Company:Critical Reflex
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| Founded | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Rita Lebedeva |
| Headquarters | Limassol , Cyprus |
| Website | criticalreflex |
Critical Reflex (stylized in all caps) is an independent video game publisher based in Nicosia, Cyprus.[1] The studio is known for publishing games such as Mouthwashing, No, I'm not a Human, Arctic Eggs and Buckshot Roulette. They are widely recognised for "creepy" and "surreal" aesthetic of their games.[2][1]
History
Critical Reflex was founded in 2020, as a fully remote video game publisher that focuses on "experimental, atmospheric, genre-bending titles".[1] The CEO of the company describes it as a publisher that wants to promote a developer's vision long-term, that makes projects "from fans, for fans".[3]
On 20 October 2023, Critical Reflex, a sub-label company CR Channel focused on working with horror games, now included games such as Drowned Lake, Teleforum, Buckshot Roulette and Flawless Abbey.[4] CR Channel was described by company as "haunted television broadcast you tune into by accident at midnight".
On 5 April 2024, the company released a game called Buckshot Roulette on Steam, that originally started as an indie game on Itch.io by Estonian developer Mike Klubnika.[5] The game quickly attracted mass attention, collecting more than 6,000 reviews in 4 days on Steam, with 96% of them being positive, and peaking over 75,000 viewers on Twitch upon its launch.[6]
On 26 September 2024, the video game Mouthwashing developed by Wrong Organ was published on Steam. The game has collected about 1,500 positive reviews in 9 days, achieving a user score of 9.0 on Metacritic, being one of the highest-rated games of 2024.[7] By 20 February 2024, the game has sold 500,000 copies on Steam, winning "Best Narrative" and "Players' Choice" categories in The Horror Game Awards 2024.[8][9]
List of published video games
| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Aeon Drive | Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
| 2022 | How Fish Is Made | Windows |
| 2022 | ORX | Windows |
| 2023 | Teleforum | Microsoft Windows, macOS |
| 2023 | Lunacid | Windows |
| 2024 | Outcast Tales: The First Journey | Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS |
| 2024 | Buckshot Roulette | Windows, Linux |
| 2024 | Arctic Eggs | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 2024 | Mouthwashing | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S |
| 2024 | THRESHOLD | Windows |
| 2025 | TROLEU | Windows |
| 2025 | No, I'm Not a Human | Windows, macOS |
| 2025 | Tanuki: Pon's Summer | Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| TBA | Militsioner | Windows |
| TBA | Rose and Locket | Windows |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 WEST, AUTOMATON (23 June 2025). "Meet the creepiest publisher in indie games. Critical Reflex are “midwives bringing monsters into the world,” backing projects no one dares to touch" (in en-US). https://automaton-media.com/en/news/meet-the-creepiest-publisher-in-indie-games-critical-reflex-are-midwives-brining-monsters-into-the-world-backing-projects-no-one-dares-to-touch/.
- ↑ Federico, Philip (22 July 2025). "CRITICAL REFLEX EXPANDS THEIR TERRIFYING AND SURREAL PUBLISHING LINEUP WITH TWO NEW GAMES" (in en-US). https://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2025/07/critical-reflex-expands-their-terrifying-and-surreal-publishing-lineup-with-two-new-games/.
- ↑ Marshall, Cass (3 December 2024). "Critical Reflex’s focus on horror has led to some of the year’s best, weirdest games" (in en-US). https://www.polygon.com/gaming/489612/critical-reflex-horror-games-buckshot-roulette-threshold-mouthwashing.
- ↑ "CR Channel". https://www.criticalreflex.com/crchannel.
- ↑ Obedkov, Evgeny (5 April 2024). "Horror game of chance Buckshot Roulette becomes another indie success of 2024, with 6k concurrent players and counting" (in en-US). https://gameworldobserver.com/2024/04/05/buckshot-roulette-6k-ccu-launch-steam-indie-success.
- ↑ "The horror game Buckshot Roulette is another indie phenomenon of 2024. Online with 9 thousand players and 96% rating on Steam". 8 April 2024. https://wnhub.io/news/stores-and-publishing/item-43247.
- ↑ Morris, Daniel (6 October 2024). "New Steam Horror Game Has 'Overwhelmingly Positive' Reviews" (in en). https://gamerant.com/mouthwashing-steam-horror-overwhelmingly-positive-reviews/.
- ↑ Blake, Vikki (15 December 2024). "Finally, an awards show gives Silent Hill 2 Remake and other horror games the love they deserve" (in en). https://www.eurogamer.net/finally-an-awards-show-gives-silent-hill-2-remake-and-other-horror-games-the-love-they-deserve.
- ↑ Gerblick, Jordan (20 February 2025). "After hitting 500,000 copies sold and nearly 24,000 reviews on Steam, viral $13 horror game Mouthwashing is coming to consoles this year" (in en). https://www.gamesradar.com/games/horror/after-hitting-500-000-copies-sold-and-nearly-24-000-reviews-on-steam-viral-usd13-horror-game-mouthwashing-is-coming-to-consoles-this-year/.
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