Horror games for me have always been a regular part of my gaming repertoire. Some can forget how hard it can be to get this genre right, when it comes to soundtrack, aesthetics and a story to share. So, going into any horror game for me is with excitement and hope, and when all aspects come together, they can be an amazing experience.

‘Gore Doctor’ is a single-player, first-person immersive horror from Salient Games, the creators of ‘Songs of Rats’. Originally released on Steam on 22nd March 2024, the twisted doctor now finds his way onto Xbox.

In Gore Doctor, you find you have been snatched by a gang of thugs, strapped to a gurney being wheeled down a corridor of an institute, feeling groggy from sedatives. Here you meet Dr. Abnel Gorberg, whose life is descending into madness after losing his wife Scarlett. Then you black out and awake in your room, lost and disoriented, you make your way out to escape this hell. You will learn why you are there and why the Doctor is doing this with notes, letters and scrawlings on the wall as you investigate your surroundings.

At times, the game made attempts at jump scares, but they seemed to have triggered when I was not looking where intended. So, as for a slight scare from loud sound effects, I was missing the visuals for that more immersive feeling. On some occasions, I repeated that area to attempt to discover what I missed and found it was not triggering correctly.

I was faced with glitches several times, such as looking into a cell and seeing someone on their knees and head covered, but it was processing two of the same animation on the screen, so essentially seeing double.

Around the institute, you will find photos, graphics and TV displays that have been created using AI. Which for me, made it lose that personal touch and did not fully fit into the graphics setting, making it stand out more.

The human abominations you encounter are relentless and will chase you down until death, and they hit a hard punch. At times, I have had them get up off the ground from me disturbing them, or as they are supposed to for parts of the story, with my presence, and then they freeze in the spot, still making their audio cues. A good melee attack can usually free them, or they will remain unmoved.

The graphics are gritty, dark, and are a good attempt to make you feel uneasy. With ceilings collapsing, exposed wiring and some truly gruesome scenes, it creates an eerie atmosphere. From a body fully drowned in blood with a hand still above the water level handcuffed to the side, to limbs, torture devices and some unsettling background scenes.

One scene is a graphic sexual encounter, not for the faint of heart at all playing this game. It aims to make you feel gross, uneasy and question your sanity. Which is just what is needed for the story being portrayed.

Frustratingly, the controls can at times test your patience. I found myself being caught on uneven floors, unable to jump to places that are essential to progress through. Weapons feel clunky, and also, the melee weapons and guns shooting can feel underwhelming and off. But overall, there is not too much to take in with controls, and they are simple to master.

Sound effects are great and make you feel engrossed, enough for the potential shocks and scares to come. There is not much of a music soundtrack, but I feel this is intentional to create immersion.

For horror fans, it has some new ideas but not too many and uses some old cliches with the story and jump scares. You will want to check it out as an experience, but unless updates are made it will put off the majority in the gaming space. I enjoyed most of my time, but the negative outweighs the positive, which I hate to say.

Written by: Kevin Lal