The Bad Kids on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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As an adaptation of the popular suspecse TV series, Cat's Cradle, this game combines investigation, solving puzzles and reasoning with original stories, which can build a more Immersive experience. Game will build new stories based on original setting and focus on the inner world of the character.
The Bad Kids is a adventure, indie and puzzle game
developed by Aluba Van+
and published by LightOn Game.
Released on January 17th 2023 is available on Windows and MacOS
in 3 languages: English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 549 reviews of which 414 were positive and 135 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.2 out of 10. 😊
The game is currently priced at 7.70€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified The Bad Kids into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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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
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel CPU Core i3
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750Ti
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 10 GB available space
MacOS
- OS: Mac OS 10
- Processor: Intel CPU Core i5
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel Iris Graphics 6100
- Storage: 10 GB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
The Bad Kids, developed by Aluba Van+ and published by LightOn Game, is a gripping psychological mystery that combines the structure of an interactive thriller with the quiet dread of a coming-of-age drama. Based on the acclaimed Chinese television series “Cat’s Cradle,” the game reimagines its premise into an interactive narrative that draws players into the perspective of Zhu Chaoyang, a junior high student who becomes entangled in a chain of unsettling events that blur the line between innocence and guilt. Rather than relying on traditional horror or shock value, the game’s tension grows from its deep psychological focus and the suffocating weight of everyday cruelty. It is a story about moral ambiguity, childhood trauma, and the subtle ways fear and guilt manifest when the world of adults collapses into the lives of children. From the first moments, it is clear that The Bad Kids wants to disturb not with monsters or jump scares, but with the slow, creeping realization of how fragile trust and truth can be. The atmosphere is one of quiet unease. Set in realistic environments that feel grounded yet slightly surreal, the game uses its 3D engine not for spectacle but for immersion. Each space, from the narrow school corridors to the shadowed apartments and rooftops overlooking the city, is designed to feel both ordinary and claustrophobic. The muted lighting, subdued color palette, and sparse soundscape build a tone of emotional isolation. There is a sense that every wall hides a secret, every silence carries guilt. The world feels heavy, and that weight amplifies the psychological tension as the player explores, investigates, and slowly unravels what really happened. The visual style may not match the polish of big-budget titles, but its restraint suits the story; the lack of embellishment keeps the focus on emotion, atmosphere, and subtle details. The gameplay blends exploration, investigation, and logical deduction. Rather than handholding, the game asks players to observe carefully and draw conclusions from small fragments of evidence scattered throughout the environment. You collect clues, analyze notes, and interpret events from conversations or environmental details that may initially appear insignificant. Each discovery brings new layers of understanding about the relationships between the characters—friends who lie, families who hide, and a child caught in the middle of it all. The pacing is deliberate, and while it occasionally borders on slow, it rewards players who approach it thoughtfully. The Bad Kids isn’t about fast action or quick rewards; it’s about piecing together a puzzle of emotional truths and hidden motives. There are also decision points and interactive moments that subtly influence the story’s progression, allowing the player to shape Zhu Chaoyang’s perception of right and wrong, though the overall narrative remains focused and linear. What gives the game its emotional power is its commitment to depicting human complexity. Zhu Chaoyang is not a typical protagonist. He is intelligent, withdrawn, and burdened by circumstances beyond his control. The narrative places him between childhood innocence and premature adulthood, forcing the player to feel the tension of his moral dilemmas. The adults around him are not villains in the traditional sense but deeply flawed individuals whose secrets ripple outward, affecting everyone nearby. This dynamic gives the story a raw authenticity. The Bad Kids confronts themes of neglect, deception, and moral compromise with a sensitivity that few games attempt, especially within the indie scene. It uses the mystery structure not just to intrigue but to explore character psychology, asking players to consider what it means to survive in a world that constantly teaches you to lie. While the narrative and atmosphere are strong, the game’s technical aspects can feel uneven. The controls and camera are functional but occasionally awkward, and the puzzles, while thematically appropriate, sometimes lack polish or complexity. There are moments when the pacing falters or the mechanics don’t feel as intuitive as they should. However, these limitations are often overshadowed by the emotional resonance of the story and the strength of its tone. The restrained approach to gameplay serves a narrative purpose: it slows the player down, making them observe, think, and internalize what’s happening. For players who crave depth of feeling and narrative immersion over mechanical challenge, this design choice becomes a strength rather than a flaw. The sound design contributes greatly to the atmosphere. The soundtrack is sparse, leaning heavily on ambient tones and understated melodies that evoke melancholy and suspense. The absence of constant music allows environmental sounds—footsteps on wet pavement, the faint buzz of streetlights, the echo of dialogue in empty rooms—to take on emotional weight. It’s a design that mirrors the game’s themes: quiet moments carry the loudest meaning. The voice acting, delivered in Mandarin, is authentic and understated, enhancing the cultural and emotional grounding of the story. Even if the player doesn’t understand the language directly, the performances convey tone and tension beautifully. The Bad Kids is not a game meant for everyone. It is slow, introspective, and unafraid to dwell in moral discomfort. It doesn’t offer escapism but instead invites empathy and reflection. It challenges players to look closely at human weakness and to confront the darker aspects of growing up in a world that rarely protects the vulnerable. The fact that it is an adaptation of a Chinese series gives it a cultural uniqueness that sets it apart from most Western thrillers; it captures the rhythm and emotional cadence of East Asian storytelling—subtle, restrained, yet devastatingly intimate. For players who value narrative-driven experiences, especially those drawn to the psychology of guilt and consequence, The Bad Kids delivers a rare and memorable journey. Ultimately, The Bad Kids stands out not for its mechanics but for its courage to explore uncomfortable truths. It captures the quiet horror of moral decay, the loneliness of adolescence, and the tension between perception and reality. Its imperfections make it feel more human, its pacing mirrors the slow unraveling of guilt, and its restrained presentation serves as a reminder that sometimes the scariest stories are not about what we see but what we understand too late. It is a haunting, emotionally charged experience that lingers long after it ends—a thoughtful piece of narrative art that shows how games can explore the subtle spaces between innocence and corruption, truth and deception, childhood and the loss of it. Rating: 7/10
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i felt really sad while playing this which is a good sign... sigh... i guess the ending got to me...
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Pretty good game and story. The puzzles are not very difficult.
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For a simple puzzle horror game, this game does last longer than I thought, but not too long. Somehow it is just right and has a system to change most important choices to get you all of the different endings (of which there are 3). The game itself is a little confusing at first but, like in true horror mystery fashion, you will find out the more you go. The puzzles are typical for the genre, but I did struggle with quite a few of them and had to check a guide because the info was not really clear what to do. The ambience is very good, but I did have a few sound bugs regarding the TV working in the background. It was too loud during those moments. The characters are alright but the MC is a little dumb for someone being presented as an A-class student ... and even the top of the school. Still, the story was interesting, the endings are solid and the ambience is well made. The QTEs could be skipped and the bugs are minimal. I only got locked with a bug once and had to kill the game. Autosaves work as well. Had a solid time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Bad Kids is currently priced at 7.70€ on Steam.
The Bad Kids is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 7.70€ on Steam.
The Bad Kids received 414 positive votes out of a total of 549 achieving a rating of 7.16.
😊
The Bad Kids was developed by Aluba Van+ and published by LightOn Game.
The Bad Kids is playable and fully supported on Windows.
The Bad Kids is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
The Bad Kids is not playable on Linux.
The Bad Kids is a single-player game.
The Bad Kids does not currently offer any DLC.
The Bad Kids does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
The Bad Kids does not support Steam Remote Play.
The Bad Kids 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 The Bad Kids.
Data sources
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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 | 21 January 2026 11:09 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 28 January 2026 06:50 |
| Steam price | 28 January 2026 20:30 |
| Steam reviews | 26 January 2026 20:00 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Bad Kids, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about The Bad Kids
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Bad Kids concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Bad Kids compatibility
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Online players
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Developer
Aluba Van+
Publisher
LightOn Game
Release
17 Jan 2023
Platforms