Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a third-person story-driven survival horror game prequel to the critically acclaimed Daymare: 1998. Step into the shoes of agent Dalila Reyes, a former government spy now in the service of H.A.D.E.S. unit and prepare to face the true horror.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a shooter, horror and third person game
developed by Invader Studios
and published by Leonardo Interactive and 4Divinity.
Released on August 30th 2023 is available only on Windows
in 13 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Turkish.
It has received 765 reviews of which 568 were positive and 197 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.1 out of 10. 😊
The game is currently priced at 29.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on K4G.
The Steam community has classified Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle into these genres:
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: WINDOWS 7, 8, 8.1, 10 (64-BIT Required)
- Processor: Intel®Core i5-4460, 2.70GHz or AMD FX-6300 or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 or AMD Radeon R7 260x with 2 GB Video RAM
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 23 GB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
An excellent game and superior to the first one. It has all the elements of Resident Evil and Dead Space that I loved. Runs great and has good graphics with tons of combat and gore. A lot of action, exploring and problem solving that keeps the game fun and moving forward. A good story with great music and spooky atmosphere. Got it on sale and beat on hardcore over the weekend.
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Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a gritty and atmospheric survival horror game that aims to recapture the essence of classic ‘90s horror titles while offering a modernized prequel to Daymare: 1998. Set within the confines of a mysterious military research facility deep beneath the Nevada desert, the game drops players into the role of Dalila Reyes, a former government agent turned H.A.D.E.S. operative. Reyes is part of an elite response team sent into the facility after it abruptly goes dark, and from the outset, the game sets an eerie tone built on isolation, mystery, and mounting dread. The developers clearly took cues from genre-defining works like Resident Evil 2 and The Thing, blending cold science fiction horror with oppressive, claustrophobic level design. Gameplay follows the traditional survival horror blueprint but with a few modern twists. You explore linear but labyrinthine corridors, uncover cryptic logs, and solve mechanical puzzles that often require the use of your Frost Grip—a cryogenic tool that not only freezes enemies but is essential for accessing certain parts of the environment. This gadget is the standout feature of the game’s mechanics. It’s satisfying to use in combat, whether to slow down teleporting enemies or shatter frozen foes, and it brings a welcome layer of strategy to otherwise standard encounters. It’s also used creatively in environmental puzzles, often to cool overheated machinery or break through frozen barriers, keeping gameplay varied without overwhelming the player with complexity. Combat itself is a mixed bag. Reyes has access to conventional weapons like an SMG and a shotgun, but the core of the combat loop is built around managing space, resources, and the use of the Frost Grip. Early encounters feel tense and impactful, with enemies lunging from shadows and overwhelming through numbers and teleportation. However, as the game progresses, the combat starts to feel repetitive. The enemy types lack variety—most are slight variants of humanoid foes that rush the player, shoot from a distance, or explode upon death. Once you’ve fought each type a few times, there are few surprises left. Moreover, the lack of a dodge mechanic or quick step option makes close-range encounters feel frustrating, particularly when Reyes gets locked into lengthy animation cycles or grappled without clear warning. The presentation is both a strength and a weakness. The overall visual tone is consistent, with detailed environments and a brooding color palette that suits the military-industrial horror theme. Metallic corridors, flickering lights, and damaged labs are all convincingly rendered, and the lighting helps emphasize the creeping dread throughout the base. Unfortunately, the game’s character models and facial animations are less impressive. Reyes often appears expressionless during dramatic moments, and the supporting characters have limited emotional range, which detracts from the story’s intended impact. Cutscenes feel stiff, and while the voice acting is serviceable, it suffers from inconsistent delivery and odd pacing, which makes some dialogues come across as flat or unintentional caricature. Narratively, Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle tells a tighter, more focused story than its predecessor. By sticking with a single protagonist, the developers allow more time to explore Reyes’ background, motivations, and internal conflict. Her journey, while not particularly groundbreaking, is told with enough sincerity to keep players invested. The sense of mystery surrounding the facility’s experiments, and the eventual reveal of what truly happened within its walls, provide a decent payoff for those who appreciate slow-burn horror. Still, the game sometimes leans on familiar sci-fi and horror clichés—shadowy government experiments, inhuman mutations, and the unreliable narrator trope—but handles them with enough style to be engaging. In terms of gameplay pacing, the game does a good job balancing exploration with tension. There are plenty of logs and environmental clues that flesh out the lore without interrupting the action. Inventory management is simplified compared to older horror titles, making it easier for newcomers to the genre while still rewarding players who think carefully about item usage and upgrades. The game also features a handful of more elaborate puzzles, including hacking minigames and logic-based switches, which are well-integrated into the flow of the game and rarely overstay their welcome. However, despite its best efforts, the game stumbles in areas that hold it back from reaching the upper tier of modern horror titles. Enemy encounters, particularly in the latter half, can feel more like obstacles to be rushed through rather than meaningful threats. The AI lacks the unpredictability to make repeat engagements feel unique, and while the Frost Grip is a creative mechanic, the game doesn’t evolve its use enough over time to prevent some staleness from setting in. Visually, the game occasionally falters with texture pop-in, minor framerate dips during high-action scenes, and underwhelming particle effects, which diminish the immersion in an otherwise well-realized setting. Still, the game succeeds in its primary goal: evoking a specific type of survival horror experience rooted in paranoia, confinement, and methodical progression. It improves meaningfully on the original Daymare: 1998 in terms of structure, controls, and atmosphere, showing that the developers have taken lessons from earlier missteps. For fans of the genre—particularly those nostalgic for early Resident Evil or Cold Fear-style games—it delivers a familiar but polished experience with just enough modern elements to feel fresh. In the end, Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a worthy, if not groundbreaking, entry into the survival horror genre. It offers a solid blend of tense combat, puzzle-solving, and environmental storytelling set against a classic sci-fi horror backdrop. While technical issues, lackluster enemy variety, and some narrative stumbles prevent it from being a standout, it nonetheless provides a satisfying and atmospheric horror experience. For those looking for a throwback survival horror game with a modern coat of paint, it’s a title worth exploring—preferably with the lights off and volume up. Rating: 7/10
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Daymare 1994 Sandcastle is a love letter to classic survival horror, with a heavy emphasis on resource management. As a prequel to Daymare 1998, it improves on some aspects while stumbling in others—particularly in its frustrating final boss sequence. Pros: ✔ Atmospheric & Nostalgic – The game nails the late ‘90s horror aesthetic, with eerie labs, dark corridors, and unsettling sound design. Fans of Resident Evil will appreciate the vibe. ✔ Improved Combat & Mechanics – Compared to Daymare 1998, gunplay feels tighter, and the Frost Grip mechanic adds a fun twist to puzzles and combat. ✔ Decent Puzzle Design – Some puzzles are cleverly integrated into the environment, requiring backtracking and item management in true survival horror fashion. ✔ Interesting Lore – The story expands on the Daymare universe, with documents and logs adding depth to the mysterious H.A.D.E.S. organization. Cons: ❌ Clunky Controls & AI – Even with modernized controls, movement can feel stiff, and enemy AI sometimes behaves erratically. ❌ Repetitive Enemy Encounters – The same few enemy types reappear too often, making combat feel tedious later on. ❌ Poorly Balanced Final Boss (Helen) – The Helen boss fight is a major low point. Her attacks feel cheap, hit detection is inconsistent, and the fight drags on due to excessive health sponging. Many players resort to using a trainer (cheat tool) just to bypass it—a clear sign of poor design. ❌ Performance Issues – Some players report frame drops and bugs, especially in later sections. Verdict: Daymare 1994 Sandcastle is a mixed bag. It successfully channels old-school survival horror charm but is held back by clunky mechanics and a brutally unfair final boss. If you’re a die-hard fan of the genre, it’s worth a play—just be prepared to use a trainer if Helen’s fight ruins the experience for you. Score: 6.5/10 – Flawed but has its moments.
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A big jump in quality compared to the previous entry, I'm not pretty good in writing reviews but I will try: + Visually impressive, especially notable for an indie title, with a nice atmosphere for survival horror game. + Responsive and intuitive control compared to the previous entry + Engaging narrative and I cared about the main character. - Limited Enemy Variety: Reliance on a few enemy types (3 to be exat and not counting the boss) can lead to predictability and repetitive combat in 6 hour campaign. overall: There's a notable leap in quality compared to the previous entry. Despite the repetitive combat due to limited enemy variety, the game have impressive visuals, excellent controls, and compelling narrative, making it a strong recommendation for fans of survival horror.
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With 14 hours in the game and all achievements unlocked, I think it's time I gave it a review. Short version; is it worth the money and should you get it? I would say Yes to the latter, but I would honestly price this game a little lower, or just pick it up on a sale. Longer version; The game play of this is an improvement from the first game, I quite enjoyed it. Puzzles aren't difficult they're very straight forward if you're stuck it usually involves examining an item or just reading the last document you picked up. The story isn't the best and there are still things I'm confused about but I can't explain it without spoiling it. The voice acting is pretty decent however at times their tones don't even match what's happening, and it feels like the characters at certain points have short term memory loss, as they hate people then like them, then hate them again, it's a bit of a messy roller coaster. The animations on things like characters talking need some tweaking too, it weird not seeing the lips move properly when talking. Whilst on the subject of talking, PLEASE stop with the *When she talks-she walks*, you'll be running through and you'll have some pretty good momentum, and then out of no where there is some unnecessary communication that will force her to walk and also prevent you from interacting with objectives. I would say that for every 10 to 15 minutes of game play there is a cutscene or one of those boring talks. There was one instance where you literally enter a cutscene, end up walking and talking, to then get locked into 2 more cutscenes and then another talk, all of this is Back-to-Back. There's also a part where she's shocked to find out she works for Hexacore, which is weird considering the H in H.A.D.E.S (the team she's a part of) is for Hexacore. There are moments and areas that look like they were made for boss battles, but it just turns into killing regular things, When you finally do meet the thing that you'd assume to be the boss, you don't get to fight it either. There is only 1 boss in this game and that is at the end, the design of it is cool, but the boss battle itself is so annoying, you don't kill it, you just shoot it until it leaves you alone to them walk a bit more before it appears again. If it get to close to you, it will teleport you somewhere else leaving you to travel to the final location once more, and if you keep getting teleported, the locked doors that you unlocked become locked again. There are a total of 4 different enemy models and 2 different variants for 2 of those enemies, so you have Basically a zombie that's blue or red, a monster with a belly again either blue or red. Some flying thing called the sparker and then the end boss. The Red and Blue are the variant I just mentioned... So nothing special. Ammo consumption is something I had to keep track of, but at the end, they just give you a load for the "Boss battle" and then once you complete the game, you just get infinite ammo, if you want to play it again, if you complete the game without dying you get infinite liquid nitrogen too. The game setting is kind of bland, it's just all underground, the only areas that I thought looks cool was the Residential Area and the Apartment building which has a cool RE inspired puzzle with the diamond/heart/space and club key. I want this game to have an area, I know it is it's own game, but build on a place and make it iconic for the series, RE1 has the Mansion, RE2 the Police Station, familiarity with an area is always nice. All that being said I did enjoy the game, I personally would recommend it especially if you enjoyed the first game. But please read both positive and negative reviews and decide if you want to buy this or not.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is currently priced at 29.99€ on Steam.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 29.99€ on Steam.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle received 568 positive votes out of a total of 765 achieving a rating of 7.10.
😊
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle was developed by Invader Studios and published by Leonardo Interactive and 4Divinity.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is not playable on MacOS.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is not playable on Linux.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a single-player game.
There is a DLC available for Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle. Explore additional content available for Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle on Steam.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle does not support Steam Remote Play.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle.
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 18 January 2026 19:04 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 21 January 2026 21:08 |
| Steam price | 29 January 2026 04:34 |
| Steam reviews | 26 January 2026 23:45 |
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- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle compatibility
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Developer
Invader Studios
Publisher
Leonardo Interactive,
4Divinity
Release
30 Aug 2023
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