Title: Confronted

Developer: Grumpy Rock Studios

Publisher: Grumpy Rock Studios

Available On: October 17th, 2024

Platforms: PC

Reviewed On: PC  

Introduction

Confronted is a first-person survival horror game set in a gothic themed castle.

Disclaimer: This is Chapter 1 of the game which I have completed. The developer has 2 more chapters that they would like to release that are currently scheduled for October 2025 and October 2026.

Synopsis

A game of horror hide and seek as you look for answers while avoiding the evil within the castle walls.

Analysis

You play as a woman who has returned to Radu Castle to uncover the past that you once had within these walls and grounds. Uncover its secrets and avoid the darkness of its past and the horrors that still lurk.

The gameplay

Confronted puts you in the shoes of a women named Dorinela who has come to sort out the past. Shortly after entering the castle, you discover something sinister lurking. The game provides its lore in notes and cutscenes to provide context to the story you are walking in to. The deeper you explore the darker it becomes.

You have a variety of genres and mechanics in which the game provides. It combines stealth, survival, and puzzle solving as you venture towards the goal. As you do so it is revealed that you are not alone in the corridors of Radu Castle. This is where the mechanics start to take shape.  

As you traverse the hallways you will come across resources and tools. Use them to survive and to keep searching. You find wood lying around and this alludes to what you need to do at this point. When you hear a noise, you can use a mechanic that will show you were you can build structures, you must crouch and find a place in which you can hide and construct a barrier in which the entity can’t see or find you. Once the danger seemingly passes you can break down the structure and escape to safety. This hide, build, and continue method is the main mechanic throughout this chapter.

You can acquire a hammer within the game which can be used to break locks and move on to a new area. However, you must balance this in which when you hit a lock it makes a lot of noise. This of course attracts the entity, and you must hide between strikes. It can take a few blows to remove the lock and escape the danger. In some areas you need to complete puzzles such as lighting torches in the correct order to advance.

As you delve deeper into the castle you must be more accurate and stealthier to stay hidden and not get caught. Taking your time can help you navigate through the labyrinth of walls and mitigate the chances of becoming a horrors ham sandwich. Throughout the castle you also will come across books in which you save your progress, so this also helps lessen the risk of losing a chunk of your progress.  

Final Score

Confronted has great visuals, gameplay, and sound. Particularly with the voice acting that is found throughout the game was well done so this amplifies the lore and story of what the game is trying to convey to the player. The ambience and environment set a nice bar in which the exploration, stealth, and survival horror converge to give you a higher than usual indie horror experience. Even leaning and peaking around corners felt smooth and satisfying. The risk of being caught kept you alert and ready for anything and I appreciated that.

Issues that I personally had with the game are some difficulties with figuring out the torch lighting puzzle, more so that I didn’t feel that I discovered the reason for the order to which I should light them, ultimately just pushing me to try every combination until it opened the door. Also, though I know that the game is made by one person I would love to get to play the rest of the chapters quicker because I would like to see what happens based on the ending of chapter 1. This is not a complaint, just wishful impatience.

This game had some great ideas that blended well across multiple genres and mechanics. I hope as the next chapter is crafted the developer takes in all the creative ideas and feedback that is received and makes the game even more creative and fun. I am looking forward to chapter 2’s progress as we continue through the year.  

Share your reactions below or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord.

Shane Kelley is a Senior writer for Boss Rush Network, as well as a writer for Another Zelda Podcast. His favorite game is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You can find him on X or Bluesky to talk video games, Marvel, cribbage, and axe throwing.

Images: taken by author