombie speed being a bit too fast end up making the game kinda feel bad to play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm super excited to show off our fully textured ships! Our artist has done an amazing job turning board game miniatures into amazing in game ships. Check out his portfolio: www.artstation.com/grubber #gamedev #godot #scifigames #strategygames #screenshotsaturday #daymare
neutral · AI labelView post →I wasted my time running around 90% of the game in empty large areas, I wont waste more on this review, Complete waste of potentials.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How can you make such a boring game after you already released Daymare 1998, which was way better than this one?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Flareon is Playing (Art by Daymare-exc). [Source](https://bsky.app/profile/daymare-exc.bsky.social/post/3maqnai5zd224) (Bluesky)
neutral · AI labelView post →With 14 hours in the game and all achievements unlocked, I think it's time I gave it a review. Short version; is it worth the money and should you get it? I would say Yes to the latter, but I would honestly price this game a little lower, or just pick it up on a sale. Longer version; The game play of this is an improvement from the first game, I quite enjoyed it. Puzzles aren't difficult they're very straight forward if you're stuck it usually involves examining an item or just reading the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The combat was very frustrating! Only two guns in the whole game! NO enemy variety!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This might’ve passed for “decent” Resident Evil clone a decade ago, but now it just feels like a forgettable experiance. Generic Area 51 backdrop, secret POTUS team, alien goop, electrified zombies... all tied together with the script and narrative writen by a stiff, self-serious director who obviously is a die-hard fan of low-budget Steven Seagal flicks.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nope, a swing and a miss again. I was actually thinking about maybe, just maybe, giving this an ever so slightly positive review but a crucial bug was the final nail in the coffin, more about that later. Anyways let me get into the nitty gritty of it all. It actually starts nice enough, the concept of how the zombies come to be in this one is slightly unique compared to other games but they couldn't even implement that very basic setup unfortunately. In summary the cause of the "outbreak" this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →lets get the obvious out the way with... this isnt a AAA budget so the cut scene acting is a B movie Horror film. The main 2 guys in the Story both look like the went to a blind plastic surgeon but after that... no complaints. Unlike Daymare 1996 THIS game plays as smooth as RE2, 3, 4 and 8 remake. it looks great and has boat loads of superb little details and Easter eggs in it from 1994. Youd actually be forgive if you thought it was running on the RE engine. The aiming system has had a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After 6 hours I think my conclusion is that it may be ok on sale for 10€ or so, as long as you don't expect triple-A quality. Or if you're starved of survival horror games because you played them all and still need your fix... I would like to compare it to the first one, which I actually liked quite a bit. But it has very little in common with that. Lets start with something minor - the running animation, which is weird. The character has this weird way of jumping while running, which is a bit…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I started a game called Daymare today. It started out as a fan made RE2 remake long before capcom were planning one...and then it got ceased and desisted and adapted into...this And while It definitely has it's share of jank and cheese, it does a great job with it's atmosphere. Looks good too.
neutral · AI labelView post →The weekend arrives and so to does the feature game for the week. Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle @InvaderDevs Grab yourself a copy here store.steampowered.com/app/1530470/... Find out more here voxodyssey.com/daymare-1994... #indiedev #gamedev #indiegame #indiegamedev #indiegames #voxodyssey
neutral · AI labelView post →I really freaking loved Daymare: 1998 so there was no way I would not play the studio's next project: Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle. A quote from a fellow player that seriously sums up the genre: FEAR meets Resident Evil meets Dead Space meets.....Lovecraftian horror? People complain so so much about this game, expecting some sort of AAA production and quality, nitpicking flaws and reasons why this is not good enough. But they forget that this is a project made by such a small handful of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today I Played: Daymare Town Once a flash game series is now an inter-connected Indie ReMasterpiece uniquely hand drawn in Mateusz signature style. If you enjoy the art, the dev Mateusz Skutnik also makes comics and a bunch other games on their website. #indiegames #gog s.team/a/2619240
positive · AI labelView post →9/10 easily. story with sense fo journey and discovery, very cool characters, fun gameplay mechanics. great graphics. its all good stuff. not a true resource management game, limited inventory slotes yeah, but its made to be convenient. it surely teaches player to count bullets combined with frostgrip, which makes great gamepaly loop. after finishing game I have proper dead space / fear aftertaste with influence of xfiles.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The rest of the current batch of game reviews. - Strange Antiquities - Daymare Town - The House of Tesla blog.zarfhome.com/2025/09/post...
neutral · AI labelView post →Blogposts I want to write/have started writing, that I never publish: ANSI colour cubes, How do ICC profiles work, making my own keyboard, EFNW, Fluentflame, our game Double Catch, the beautiful art of Daymare Town, and more. But I have so little energy, and who would read them? Just bots?
neutral · AI labelView post →this game took me 7 hours and 33 minutes to beat but it felt like days somehow an even more annoying final boss than the first game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would have given this a positive review except the final boss fight is such a miserable concept it ruins the game I was enjoying up till it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ratings to the Game: 9/10 is it worth playing? yes, if you like resident evil, is resident evil inspired. Pros: *Graphics are good *Good feel of horror *Secrets in-game *Easy Achievement Grind *Easy Controls *Well explain tutorial for newbies Cons: *Character can be quite annoying *Cutscene conversation are completely offset. *facial expression on these characters look tragic lolz *some areas in the game in-game the graphics can look washed out
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Daymare 1994 too often falls into the trap of copying much better games, hoping that as a result their game will also be good. Unfortunately, 1994 strips that charming, albeit janky, call back to classic RE games that its predecessor (1998) did quite well, in favour of a bland, overly-serious attempt at mimicking RE 2 and RE 3 Remake. While the game does have some positives, chief of which being its visuals and environmental design; it's let down by a predictable and cliche ridden narrative,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good Game! Very similar to Resident Evil games but not a copy. But you do have to remember that this is a AA/indie game, so don't expect the same quality as RE games. Pros: 1. Graphics, it looks amazing. If you showed me screenshots of this game then I would have thought it was a AAA game. 2. Atmosphere, very well done. Dark, creepy and eerie. Exactly what it should be for a horror game. 3. Combat, very good. Almost exactly the same as RE except the freeze gun adds it's own unique…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is certainly not so terrible that I would give it a dislike and to be honest I did enjoy it a bit, at least the story seems interesting and locations are a bit more detailed than in the previous game (but more linear, which is not that bad too). However, there were some things that really disappointed me. For example, bad running animation (overall animations in the game are bad, but running is very noticeable because you have to run a lot), the small number of enemy types and the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →combat feels good a good prequel and im waiting for daymare 3 hope they continue this story
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't get the quite medicore review score and the people saying that this game is not an improvement over Daymare 1998. In my opinion this is almost in every way better than the first game. I'd say for an indie survival horror game it's actually pretty good. The good -it's looks all right (except character models but even those are much imroved) -good atmosphere even though it's not that big on horror -performance is almost always pretty good -story is actually kinda interesting, cutscenes,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Coming from someone that had played the first game, I am thoroughly disappointed. My issues with the game are: bad facial animations, bad lip syncing, bad story, absolutely awful characters (everyone sucks), attack delay, and inconsistent rewards. First I want to address the lip syncing and the facial animations. Considering I have written a few english dubs for french cgi projects, I was baffled the entire game. I just kept trying to understand how the dubbing was handled. Considering…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Daymare: a drawn-out pain. To be honest, I was sure that the team would work out their mistakes made in the first part, and that the second part would turn out to be a full-fledged B-grade game (the first part was like the heat of enthusiasm of a fan of a well-known series of games). However, I was disappointed, but I was disappointed for free - the game was given to me by a friend. This somewhat smoothes out my generally not the most pleasant feelings from the game. Almost everything in the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm kind of blown away. I think Daymare: 1998 is a diamond in the rough, and I probably wouldn't recommended to anyone but genre fans, but Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is an incredible and ambitious sequel that improves on the original in just about all ways, save one or two. While the first game is certainly rooted in survival horror with action elements, I'd say that Sandcastle seems to push firmly into horror action, and the streamlined combat (removal of special ammo types, singular reload…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good evolution from Daymare 1998, heavily improved visuals, animations, voice acting, cinematics & a more mature and fleshed out story. Recommended for all fans of this genre, especially if you want to support a small dev team. Recommended, especially if you finished Daymare 1998.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a gritty and atmospheric survival horror game that aims to recapture the essence of classic ‘90s horror titles while offering a modernized prequel to Daymare: 1998. Set within the confines of a mysterious military research facility deep beneath the Nevada desert, the game drops players into the role of Dalila Reyes, a former government agent turned H.A.D.E.S. operative. Reyes is part of an elite response team sent into the facility after it abruptly goes dark, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →S tier - Lufia - Dragon Warrior 3 - Final Fantasy 3 & 7 - Sonic Adventure - The Guardian Legend - Ecco the Dolphin - Silent Hill - Mario Kart - Dark Cloud 2 - Chronotrigger - Zelda: A link to the past - Submachine (flash) A tier - Oddworld, Abe’s Odyssey - Resident Evil: codename Veronica - Banjo Kazooie - Mario RPG - Donkey Kong Country - Earthworm Jim - Battletoads - Wizards and Warriors 2 - Megaman 2 - Populous - One Chance (flash) - Daymare…
neutral · AI labelView post →Loved it, honestly, I'd say my only complaint is the moments where you're doing nothing but walking for a good minute and a half till you reach the next bit of gameplay. But in a sense, this game is more of a visual spectacle than its predecessor, to the point where even my beefy rig will chug on frames (Looking at you medical area.). I really hope we get more games in this universe, Invader is cooking with the lore and I'm a sucker for anything that feels and plays like Resident Evil.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Intro When the first demo was released, I wrote a feedback to the developer regarding the combat, that the hyper aggressive enemy does not fit the ultra slow control. At that time there were also many posts in the community having the same concern, however, little has improved in the final product and combat is the weakest aspect of the game. Control The game has a sluggish control to imitate the tank control from classic Resident Evil for more tension, but was done in a horrendous way – slow…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if Daymare 1 is edgelord resident evil, then Daymare Sandcastle is edgelord Dead Space 2 (affectionate)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You can't pet the dog at the very beginning of this game. This Resident Evil 5 clone is absolutely unplayable. All jokes aside... Reyes runs like Woody from Toy Story, once you have seen it you cannot unsee it. This game was supposed to be based in 1994 but these Section 8 guys are running around with post GWOT era gear like Ballistic Highcut Helmets and Peltor Comtacs. Once I saw the SCAR, I absolutely lost my marbles. Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain was more historically accurate than this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tonight I wanted to do a stream, and thanks to my wonderful Lady helping me decide, I'm gonna stream something new that just happens to be a scary game! Daymare 1998! I got it on my PS4, and I figure why not give it a shot? It's a love letter to OG RE games! Gonna see about going live in an hour!
positive · AI labelView post →I have had Daymare:1994 Sandcastle since day 1 but at the time it was broken, unoptimised, buggy... you name it this game probably had all the worst things that could have happened on launch. Sadly, I was waiting on a PC upgrade so this game go put on the backlog for a long, long time. I finally started it today and I feel rather let down. Not only have I crashed 3 times, I have a few little things I want to mention below. Usually I do a pro's and con's list but I don't see myself playing this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There was clearly a genuine effort to create something good, but certain issues really stand out. For starters, the character animations look incredibly stiff and comical. There is almost no sense of impact when using weapons; the enemies are essentially just bullet sponges. While the map design and story are passable, the gameplay loop is frustrating: you want to go somewhere, but first you have to move 10 steps forward, then 5 steps back to pick up or update something, then 15 steps forward,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →better than some of the resident evil i've played
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was enjoying the premise of this game until it the introduction of Aptom where it was brought to my attention that the character who is of a minority has DID and that the alter is a sociopathic killer. That is wildly inaccurate of the disorder and continues to stigmatise the condition that is wildly misunderstood, it also stigmatises the minority this character "represents". As such I can't continue to play this game and also can't recommend it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's genuinely better and free from the jank that plagued Daymare 1998, but man, it's still not there yet. Combat feels routine, not exciting. It's very on rails, with little in the way of map exploration like the Resident Evil series. The ice powers are a unique and thoughtful touch I'll give it that. Daymare 1994 just doesn't feel like a fun game to play, it looks more fun to watch if that makes sense.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Super cool game, loved the prequel and would love to see more in this series, but how is it for two games in a row the ending boss is absolute ass, It's cool to have a tough boss it's not cool to have a lame end boss, please consider a better final boss in the third
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Forever-Free Friday] Daymare Cat. Hand-drawn indie platformer for Windows, originally released in 2013 but had an "anniversary edition" QoL update last year. Pay-what-you-want on Itch.io.
neutral · AI labelView post →The cutscenes are a little clunky but a decent game worth taking a look at.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Too many boring cutscenes and forgettable characters. The running animation is bad. No ennemies variety, Only 2 guns. Gets old fast. Graphic-Sound are okay-ish. For me, it's a downgrade from the first one. I don't recommand.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →POSITIVE POINTS: - Its setting is a mixture of the Resident Evil and Dead Space sagas. - Combat is a lot of fun, especially when we get our hands on the Frost Grip: you'll love it! - The sound is outstanding, both its soundtrack and its sound effects: totally advisable to play with headphones. - It has a multitude of very funny easter eggs. NEGATIVE POINTS: - We can't pet the dog at the beginning. - The variety of enemies is very scarce. - Some enemies can kill us when they trap us,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't think this game is going to have much play-back value. It would be way to boring. But its a good 10 hour game on the first run through. I think I'm at the last fight in the game when writing this. SPOILERS ALERT CONS ----------- -Same three enemies the whole time. -Frost mechanic is required to defeat zombies -There is potential for a story. Dialogue felt very basic. (Show the audience, not tell) -Doesn't feel like a puzzle. -Enemy fights are almost always forced and you can't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An excellent game and superior to the first one. It has all the elements of Resident Evil and Dead Space that I loved. Runs great and has good graphics with tons of combat and gore. A lot of action, exploring and problem solving that keeps the game fun and moving forward. A good story with great music and spooky atmosphere. Got it on sale and beat on hardcore over the weekend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Visual: 8/10 Story:8.5/10 Gameplay: 8.5/10 Overall a good game and prequel to Daymare: 1998.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game runs completely broken, you might get an hour in and then crash, crash, crash. Verified files, un installed and re installed, and clear cache and over and over the game completely crashes my pc with 32GB of Ram and 16GB of dedicated Graphics. DO NOT BUY.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, for me it was a chill time, a game that can be finished in like 5-8h, for me it took 10, cuz Im well.. slow? a Graphical improvement from the previous game, and overall played better. Just the Cutscene Human models werent that great. And the final boss was a pain... not hard, just a pain! Foe me its a 7/10 game, cuz overall I had a enjoyable slow paced action horror experience. But give it a try yourself, ya may like it, or not, but if I need to compare, its like Resident Evil 2…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was a great follow-up to their last Daymare game. A lot better in many ways.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Moving your way through a creepy abandoned science facility while being attacked by unknown horrors and slowly unravelling the mystery of what happened. Yes, please. The atmosphere was spectacular, as was the lore. The V.O could do with some improvements. I finished it in about 12 hours, so I felt it was a bit short. I hope to see more in this universe.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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