An old-school survival horror that knows how to play to its strengths.

Daymare 1998 is pure comfort food for all the survival horror aficionados straight from the '90s. Don't expect nothing more than a loving tribute to the Capcom's best episodes (particularly the second).

It is fair to say that there is a lot to love about Daymare: 1998 on Xbox One. Its gameplay is decent, the puzzles are solid and the writing is, for the most part, strong. There is a lot for people to delve into, especially in terms of the lore which makes replaying it a second time interesting. Unfortunately, the overall experience is brought down by glitches, odd design choices and overall jankiness.

Daymare: 1998 is an ambitious survival horror game, balanced between old school mechanics and innovation and with an original plot rich of references to the 80s. Its good story and inventory management system clashes with a shaky technical production and some uneven difficulty spikes especially with puzzles, but it's overall a likeable game that every fan of the classic survival horror series should give a chance.

Daymare: 1998 brings us an interesting story, full of 90s survival horror clichés; perfect for hardcore fans of the genre. Despite its technical and playable issues, it manages to keep us interested and wanting to go back know more about the story.

Daymare 1998 is clearly an homage to survival horror games from the original PlayStation era. It hits some notes while missing plenty more. With some more tweaking and optimization this could have been a great addition to the genre. What is here though leaves a lot to be desired and falls more into the area of being a game that will spark some nostalgia, but induce more frustration at what could have been.

With all of its issues, it’s hard to recommended Daymare: 1998. Some, however, will be able to grit their teeth and enjoy it – it’s not all bad. It’s a slice of old-fashioned survival horror, with a modern twist and some original features thrown in for good measure. Those original features aren’t all great, however, and the unevenness of the overall package – though reflected in the game’s budget price – makes it very much a love/hate affair. Though maybe “love” is too strong a word. Perhaps tolerate/hate affair is more appropriate.