Bad Cheese Review

The gaming industry is constantly pumping out game after game these days, each making a splash within their respective fanbases, but never really breaking the mould. With that consistent conformity in mind, it’s always a welcome surprise to see a game like Bad Cheese hit the market, a new horror release from Feardemic, and by far the most intriguing game to come from the team yet.

Today, following the release of a Steam demo and multiple gripping teaser trailers, the full release of Bad Cheese is upon us, and after spending a couple of hours on completing the game, it’s time to discuss everything that this eccentric new horror title has to offer. We’ll be avoiding outright spoilers with this review, but will be discussing some of the themes that Bad Cheese touches on, so if you want to go in completely blind, this is your warning! With that in mind, it’s time to dive in to our Bad Cheese review!

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Bad Cheese Review

Image by Feardemic

Bad Cheese is the latest release from Feardemic, developed by Simon Lukasik, in what is an almost unbelievably polished feat for a solo developer. Before going any further with this review, I need to give major props to Lukasik for creating this kind of experience – this game has some flaws for certain, but not nearly as many as would make Lukasik’s endeavour an obviously solo one. To get the performance review out of the way early, and move onto the more juicy points in our Bad Cheese review, the game ran perfectly for me, with no crashes, and almost no gameplay glitches or bugs. The game is still fresh, so in due time, bugs may be found, but as of my day one playthrough, Bad Cheese seems to be in perfectly-working form.

As for the presentation of Bad Cheese, for those who haven’t indulged in the promotional material, this game feels like a crossover of a Steamboat Willie-inspired nightmare, mixed with grotesque visuals that probe memories of seeing incredibly disturbing cartoon-parodies on YouTube as a child. The nightmarish factor of Bad Cheese cannot be overstated – so much of the game feels like making your way through a somewhat nonsensical dream, as you complete day-to-day tasks in a house that could not feel any further from a home. Bad Cheese leans fully into a fantastical world, not even trying to attach its narrative to any form of reality beyond player-made connections to real-life situations, and that’s part of what makes it so disgustingly charming.

The gameplay itself is played through the first-person perspective, never shifting out of this camera. This decision works well to not only engulf the player in Bad Cheese’s nightmarish world, but also to give the player a greater appreciation for just how stunning the visuals in this game are. The only critique I would give to the gameplay, in this sense, is that it does feel a little slow, and a little clunky. There’s one section where the player must use a fly swatter as a weapon early into Bad Cheese, and the hitbox feels very difficult to ascertain. The player is also unable to move very fast, so rather than feeling blood-pumping, combat feels somewhat taxing. Personally, this slower speed actually appeals to the classic survival-horror fan in me, the old-school games that took their time with their horror, as opposed to the break-neck speed that many newer horror games move at. Personally, I think that the reception to Bad Cheese’s gameplay will ultimately come down to player preference.

Image by Feardemic

While I moved through a lot of Bad Cheese without much trouble, there were times that the decision to lean into the nightmarish, vague elements of the story worked against the game from a gameplay perspective. I love a minimal U.I., but sometimes, Bad Cheese feels a little unclear on whether it’s a game with true stakes, or whether it’s more of a simulator, with occasional challenges to complete. There are collectibles in the game that the player can find, but initially, it’s quite unclear whether these consumables are for health purposes or not. To be honest, even after completing Bad Cheese, I’m unsure if you can actually lose health in this game, or if the threats are always insta-death situations. There are some puzzles to complete, but most of them are step-by-step and fairly clear to complete, as opposed to requiring much brainpower.

Where Bad Cheese shines, in terms of its gameplay, is when it challenges the player to complete tasks quietly, or even more successfully, quickly. There are some time-limited sequences in this game that genuinely stressed me out, and even after failing them and understanding the consequences of doing so, none of my stress was alleviated the second time around. The combat sections can make Bad Cheese feel a little underbaked, while these stealth and time-based sequences allow the game to feel fully realised and accomplished. While I really appreciate the diversity of the gameplay in Bad Cheese as a way of stopping the game from feeling repetitive or dry, some sections certainly shine brighter than others, and can lead to a slight sense of unevenness throughout.

The only other aspect of the gameplay that I would criticise would be the visibility issues. At times, the field of vision serves to enhance the horror greatly. The sound design in Bad Cheese is great, and being unable to see something behind you straight away is an excellent fear factor. However, there are times where the fuzzy and dark visuals can cause the player to strain to see what they’re doing, and as always with horror I have to reiterate that nothing is a bigger killer of horror than frustration. Bad Cheese’s visuals never got frustrating enough that I was genuinely annoyed, but there were certainly times where a brighter environment would have made my experience more enjoyable.

Image by Feardemic

Now, let’s get to the juiciest part of this Bad Cheese review – the story. I’ll avoid spoilers the best I can, but I’m sure many of you can deduce what’s going on in this game from the teaser material. On the surface, this game’s story is wonderfully weird. You start the game going through some household chores, each one with a delightfully disgusting twist to it – there’s a section of this game involving a giant nose machine that was so grotesque, I couldn’t help but admire it. These activities are supported by amazingly strange voice acting, and a creepy, yet charming, soundtrack. The vibes of Bad Cheese are, to be brief, incredible.

There is, however, a much deeper, much more disturbing, storyline going on beneath the surface of Bad Cheese, and it doesn’t take long to reveal itself. In fact, I would argue that at times, the story can be a little too heavy-handed in its portrayal of the game’s themes, which are family-related trauma and abuse. On the other hand, some of the more outright and explicit imagery in Bad Cheese actually serve to ramp up the disturbing factor. It’s fair to say that a death scene involving a belt and the sounds of smacking as the screen fades to black are far from subtle, but perhaps that directness is what makes Bad Cheese such a daring project. It certainly gets its point across, and you could never claim that the game dances around the issue it seeks to address.

Now, for the golden question when it comes to horror – is it scary? Well, I would argue in this Bad Cheese review, that the game is at its best when it’s not trying to scare you, but rather, make you feel uneasy. Particularly in the early stages of the game, there is some seriously well-executed tension going on. This tension often pays off when the player comes face-to-face with the horrific visuals of Bad Cheese. However, the game falters a bit when it tries to outright jumpscare you, as the real terror of Bad Cheese comes from its ability to cause discomfort with its visuals and themes. The jumpscares are few and far between, but when they do happen, I can’t help but wish they hadn’t.

Image by Feardemic

When it comes to the horror factor though, Bad Cheese is easily one of the most successful examples of a children’s IP entering public domain and receiving the horror treatment. This feels like a well thought-out, passionate horror take on Steamboat Willie, as opposed to the shameless attempts of films like Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey or that Bambi horror movie that I can’t believe actually came out. I understand some people not enjoying seeing their childhoods twisted in these ways, but you have to at least appreciate the passion behind Bad Cheese. It feels like it respects the source material, as much as it also wants to twist it.

Ultimately, Bad Cheese is a well-paced, diverse, tense, and most importantly, fun horror game. You’re likely to complete this game in and around the two hour mark, but the game is priced appropriately, so I would definitely recommend that any horror fan pick this one up. The game is available on PC and consoles, so give it a try for yourself! I think that any gamer is likely to find enjoyment in this nightmarish, passionate new game, that takes some real risks, and tells a daring story.

Do you agree with our Bad Cheese review? Have you played the game for yourself, or, better yet, have we convinced you to pick it up? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

See also: Silent Hill 2 Review

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