Things too Ugly
- Sha
- Dec 11, 2025
- 3 min read
Factors | Rating | Description |
🎮Gameplay | 8.5 | A desk job that turns into something sinister quite fast. |
📷Graphics | 8 | Decent quality, as there’s not a lot of visuals in the game. |
🎧Narration | 7.5 | Could do with more sound elements or a soundtrack. |
😮Variety | 6 | Plays out pretty much the same way until the end. |
🎰Re-playability | 2 | Only for the achievements. |
💲Price | 6 | Wait for a sale. |
Storyline
Things Too Ugly puts you in the role of a Risk Management Data Processor at TEREBRO Inc. Your job is to go through the company’s old archive files and answer simple questions on your screen as you slowly uncover the disturbing past of the firm. The only guidance you receive comes from your Supervisor, who speaks to you through an intercom. The story isn’t explained in great detail, but it’s still interesting- and it definitely manages to creep you out when it needs to!
🎮 Gameplay Mechanics
🔶 As for how the game actually plays- it’s essentially a desk job. You’re given case files to review, along with three tools to help you: a decrypter, a GPS device, and a radio. You also have two screens on your desk- one that shows your current objective, and another where you input the values needed to complete it. For example, the first blank usually asks for the topic of the case file, the second asks for the subject related to your current objective, and the third could be any detail tied to the file. Each case file includes printed documents, photos, and handwritten notes that you’ll use to piece together the required information. The narrative moves smoothly because the whole story is divided into five case files, each containing two objectives. Some documents will have GPS coordinates, radio frequencies, or encrypted text- all of which must be decoded with the tools you’re given. 🔷 The difficulty of the objectives is nicely balanced- not too hard, not too easy. You can even brute-force some answers since the computer tells you which inputs are correct and there’s no penalty for mistakes. The entire game takes about 2-3 hours to finish, but there’s one catch: you have to complete it in a single sitting, as there’s no save option 🔶 There’s not much I can say without spoiling the story, but I can say this: the game has two different endings, and both of them are open-ended. Personally, I didn’t like that. It’s normal for movies and games to leave some things unexplained, but this one takes the ambiguity a bit too far!
📷 Visuals and Audio
🔷 The game’s environment is basically just a desk with a few interactable items, so there isn’t much room to mess it up- but the sudden light changes paired with solid audio design help create a pretty effective atmosphere. I was also pleasantly surprised by the quality of the voice acting, which is something many indie games struggle with. The soundtrack and sound effects were well done too, though they didn’t offer much variety
📝Main Pros and Cons
Pros-
Decent narrative.
Difficulty is well-balanced.
Dialogue delivery is good.
Case files are well crafted.
Cons-
Very short.
Endings should have more context.
😇 Honest Rating
🔶 Final thoughts? Things Too Ugly isn’t nearly as ugly as the name might suggest- it’s definitely worth trying. However, because it’s short and offers almost no replay value, I’d recommend picking it up during a sale rather than paying full price
Rating: 7.5/10
The specimen is coming for us all.
