Old Gods Rising provides a spirited boost to those who prize spectacular scenery, a gripping mystery, and slow-burn horror without mind-bending puzzles to stall the journey.

Old Gods Rising might be worth a look if you’re interested in some light, self-aware, modernized Lovecraftian storytelling.

Old Gods Rising is unsettling. It does a wonderful job of making you uneasy, constantly convincing you you’re being watched by someone or something, which the story is happy to suggest. If you want a game with a story which has multiple twists, an ambiguous ending, a nice sense of creepiness (without playing a horror game) and a fun, small insight into ancient civilisations and the gods they worshipped, Old Gods Rising maybe for you. Although, I’d wait for it to be a bit more stable if I were you.

An interesting tale with engaging exploration and great environment design that is hindered by bugs and a lack of payoff.

Old Gods Rising takes a great premise, but unfortunately does very little with it. The barren, but confusing campus leads to pointless wandering that does little to reward exploration and the narrative is delivered through generic exposition. The one successful aspect is the sense of uncertainty and unease that permeates the experience, yet this isn’t enough to maintain interest. The Old Gods may have been better off staying put.

Old Gods Rising is an unfortunate mess. While it has a story that immediately hooks the player, a world that’s begging to be explored and understood, and boasts fantastic environmental sound design, the current state of the game is unplayable. The numerous bugs and glitches restrict this game from being a great title. Until those bugs are patched out, you’re better off spending your money elsewhere.

It made me so paranoid that I second guessed everything I thought about the game. It’s a shame that the ending, when it happens, is a bit abrupt, but even after it ended I couldn’t decide what had happened. It’s only a couple of hours long, but Old Gods Rising stewed me in my own juices so thoroughly that I woke up, confused, at about 2am, looked at my aforementioned boyfriend as he slept, and thought “he was definitely in on it with Maz… he looks too smug”. That’s got to be a well crafted story, hasn’t it? As long as you don’t mind not having all the answers at the end.