Darkest Hunters
Darkest Hunters
Game
Game2019
Horace
Developer Paul Helman, Sean Scaplehorn
Horace is a 2019 platform video game developed by British indie developers Paul Helman and Sean Scaplehorn, and published by 505 Games. The game was originally launched for Microsoft Windows on July 19, 2019, with a Nintendo Switch port released on October 21, 2020. The game also released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 28, 2023. Players control the titular Horace, a sentient robot who is adopted by a… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
299 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
71
Fresh
128 positive · 53 negative
95% range 64–77%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 128 | 53 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 18 | 1 | 90 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 9 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
428 of 546 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
71% recommend · 131 yes, 53 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 184 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (555 of 695 positive).
Players praise Horace as a hidden gem with a touching story and creative platforming. [1][2][3] Some reviewers find the game too long, with excessive cutscenes and difficulty spikes. [4][5][6] A few players criticize the platforming for poor hitboxes and frustrating sections. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [6]
Starts off well, but falls off in every way the farther one gets into it. By the end, the game abandons all attempt at either resolving the plots it set up or having anything to say about the topics it suggests it wants to explore. Some of the gameplay is good, and here and there there are some fantastic visuals and pleasing takes on classic pieces of music, but the platforming suffers too much from its own flaws to …
- [1]
One of the best and most entertaining games I have played lately. Probably not for everyone, but huge recommendation for anyone who likes platforming, story-heavy games, tons of pop culture references (especially for people my age who grew up in the 80s), and who got nothing against lots of silliness in-between, but also cherishes quick switchovers into emotional and serious undertones. Horace as a game actually is …
- [4]
There is a lot going on in this game. It is a stunning achievement. It is also a mess. Horace is a very long game, probably too long and the solo developer issues show up a lot. I think they could have used someone to tell them to leave things out. It drives me absolutely crazy because some decisions are pretty amazing but then they are followed with something so bafflingly bad I question if I am still inhabiting a …
- [12]
A very polarizing game—at times evocative and ingenious; at others confusing and irritating—but nevertheless a clear work of passion and talent that still deserves recognition. (+) Bursting with content and variety. Some chapters feature purely linear platforming, while others are structured like a full-blown Metroidvania. Sometimes the levels are Meatboy-esque in execution, while others are slower and involve …
- [2]
Criminally underrated, a real hidden gem of 2D platformers. With tons of non-repeating mechanics, well thought boss fights and great story alongside interesting characters and fantastic music that combined with challenging gameplay makes one truly memorable experience. Props to the developer, I really enjoyed it.
Summarised from 34 of the 267 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 Horace talk about engaging story with emotional depth and humor; those who didn't talk about too many lengthy, unskippable cutscenes. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
According to review aggregator Metacritic, both PC and Nintendo Switch versions of Horace has received generally favorable reviews. On November 28, 2022, Paul Helman received the Love Story Gaming Award for Excellence in Storytelling for his work on Horace.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 299 · most liked firstMy take on Horace, the Iron Poet, from the game Armello, training outside on a hot day. The in-game model's fur pattern differs from the official art, and much of his fur is covered by armor anyway, so I just did my best!
neutral · AI labelView post →When people bring up Boebert or something it’s like yeah she’s dumb but her level of dumb is Horace Grant to his Michael Jordan. Both great players but only one of them is redefining the game
neutral · AI labelView post →I like how even in the Michael Jordan videogame his teammates have to be portrayed as losers compared to Michael Jordan, you know Michael demanded that. He was like I’m not making this game about magic flaming basketballs unless people know Horace Grant plays like ass compared to me.
neutral · AI labelView post →@darthbluesky.bsky.social from mom: Horace just left for the weekly poker game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Got myself a Horace mug. “Horace goes skiing” was the first computer game I owned.
positive · AI labelView post →June 16, 1993: Chicago's Michael Jordan finishes with 55 PTS (21-37 FG) in a 111-105 win over Phoenix in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Horace Grant added 17 PTS/16 REB/3 BLK/3 STL for the Bulls, who took a 3-1 series lead. The Suns' Charles Barkley had 32 PTS/12 REB/10 AST/3 STL.
neutral · AI labelView post →Sixteen-year-old Fred Titmus on the first day of a career that spanned more than three decades, Somerset v Middlesex, Bath, June 19th 1949. This was last game for Horace Brearley, Mike's father. Over 33 years later Titmus' 792nd and final first-class game was also Mike Brearley's last at Lord's
neutral · AI labelView post →May 17, 1993: Michael Jordan hits a game-winning buzzer beater at Cleveland to complete the Bulls' series sweep in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Jordan had 31 PTS/9 REB/6 AST and Horace Grant added 17 PTS/10 REB for Chicago in a 103-101 victory over the Cavaliers.
neutral · AI labelView post →Having more or less finished the game (moon base and all), I can confidently say: this game is much less impressive than it thinks it is. TLDR: a mediocre platformer that can't pick a genre wrapped in a poorly written and cliche "robofeels" story that can't keep track of its own themes, hiding behind some references to 70s and 80s arcade titles. First, gameplay: this is a game that really can't decide what it wants to be. The first 15% or so is a decent platforming tutorial that wildly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →June 20, 1993: Chicago's Horace Grant blocks Kevin Johnson as time expires in Game 6, and the Bulls hold on for a 99-98 win over the Suns in Phoenix—clinching their 3rd NBA Championship in a row. Grant also assisted on John Paxson's game-winning three with 3.9 seconds remaining.
neutral · AI labelView post →May 17, 1993: Michael Jordan hits a game-winning buzzer beater at Cleveland to complete the Bulls' series sweep in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Jordan had 31 PTS/9 REB/6 AST and Horace Grant added 17 PTS/10 REB for Chicago in a 103-101 victory over the Cavaliers.
neutral · AI labelView post →One of the best and most entertaining games I have played lately. Probably not for everyone, but huge recommendation for anyone who likes platforming, story-heavy games, tons of pop culture references (especially for people my age who grew up in the 80s), and who got nothing against lots of silliness in-between, but also cherishes quick switchovers into emotional and serious undertones. Horace as a game actually is really difficult to describe, it’s a lot of things simultaneously, making it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →April 26, 2001: The Lakers' Horace Grant dunks on Arvydas Sabonis of the Trail Blazers during Game 2 of their first round playoff series. For Los Angeles, Shaquille O'Neal had 32 PTS/12 REB and Kobe Bryant added 25 PTS. Scottie Pippen had 21 PTS/8 REB for Portland. 📺 NBA Action
neutral · AI labelView post →[url=store.steampowered.com/app/629090/Horace/?snr=1_1056_ajaxgetfilteredrecommendations_1056_curator-tabs&curator_clanid=35523649]Fell in love with it quick.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →March 20, 1994: Chicago's Scottie Pippen dunks on Chuck Person of Minnesota. Pippen had 14 PTS/11 REB/6 AST/3 BLK and Horace Grant scored 18 PTS in the Bulls' 90-80 win. Isaiah Rider scored a game-high 25 PTS and Stacey King had 19 PTS/7 REB for the Timberwolves.
neutral · AI labelView post →January 16, 1988: A Bulls-Pistons brawl. Rick Mahorn (DET) & Charles Oakley (CHI) were ejected. Mahorn was suspended one game & fined $5K. Oakley was fined $2K. Bulls coach Doug Collins was fined $1,500. Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Granville Waiters, John Salley & Vinnie Johnson were fined $500.
neutral · AI labelView post →Nothing but repeats on TV this evening, folks, so how about a game of dominoes instead? Confession: I'd never heard of artist Horace Pippin (1888 to 1946) till about 10 minutes ago but I love his work already.
neutral · AI labelView post →I like the pixel art and the music. Unfortunately most of the game is watching lengthy and mostly monotonous cutscenes. And many of those cutscenes do extreme close ups on characters which makes everything look horrible and gave me a headache after a while. The cutscenes can be skipped, but if you do that you're missing all the story. If the cutscenes were heavily trimmed I'd give it another go.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Starts off well, but falls off in every way the farther one gets into it. By the end, the game abandons all attempt at either resolving the plots it set up or having anything to say about the topics it suggests it wants to explore. Some of the gameplay is good, and here and there there are some fantastic visuals and pleasing takes on classic pieces of music, but the platforming suffers too much from its own flaws to even begin redeeming the narrative issues, and the narrative issues are too…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →April 26, 2001: The Lakers’ Horace Grant dunks on Portland’s Arvydas Sabonis during Game 2 of their first round playoff series. Shaquille O'Neal had 32 PTS/12 REB and Kobe Bryant added 25 PTS in Los Angeles’ 106-88 victory. Scottie Pippen had 21 PTS/8 REB for the Trail Blazers. 📺 NBA Action
neutral · AI labelView post →#BookologyThursday "Where'er a casque that suits this sword is found, With perils is thy daughter compass'd round; Alfonso's blood alone can save the maid, And quiet a long restless prince's shade." Horace Walpole - The Castle of Otranto - Alfonso's ghost plays a waiting game ... 🎨 Anna Podedworna
neutral · AI labelView post →June 20, 1993: Chicago's Horace Grant blocks Kevin Johnson as time expires in Game 6, and the Bulls hold on for a 99-98 win over the Suns in Phoenix—clinching their 3rd NBA Championship in a row. Grant also assisted on John Paxson's game-winning three with 3.9 seconds remaining.
neutral · AI labelView post →I don’t think there’s any legislated law that states that, but some courts treat it as a basic principle (especially in the state of Delaware). What I’ve usually seen as an early example of this is [Dodge v. Ford Motor Co.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_v._Ford_Motor_Co.) from 1919. Henry Ford had amassed a surplus of more than $60 million (equally to more than $1.1 billion today) and wanted to reinvest that money in expanding the business with new factories while continuing to raise…
neutral · AI labelView post →March 20, 1994: Chicago's Scottie Pippen dunks on Chuck Person of Minnesota. Pippen had 14 PTS/11 REB/6 AST/3 BLK and Horace Grant scored 18 PTS in the Bulls' 90-80 win. Isaiah Rider scored a game-high 25 PTS and Stacey King had 19 PTS/7 REB for the Timberwolves.
neutral · AI labelView post →Started out nice enough, both the gameplay as well as the storytelling which is quite enjoyable. But then it turned into a very annoying platformer with a gravity/rotation gimmick which just makes me nauseous. After about 2 hours of playing the difficulty started to ramp way up, with instant death everywhere. Thanks, I'm done.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"The game is called Horace Goes Skiing, why does he have to cross a road?"
neutral · AI labelView post →Unfortunately, the amount reliance on infinite lives and constantly retrying to get something right just once is really not fun. Can not recommend to anyone except a platforming enthusiast.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →November 24, 1993: San Antonio’s Willie Anderson dunks on Bill Cartwright of Chicago. Anderson scored a game-high 21 PTS (8-11 FG) in 21 minutes during the Spurs' 109-84 win. Horace Grant scored 18 PTS to lead the Bulls.
neutral · AI labelView post →Is the game fun and entertaining? Yes Would I recommend this? No. The game is, at its heart, a platformer, but it is a platformer with very terrible hitboxes, often not in the players favor. The camera, at times, is reminiscent of Super Mario 64 in that it can turn in wild and unpredictable ways that make platforming near impossible. There are also many times when the camera intentionally doesn't shift with the players orientation, meaning that the controls also don't adjust (meaning that left…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Behind the scenes of DRACULA (1931): Tod Browning, Bela Lugosi, play producer Horace Liveright, and dialogue writer Dudley Murphy. cross-posted from [email protected] -- see that community for more images from films of all types!
neutral · AI labelView post →🕹C64 Game of the Day🕹 Hungry Horace (1983) by Gregg Barnett and published by Melbourne House. The fun little Pac-Man style game that first introduced us to Horace. I’ve not played this in a while and I forgot how tough it could be. #Commodore64 #RetroGames #C64GameOfTheDay
neutral · AI labelView post →It's a story-focused adventure platformer with a cute story and really nice pixel art, but it's just too long. The most considerable criticism is how long and slow the game is, primarily because of the numerous cut scenes and the platformer parts in between. Having some mini-games to break up the platformer would be nice, though. Still, it doesn't happen as often as I would have wished, and the core remains a platformer. Text-to-speech is thematic and a nice way to save on the budget, but due…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tod Browning, Bela Lugosi, play producer Horace Liveright, and dialogue writer Dudley Murphy Behind the scenes of DRACULA (1931).
neutral · AI labelView post →According to [the Wikipedia article,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ether_Dome), for those wondering what its historical significance is, this is where anesthetic was first successfully used in a surgical operation. > It served as the hospital's operating room from its opening in 1821 until 1867. It was the site of the first public demonstration of the use of inhaled ether as a surgical anesthetic on October 16, 1846, otherwise known as Ether Day. The Ether Dome event occurred when William…
neutral · AI labelView post →🕹C64 Game of the Day🕹 Horace Goes Skiing (1984) by Gregg Barnett and published by Melbourne House. Its been a hot one today so Let’s cool down with a spot of skiing. Now, if I can just get across that busy old road… #Commodore64 #RetroGames #C64GameOfTheDay
positive · AI labelView post →I paid homage to Horace Goes Skiing in my Incredible Crash Dummies Gameboy game.
positive · AI labelView post →EFF the timed zone! It was a cute, relaxed, fun game until the bloody timed zone. After 20 tries, the unforgiving 1-mistake-you're-dead-while-time-still-races-on, and the unforgivable inability to cancel out of ANY cutscene, it has been deleted. If you're going to make it THAT bloody deadly and unforgiving, at least reset the time to when you entered the door.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Criminally underrated, a real hidden gem of 2D platformers. With tons of non-repeating mechanics, well thought boss fights and great story alongside interesting characters and fantastic music that combined with challenging gameplay makes one truly memorable experience. Props to the developer, I really enjoyed it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Poor Horace just wants to play with the pretty flea too bad they aren't playing the same game lol
neutral · AI labelView post →I know I'm late for @heckmaybe.bsky.social 's Make Anything game but I still wanted to draw something for the occasion. Hungry Horace performs his secret technique, the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku.
neutral · AI labelView post →Introduced the lad to a real video game mascot—Horace—courtesy of the Spectrum. He’s never shown any interest in Speccy games before when using emulators on Windows … but there’s something about those rubber keys!
positive · AI labelView post →Caddos and Wichitas playing a hand game at Binger, Oklahoma around 1955. 📷 Horace Poolaw (Kiowa) | © Horace Poolaw Estate
neutral · AI labelView post →An adorable platform game with an insane amount of world-building and storytelling. You might think it’s just a dingy little platformer with some pop-culture references. But this is more inline with an epic, with long stretches of dialogue and exposition, interspersed with segments of gameplay. It actually spends a lot of time justifying gameplay through its narrative, meaning that you’re not going to get the easy-going trappings or quick pacing of a Mario game. There’s this wonderful sense…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Speaking of 2D open-world platformers you must play - I highly recommend Horace. It's under $5 right now and starts off a bit slow, but it's a one of a kind game that will grab you and refuse to let go once it gets moving. It's an amazing (and at times, challenging but fair!) gaming experience.
positive · AI labelView post →The first (or possibly second) game I played on the #ZXSpectrum. When I received a 48K ZX Speccy in '83 it had the Horizons cassette and Hungry Horace - so either this or Thro' The Wall (on Horizons) was loaded first!
neutral · AI labelView post →Playing an indie game called Horace, you can really tell it was made by brits because the Nintendo references are super surface level "haha mushroom" but then the Sega references are perfect recreations of Space Harrier and Outrun
neutral · AI labelView post →Umpire who tried to fix a game: Dick Higham Physician who tried to bribe an umpire: Joseph Creamer Complained about the umps too much: Horace Fogel Unknown, probably bad domestic violence: Roberto Alomar Remembering his bosses old password: Chris Correa
neutral · AI labelView post →One thing: A hidden gem. There is a lot of good platformers out there in steam and nothing away from all those titles who have climbed to the top and selling millions of copies. The Horace however has faded away in history still delivering really good challenging and innovative gameplay with a lot of content crowned by the story who made me swept a tear and burst out laughing loud and a lot. The only thing which is kinda its pro and con at the same time is a main character who is totally…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Over 3 interpretations of arcade games, Horace became an icon of the early Spectrum era. The third game got to #1 in the UK chart. But no more followed. I looked at what happened, and why the normal reason given may not be the full story: www.superchartisland.com/horace-and-the-spiders
neutral · AI labelView post →Really underappreciated hidden gem of a game, even if the presentation can look jarring at first. Very fun game with emotional story.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the pacing is so bad
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think the best way I can describe this game is "worse than the sum of its parts". There's a lot to like about this game, but unfortunately when stuck together these elements mix about as well as cold water and grease. The game is basically a reflex testing platformer. For the first few stages it feels like competent (if not particularly interesting) basic platforming fare, then just a few steps later it turns into Super Meat Boy on acid. The problem here is the complete lack of consistency.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Aw, look at Australians just casually inventing the first official 4X video game. I'm not happy yet, but seeing Horace helps. 😎
neutral · AI labelView post →Horace outstays its welcome period. The story seems good at first, but it is too unnecessarily stretched. Some parts of the game are hard to follow, and locking story progression behind forced mini-games is absolutely rubbish. I got genuinely enraged at those times. The close-up camera switches are also one of the worst design choices of this game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Everything I Ever Wanted (2025, dir Horace Priester). A young musician's life unravels as he meets a budding playwright battling survivor's guilt from a tragic accident. Despite their differing levels of success, their paths collide, igniting a spark that will change their lives forever. https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1409299-everything-i-ever-wanted
neutral · AI labelView post →No, it's Horace. He probably won't mean much to people outside of the U.K. but he was the star of a number of games for 8-bit home computers in the early '80s. His most popular game featured him skiing. 🙂 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_...
neutral · AI labelView post →This is one of the games I've requested that Steam remove from my Library. It has been a long time since I finished this one so my memories may not be 100% clear. I am sure I hated it though, which I feel bad about because a lot of love clearly went in to its development. I think it was kind of a precision platformer, but it didn't feel rewarding, just clunky. The story was also a way bigger part of the experience than I've seen any any other precision platformers. I feel like 40% or more of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This has the slowest, most godawful pacing in any game I've ever played. It's almost unplayable.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First game I remember playing: (Horace Goes Skiing, ZX Spectrum)
neutral · AI labelView post →EDIT: Having now fully completed the game, I can definitely say that this is an acquired taste. A lot of aspects of the game could use a fair bit more polish, and all of the more interesting developments in both story and gameplay take their sweet time getting rolling, but there definitely is still fun to be had here. The issues are still a bit too much for me to switch to a full thumbs-up - particularly having multiple sets of minigames which control pretty poorly, which you are required to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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