Rauniot
Rauniot
Game
Game2024
Serum: Toxic Survival
Developer Game Island
Dive into a thrilling survival adventure where an unknown liquid takes control of your life. Extract Serum to stay alive, battle dangerous creatures, solve puzzles, and uncover clues about past events. From the Steam store page
191 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
38
Rotten
64 positive · 104 negative
95% range 31–46%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 64 | 104 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Negative
68 of 174 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
38% recommend · 64 yes, 103 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 167 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (154 of 319 positive).
Some players praise the innovative serum mechanic and immersive gameplay. [1][2][3] Many reviewers report the game feels abandoned with no updates for months. [4][5][6][7] Several players criticize poor optimization, bugs, and lack of quality-of-life features. [8][9][10][11]
Liked
Representative posts
- [1]
Experienced Survival Gamer's Take on "Serum" As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience across various genres, I approached Serum with high expectations and a readiness to delve deep. After spending 18.5 hours exploring every inch of the map, finding all the chests, and upgrading every piece of gear and serum, I have a comprehensive view of what this game has to offer. Highlights - Innovative Time-Based …
- [15]
love this game haven't played something like this for awhile iv unlocked nearly everything it has to offer(tier three benches and weapons and upgraded a lot of serums) i just wish it had bigger maps and more stuff to explore but it is early access so i understand, had real fun with it hope the devs keep up a good job :) P.S there is some work to be done that is true but it dose not deserve negative reviews
- [4]
No communication from the devs on their official discord since September. Everyone has been kept in the dark No updates No fixes No anything suspected abandoned. Will not recommend until the management learns how to be responsible and sincere. If they can't deliver, then they need to quit the BS. Get it done, or delist.
- [8]
Let me start by saying, "Serum" has potential. The devs are super receptive to feedback, which is always a good sign. But this game needs a bit more time in the oven. I'm running a 4070 Super with an i7, and I can't get a steady 50 FPS no matter how many settings I lower. I can run Hellblade 2 at 90 fps so it's not my hardware. One big issue: the inventory tooltips, or rather, the lack thereof. When crafting, there …
- [10]
Solid 5/10. I don't regret playing through the game but asking anything more than 20 dollars is too much. Game is held back very hard by inconsistent mechanics, annoying audio, and poor optimization. I did not know what the bad reviews were talking about until the second half of the game. Once I got there my frames never climbed above 25. It feels like they just forgot to optimize the last zone of the game and …
Summarised from 34 of the 185 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 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
38% of the 167 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Serum: Toxic Survival. The complaint that keeps coming up: game appears abandoned with no updates for months. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 191 · most liked firstThe review that is negative about the lack of inventory or a hotbar system (tab and a mouse move - super fast) obviously didn't spend anytime looking for because I found it in my first 5min of gameplay. Will update further, but I felt like I needed to counter their negative review, because they simply don't know what they are talking about
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay, I really like this game.... but lets just start with what it's not. It's not a finished game (So expect typical early access stuff like unoptimized performance, save wipes, crashes, bugs, missing content, missing features, etc) It's not a typical survival base builder.... you get a base, it's pretty much done and you just upgrade your benches and other parts of your base. So with those out of the way I can tell you that it's more akin to a more old school survival game except instead of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has an interesting concept that I like, but I honestly can't recommend it at this time. I do understand that its early access so I'm gonna talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly that this game has. TLDR: Game has a cool setting, gameplay mechanics are frustrating, game is buggy, and QoL is extremely lacking in this game. Wait until its more developed and check reviews before purchase. The bad (Why you shouldn't buy this game): I encountered a game crippling bug about 3 hours…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No communication from the devs on their official discord since September. Everyone has been kept in the dark No updates No fixes No anything suspected abandoned. Will not recommend until the management learns how to be responsible and sincere. If they can't deliver, then they need to quit the BS. Get it done, or delist.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →dont buy the game, the development studio was closed down without any notice to the consumers, and the publisher kept lying about the game being worked on when in reality it has no team to handle said development, they keep throwing out lame ass discounts for a product that quite frankly is far not a functioning product if you read this.. spend your money somewhere else, not on this abandonware. publisher clearly doesnt care about the small fanbase the game once had with how they are trying…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a game with a huge potential, however it unfortunately seems abandoned. There's been nothing new since september 24, 6 months ago as of this review. It's a shame really. There is a lot of potential, but the devs probably couldn't make it work. They should however just come forth and talk about it, instead of hiding in their holes. Your money is better spent somewhere else.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let me start by saying, "Serum" has potential. The devs are super receptive to feedback, which is always a good sign. But this game needs a bit more time in the oven. I'm running a 4070 Super with an i7, and I can't get a steady 50 FPS no matter how many settings I lower. I can run Hellblade 2 at 90 fps so it's not my hardware. One big issue: the inventory tooltips, or rather, the lack thereof. When crafting, there are these mysterious symbols representing materials. It's like trying to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game had great potential. At the time of writing this there has been no game updates done in ~8 months. I wish the devs would come forward with at least something. Until then - spend your money elsewhere. Edit: Even on the front page of steam its stated the following and I quote; Note: The last update made by the developers was over 14 months ago. The information and timeline described by the developers here may no longer be up to date.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Personally as a buyer from Day 1 and a content creator making the videos on the series i was hopeful. But last "major" update was in September and as of writing this it's been 3 months with no news or anything. suggested big changes to improve game in their discord but still radio silence. We get ignored with no mod response, no updates to their supposed roadmap, and the last "major" update felt so half assed i gave up recording videos on it because it didn't feel fun enough for me to do it.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I understand that this game is early access, but it's honestly not even ready for that. Basic things like inventory management, hot bar/shortcuts for heals, etc simply do not exist. IMO, a game like this should launch with those things intact, regardless of early access or not. Not a great first experience at all. I would wait for these things to be added before bothering with it, personally.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Howdy Howdy guys. I hope everyone is doing well. Unfortunately, this is the first review I'm ever writing and at the time of this review I would heavily suggest holding off here. I had a chance to play this before release and was excited that things would be better at the EA release. There are definitely some interesting concepts here regarding to the Serum mechanic and gaining abilities through experimentation and having to balance your toxicity. That being said, there are a whole bunch of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't/won't recommend this game. The original developers abandoned the game. The publisher has done nothing but lie, they are grifters. Instead of pulling the game from steam or at the very least, be honest about the state of the game and drop the price to $5.00, they leave it at full price and mention nothing, hoping the ill informed few will buy their abandoned game. I will never buy another game that has this publishers name on it. Be warned
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Solid 5/10. I don't regret playing through the game but asking anything more than 20 dollars is too much. Game is held back very hard by inconsistent mechanics, annoying audio, and poor optimization. I did not know what the bad reviews were talking about until the second half of the game. Once I got there my frames never climbed above 25. It feels like they just forgot to optimize the last zone of the game and combined with some weird bugs, the whole game felt like it was being held together by…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Experienced Survival Gamer's Take on "Serum" As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience across various genres, I approached Serum with high expectations and a readiness to delve deep. After spending 18.5 hours exploring every inch of the map, finding all the chests, and upgrading every piece of gear and serum, I have a comprehensive view of what this game has to offer. Highlights - Innovative Time-Based Mechanic: The concept of a time-limited serum that drives the core gameplay is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game has been abandoned - not updated for over a year. Do not buy
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game seems abandon ware. Concept was good, but way not finished and nearly a year since the last update. bah.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am on the new reality stage, i cannot pick up the serum and just repeatedly die. I have lost all my weapon and serums and it's like the game has started from the begining. As you not allowed to rollback saves i am stuck and have not been able to play for two days now. Most frustrated
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is Abandonware. Devs claim they are working on it but the main publisher (toplitz) has little to nothing to say about it. all we have is a "we're working on it" Game has good bones but the flesh is rotten and not even the maggots are eating. STAY AWAY. UPDATE: After gaslighting any interested in this game that it was still being developed it is now July 12. THERE HAS BEEN NO MEANINGFUL UPDATE TO THE GAMER OR ROADMAP. THIS "GAME" IS APPROACHING EA ABUSE TERRITORY.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had access to the early game before they released it. I had some feedback that I provided after I did the playtest, it's a bit disappointing to see the devs did not take one in to consideration. It's a cool concept, but it's very frustrating and rage inducing. I know a lot of people get frustrated when they die and the respawn starts the all the way at the start, eliminating all of the work they just did. Even though it says "Game Saved" that does not mean it's a checkpoint for where you will…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →played once. had fun. wanted to revisit the game at a later date when it was more polished but it seems that date will never come....steam needs to update its refund policy with regards to abandonware...this forcing the DEVs to communicate, update, or refund. Wait for the game to get under $8.00 and enjoy it for its concept and style. nothing more and nothing less. games like these make me regret helping indie developers and giving them the benefit of the doubt... so do i recommend the game?…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →She is using her position to make herself an influencer. Trash in heels. How about a game show where EVERY elected official gets an IQ type test followed by a Session with Truth Serum to see if they are legit or posers. The truth test should be a public televised addition to our election process now
neutral · AI labelView post →i would have recommend this game a few years back, when i got it but now its just another dead game that dev just walks away from don't buy it.it hasn't got and update in almost a year and just radio silence
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yeah this game isnt it since there are many bugs and it just feels very unfinished but also the lack of updates are quite worrying
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL:DR: Survival crafting with a death timer that doesn't shut up. Don't recommend I do not normally write reviews after only playing 30 minutes. but here I go. The premise of Serum is interesting but poorly executed, a survival crafting game where you are on a timer in essense. while it had a lot to offer, it was unfortunatly held back terribly by the non stop chatter from the protagonist and the antagonist. I found myself sitting around being bored to death by the same story beat you see…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do not buy, its been completely abandoned
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →why do i bother to check this pice of ♥♥♥♥ every few months . i was a pice of ♥♥♥♥ at launch , it is a pce of ♥♥♥♥ now , and it will be when i ty it again. do your self a favor and dont buy this crap .
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked the game but I cannot recommend it in its current state. There is a decent amount of gameplay, but it is also still incomplete. I would say play it now and come back and play it again in 6-12 months, but it's also technically broken at this point. I don't know what they did in the last update, but the game looks worse and tanks framerate hard. I'm playing at 3840x1600, and I was getting 40-70fps at max settings with DLSS quality and framegen on. Adjusting settings then actually changed…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic game so far there are only a few things I can complain about. 1. Bosses glitch and you will have to kill them multiple times with no extra rewards. 2. The main story line is unfinished I had a quest to go to a certain area but you have to finish the first two areas first. However once you finish the fist two areas the game tells me "thank you for playing. You have completed the content." If you want this game I would recommend waiting for a while untill the story is completed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would really like to recommend this game I'm a survival full fanboy but I can't even get the game to turn on and I've done the full update drivers check game file integrity but every time I hit play it just instantly crashes and then shuts down and I've been through the help guides so until this game updates and works or at least I can play it I have to say don't get yet
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The only thing you'll get from this Serum is a bad case of the Early Access blues... It's abandoned.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This one is bad enough I actually requested a refund. Game is absolutely poorly optimized, crashes often, and is just poorly laid out to start with. I can go on for a research paper on the issues I picked up in an hour of gameplay. And for the record, I honestly prefer early access games, have probably played 100+ over the years, and am pretty lienient of these issues... but in this case they were just so bad I had to call it. It also doesn't appear the devs are even involved in the game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Would have been a great game. Serum could have been a great game. Unfortunately the devs aren't responding with actual updates here or on Discord. As it stands now, gameplay is decent but not great. Combat is clunky, crafting is repetitive, and certain materials are obscenely hard to find. Add to that the overall lack of support from the team, and it's not worth the money. I really wanted to like Serum. I invested time to send in bugs, provide feedback, and try to make it the best possible…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it took me about an hour to find the location of the spear recipe and the same with the bow (which has unlimited arrows). A lot of exploring to discover recipes, and its many. I died a lot in the process. But that's part of my approach to these games. I like to take my time. 20++ Hours in, and i feel i just scratched the surface. Very early EA, so there are a few hick ups, for me its a winner 9/10 Some of my gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc_lWwG9ulA
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Adding this to the wall of shame. There needs to be a stricter/harsher consequence for these publishers/developers that do these bait and switch tactics to keep pushing 10% completed games that have been abandoned.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Since it's Early Access, what I'm about to write will probably be fixed. So I think the optimization is very bad. DLSS, Frame Generation and barely 40-50 fps on average. The story is not bad, and the game is very atmospheric. Graphics are in the OK category, I wouldn't call it outstanding in max graphics compared to a 2024 paid game. The Tutorial / Story missions are very confusing, for example, craft your melee weapon, but the game doesn't tell you how to get raw materials for it. Or go from A…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game concept I really hope they add to it in the future. For the now the game is short and its very easy to cheese any and all enemies you come across. I would like to see a better combat system so it feels like enemies might actually be a threat (the rats are the most difficult creatures, which is bad). A huge positive is the notes and the journal you come across, with both you never feel lost and know exactly how to counter your foes....if you read it. This concludes the overall…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game optimization is a disaster. The title itself looks interesting, but unfortunately, it's unplayable. RTX3060 + Ryzen 7 + 16GB Ram and on high settings, it drops from 40FPS to even 11FPS. This is unacceptable, and frankly, disgraceful. ------------------- Optymalizacja gry to katastrofa. Sam tytuł wygląda interesująco, ale niestety jest niegrywalny. RTX3060 + Ryzen 7 + 16GB Ram i na wysokich ustawieniach dropy z 40FPS do nawet 11FPS. To niedopuszczalne, a wręcz karygodne.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a dead game. The creators dropped it without completeing it. Very buggy with lots of, spend tonnes of time searching for any crafting item you really NEED, instead of actual gameplay. This game is still up for sale, along with a soundtrack and a bunch of other cr*p which still amazes me steam is allowing this game to sell AT ALL. Could have beena good game but evs got there money and dumped it and refuse to even talk about it anymore. Just the fact alone it has had no updates at all…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Spent an hour playing yesterday. Got to the next biome. Load up game today and I spawned at the very beginning of the game only no cutscenes activated and I was apparently locked inside that starting area with no way to leave. Suicided by jumping and taking fall damage. Hit respawn and I did spawn at my base but everything I had crafted and found was gone and I also didn't have access to any of the benches. Cannot recommend the game in it's current state. I do dig the visual vibe of the game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Would rate 8/10 Reasons? Positive: My playthrough took 10 hours I died several times (might be a skill issue) Late game I felt powerful - Think skyrim stealth archer Resources are scarce or gotten by fighting Farming was useful but a little broken and reasonably so I had reasons to go back to previous locations Negatives: Game had a few bugs - Base generator fuel cap sometimes reset but didn't affect too much or fixed itself - Outside generators sometimes lost fuel, rather…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sadly I have to agree with a a lot of folks. the game requires a really powerful build to run properly and suffers from lagging issues which I think might be from loading so much stuff. For me the lagging happens each time a objective completes.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game has great potential too bad that the developers are not sharing any kind of progress or updates. Seems to be abandoned at this point. Another reason to avoid buying any kind or EA titles.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DEADWARE bought it really early and this Dev certainly doesn´t like to communicate. Good concept, decent execution with some questionable design choices but it WOULD be worth it IF it were to see the full Release. Communication is beyond good and evil and an absolut Sh*tshow, March ´25. March of last year damnit. As it stands right now: DON´T BUY THIS GAME
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A relentless timer on your arm decides between life and death.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cool idea of a game as well as atmosphere, but the game is broken in numerous ways that prevents you from continuing through the story. Recycling at workbenches is also a broken game mechanic that doesn't give you resources back. I attempted to reach out to the devs and also on Discord, but it appears that this game developer and publisher aren't putting more effort into this. Don't buy it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was seeing this game on Steam for a long while before I decided to finally get it. I was mostly hesitant from the reviews, but loved the idea of it. The concept itself is awesome and unique and I just wish it was implemented better. I tried to like this game, but it truly fell short in my opinion. Yes, I understand that it's Early Access, but keep in mind that I've got nearly 1300 hours baked into 7 Days to Die, the king of Early Access games. Better yet, I'm probably at 3000 hours in Escape…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After playing for 3 hours, and completing the majority of the game (early access, full story not unlocked) I have a few notes: The game play is great, immersive, and very enjoyable. However; there were quite a few points during the gaming session that the fps tanked pretty roughly, mostly happening during times of coming through the air locks into the next area, where I'd image the game unloads the previous area, and loads the next. Resource gathering is pretty on point for a game of this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whoa-Ho! This game is VERY early access! Do not buy just yet! I encountered TWO game breaking bugs in under 20 mins!!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Could be fun but I had some serious framerate issues. Running on Ryzen 5950X with 32GB of RAM and RTX 3080. No matter if I had low or epic settings. Framerate was jumping like those rotter (mutant rabbits from the game). Asked for a refund. It's a shame.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really needs basic things added like hot key to move inventory from pack to storage. As it is you have to manually click each item and then click a button on screen to move each unit. Really? Just terrible. Not to mention a "deposit all" or "deposit same stack" button would be nice. Also optimization seems to be very poor. Had to turn recommended graphic settings way down to get decent frame rate. I'll change my review to positive once things improve.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2 words dead game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#SizeSky idea- Character action game with both regular humans and gigantic monster bosses, where the God Blood Serum in your veins reacts to your combo counter and makes you grow bigger if you can chain long enough strings of hits together, so you can start air comboing skyscrapers if you're good.
neutral · AI labelView post →You are to be subjected to a series of tests. Compliance is mandatory... Our 13th monthly game, Serum, is out! Serum is a short, atmospheric, cosmic horror game that you can play for free on cumulet.itch.io/serum.
neutral · AI labelView post →Incredibly, frustratingly unpolished for a game that looks as nice as it does. Lots of issues with menu access (at least with game pad, i. e. open storage button is the same button as store item from inventory, i store my first inventory item almost every time i open the storage), issues with dropping and looting items, i've dropped items to pick up later and watched them fall through the ground twice now, some general interfacing issues including the game freezing while moving between menus.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have only played for 1 hours, but so far the combat "melee" so far is just god awful, delays between swings regardless of having full stamina or low stamina. The game itself is pretty good so far, the combat system is the only thing holding this game back from being good if you ask me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is..........ok at best, still missing tons of stuff. Overall the idea behind the Serum system is ok and keeps you going back to base to stock and create serum, but the base upgrades are limited and VERY uninteresting, with little to no visual changes to the areas being "upgraded". While there are a few different types of serum you can make some are just....meh (damage resistance against a certain type, yay). No way to increase your stats so its an inventory management chore constantly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Neat concept, nice graphics and almost felt fun but needs more time before being considered for early access. Survival crafting game with a neat exploration gimmick with the 'serum' timer. However... - Fails at being a fun exploration game - combat is way too janky, enemies randomly gang up on you out of nowhere, hitboxes and timing of blocking don't make sense, and you can get stuck doing puzzles while an enemy attacks and kills you. - Fails at being a fun crafting game - look like there's an…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wumbo Serum Gives You Powers!!! 💣💥🦸♀️ DEMO Available Now on Steam!!! BOOMER is a co-op puppet comedy-horror game where your team passes around a living bomb while looting a liminal backstage world. #indiegame #indiedev #indiehorror #friendslop #gaming #BOOMER
neutral · AI labelView post →Studio closed with little to no telling of the player base, currently has no team under the publisher's umbrella working on it. Abandonware, avoid it as it's likely never going to be finished.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to recommend this game because the idea behind it is actually really good. Managing a life-saving serum while exploring a dangerous world was a unique survival mechanic that caught my attention right away. The atmosphere is great, the world looks interesting, and for the first few hours it feels like you're playing something that could become a hidden gem. Unfortunately, it never became that game. Like many Early Access titles, it was sold on potential. The game launched…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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