Nightmare of Decay is an excellent example of how to pay tribute to a beloved game or a franchise while straying beyond mere inspiration into the realm of straight up copying the original content. The game is unafraid to parade around the fact that it was not just inspired by the first (and to a smaller extent, the second) Resident Evil game to the point of featuring pretty much the same exact setting, many of the same puzzles, the progression, and the gameplay. The thing is - it is done so damn well that you won't really care. Nightmare of Decay treads the line between inspiration and plagiarism with all due grace and elegance and ends up being a nostalgic call-back to a very different era of games, it the best way possible.


Nightmare of Decay is a humble game, small in scope, but as you can easily notice from the overwhelmingly positive reviews, the little it does, it does extremely well. The premise? One dev decided to create his own Resident Evil 1 in a pixel-art graphics and played from the first perspective and mixed in a few elements from Silent Hill series, Amnesia a few other popular games falling into the horror niche. The result of this predictable concoction is a comforting survival horror shooter you will likely blitz through in a couple of evenings. While it won't surprise or shock you with anything you haven't seen before in other, sometimes much older games, Nightmare of Decay manages to deliver that addicting "check-list" gameplay you won't want get away from until you reach the inevitable end, in much the same way as it was in the first Resident Evil or Silent Hill games.

The developer's biggest strength are his humble, realistic, yet sufficiently high-enough aspirations. Nightmare of Decay is not a breakthrough in indie horror by any means, but its every single aspect is polished to perfection. The pixel-art graphics are amazing, the combat feels punchy and impactful, the exploration is rewarding and the loot and difficulty is balanced in a way where you always have just enough ammunition and healing items to feel carefully optimistic but not overconfident. The game is also just long enough for it all to not get boring or stale, but if you want more (which you very well might), then you also get two extra modes: an endless horde mode and a random dungeon generator, which means you'll be able to get your fill of the game's humble but fun combat.

Honestly, with the incredibly low asking price, Nightmare of Decay is nothing short of a steal. While it is a small project that in many ways blends together the most recognized and prominent elements from famous horror franchises, it delivers just enough of its own unique essence to sate that never-ending hunger for a good old-school survival horror game.

This game is a lot like resident evil 1. Its simple but highly enjoyable. Its like waking up in the depths of a nightmare and fighting through it. The ending was a surprise.

Short, amazing, and worth every single minute. If you're a fan of old-school survival horror games that don't hold your hand and require some backtracking and puzzle solving to advance, this game is a must-buy. It's concise, straight to the point, and delivers an outstanding experience from start to finish. I really hope dev Checkmaty continues to release more games like this—I promise I'll play every single one.

very short and very sweet! last few sections felt somewhat tedious, but overall definitely worth the cost and a ton of fun

The game doesn’t really have an identity other than that it’s basically RE1 but in 1st person. And obviously significantly shorter and low budget. Still. Had a fun time. I beat this in one sitting.

7/10 STARS

Fun tribute to survival horror!

good game