Agony

The overall verdict on Agony highlights its ambitious atmospheric design and unique horror concepts, which many reviewers acknowledged as strengths. Critics like Push Square praised its "visually ambitious and thematically rich" approach, emphasizing its striking imagery and atmospheric depth, while 3DJuegos noted the game’s "atmospherically ambitious horror" despite technical flaws. Similarly, Eurogamer Italy recognized its artistic strengths and unique concepts, calling it an acquired taste for fans of extreme horror. The game’s depiction of Hell as a grotesque, surreal environment was frequently lauded, with Wccftech describing it as the “best video game representation of Hell” and IGN acknowledging its impressive art direction and horror elements. These positives suggest that Agony succeeded in creating an unsettling, immersive experience for those drawn to its niche themes. However, the negatives overwhelmingly dominated the critical reception, with most reviewers criticizing Agony for its technical shortcomings, unpolished gameplay, and lack of cohesion. Everyeye.it called the PS4 version a “frustrating and poorly optimized experience,” while PlaySense described it as failing to deliver a “cohesive horror experience” due to clunky controls and underdeveloped narrative. GameSpot and Game Informer both condemned its “poor execution” and “broken mechanics,” with the latter noting that the game’s “gory shock tactics” replaced fear with aggravation. Multiple critics, including Jeuxvideo.com (PC) and TrueAchievements (XBOX ONE), labeled it a failure, citing repetitive gameplay, unoriginal storytelling, and severe technical issues. Even those who appreciated its ambition, like IGN and CGMagazine, argued that its design flaws and lack of polish undermined its potential, leaving players with mixed or negative impressions. The overall consensus among critics is that Agony is a flawed but ambitious attempt at horror gaming, with its strengths overshadowed by significant execution issues. While some reviewers, such as MondoXbox, praised its “narrative and mechanical depth” and unique aesthetic, the majority found it unenjoyable due to poor gameplay balance, technical instability, and repetitive design. The game’s polarizing nature is evident in reviews like those from Eurogamer Italy, which called it a “mixed assessment,” and GameGrin, which deemed it “underwhelming.” Despite its artistic aspirations, Agony failed to deliver a cohesive or satisfying experience for most players, with critics across platforms—whether on PC, PS4, Xbox One, or Switch—converging on the conclusion that its flaws outweighed its innovations. The result is a game remembered more for its failures than its ambitions, leaving little room for redemption in the eyes of even its most lenient reviewers.