Verho – Curse of Faces immediately makes it clear that it isn’t trying to compete with modern first-person RPGs on visual spectacle or accessibility. Instead, Kasur Games embraces a very deliberate throwback to the era of King’s Field and other (niche) late ’90s dungeon crawlers, building a mysterious adventure around a world where exposing one’s face means certain death. The unusual premise, combined with a bleak atmosphere and lore that slowly unfolds through exploration, creates a setting that constantly encourages curiosity, even if parts of the story remain intentionally cryptic.
Rather than selecting a traditional class, your choice of mask determines how your adventure develops, reinforcing the game’s central themes while giving each playthrough a distinct flavor. Exploration forms the heart of the experience, rewarding players who stray from the obvious path with hidden passages, useful equipment and optional discoveries. The interconnected environments feel thoughtfully constructed instead of simply stitched together, making every shortcut and newly opened route satisfying to uncover. While the narrative rarely spells everything out, that sense of mystery fits the world remarkably well and makes reaching new locations feel meaningful.
Combat is intentionally methodical and demands patience. Instead of button mashing, melee attacks revolve around timing charged swings for maximum effectiveness, while different enemy weaknesses encourage carrying a varied arsenal of weapons and magic. Magic users receive plenty of viable options, and even defensive play offers flexibility thanks to shields, movement and spellcasting working together comfortably. Boss encounters are memorable without feeling unfair, and enemy variety remains impressive throughout the adventure. That said, the game certainly expects players to learn through failure, with minimal handholding and limited guidance occasionally leading to frustrating detours or lost progress when an old save point is your only fallback.
The controls strike a similar balance between rewarding and occasionally awkward. Once we adjusted to the deliberate pacing, movement and combat became increasingly satisfying, especially when perfectly timed attacks paid off. Platforming, ladder combat and environmental navigation all add welcome variety to the exploration. However, aiming ranged attacks can sometimes feel imprecise, and the inventory interface is far less enjoyable. Managing equipment through long, cluttered lists quickly becomes cumbersome, and some quality-of-life improvements would have gone a long way without compromising the game’s retro identity.
Visually, Verho – Curse of Faces proudly wears its PlayStation-era inspiration on its sleeve. The chunky geometry and low-resolution textures won’t appeal to everyone, but they’re implemented with surprising confidence, creating environments that are easy to read while still carrying plenty of atmosphere. Rather than feeling like technical limitations, the visuals often feel like a carefully chosen artistic direction that complements the game’s oppressive world. The soundtrack reinforces that mood throughout, while the voice acting is stronger than expected for an indie production. Performances aren’t perfectly consistent, but they add personality to the cast and help sell the world despite its intentionally dated presentation.
This also isn’t an RPG that tries to smooth away every rough edge. Autosaves are absent, progression can feel obscure, and the game occasionally leaves players wondering whether they’ve overlooked an important clue or simply chosen the wrong direction. Those old-school sensibilities will undoubtedly divide players. Some will appreciate being left alone to experiment and slowly master its systems, while others may find the lack of guidance more exhausting than rewarding.
We came away impressed by how confidently Verho – Curse of Faces commits to its vision. Rather than simply recreating the games that inspired it, it captures their atmosphere and deliberate design while introducing its own identity through the mask system, cohesive worldbuilding and rewarding exploration. It remains rough around the edges, particularly in its interface and occasionally clunky mechanics, but players looking for a genuine retro-inspired first-person RPG will find a surprisingly engrossing adventure beneath its intentionally old-fashioned exterior. It won’t convert everyone, but for fans of classic dungeon crawlers, this is one of the stronger modern interpretations of the formula.
Score: 7.9/10