Until They Burn

A nightmare apartment, and a fireplace full of dolls

Until They Burn is a short first-person psychological horror game from Runebox Studio, presented almost entirely in black and white. Nightmares lead the player to the apartment of a woman who vanished after a fire, only to find themselves trapped inside, compelled to burn a series of dolls in a fireplace as the only apparent path to escape. This review draws on an English review sample, 16 reviews at the time of research, entirely positive.

Praised for a distinctive black-and-white visual style

Reviewers consistently single out the game's monochrome presentation as its defining strength. "This black-and-white version is a nice change of pace. The atmosphere is great, the sound effects are great, and the creep factor is great too," reads one review. A separate reviewer independently credits the same choice: "The black and white visuals positively surprised me and made the game feel unique," while a third describes it as making the game "seem like I was watching an old school horror movie." This review treats that as fair: three independent reviewers crediting the exact same stylistic choice as the game's standout feature is credible evidence of a genuinely effective, well-executed art direction decision.

Praised for effective jump scares and tense atmosphere

This review also found specific, credible praise for the game's scare craft. "The jump scares were good and one of them legit made me jump and my headset went flying," reads one review. A separate reviewer independently reports a similarly strong physical reaction: "This game was so scary and a couple of the jump scares had me reaching for my inhaler." A third reviewer credits the game's pacing directly, calling it "not too long, not too short," suggesting the scares are spaced deliberately rather than crammed in to pad the runtime. This review treats that as fair: multiple reviewers independently describing genuine startle reactions to specific scares, rather than vague praise for "creepiness," is credible evidence of well-crafted, deliberately timed horror design.

Praised for an interesting story with real surprises

This review also found reviewers crediting the narrative for delivering more than its premise initially suggests. "The story is very interesting, and even though it's a bit generic, it delivers some great surprises," reads one review. A separate reviewer, on their second game from this developer, independently credits the same narrative craft: "Simple story done very well and some unexpected plot twists." This review treats that as fair: reviewers willing to acknowledge a familiar setup while still crediting genuine narrative surprises is credible evidence the game does more with its premise than a first glance might suggest.

A fair complaint about visibility in black and white

Set against that praise, this review found a specific, corroborated complaint from within otherwise positive reviews. "It was a lil bit hard to see cz of the black and white," notes one reviewer, while a separate reviewer suggests a concrete fix: wishing "there was a setting to play the game in color vs just black and white... sort of like the movie 'Sin City'... a black and white comic style movie with a pop of red to really make things stand out." This review treats that as fair: even reviewers who love the stylistic choice independently flagging a practical visibility drawback, with one offering a specific, plausible solution, is a genuine, actionable complaint rather than a rejection of the art style itself.

A fair complaint about price relative to length

This review also found a specific complaint about value from an otherwise enthusiastic reviewer. "Short fun experience. Good tension, creepy setting and tons of brutal jump scares. Might be a tad too expensive so wait for a light sale," reads one review, rating it a "Low 4 out of 5" despite an overall recommendation. This review treats that as fair: a reviewer who otherwise praises the game specifically flagging the price-to-length ratio as its main weak point is a reasonable, actionable complaint for prospective buyers to weigh.

A note on this review's small, uncritical sample

This review draws on only 16 English reviews at the time of research, and notably, every single one is positive. That uniformity is worth flagging honestly: a small, entirely self-selected sample of enthusiastic players cannot rule out that less satisfied players simply haven't reviewed the game yet, or reflect the same broad range of opinion a larger sample would. It is also worth noting that several reviewers mention watching or making their own video playthroughs, suggesting the sample skews toward players who were already engaged enough with the genre to document their reaction, rather than a fully representative cross-section of buyers. The game also carries no tracked Steam achievements, leaving this review without an independent data source to corroborate reviewer claims the way it can for many other releases. The specific, concrete complaints that do surface, about black-and-white visibility and price relative to length, are treated here as credible precisely because they come from reviewers who otherwise recommend the game, but readers should weigh this rating with some caution given the sample's size and its lack of any negative reviews at all.

Final verdict

Until They Burn is a tense, visually distinctive horror short that earns real credit for its black-and-white presentation, well-timed jump scares, and a story that delivers genuine surprises despite a familiar setup. This review found that praise tempered by fair, specific complaints about occasional visibility issues in its monochrome style and a price some reviewers felt outpaced its short runtime, set against a small, entirely positive review sample that should be weighed with some caution. For fans of short, atmosphere-driven horror willing to embrace an unusual visual style, it's a worthwhile pickup, ideally on a discount; players wanting full colour throughout or a longer campaign should temper expectations.