Review game: Thần Trùng
"Thần Trùng," by DUT Studio, is one of Vietnam's standout horror games, with an intriguing yet imperfect gameplay experience. Here's a detailed breakdown of its strengths and weaknesses:
1. Storyline and Atmosphere
The storyline is centered on Vietnamese folklore, specifically the mythical figure "Thần Trùng," a spirit known for capturing and tormenting souls. This adds a distinct cultural layer, allowing players to explore a hauntingly authentic Vietnamese setting. The protagonist is trapped in a dark Hanoi apartment and must solve puzzles to uncover the mystery surrounding a spirit haunting the place. While the game does well in creating an atmospheric horror setting that feels deeply rooted in local culture, the storyline itself has been criticized for being underdeveloped and somewhat incoherent. Key plot points feel disconnected, and certain items seem to lack purpose within the narrative, creating a sense of inconsistency.
2. Gameplay and Puzzles
"Thần Trùng" is built around simple exploration and puzzle-solving, which are the main tools players use to progress. The gameplay involves finding and using items to solve puzzles while being careful to avoid supernatural threats. However, the game has a linear structure with minimal variation, and puzzles are relatively straightforward, so there’s limited replayability. While the gameplay does provide some tense moments, the design itself could benefit from more depth and complexity to fully engage the player.
3. Use of Jumpscares
The game’s horror elements rely heavily on jumpscares, which are frequent and intense at first. However, the high frequency of these scares becomes predictable, and some players report that the repeated use of jumpscares lessens their impact, turning them from terrifying to irritating over time. A more subtle approach with psychological horror elements could have sustained the feeling of dread more effectively throughout the game.
4. Visuals and Sound Design
Visually, "Thần Trùng" impresses with its depiction of a typical, dark, narrow Vietnamese apartment, capturing the essence of a haunted urban setting. However, the voice acting has been a point of criticism, as it lacks the natural, immersive quality that would enhance the horror experience. For instance, certain dialogues sound as if they were recorded in a studio rather than within the game’s eerie environment, which can detract from the intended immersion.
5. Significance and Industry Impact
Despite its limitations, "Thần Trùng" is a significant achievement for the Vietnamese gaming industry. Its cultural authenticity and ability to bring Vietnamese folklore to an international audience have been widely appreciated, even if the gameplay itself needs refinement. The game serves as an important example for local developers, demonstrating that Vietnamese stories and horror themes can resonate on a global stage. Many see it as a foundation for future titles to build upon, with the potential to elevate Vietnamese game development internationally.
Conclusion
While "Thần Trùng" offers a unique cultural experience and atmospheric visuals, it struggles with narrative cohesion, over-reliance on jumpscares, and simplistic gameplay. However, it marks a promising step for Vietnamese gaming, highlighting both the strengths and areas for improvement in local game development.
| Post date | Users | Rates | Link to Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-06 | Phong Trần | 84 | view |
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 17, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
Message: Put a space after the comma
Suggestion: ,
'Thần Trùng,' by DUT Studio, is one of Vietnams...
^
Line 5, column 100, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
Message: Put a space after the comma
Suggestion: ,
...lly the mythical figure 'Thần Trùng,' a spirit known for capturing and ...
^
Line 5, column 310, Rule ID: APARTMENT-FLAT[1]
Message: This word is common for American English. Did you mean 'flat'?
Suggestion: flat
... protagonist is trapped in a dark Hanoi apartment and must solve puzzles to uncover the m...
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Line 5, column 606, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...g underdeveloped and somewhat incoherent. Key plot points feel disconnected, and...
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Line 5, column 609, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
Message: Don't put a space before the full stop
Suggestion: .
...nderdeveloped and somewhat incoherent. Key plot points feel disconnected, and ...
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Line 5, column 741, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...ative, creating a sense of inconsistency. 2. Gameplay and Puzzles 'Th...
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Line 5, column 742, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
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Suggestion: .
...tive, creating a sense of inconsistency. 2. Gameplay and Puzzles 'Thầ...
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Line 9, column 527, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
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...nd complexity to fully engage the player. 3. Use of Jumpscares The game’s ...
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Line 9, column 530, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
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...complexity to fully engage the player. 3. Use of Jumpscares The game’s h...
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Line 13, column 296, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
... from terrifying to irritating over time. A more subtle approach with psychologi...
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Line 13, column 299, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
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Suggestion: .
...om terrifying to irritating over time. A more subtle approach with psychologic...
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Line 17, column 101, Rule ID: APARTMENT-FLAT[1]
Message: This word is common for American English. Did you mean 'flat'?
Suggestion: flat
...n of a typical, dark, narrow Vietnamese apartment, capturing the essence of a haunted urb...
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Line 17, column 473, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
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... can detract from the intended immersion. 5. Significance and Industry Impact...
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Line 17, column 474, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
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Suggestion: .
...can detract from the intended immersion. 5. Significance and Industry Impact ...
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Line 21, column 436, Rule ID: MANY_NN[1]
Message: Possible agreement error. The noun see seems to be countable; consider using: 'Many sees'.
Suggestion: Many sees
... themes can resonate on a global stage. Many see it as a foundation for future titles to...
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Line 21, column 570, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
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...tnamese game development internationally. Conclusion While 'Thần Trùn...
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...namese game development internationally. Conclusion While 'Thần Trùng...
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Transition Words or Phrases used:
first, however, if, so, then, well, while, as for, for instance
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 14.0 13.1623246493 106% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 6.0 7.85571142285 76% => OK
Conjunction : 21.0 10.4138276553 202% => Less conjunction wanted
Relative clauses : 7.0 7.30460921844 96% => OK
Pronoun: 20.0 24.0651302605 83% => OK
Preposition: 50.0 41.998997996 119% => OK
Nominalization: 21.0 8.3376753507 252% => Less nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 3041.0 1615.20841683 188% => OK
No of words: 499.0 315.596192385 158% => Less content wanted.
Chars per words: 6.09418837675 5.12529762239 119% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.72634191566 4.20363070211 112% => OK
Word Length SD: 3.52744691746 2.80592935109 126% => OK
Unique words: 290.0 176.041082164 165% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.581162324649 0.561755894193 103% => OK
syllable_count: 894.6 506.74238477 177% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.8 1.60771543086 112% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 4.0 5.43587174349 74% => OK
Article: 12.0 2.52805611222 475% => Less articles wanted as sentence beginning.
Subordination: 5.0 2.10420841683 238% => Less adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 4.0 0.809619238477 494% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 5.0 4.76152304609 105% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 23.0 16.0721442886 143% => OK
Sentence length: 21.0 20.2975951904 103% => OK
Sentence length SD: 34.088065643 49.4020404114 69% => OK
Chars per sentence: 132.217391304 106.682146367 124% => OK
Words per sentence: 21.6956521739 20.7667163134 104% => OK
Discourse Markers: 2.73913043478 7.06120827912 39% => More transition words/phrases wanted.
Paragraphs: 12.0 4.38176352705 274% => Less paragraphs wanted.
Language errors: 17.0 5.01903807615 339% => Less language errors wanted.
Sentences with positive sentiment : 8.0 8.67935871743 92% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 12.0 3.9879759519 301% => Less negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 3.0 3.4128256513 88% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.246959950418 0.244688304435 101% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0698265316838 0.084324248473 83% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0773203735342 0.0667982634062 116% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0833983477569 0.151304729494 55% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0766295114097 0.056905535591 135% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 18.1 13.0946893788 138% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 33.24 50.2224549098 66% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.44779559118 118% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 13.8 11.3001002004 122% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 18.04 12.4159519038 145% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 10.53 8.58950901804 123% => OK
difficult_words: 185.0 78.4519038076 236% => Less difficult words wanted.
linsear_write_formula: 8.0 9.78957915832 82% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.4 10.1190380762 103% => OK
text_standard: 11.0 10.7795591182 102% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Maximum five paragraphs wanted.
Rates: 84.2696629213 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 5.0 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.