First of all I must say that I didn't encounter a single bug or crash while playing this game so I'm glad that the game seems to be updated after the Early Access.

Second I need to tell you that I'm a very very easy scared person. I jump on my chair just a bird fly in front of me. So Yes that I adventure myself playing alone in the dark a horror game still surprises me. But I truly enjoy the genre.

But The Cursed Forest is not a common horror game. It's much more than that. It's captivating, intriguing and it continuously gives you the chills. There are few games that within the story can maintain a great amount of suspense, but this made a success.
Finding yourself alone, wounded and lost in a gloomy forest, you play the character in first person. The environment is very detailed made, and the sound is the main part of the game. If you close your eyes and just focus on the surroundings's sound you can almost touch the leaves, the birds and feel the haunted breathing on you.

You walk through beautiful realistic graphics, collect well-written stories, run from scary shadows, and explore empty houses.
There is almost no time limit so you can relax and breathe between the scary moments. Meanwhile you can get many fun and humorous achievements that will actually give you a good laugh!

I truly recommend it!

The following review might help you to save your money or potentially to save you from a heart attack (!) ;)

Overview

The Cursed Forest is a great example of how to create an immersive environment and uncanny atmosphere in a horror game because that what makes this game truly stand out among many similar titles in its genre. Initially. the original version of the game was developed by a Russian guy Andrey KPy3O Suhachev who's contrived to make it single-handadly on Cryengine 3 Game SDK Afterwards, engine's version has been changed several times during almost 4 year-long development process, so fortunately the final version of the game utilizes powerful but flawed CryEngine 5 at its full potential! The steam version of the game is a remake and was made by a small but dedicated team of enthusiasts and for that they have my respect. There is no doubt that this game is a labour of love and hard work! Believe me or see for yourself on youtube, The Cursed Forest looks absolutely stunning and often you find yourself just admiring the visuals perfectly accompanied by a beautiful and rich in detail level design. Not to mention the incredible atmosphere that literally takes a hold of you and doesn't let go until the final credits roll.

Narrative

The story is interesting but somewhat ordinary for this type of games and movies although it can get compelling for you at some point if you're playing in the right mood and if you know how to read overcome your laziness when it comes to reading poorly written notes in video games. Unfortunately, the game offers only a single way to absorb the narrative - written notes that can be found in all five chapters during your travel. Some of them can be easily found but some are well hidden and will require from you a more thorough exploration. The truth is looking for notes not as fun as it sounds due to sometimes excessively complex and even frustrating level design, undoubtedly fascinating and immersive but still lacking in terms of pathfinding. In sum, I liked the story and the grand finale. The game per se is a walking simulator therefore tools of storytelling are scarce and restricted by the game's mechanics. However, developer knows exactly which buttons to push to make you empathize with the characters and ponder the choices and their consequences after you finally unfold all the bits and pieces of the story.

Will the game scare the h e l l out of me?

No, it probably won't or yes if you're a sensitive person. I'd say If you are no stranger to the horror genre games, most likely you already know all the tricks and tools developers usually use in this kind of games to scare the s h i t out of you. Anyway, the Cursed Forest definitely has a few eerie and even spooky moments in store. As a good adviser, I would recommend to play in a dark room with a good pair of headphones for maximum immersion and spookiness! Although, I have to mention that for me personally a huge downside was the dark entity (ghost) itself, which in theory should be scary, right? Then why is it so damn adorable, huh? As an explanation, I may have a perverted taste when it comes to dark entities from beyond ...

Optimization/Performance

Technical side of the game on the other hand require some minor polishing and better optimization, especially in the final chapter but that is more of an engine related problem rather than a lazy developer. As far as I know the current version of the game engine is still quite poorly optimized and bug fixing is a very long and tedious process. However, there shouldn't be any issues with finishing the game and from my experience crashes are rare guests (on my memory the game crashed only once in six hours ). Performance-wise you should be able to run it at a stable 60fps most of the time if you own a decent gaming computer. In case you're struggling to apply the word "decent" to your machine be prepared to experience some fps drops during the final chapter.


Translation

In addition, a few words about the quality of writing in the game. I have decided to play in Russian version because (surprise!) the game was made by a Russian developer so I thought it would be unwise for me as a Russian to play with English language, but after reading a few notes I wasn't sure anymore what was the original language they were written. In case if it was a translation from English - it was outright bad, unskillful and amateurish one, but if it wasn't - the talented person who wrote the original scenario should be ashamed.

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend The Cursed Forest for all horror game/movie lovers out there with balls nerves of steel! The game is easily worth the full price and chances are you won't be disappointed with your choice. The gloomy and dark atmosphere of The Cursed Forest with attention to detail and the heartbreaking story, slowly unfolding as you wander trough the woods full of mystery and dark secrets undoubtedly will leave a trace in your memory. Oh, and one last thing I almost forgot to mention, the game has a funny but bizarre thing about toilets that are strategically placed in each of five chapters and if you dare to venture inside you'll get an achievement (5 in total). In that regard, I had no other choice but to upload the screenshot of the most "risky endeavor"!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1683455075

Pros and Cons

+
• Opportunity to visit every single toilet in all of five chapters (with achievements)
  
• Beautiful visuals perfectly matching an eerie and uncanny atmosphere
  
• Immersive and rich in detail level design with multiple routes
  
• Ambient sounds and soundtrack, especially in the final chapter
  
• Original and unexpected jump scares with elements of dark humor
  
• Decent story with a grand finale
  
  -
  
• Excessively complex and sometimes vague level design (arguable)
  
• Design and animations of the dark entity during jump scares and cut scenes
  
• Scarce narrative and lack of tools for storytelling
  
• Poor optimization during the final chapter
  
• Poor language or amateurish translation of written notes

Thank you for reading and until next time!

A great creepy game with a dark atmosphere.
On your way through the forest it feels always like you are being watched and followed. The graphics are really nice and the dev is quick in response, thanks for that!
I had some questions about a achievement which got solved. 100% completion is possible.

I recommend this game if you like walking and exploring in a dark forest with some little jumpscares.
Overall a very nice experience.

Finished this game in one sitting, and overall I was very impressed with it. Amongst a sea of hit or miss horror games on steam, this game really is a hidden gem.

The Cursed Forest is a psychological fantasy horror in which you play as a man who takes a shortcut through the woods on his way to visit his hospitalized mother. From there he finds himself trapped in the forest, where he must survive harsh landscapes, puzzles, and a ghostly spirit stalking him in order to escape.

In terms of scares this game isn't the most terrifying game in the world, though it has a solid emphasis on atmosphere and psychological moments. Gameplay-wise the game is pretty standard. It follows a walking simulator style, with a fairly linear layout. You solve puzzles, collect notes, and try to solve the puzzle of the forest.

What really sets this game apart is it's story and sense of mystery. It's hard to follow at times, but I was totally wrapped up in the game's story. It's creepy and unsettling, but also beautiful and tragic all wrapped in one. For a game that doesn't really set up a solid plot right off the bat, nor does it have a particularly full of life protagonist, I loved the concept and story of this game.

Graphically the game is solid as well, with beautiful colors, shades, and visuals. It conveyed the beautiful, mysterious, and dangerous cursed forest perfectly.

This is a real hidden gem, and if you're a fan or horror games I'd check it out, especially while it's on sale!

A beautiful piece of visual art that sets a great horror tone. Too bad there is a heavy focus on jumpscares that ruins that tone at key moments. Even though the enemies are shadow things, the game likes to show you them a lot with a blaring jumpscare noise that makes it impossible to enjoy the nice atmosphere. Maybe it gets a little better after a while but the jumpscare moments were so jarring that it would be hard for me to convince myself to pick this back up and try and get further in the story. Whoever the graphic designers, level designers, and art director were for this game, they deserve much praise.

What a game! A must for horror lovers like me. The forest itself is gorgeous and the atmosphere is amazingly crafted too. Not many jump scares but quality ones. It still needs to be polished a bit but it is worth every cent. Two chapters so far and hungry for more.

Thumbs up for a great team! Keep it up!

Keep in mind there is a free version of this game which can be found here: http://www.indiedb.com/games/the-cursed-forest

Now with that said, this game is an updated and more recent version of this title. Currently, the game is only the first chapter, so about an hour of actual gameplay time. Devs have plans to release the second section within the month of November, and the third section shortly after.

The game features a dark and gloomy atmosphere, which adds to the eerie affect of being lost in the forest looking for clues to this mystery. Exploration is key in this game, where you must look around for clues and hints as to find out what's happening behind these dark trees, and what danger will lie ahead.

If you have any skeptisism, try the free version first, and if you would like to support the developers to make this more updated version and try it out yourself, purchase this by all means.

Graphically well done. Various bugs or problems are reported within the game but I have not found any. Good game play, but apart from walking and finding letters there's nothing else it can do. The soundtrack is excellent and frequent jumpscare (not all excellent). The story is too classic, nothing new. It's a walking simulator but horror. rating 7/10 full price really not, but the discount is worth it.

To echo what some other reviewers have said, I really wanted to like this game. The screenshots looked promising and I wanted to experience some good horror. I don't like leaving negative reviews, but I just can't bring myself to finish this game and wanted to provide some people with information before they spend their money looking at the screenshots and the 'very positive' rating.

What can you expect from The Cursed Forest?

Absolutely gorgeous visuals and environments which are the highlight of the game. It would better fit as a tech demo or college project to show what good assets, lighting, and design can produce in CRYENGINE from an indie developer.

Unfortunately, this does not mean it's a fun and engaging experience.

The horror is comprised almost exclusively of very similar jumpscares throughout the entire game (at least, what I've played through in ~2.3 hours, in reference to the total completion time which I've read is 3 - 4 hours). Falling down holes, a dark figure peeking out of a corner or running through a narrow archway and disappearing, etc. This repeats over and over, making it extremely predictable and monotonous.

The lore is told through notes that you pick up and read. Although very well written, they were disjointed and not not terribly captivating.

I just couldn't find myself with the motivation to carry on. There was nothing that kept me latched on in any meaningful way.

The achievements were probably the funnest part of the game, and there was clearly some measure creativity and humor involved in them.

Overall, I don't think the price is justified for this game. Luckily, I got it on sale, but what you are paying for is essentially a relatively linear walking simulator in a beautiful, dreary forest for a few hours. If you don't like the idea of this, then I recommend you spend your precious time elsewhere.

There is certainly a lot to like about this game. While it has its bugs, given that it's still in Early Access that can be forgiven, that doesn't stop it from delivering some great chilling moments and haunting atmosphere. The graphics are beautiful and trying different settings I realized the game was still up to par with today's standards. CryEngine 5 is a beast and I can't wait to see a lot more made with it. The sound design was perfect, playing with a headset is definitely recommended.

What I liked:

- Excellent Graphics
- Interesting Story (not finished at the time of writing)
- Great Sound Design
- Scary moments and chilling atmosphere

Neutral about it:

- A bit short but this is a game of exploring and not running like a maniac to the next area. Take your time, walk, don't run (unless you have a reason too).
- A few too scripted for my taste, in various areas.

What I disliked (mostly what every Early Access title suffers about):

- Bugs
- Crashes
- Frame Drops

To me this is one of the better Indie horror games out there in a market saturated with it.

I'll recommend it and give it an 8/10. I'll definitely replay it once it's fully released.