Scrutinized
Scrutinized Review
Scrutinized is a challenging detective horror game that combines intense investigation with survival elements. Players take on the role of a cop solving complex cases while avoiding two relentless killers, notably Tanner, creating a tense and suspenseful atmosphere. The gameplay demands careful management of evidence, camera monitoring, and house security, making it both mentally engaging and nerve-wracking. The game's difficulty is praised for its authentic challenge, requiring memorization and strategic thinking to progress without external aids.
Graphically, Scrutinized offers a beautiful and atmospheric experience with multiple anti-aliasing options and detailed lighting, enhancing immersion. However, some technical issues such as bugs and limited graphics setting adjustments have been noted. Despite these flaws, the community appreciates the game's unique concept, intense gameplay, and engaging storyline, eagerly anticipating future installments. The developer's interaction with players also adds a personal touch to the experience.
Highlights
Players highly praise Scrutinized's intense and authentic gameplay mechanics, which blend detective work with survival horror elements effectively. The complex cases require strategic evidence selection and attention to detail, making each success deeply satisfying.
The graphics are described as beautiful and atmospheric, with flexible quality settings to suit various hardware. The storyline and characters, especially the unpredictable antagonist Tanner, add depth and tension, enhancing player engagement. The game's sound design and ambient noises contribute significantly to the suspenseful mood, making it a thrilling experience for horror fans.
Criticisms
Common criticisms include the game's steep difficulty and occasional unfairness, particularly due to RNG elements affecting outcomes and frustrating deaths. Players report bugs that occasionally disrupt progress, such as glitches during cases or limited ability to adjust graphics settings without reinstalling. The controls and user interface receive some negative feedback, with issues like unbindable keys, awkward animations, and lack of accessibility options. Some players also find the constant need to monitor cameras and lights tedious, contributing to stress rather than enjoyment.
Pros
- • Intense gameplay combining detective work with survival horror elements creates unique challenge.
- • Beautiful and atmospheric graphics with multiple anti-aliasing and quality settings options.
- • Engaging and unpredictable antagonist Tanner adds depth and tension to the storyline.
- • Complex cases require strategic evidence selection and memorization for authentic experience.
- • Excellent sound design and ambient noises enhance suspense and immersion.
- • Developer interaction with players adds personal and community-driven experience.
- • Game offers high replay value due to difficulty and case variety.
Cons
- • Steep difficulty and RNG elements sometimes cause frustrating and unfair deaths.
- • Bugs and glitches occasionally disrupt gameplay and player progress.
- • Limited ability to change graphics settings without reinstalling is inconvenient.
- • Controls are awkward with no key rebinding and problematic UI design.
- • Constant camera and light monitoring can become tedious and stressful.
- • Some players find certain mini-games like rootkit hacking frustrating.
- • Lack of accessibility options limits comfort for some players.
Rating Criteria
Work to expose the numerous criminal degenerates that plague your quiet town. Use citizen-issued reports, police records, social media accounts, text conversations, and more to determine who’s an actual threat and who’s harmless, all while avoiding the killers trying to infiltrate your home.