Theatre Of The Absurd
Developer Gogii Games
An Ancient and most sinister evil threatens the soul of an innocent young girl. Explore the remote and mysterious theatre to uncover lost horrors and find the solution. Can you outwit the beast? From the Steam store page
189 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Mastodon) · newest Feb 25, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
152 positive · 36 negative
95% range 75–86%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 152 | 36 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
1 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 189 · most liked firstThis is a lovely little gem of a game made by the same people who did the 3 Empress of the Deep HOs. Pros: - The graphics are well done - lots of nice artwork. - The voice actor for the lead female is, in my opinion, quite good. - Along with hidden objects and puzzles, a very fun game pops up on a regular basis. You get a picture and, underneath, a number of little spheres with tiny details of the picture. You have to find and click on those details in the picture. Hope you have a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its absurd to think this is a decent HOG compared to others available... The Good: Beautiful artwork Animations are nicely drawn Somewhat nice variety of locations Protagonist's voice acting is good The Bad: Bonus content voice acting is terrible Hidden object searches were not accurate (I could easily pick off 3/4 of the items just randomly clicking) Cannot skip conversations, narrations, most cutscenes. Even clicking descriptions, you have to wait for protagonist to finish…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's been a while since I played this game, but oddly enough I still remember the setting and the story very well. That, I can say for a select few games in the HOG genre. I remember basically devouring the game within a couple of hours, due to its creepy and intriguing atmosphere, alongside the main character's otherworldly abilities. Theatre of the Absurd is an exceeding game for its genre. We take a close look on Scarlett Frost - god, I wish there would be a series based on this character -…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In the beginning, I thought the game will be another HOG failure because of the first cutscene, the sounds were off and there is no character animation, even the character's design was not my cup of tea. However, I kept on playing because of a friend's recommendation, and I did the right thing. The gameplay is very nice, the more you play the more you enjoy it. The story about Scarlett Frost, a woman who is specialized in dark art. Invited by Dr. Corvis to his massive castle, Scarlett was…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For a casual Hidden Object game, this one was pretty good. It's especially worth it if you get it on sale. If you are looking for a hardcore challenge, though, this one is definitely not for you. Note: This is the Collector's Edition with bonus content. There's an extra mini-story to complete after the main story. However, it didn't offer much extra, and the last puzzle was just ridiculous. It was the only thing I used the strategy guide to get past. Pros: - Detailed artwork. The concept art…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →At first I didn’t really like the look of this game. I didn’t quite like the look of the hidden object scenes, the lighting and how things were blended. Admittedly a few things were blended in a little too well and despite me trying to never use hints in HOGs, in this one I had to a few times. I thought straight away as a snap judgement I wouldn’t enjoy it. But the above aside I quickly warmed up to this game and I actually enjoyed it. The story is interesting. It was a lot more compelling…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Eh, you know what? This was worth the $1.50 or whatever it was I paid for it. I got 3 nights' worth of entertainment out of it, which is about the perfect length for something like this. None of the puzzles (including the last, bonus content ones) will stump anyone for a long time, but theres enough of a challenge that you don't always feel like it was SUPER easy. The story is good enough, and there's some variety in puzzles - though you can break all of them down into: 1. Find hidden things…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I only played a bit but I really love this one. Honestly I was expecting another average game as I have played some hidden object games before but wow it proved me wrong! This has to be one of my favorites. The art is great as with most in this genre, but the mood and feel surpasses most. It really draws you in. The soft music actually increases teh spooky part. Normally I don't mention the voice actors, but the woman's voice is well fitting. The story is intresting so far but thin (maybe it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A decent hidden object game for the most part, although far from Artifex Mundi's quality. The voice acting is a bit bad and some of the pictures are unclear, but it's nothing too horrible, with one big exception: there's a gamebreaking bug right at the end that forces you to restart from the beginning, and it's very easy to run into it. If you're compelled to try the game (and there are far worse hidden object games, but then again there are also far better ones), make sure that you never…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →That was incredibly boring. Hard pass.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed playing this game. Artwork was beautiful, story was very interesting and some puzzles were kinda difficult, others were easy. I couldn't believe getting this game almost free with the sale...I would have paid alot more to experience the adventure. I was also surprised I didn't experience any glitches either. I would recommend anyone that enjoys playing point and click games to get this one! The one thing I was disappointed about was the ending seemed to be cut short alittle. It…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short version: 76% Theatre of the Absurd is rough around the edges in all aspects– plot, storytelling, hidden object scenes, graphics–, yet there is something about the mystery you are facing that keeps you pushing forward. Long version: The Chronicles of Scarlett Frost: Theatre of the Absurd seems like an average hidden object game on the surface: you play as a female investigator (of sorts), who ends up in a remote gothic mansion, trying to save a little girl from a demonic entity. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game impressed me, from the start. As a HOG, the items were really well hidden and I was glad there weren't any achievements. One, because I wouldnt have set any time records and secondly it was enjoyable to take my time searching, see images come into view as my eyes came into focus. Theatrically, I was drawn into the story, through good design, acting and really good animation. Travelling from room to room was quick, so having no map wasnt an issue. This was especially helpful as the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not too boring ,But also nothing special.Just a simple H.O.G game too play on rainy and boring days :) 8/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Actually not bad at all. The hidden object puzzles were challenging in the way they blended the objects into the background and environment, and I enjoyed that a lot. It doesn't have a map but it's not a problem at all because it's not a big game at all. The story is pretty basic with elements of horror. I absolutely love how they implemented the hints and abilities system and tied it into the story. I enjoyed the 2.5 hours I spent with this game and I would absolutely recommend grabbing it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whenever another game has me stuck on a difficult puzzle and feeling especially stupid, I like to fire up a Hidden Object Game in order to redeem myself. They tend to move along at a brisk pace while being just hard enough (ok, barely hard at all) to give the illusion of actually accomplishing something. Theater of the Absurd hits this sweet spot exactly, while distinguishing itself from the rest of the Hidden Object pack with its well-crafted gothic horror aesthetic. Not that it's too…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You might be expecting, as I was, that this one takes place in some kind of theater. Well it doesn't, unless the kinds of theaters you frequent are hewn from the bones of giants, have multi-story crypts attached, or are built over mysterious Egyptian ruins situated in a remote, snow-capped mountain range. There's no performance here, aside from a struggle against a gangly demon for the soul of a small girl trapped in an enchanted bell tower. Although as I type all this out, I suppose the Absurd…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty decent puzzle/HO game for five bucks. There is a decent lot to do, roughly three hours of content including bonus features for the Collector's Edition, which in my experience is pretty standard for this kind of game. The puzzles are not horribly difficult overall, mostly involving collecting and assembling items, but there was enough variation through most of the game that I wasn't bored with it. The hidden object scenes are detailed, well-drawn, and reasonably challenging; they…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thumbs down! There was too much backtracking and this game does not have an instant travel map. This game doesn’t even have a regular map. The hidden object scenes weren’t that great, and I didn’t like the mini-games. In addition, the story doesn’t have a satisfying ending. It strongly hints that things aren’t quite what they seemed, but then it just stops without a definite resolution or a clear explanation of what exactly happened.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Surprisingly decent. A 65/100 effort. The good HO scenes that are both logical and challenging Compelling story Good music The bad Doesn't scale well to larger screens So-so voice acting Minimal replay value Puzzles are too easy
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, opinions about Point&Click adventures vary a lot and some people find them utterly boring. I hesitated to buy the game when I read some of the reviews here but now I'm glad I did buy it.The game itself begins with a video. A demon has been released and you, as the hero, have to save the little girl in its grip. The player has the option to change from easy to moderate difficulty (more hints in this case), but if you want to solve all puzzles on your own, you don't have to ue the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Brilliant, its a casual find the item in the scene game with a great little story not too boring plenty to do around the game and lots of fun puzzles to solve worth the price for such a fun game 9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Took me three hours to beat the whole game, including bonus content, but considering I got the game on sale for only a dollar, I consider it money well spent. Cons are that I got kind of impatient with some of the cutscenes, certain kinds of puzzles were a pain, and honestly the plot is just weird. But who plays one-dollar hidden object games for plot anyways? Pros were that it really was fun, and I basically played it for three hours straight because it's kind of addictive. And even though…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Classic HOG. Nice use of additional abilities. It hand-holds a bit too much sometimes and that's even on the higher difficulty. BUG WARNING - If you place any stone tablets in their setting in the Under Theatre before you have collected all of them, they'll freeze and/or you'll lose them and won't be able to progress for the rest of the game. I've just hit this and it looks like I'll have to start again. In short, it's all fun and games as long as you watch out for this bug.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great fun, not very hard even on Expert. Relaxing and beautiful, I throughly enjoyed this one. Somewhat less cheesy than most, at least until you get to the bonus content after the main game is done. They had some great ideas for the story and details in the locations, and one thing I really liked is that many of the objects in the HOG sections are actually used in the game instead of just being there as something to find at random. I start to feel guilty buying these in bundles because the art…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It would have been a great game if I understood the plot. However, apart the fact that you're invited to identify an artefact that released a demon and that you're trying to save the daughter of the owner, that you've been infected by something and that you may be related to the mother's girl, I didn't find anything else interesting. I mean, how was I infected? Was the answer in the bonus chapter that I didn't finish because I've crashed? And seriously, the game is named after one part of the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm recomending this game even though theres a bug that stops you from being able to complete the game. It's a good hidden object. I liked the graphics, lots of puzzles, good story. Unfortunatly, each puzzle tends to have more then five pieces, which often are seperate objects in your inventory and make it a bit cluttered. So, easy fix, put all the pieces you have onto the puzzle and come back to it when you have the rest, right? The last puzzle with the tablets will get frozen and messed up…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For a buck or two, you could do worse (lord knows I have), but honestly it just doesn't live up to Artifex Mundi's offerings, and you're much better off with anything from their library. Bad voice acting, dodgy navigation and a cheesy story (even for HOGs, a cheesy story - so that's saying something). And it's short without being gripping. All in all, a C-, which translates to a "do not recommend" unless you're desperate and/or cheap.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a decent game, and despite what some have said, it's an enjoyable HOG. The artwork is stunning and there are quite a few especially disturbing things scattered throughout the castle, and the atmosphere is perfect for the setting of this whole thing. While there are still a lot of unanswered questions after playing, the story was a nice change to the cheesy usuals in HOGs so I can't complain. Unlike others, I actually enjoyed the voice acting in the Bonus Content sections quite a lot,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very casual adventure. For a game costing less than a buck in the Summer sale, this was a bargain given the decent 6 hour length, It's a fairly standard HOG with a few easy puzzles thrown in. The challenge was minimal and only on the final puzzle in the Collector's Edition part, did I have to spend some time trying to work out how to solve the 3 parts to it. It would have been nice if it had offered up more of a challenge in the rest of the game. Despite its ease, I enjoyed playing it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is not about the theatre, absurd or otherwise. It's a mild horror narrative that has you save a damsel in distress, mostly linear, with plenty of hints available, and a storyline that serves to glue the puzzles (hidden object or otherwise) together. It took me 3 hours to get through the main content, there's some bonus content but I don't expect it's going to amount to much. Decent game, if you like hidden object games you'll know what to expect, not recommended for anyone who's not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gamebreaking bug on the plaquets puzzle, be careful.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A hidden objects game that offers more puzzles than just hidden object searches. It has a better story than most I've played, and the graphics are very nice. I really enjoyed exploring the castle and watching the story unfold.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The graphics are beautiful, the cut scenes are well done... it is an intriguing story that feels not very well fleshed out. The hidden object scenes start out slightly challenging but grow easier as you go through the game... almost as if the developers kind of gave up. No real challenging puzzles. Not nearly enough play time... I clocked in under three hours. Overall, it was an empty feeling game and your energies would be better spent on another HOG.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is nice, pretty easy. But it has lots of glitches when objects stop ineracting and reacting to mouse clicks and you need to exit and start it again :(
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm hesitant to reccomend this game, but I'm doing so based off the discounted price that I paid. The story feels incomplete and the "extra" content does nothing to help that. Most puzzles were very easy and as someone said previously, you can randomly click to complete most of it with very little consequences. The two "hardest" puzzles were actually in the CE content and had no explanation on how to complete them or what the goal really was. I didn't encounter any of the game ending…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →pros + good looking graphics + creepy atmosphere and story. + easy puzzles (if you don't want to challenge) + good voice acting + hidden object elements are fun. + hint system helpful + there is auto save + game is not too short cons - annoying last puzzles in bonus level. i skipped them. - there are no steam achievements - game doesn't drop cards. - too much backtracking
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has bugs that make puzzles unsolvable, including the very last puzzle.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: Good graphics, music, sound, and gameplay. Cheap price. Cons: Shabby story and incomplete. Most of hidden object are unrelated to the story and just random. A shadow of an object are considered an object? Really? A very short game. Overall, a fun and good game. maybe the dev can make it longer next time? please take your time to develop the story really well.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Crap. Got it on sale and too much. Stay away from Strategy First Games. Read carefully who publishes games. If you see Strategy First run away.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was oddly satisfying when it came to it's hidden object puzzles--and it's eerie atmosphere was done pretty well for a simple point and click. For anyone who loved eyespy books when they were younger, like myself, you'd probably enjoy this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I tentatively recommend this game to people who are open to point and click hidden objects games. It's fun and interesting with new mechanics introduced every so often to keep it lively but Theatre of the Absurd is really just one long fetch quest with a mostly unexplained plot and poor voice acting. Here's a bit of a breakdown: It introduces new mechanics in the form of magic spells which you use to access other areas of the castles and solve puzzles that you couldn't otherwise. But the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A mediocre hidden-object game. It's a little bit too casual -- your hand is held constantly, and it's quite impossible to miss any of the clues. The story makes no sense (well, that's usual for the genre), but it seems especially flippant. Could be fun for fans of the genre, but there are much better games of this type!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Eh... I wish there was a " meh" option. Too easy, too fast, the story is really meh and kinda stupid.... some parts made me giggle, like when the demon is all like " YOU SHALL NOT PASS" then gives you a tip about the next puzzle... eh.... Well if you have absolutely nothing to do and nothing better to spend you money on, buy it and be happy. I'm glad I bought it almost for free or else I'd be regretting it an awful lot. Pretty art, terrible game, what a waste
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Despite its beautiful artwork, this is a really tedious, repetitive game. The puzzles aren't challenging in the slightest, the characters are thinly drawn and poorly acted, and worst of all, it falls short on horror. Yes, there are demons, but there's no sense of danger, nothing uncanny, I kept waiting for it to become either creepy or challenging (or both - both would have been great!) but it never happened. I just slogged through one pointless hidden object puzzle after another until I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A pretty silly, somewhat scary find-em-up. I liked it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A solid story and puzzles. I enjoyed it. Though, it took me less than 5 hours to complete the entire game, including the bonus content. Worth it to buy on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A decently entertaining game, with some difficulty. The bonus content does seem to like crashing my computer, although your mileage may vary on that part. It's certainly worth a try if you're a fan of hidden object games, as they make up the majority of the game, and an in-game walkthrough helps to cover any other puzzles to may struggle with.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A hidden object game with some puzzles. It has a nice creepy atmosphere, good sound effects, and nicely-drawn locations. The objects in the HOG are generally well defined and not blurry like some HOGs. One thing I'd like to add that was a slight disappointment: there is no "unlimited HOG" when you complete the main story, as there is with many. Still, this is a decent hidden-object and worth a playthrough.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice little game with atmospheric music and quite nice visuals. It seems to be a little bit short... (like other similar games - you just want to get another and a another new screen, new puzzle till the end of time... :) but sadly it ends eventually...) (It's a little confusing you need to return to previously done puzzle screens seemingly randomly - without any obvious reanson - to countinue the quest. Well atleast there is 'your' hand...) Anyway I recommend it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really interesting atmosphere with creepy noises and incredible visual effects (for a game of this category of course). The HoG scenes are btw confusing, but the gameplay is perfect. 9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Theatre Of The Absurd, developed by Gogii Games and published by Strategy First, is a hidden-object adventure that blends supernatural mystery with gothic theatrics. Set in a snowbound estate high in the Italian Alps, the game casts players as Scarlet Frost, a specialist in the occult summoned to investigate the aftermath of a mysterious artifact’s destruction. What begins as an inquiry into a shattered relic quickly spirals into a battle against a malevolent force that has taken hold of those…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In a statement this morning Russia’s defence ministry said that they had been “deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure” It's not clear whether they are referring specifically to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prighozin, or just generally describing the last 25 years of Russian history. #TheatreOfTheAbsurd #Prighozin #PutinsWar
unlabelledView post →really liked the story line and the graphics, one of my new favourite games. Will play this one again, only downside is the length of the game, could definitely be longer, but the graphics are really enjoyable
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this must be one of the HOGs i have enjoyed the most so far. it has a creepy and cool story. pros. very nice story creepy vibes bonus story cons. bad voice acting apart from the protagonist short (almost 2 hours for the main story and around 30 minutes for the bonus story) while playing the bonus story it keep showing bonus chapter here bonus chapter there. it is nice to know it was for the extra price but showing it once is enough. we get it. low resolution i really really liked this game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Theatre of the Absurd is a game I bought on Steam in May 2014 in a Silverback Games gamepack. Silverback Games is a Canadian developer that brought us the great Empress of the Deep series. Scarlet Frost is an expert on the occult who is called to Doctor Corvus’s estate one dark night to authenticate his Habsburg cube, a red box that holds a captured demon. The troubled Corvus loses his temper and throws the cube, shattering it and unleashing the demon who captures and possesses his young…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Point and Click style. Some horror. Cheap as hell. Story? Story. 6/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bear in the mind there are no achievements. The story wasn't bad, I never really expect much from the story and this didn't stand out as bad, so I count that as good, lol. Creepy setting, mystical stuff going on. You can buy it on sale right now for $1 and it's definitely worth that. Provides a few hours of fun distraction. I'll probably play it again some day.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I flipping loved this game. It's everything that I hoped a game about a possessed arm would be.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game crashed and corrupted my save data and lost everything. Garbage. DO NOT BUY!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.