SOMA
I replayed this game and it hits me just as hard today as it did back when I purchased it at launch.
Plus, all the bugs I had at the launch (such as crashes during scene switches) have all been fixed.
Don’t want to say anything about the game itself in case I spoil it, but if you enjoy existential and thought provoking science fiction I would highly recommend it. The game drips with thick emotional atmosphere and the occasional cheap jump scares, but it doesn’t diminish the plot or impact.
I also love that the game (like PREY, the 2017 version) gives you several important decisions to make which ultimately do not get resolved as part of the plot; You are left to your own imagination to figure out what impact they had upon the world. That’s the sort of engaging thinking exercises I wish more games would give me.
– Real player with 28.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Mystery Atmospheric Games.
Different than thought, different than expected and yet really good!
When I got the game, I assumed it would be a kind of bioshock that was just creepier. Yes, reading helps, at least sometimes 😊
But in this case it played absolutely no role because I didn’t miss the shooter aspect in any way. Soma is a pure adventure game from the first-person point of view.
Nevertheless, the underwater scenario is somewhat reminiscent of Bioshock but with an incredible sound experience. Everywhere it creaks and groans. The game lives from the great soundscape and you should definitely use headphones to play.
– Real player with 22.1 hrs in game
SINGULARITY WORLD
Nice and challenging game. I suggest adding a menu access while in the game.
– Real player with 6.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Mystery Atmospheric Games.
I personally liked the game on its inspirations of Limbo, Inside, The Mist, & Silent Hill. I liked the puzzles, but the last two levels before the boss battle were quite long for a short game. I’m impressed to see that this game was made specifically by one person, & translated by another. I feel there might not be enough spawn checkpoints for the last two puzzles as having to run with such a big map takes a long time. The one extra checkpoint you get in the testing facility with the sentry guns is the elevator. When it comes to the tram level, it takes a very long time for the main tram to get to your character, but I felt the speed of the other trams was fair to solve the puzzle. This isn’t to say I didn’t like the vast set pieces. Seeing that on the bridge genuinely startled me. This proof of concept is well done & I genuinely want this developer to experiment more. P.S the ragdolling was hilarious & also some of the issues I had were fixed in some of the patches.
– Real player with 3.1 hrs in game
AENTITY
This game was on my wishlist for a long time and I honestly hesitated to get it, because I knew it would probably be quite demanding. When I eventually got it, I still didn’t get started on it for almost a week. Once I did, though, I played it for seven hours straight and took over 200 screenshots during that time. It was just as demanding as I expected it to be, but also quite rewarding because of it, and, in the end, it was one of the most fascinating games I’ve played in a long while.
AENTITY is rewarding, daring, fascinating, even confusing at times, but most of all a creative outlet for those who decide to go all in. It’s a game with rules to learn and secrets to discover, but also a tool for the aspiring artist – or the artist in need of inspiration – as well as a piece of art to meditate over. As a tool it takes some practice to understand what it can do – and what you can do with it – so be prepared to take a lot of screenshots while you learn and then cut them down to a handsome few – or keep them all if that’s your thing. ;) I was really picky when I went through mine and kept only like 10%.
– Real player with 8.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Mystery Surreal Games.
I get abstraction….I get having no ambition or specific goal and just go with intuition in the invisible. I do get painting, arts, emptiness and minimalism… I am friend with every space called silence, void, nowhere and nothing.
But this…Hell no! I don’t know if people that do like this game are smoking weed and enjoy the psychedelic blurs of their screen!!? Maybe my pixel needs HD or a better Screen resolution?! I really don’t get it, didn’t enjoy it, getting to finish the game was a nightmare (getting all the achievements). I never want to play that game again ever. This is sad. So my only true opinion about this game is…Watch videos about a typical 15 minutes of game play and make a mind of your own about this because it is for sure a very peculiar game and maybe you will enjoy it, I didn’t. Bought the game 2 years ago for 4.48$. Can’t say I’m outraged. It’s ok even if I didn’t like the game it’s worth the try and it was intriguing enough but now I have enough… Uninstalling the game from my pc is a happy moment right now!
– Real player with 6.2 hrs in game
Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Hole
This is a game that’s difficult to recommend to most people. Partly because of the elephant in the room (disturbing content that makes a lot of h*ntai look tame), but also because of its style of storytelling.
I was able to stomach the content pretty well, but the narrative was hard to follow for me and many others initially. I was willing to put the effort into trying to understand it as I went through, and that made the story much more fulfilling to me. This won’t be the case for everyone though. The story is difficult to keep up with, and at times it can feel like its own project trying to match your understanding with the pace of the game’s events.
– Real player with 398.0 hrs in game
Infinite ejaculation
I’ve been sitting on this review for a few months. I have a love/hate relationship with this game and a lot of opinions about it. Subarashiki Hibi is considered by many to be a masterpiece. I found it to be far from it, a schizophrenic mess whose positives are scattered throughout, but whose negatives come from the very meat of the novel. As this is a philosophical eroge, that meat is philosophy and porn. This bipolar contrast between highbrow and lowbrow has its appeal. “Infinite ejaculation” could be an apt metaphor for it.
– Real player with 110.2 hrs in game
There The Light
I can see this being one of those games that polarizes people - you’re either the type of person who likes this kind of game or you’re not. And if you’re not, you’re probably really going to dislike it.
Fortunately, I’m in the former category. I loved the “vibe” of this game. But more than that, I loved the feeling I experienced playing it. I come from the “walking simulator”/exploration game camp. I love games where I can explore, at my own pace, a place that has a lot to see and experience. I also like puzzles to an extent, and the puzzles in this were either simple (but somewhat meditative) or somewhat annoying (the circular ones). I didn’t struggle too long with any of them, but I enjoyed some more than others, even if they weren’t difficult. It felt like the point of the game wasn’t the puzzles but more the experience as a whole.
– Real player with 3.4 hrs in game
There The Light takes the player on a mystical journey through the abandoned ruins of a long lost civilization. The mystery of who these people were and what caused them to leave this world remains unsolved even after the end of the game, although there are hints indicating what actually happened. At the same time, the game leaves a lot of space for personal interpretation or various speculations, the story being conveyed solely through the numerous inscriptions and drawings that one can find on the walls of the surrounding temples. One thing is certain though: this advanced civilization left behind a series of puzzles and enigmatic mechanisms.
– Real player with 1.7 hrs in game
Umineko When They Cry - Answer Arcs
The second, more uneven half of Umineko. There is some fantastic content in these four arcs, particularly with the introduction of a new character from the fifth arc. Continuing with the ongoing trend of deconstructing the detective fiction genre, the fifth and sixth arcs provide a stark contrast to the preceding ones that reveal further truths, mostly on the rules governing the game board and its pieces. The new character uses the limit of the rules to play with the game boards in novel ways not seen before, and makes for the series' best antagonist. You’ll hate her, but love every moment she’s on screen. Like the games in the Question Arcs, there is an exciting back and forth interplay between characters arguing the logic and reasoning behind what is shown. These two arcs are the highlight of the Answer Arcs, and perhaps of the entire series.
– Real player with 115.0 hrs in game
It takes two to create a universe and undoubtedly it must have taken more than two to create this universe of umineko. After a long journey of exploring theories and techniques of logical arguments and mysteries, it is no secret that the reader must have gained some skills in interpretation and analysis. Although, the creators describe this novel to be fictional and fantastical in nature the story is undoubtedly philosophical. Compared to the first installment of the visual novel, the answer arcs are far more focused on unnecessary details and fights and seems elongated like how a bollywood soap opera would cleverly add endless episodes of drama to just get more room for ads. In my personal opinion this whole story would have ended in in the answer arcs with just two long episodes and I will stand by that. When I was reading the question arcs I felt refreshed and amazed by each episode, but I expected more from answer arcs. The whole two visual novels revolve around this one single incident : the murders of Rokkenjima, when a whole visual novel with like 4 episodes were given based on twisting the same story it would be impossible to enjoy it fully in the 5th or 7th time. I was mainly bored in the 5th 6th episodes and what mostly interested me was the last two. On the terms of the mystery genre and explaining mysteries I have far not read any visual novel that would impress me. So that credit would go to Umineko alone. IT should also be noteworthy to mention that I like Higurashi novels better no matter how repetitive it was- it was different each time with the same setting much better than umineko.
– Real player with 73.1 hrs in game
SOULS
A good story that can make player’s sticked into it, and keep playing to the end.
Player would probably get complex emotions througout the whole story, from depress, anxious, anger, to relief.
The writer of the story put a lot of afford in descripting character’s psychological thought, which made the character nice.
The BGM of the game is AMAZING, suiting the story very well.
The Graphics of the game isn’t that appealing, but acceptable. Some of the background CGs do actually scared me with the combination of story and BGM all together.
– Real player with 19.8 hrs in game
I had just posted a review on this just a bit ago, but after some thought, I think this should only be recommended to people familiar with visual novels and have the patience to overlook the countless grammatical errors and subpar translation.
I did finish the game. In one session even. I engrossed myself in the story enough to overlook the errors. The plot had some good twists and the game kept me guessing til the end. However, there also tend to be some pretty big plot holes/unanswered questions
! like why it seemed like after the father was absorbed, it went straight to an elementary school instead of, for example, his previous place of work? And if it was because of the stench of negative emotion, why was everyone there so miserable?
– Real player with 8.9 hrs in game
Umineko When They Cry - Question Arcs
Ryukishi07, you sadistic bastard, I love you.
Before getting this one, I would recommend you to at least try to read the Higurashi When They Cry series. They’re amazing visual novels that have some connection to Umineko’s plot. Don’t worry, they’re not required, but they’re also great stories that, if you finish them, you’ll have a whole different view on some of Umineko’s important characters.
Umineko is a story about sin, punishment, guilt, trauma and especially love. Written by Ryukishi07, who had experience as a social worker, it’s a mystery in it’s core, but not entirely. The content ranges from bittersweet love stories to chuuni fantastic logic and reasoning battles, where arguments take form as weapons. How can you have so many different kinds of dilemmas in one story? Well, just look at the hour counts which people who read this series have on Steam. It’s easily an 100+ experience.
– Real player with 112.4 hrs in game
This is a review of the whole of Umineko, not just the Question Arcs. Just so you know.
Mystery stories are, at their core, just one big puzzle. An author writes a story, gives you hints, and typically tells you all you need to know before the story’s conclusion so that you have a fair chance at figuring it out if you’re perceptive enough. Good mystery authors make it possible to figure out the killer long before they are revealed in the story. But it has gotten to the point that many people either don’t try and figure it out, or if they do, their guesses are far more lukewarm, because they know the story will succinctly reveal everything at the end of the story and wrap everything up in a nice little bow. Umineko, on the other hand, does not do this. Umineko lays out clues for you and tells you to figure it out yourself, not directly revealing the answer to a majority of its individual mysteries, and, while giving you more hints to its biggest mysteries, never outright stating the answer. What makes the story even more difficult to solve is the constant questioning of whether what you’re seeing is true or false, and whether or not the murders are truly being done by magic, not helped by the constant seemingly impossible closed room murders. Can you figure out the truth? That’s up to your observational skills.
– Real player with 108.7 hrs in game
Birth ME Code
EDIT: Review updated to reflect the Feb 7th 2021 ending rewrite (version 1.2.1).
–—
Birth ME Code (BMEC) is solid second entry in the ABiMe series and sequel to Head AS Code.
Overall, an enjoyable experience, although not without its criminals cons. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who enjoys darker, grittier plot-heavy mysteries and visual novels.
Disclaimer: From a gameplay perspective, BMEC does NOT offer fully integrated escape room puzzles like Zero Escape nor Classroom Trials / Endless Debates like Danganronpa, so if you go in expecting either of these from this indie game, prepare to be disappointed in that regard.
– Real player with 56.7 hrs in game
I rarely write reviews, but I felt compelled to write about this… experience, I think I’ll call it. I’m a huge fan of Zero Escape and having played this developer’s first game (Head AS Code), I was counting down the minutes until its release so I could have a solid excuse to ignore the giant pile of work sitting on my desk.
So was it worth it? Yes, absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, every penny.
Birth ME Code is an ontological mystery game wherein a bunch of people are dumped in a place and told they’ve gotta play a death game for the chance to MAYBE get out alive. So yes, same premise as Zero Escape. However, this genre is less about premise and more about world building, twists, and flowcharts. Flowcharts are essential because they allow the player to live the story from all perspectives. How many times do you play a game or watch a movie and think, “I wonder what would happen if that guy died instead of this lady?” I know, frequently. It was a rhetorical question.
– Real player with 39.1 hrs in game
Hitchhiker - A Mystery Game
Philosophical road trip, where the word “trip” might be a part of the word “trippy”. Surreal and thought-provoking, with phenomenal storytelling, it’s definitely worth a playthrough for those who like to ponder on things.
You start as a hitchhiker in someone’s car. There’s little information given on who you are, where are you and, most importantly, why are you there – in that moment. As the ride unfolds, there comes the realization that you’re searching for something – yourself? Missing partner? An event in the past? Lost memories? At first, it’s unclear and seems surreal, as odd conversations with drivers seem to be hinting at something deeper while you try to stay rooted in reality and figure out what exactly happened. As the rides with different, strange companions continue, you’ll eventually find yourself threading on the thin line between dreamlike and real still, however, searching for the answers to this mystery, which in itself is no longer solid…Will you ever find answers? Perhaps strange people, new places, odd clues and lots of philosophical musings will help to point you in the right direction. Or not. In the end, you’ll still get to enjoy one bad-ass road trip showing beautiful scenery of the great United States’ cross-county drive.
– Real player with 6.1 hrs in game
I don’t know what to make of this games storytellers.. the game itself is a laid back low key Indie AA, decent production values. Not the best Indie AA I have ever played but a fair attempt.
I’m really on the fence between a yes and no recommendation.. okay so MASSIVE STORY SPOILER WARNING:
! ### So the story itself is very chilled out, I enjoyed it for the most part.. until you get to the end and you have been doing all this for your dying girlfriend whom you know was cheating on you?? .. WHY THE FLIP DO I CARE IF SHES ALIVE OR DEAD? She cheated.. cheating is a horrific thing and instantly disqualifies her as a valid person.. meaning everything she ever said to me about me, was a lie. So with that in mind.. and note that guy didn’t go and kill them both, which may have been a fun aspect if it was included in the game.. but not only does he not kill them both, but he simps out and goes to her bedside..?! WHO THE FLIP CARES.. DIE ALREADY!.. life isn’t like what these Devs imagine.. ohw you once told someone you loved them and then they cheated on you, let’s all be friends?? Obviously they felt nothing for you or they wouldn’t have cheated! and at that point.. WHO CARES? You died in that second you cheated.. there is no sorry.. the idea of this is horrific.. No.. a hundred times no.. this game while having good points.. just stole the price of it off me.. can’t believe you would write such a weak pathetic character.. compassion?.. where was her compassion while she is taking ** ** *** **** on holiday.. no excuse, this is the modern age, everyone’s got a phone on them, it takes 5 minutes to make a phone call and done.
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game