Review: Daymare 1998 (PlayStation 4)

by Jim Smale · Published May 9, 2020 · Updated June 9, 2020

DAYMARE: 1998 is a third-person survival horror game that recreates the mood of iconic titles from the ’90s, with a fresh storyline. An incident that turns a small town into a deadly zone, three characters to play with, and little time to find the truth, before its mutated citizens abruptly end your mission.

Pros:

Really nice graphics.
39.39gb download size.
Platinum trophy.
3 difficulties-easy/normal/Daymare.
Aim mode-manual/assist/auto.
Resident Evil inspired.
Action-adventure gameplay.
Tutorial pop-ups.
A lot of puzzles.
The tense atmosphere with the occasional jump scare for good measure.
Reloading-you can do it fast or slow. Fast means you drop the clip with any remaining rounds left in it. Slow means you reload properly but it is noticeably slower.
3rd person perspective.
Nails the feel and presentation of a game from the late 90s.
Jump scares aplenty.
Satisfying gory kills and headshots.

Cons:

Only one control layout.
I got stuck in the scenery a fair few times.
Awkward controller layout.
Slowdown and stutters in places.
No camera sensitivity sliders.
Predictable set pieces.

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
8/10

Sound - 8/10
8/10

Accessability - 8/10
8/10

Length - 8/10
8/10

Fun Factor - 8/10

8/10

Summary

Games that are inspired by another series generally stay too close to the source material and you struggle to see it in its own right. Daymare 1998 does start out feeling like this but over time it grows into its own game and really nails the atmosphere it is going for. I really did like how it took a game like Resident Evil and then built upon it. Daymare 1998 does have its issues but to be fair most of it is not its gameplay but rather the behind the scene stuff and technical issues. Shame yes but detrimental no, for Daymare 1998 manages to recreate the feeling of gaming in the late 90s but give it enough modern additions that it doesn’t feel old or dated. I cannot go into the story as its the main part of the game and you need to experience it yourself, just do so full in the knowledge that the game will be worth it and not let you down.