Game Review: “No, I’m Not a Human” turns suspicion into a compelling nightly stress test
Platform: PC
Developer: Trioskaz
Publisher: Critical Reflex
Release date: September 15, 2025
Price at review: 14.99 USD
remise and loop
No, I’m Not a Human is a first-person paranoia horror built around a simple idea that hits harder than most jump scares. The sun has become lethal during the day, forcing society to operate at night. Strangers knock on your door after dark asking for shelter. Some are human. Some are “Visitors.” Your job is to interview each person, spot the tells, and decide who gets in. One mistake can end your run or worse. The loop is compact and brutal: learn, judge, live with the outcome, and wake up to a new rule the next day.
The structure is closer to a judgment sim than a traditional survival game. You do not roam or craft. You interrogate, observe, and commit. New heuristics arrive each morning which then get subverted by edge cases that make you question your gut. That push and pull between confidence and doubt is where the game finds its teeth.
Presentation and tone
Trioskaz leans into lo-fi tension rather than photorealism. Stark lighting, tight framing, and audio that weaponizes silence to build a steady feeling of unease. Dialogue reads like a community fraying at the edges, and perspective shifts to keep you guessing. The result is an atmosphere that works because it is restrained, not because it is loud.
On PC, the game is lightweight and stable, with a visual style that favors mood over bloom effects. Steam Deck testing from third-party outlets reports solid playability, which tracks with our experience that this is more about mental load than GPU load.
What works
- The interrogation design is ruthless but fair. The game gives you rules, then forces you to test them under pressure. Contradictions and plausible excuses make every decision feel consequential, and the short nightly cadence keeps tension high.
- Replay value is real. Multiple endings and branching consequences encourage a second or third run to chase different outcomes, and the price makes that proposition easy to justify. Community reception has been notably positive since launch.
- Strong thematic cohesion. Art, audio, and writing point at the same idea: certainty is a luxury. The game keeps its scope tight and benefits from that discipline.
Where it stumbles
- Save flexibility is limited. If you are experimenting to see alternate outcomes, the lack of granular saves can feel like friction. This design choice preserves tension, but it also discourages surgical do-overs.
- Narrow mechanics may not land for everyone. If you want exploration or combat systems to grow over time, this is not that game. The core loop is conversation, observation, and consequence.
- Pacing dips exist. When a night offers fewer surprises or when new rules slow down, urgency can flatten until the next spike. Community feedback has echoed the request for more save options and a bit more variability late game.
These critiques are tradeoffs rather than outright flaws. The core experience does what it sets out to do, and it sticks to that mission.
Price and content
At 14.99 USD, No, I’m Not a Human sits in the sweet spot for a short, replayable indie horror. You can see credits in a single sitting, then return to probe different branches without feeling like you are re-grinding the same scenes. The current Steam listing confirms the price and Windows platform focus.
Verdict
No, I’m Not a Human succeeds because it turns every knock at the door into a moral stress test. Trioskaz builds tension out of second-guessing, not shock value, and that makes the fear linger. It will not appeal to players who crave systemic complexity or action. For anyone who enjoys judgment-driven design and psychological horror, this is one of the year’s more memorable indie releases at a fair price.
Recommended for: fans of Papers, Please-style decision loops, players who like short narrative horrors with multiple endings, and anyone who believes a conversation can be scarier than a monster.
Pros
- Tense interrogation gameplay that rewards attention
- Cohesive atmosphere with strong audio cues
- Real replay value with multiple endings
- Reasonable runtime and price point
Cons
- Limited save options reduce flexibility
- Narrow mechanics can feel restrictive
Occasional pacing lulls late game
Related Web URL: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3180070/No_Im_n...
