The 9th Charnel

The 9th Charnel is a game with potential, but it is simply executed way too sloppily. Sometimes, working in a team instead of alone has its downsides. As a result, the game lacks any direction or thought process. The AI ​​has received too little attention, the story is messy, especially towards the end, and the gameplay feels outdated. There is no cohesion between the elements and it looks a bit like a haphazard mess, with attention mainly focused on the cutscenes and the artwork of the main menu, which do look reasonably sharp. Yes, the game gave me quite a scare at times, and the setting isn't all that bad, but the true cult vibe is pretty much ruined by the mediocre execution of the enemies and the other mechanics. With its four hours of gameplay, The 9th Charnel is therefore a game you are better off skipping.

The overall impression of The 9th Charnel is a mix of ambitious ideas and their inadequate technical execution. A single person is responsible for the entire development. A tremendous amount of work is evident, and some aspects of the game (particularly the atmosphere, sound design, and environments) showcase real talent and potential. However, when you look at how the game behaves when interacting with objects, how enemies move, or how often you have to deal with bugs and glitches, it becomes clear that the overall experience isn’t as smooth and seamless as it needs to be to live up to its ambitions. If you’re looking for a powerful, atmospheric horror experience and are willing to overlook technical shortcomings, The 9th Charnel may captivate you at certain moments. But if you’re expecting a balanced, smooth, and mechanically precise survival game full of intelligent enemies and complex mechanics, this title will likely disappoint you. In any case, it’s a remarkable achievement from a single developer, demonstrating that even small teams or individuals can make their mark in a genre that thrives on atmosphere and suspense.

The 9th Charnel presenta ideas interesantes y un objetivo claro: ofrecer terror psicológico centrado en su atmósfera. No intenta medirse con los grandes del género en términos de presupuesto, pero sí aspira a destacar en ambientación y narrativa ambiental. Sin embargo, no todo está a la misma altura. El diseño de niveles puede resultar confuso y a la vez demasiado lineal; las decisiones técnicas —especialmente en animaciones— recuerdan su naturaleza modesta. La IA enemiga es tan simple que a veces provoca risa en vez de miedo, y la gestión del inventario y las armas deja mucho que desear. Aun con todo, quienes disfruten del terror de ritmo lento, de explorar con calma y de reconstruir historias pieza a pieza encontrarán aquí una experiencia disfrutable si no van con expectativas elevadas.

The 9th Charnel is a short cult horror game where you work your way through half-built sites in a closed-off valley, hiding from brutal stalkers and solving tile and logic puzzles that call back to older survival horror. Clumsy enemy behaviour, stiff gunfights, and flat cutscenes hold it back.

First-person psychological survival horror experience that fails to stick the landing

While the review here tends toward the critical, I didn't hate my time with The 9th Charnel. It is definitely over-priced as a first-time developer's project and I don't think anyone will feel that its 4 hour runtime justifies a price close to that of Silksong. If this was around £5 then it'd be a different matter but I can't really recommend the game as things stand. If Saikat Deb builds on this, however, and focuses on the gameplay over the confusing narrative then their next project might be more successful.

The 9th Charnel doesn't set out to reinvent survival horror, but it does prove that, with a good atmosphere and a solid structure, you can create an intense experience without resorting to flashy gimmicks.

As a huge horror fan, the game seems to lack the ability to immerse me. A poor sound mix with low-end graphics creates a constant immersion break. Although if you put yourself in the seat of a small team, it’s not half bad. My overall experience with the 9th Charnel was mostly a letdown, although the game has potential and lots of room to grow. For now, it leaves me frustrated, confused, and looking for the volume button.

The 9th Charnel has its problems, but for an indie game made by a solo developer, I was overall pretty impressed by what it had to offer. Its story was interesting, and its visuals were nice; however, the game’s flawed animations, poor sound design in areas, and coin-flip performance may dissuade you from playing. It is, however, deserving of much more attention than it currently has.

The 9th Charnel ends up as a scrappy horror experiment, but one that's rough around the edges in many places.