"Playing through Saturnalia's beautiful mixture of rogue-lite, survival horror, and Metroidvania mechanics feels like being among the first people in the world to experience peanut butter and chocolate. [...] an entirely new flavor profile that in just a few short years will be so popular audiences everywhere won't be able to fathom a world before the existence of said combination." – Patrick Morris
"Saturnalia successfully establishes a relationship between its physical and spiritual horrors, which together pull the player into its unpleasant reality. Saturnalia is a horrible little video game, but horrible in precisely all the ways its makers intended." – Simon Parkin
Rock Paper Shotgun - Bestest Bests
"It's a pulse-raising, shiver-making, dark little whisper; a beautiful game. [...] It's a rare game that unsettles you enough to stop playing, but attracts you enough that you turn it back on almost immediately. A rare game that's so unapologetically specific, that doesn't seem to have diluted any part of itself. Rarest of all is a game that's truly unique, and makes you think "I haven't played anything like this before." – Alice Bell
“Horror games tend to stay with you for longer than other genres, but few live rent-free in your head like Saturnalia does. […] Its gorgeous art style, 80s motifs, and clever storytelling make it an irresistible horror experience–perhaps 2022’s best”. – Matt Gardner
“The knowledge that on our next visit Gravoi will be unknowable once more is a major reason why this disquieting, disorienting place leaves us as properly rattled as we’ve been by a videogame since ‘Immortality’”. – Issue#378
“Saturnalia should be on any horror fan’s radar this year. A twisted story combined with a superb art style, nerve-shredding gameplay and expertly crafted design will have you praising and cursing the creative genius to put roguelike mechanics into a horror game. This Italian town has a horrific history you’ll both love and hate to venture into, but you’ll be compelled to uncover it nonetheless”. – Miles Thompson
“[Saturnalia] uses horror in smart ways to explore social topics – the town’s isolation, resistance to change and to outsiders, and the ugly social beliefs that those things inform. Those facets combine perfectly to make a game that isn’t just horrifying because of the monsters that stalk us in the night. It’s horrifying because of the monsters we make, too – and the things we’re capable of becoming”. – Will Borger
”During my playthrough of Saturnalia, I was left amazed at how Santa Ragione has managed to create a survival horror that rarely restricts you, offering a much freer take on the genre whilst leaving me feeling trapped and on edge”. – Chris White
”Fans of exploration looking for a beautiful, atmospheric mystery (with just a handful of things that lurk in the dark) will find that Saturnalia is a wholly unique adventure that's well worth taking”. – Michael Riser
”Saturnalia does an exceptional job at balancing narrative elements for each of its characters, in addition to helping the player get a deeper understanding of the town’s sinister secrets”. – Morgan Shaver
”The real beauty of Saturnalia is the story and its unique art style. There are four playable characters in the game, and each of them has a back story interesting more than the others. […] Saturnalia is one of the best and most unique horror games of 2022 that not a single horror fan should miss”. – S. Masoud Kazemi
”Although the game’s town, Gravoi, is not an actual place in reality […] the architecture and aesthetic is outright gorgeous, and the tight roads and the mix of Pagan and Christian iconography at night make it even more tense than you’d expect. It gives the game a very clear visual identity away from its influences, which is always something to be praised”. – Dane Townsend
“It’s here more than anywhere else that I could see the Giallo influence. The vivid splashes of color really make for a great representation for the visual style of Argento, Bava, et al, and the occasional shot delivers on that as well.[…] what is there serves to make Saturnalia stand out from a technical perspective”. – Neil Bolt
”From the moment the music kicks in on the PS5 screen while just hovering over the game, the soundtrack hooked me and hooked me hard. […] I love when a game really takes advantage of sound and music to build the atmosphere and themes”. – Devin Shea
“That said the sound design is incredible, with a title screen delivering a demonic chant to your living room. The noises around the village are amazing, especially when the creature appears. If you can, make sure you play Saturnalia with headphones on”. – Gareth Brierley
