The Backrooms mythos has become a modern horror staple: endless yellow corridors, humming fluorescent lights, and the creeping sense that something is deeply wrong just outside your field of vision. But for every atmospheric indie experiment that captures that dread, there are five more that mistake empty space for meaningful horror.
Backrooms Level X is one of the rare few that understands the difference.
Originally launched on PC in 2025, the game arrives on consoles today with the substantial “Nightmare Expands” update—bringing the total level count to 15, improving enemy AI, and adding a full Spanish voice dub. The result is a more refined, more threatening, and more ambitious interpretation of the Backrooms concept than most attempts in the genre.
And for £8.99, it’s surprisingly dense.
The 1986 Albuquerque Incident
The game frames itself around a fictional VHS tape recorded on October 27, 1986, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A freak accident—captured on analog tape—pulls the protagonist into the Backrooms.
This VHS framing device isn’t just aesthetic dressing. The entire presentation leans heavily into analog horror:
- VHS scanlines
- Color bleed and distortion
- Audio warping
- Sudden signal interruptions
The result feels like you’re watching recovered footage rather than playing a conventional horror game. It’s an effective technique, and it immediately sets the tone: something documented, something lost, something wrong.
More Than Just Yellow Hallways
Many Backrooms games never escape Level 0—the infamous yellow carpeted maze. Backrooms Level X does.
While the early sections lean into familiar territory, the game gradually expands into increasingly surreal and varied environments:
- Overgrown courtyards overtaken by nature
- Industrial complexes humming with broken machinery
- Flooded corridors reflecting distorted ceiling lights
- Gravity-defying spaces where you can walk along walls and ceilings
The shift in visual themes prevents the monotony that plagues many liminal horror titles. Each level introduces new mechanics or environmental logic shifts, reinforcing the feeling that reality is actively deteriorating.
The “Nightmare Expands” update adds two new levels that lean even harder into environmental disorientation, pushing the game beyond its original scope.
Exploration with Teeth
This is not a walking simulator.
While exploration is central, Backrooms Level X features active, intelligent threats. Entities stalk corridors, respond to sound, and adapt to your movement patterns more aggressively than they did in the original PC release.
Improved AI in the console version makes encounters significantly more tense. Enemies now:
- React more realistically to sound cues
- Patrol unpredictably
- Track your movement more convincingly
You cannot simply sprint blindly. You must:
- Listen carefully
- Observe patrol patterns
- Use environmental hiding spots
- Make calculated risks
It transforms the experience from passive dread into active survival horror.
Puzzles in the Uncanny
Progression is often blocked by environmental puzzles. These range from straightforward observation challenges to abstract logic riddles that require you to question the rules of the space itself.
One puzzle might involve tracking subtle changes in room layout. Another requires understanding patterns in flickering lights. Some rely on interpreting audio cues.
Crucially, the puzzles feel integrated into the environment rather than tacked on. They reinforce the idea that the Backrooms operate under their own warped logic.
Occasionally, puzzle clarity can falter—particularly in darker areas—but for the most part, they strike a satisfying balance between challenging and solvable.
Boss Encounters in a Liminal World
Unlike many Backrooms-inspired games, Level X includes large-scale “boss” encounters.
These aren’t traditional combat scenarios with health bars and gunplay. Instead, they are:
- Multi-stage evasion sequences
- Environmental survival challenges
- High-stakes escape scenarios
The bosses are massive, grotesque entities that emphasize scale and helplessness. Beating them requires observation and quick thinking rather than brute force.
It’s a bold inclusion—and one that adds variety to the pacing.
Atmosphere: Oppressive and Effective
Horror lives or dies by atmosphere, and Backrooms Level X delivers.
The sound design is exceptional for a game at this price point:
- Distant metallic clangs
- Low-frequency ambient drones
- Sudden electrical pops
- Footsteps echoing in impossible directions
The PS5 version uses DualSense haptics subtly but effectively. You’ll feel:
- Electrical interference during VHS distortions
- Low rumbling when entities approach
- Sharp jolts during environmental anomalies
It’s not overused—but it enhances immersion.
The lighting design deserves special praise. Flickering fluorescents and shifting shadows create a constant sense of unease. Even empty rooms feel hostile.
The Spanish Voice Dub
The console version introduces a full Spanish voice dub featuring veteran actors. For Spanish-speaking players, this adds significant immersion and authenticity.
Even for English players, the optional dub adds an interesting tonal layer to the VHS framing, making it feel like a regional recovered artifact rather than a generic horror setup.
It’s a thoughtful addition rather than a token inclusion.
Performance on Consoles
On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the game runs smoothly with stable frame rates. Load times are minimal. The VHS filter effects do not noticeably impact performance.
The Nintendo Switch version holds up surprisingly well, though visual sharpness takes a slight hit. The oppressive atmosphere still translates effectively.
Considering the Unity engine base and heavy post-processing effects, optimization is commendable.
Where It Falls Short
Despite its strengths, Backrooms Level X isn’t flawless.
- Some puzzles lack clear feedback, leading to occasional trial-and-error frustration.
- Movement can feel slightly floaty, especially during gravity-shift sections.
- Narrative depth remains minimal beyond the initial framing device.
If you’re looking for a deeply character-driven horror story, you won’t find it here. The plot exists primarily to justify the setting rather than to explore complex themes.
But for this genre, atmosphere often matters more than exposition.
A Standout in a Crowded Subgenre
The Backrooms space is crowded—and many entries feel derivative.
What makes Level X stand out is ambition. It refuses to stay confined to yellow wallpaper nostalgia. It experiments with verticality, boss encounters, puzzle mechanics, and environmental variety.
It understands that liminal horror works best when it evolves.
For under £9, you’re getting:
- 15 levels
- Multiple entity types
- Boss encounters
- Environmental puzzles
- Enhanced AI
- Full console optimization
That’s remarkable value.
Final Verdict
Backrooms Level X succeeds because it respects its source material while pushing beyond it. It captures the oppressive dread of endless spaces, but it also injects active survival mechanics and creative level design that keep the experience engaging.
It’s not the most narratively complex horror game of 2026—but it may be one of the most atmospherically consistent.
For fans of liminal horror, analog aesthetics, and tense exploration, this is one of the stronger interpretations of the Backrooms concept to date.
