Dead Man's Diary (2022)

It's sad to say, but creativity and passion appear absent from Dead Man's Diary

Dead Man's Diary is a game that is well put together in concept and has the potential to be a great title. In terms of atmosphere, it works and everything feels oppressive, partly because you are often threatened by enemies, but practically never encounter them in the first hours. The bombastic sounds contribute to this. For example, the bear that is constantly on your heels, but you will hardly ever see, regularly causes you to break out in a sweat. The scary moments occur regularly, especially in the beginning. This is not a game like Fallout, where you can take out your arsenal and have a blast. Action is virtually non-existent. The puzzles, including fixing the electricity panels, lock picking and cracking safes, are fun and sometimes quite deep in that regard. However, the game also has its serious flaws, such as the lack of variation in the environments and certain components that are less developed, including the voice casting, overly complex controls (the use of R1 when switching inventory is unnecessarily cumbersome) and the changing graphics. Dead Man's Diary contains an excellent game, but unfortunately it is not quite that in the end. However, give it a chance, and you will be several hours and chapters further, with the necessary excitement!

Playing Dead Man's Diary is simply a tedious experience, and unless you have an invisible wall fetish you should stay well away.

Dead Man’s Diary does not disappoint in its execution in creating a detailed world that gives a sense of a world taken back by nature and decay. Those creepy sounds in the night or the game’s background music all help create a post-apocalyptic world that drives the world’s atmosphere, and these are combined with beautifully generated areas to explore.

Criticisms aside, this was the studio’s first crack at the survival game genre. I can see their talent in making good-looking environments, especially in cities and building interiors. It’s hard trying to do something unfamiliar and I respect them for trying something so different. Dead Man’s Diary feels like a learning step possibly leading to something greater in the future.