4089: Ghost Within
- January 8, 2015
- Phr00t's Software
Get on Steam"4089: Ghost Within" is a single-player Science Fiction Shooter game with good gameplay and soundtrack. The game offers a procedurally generated mothership experience with stealth action RPG elements, including character customization, hacking, building, and unique weapons. It takes inspiration from roguelike games and allows players to create or edit their own rooms, enemies, and weapons.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features a unique premise with a blend of FPS and roguelike elements, offering varied gameplay experiences.
- The developer is responsive to player feedback and frequently updates the game, showing a commitment to improvement.
- The grappling hook mechanic adds an interesting layer to movement and combat, allowing for creative strategies.
- The game suffers from poor design choices, including a lack of a robust loot system and repetitive enemy encounters.
- Map design is confusing and lacks a minimap, making navigation frustrating and often leading to aimless wandering.
- Stealth mechanics are underdeveloped, and the combat can feel dull due to the removal of features present in previous titles.
- gameplay60 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of 4089: Ghost Within has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its blend of FPS, rogue-lite, and RPG mechanics, while others criticize its lack of depth and engaging combat. Many found the stealth mechanics underwhelming and the exploration tedious due to repetitive environments, leading to a sense of aimlessness. Despite some fun elements like character builds and modding potential, the overall experience is marred by sluggish movement and poorly executed mechanics, leaving players divided on its appeal.
“As a rogue-lite, this game is a strong entry in the genre, blending many facets of FPS, rogue, and RPG mechanics in a palatable and flat-out fun way!”
“Great atmosphere and environments, great music, fun gameplay.”
“Gameplay has depth with character builds, allowing for multiple styles of play.”
“The first word of 4089's description is 'sneak,' but I was surprised to find that the concept of 'stealth mechanics' exists here only in the most basic form.”
“To be fair, it is a step up over 3089’s enemies, none of which 'do a weird thing.' Still, it makes combat incredibly boring — there are no clever mechanics to exploit, no puzzling around an enemy’s weakness, nothing.”
“Most of my gameplay consisted of me wandering around aimlessly lost because almost every area in the map looks the same, so mindless running around took most of my hour and a half playing from start to finish.”
- music32 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its quality and atmospheric fit, but noting that it can become repetitive over time. Some users find the volume levels too high and the transitions between tracks jarring, while others express a desire for more variety in the soundtrack. Overall, while the music enhances the experience, its repetitiveness and loudness detract from the enjoyment for some players.
“Great atmosphere and environments, great music, fun gameplay.”
“Music fits well with the surroundings and a hardcore game!”
“This game has one of the best soundtracks I have ever seen, and is also extremely enjoyable.”
“Not very good either with music that hovers over the lines of 'meh' and sound effects that I could honestly do without.”
“The music gets grating quickly, and you'll end up dying to ridiculous situations so many times that it drowns out the good.”
“Also, the transitions are really hard with no fade in and out of the music, which I found really harsh.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as low-fi and rudimentary, which may deter some players accustomed to modern AAA titles. While the simplistic visuals complement the game's rich world and story, they can lead to motion sickness and lack aesthetic appeal for many. However, the game offers decent graphic options and is considered enjoyable despite its minimalistic design.
“This is gonna be my new go-to game for showing people a fun and aesthetically-pleasing VR 'walk in place using trackers' game.”
“Phroot has managed to construct a rich world, in which the story and theme complement the rudimentary polygon graphics.”
“I love the game; it reminds me of some of the old school games except with better graphics.”
“The bad movement and overly simple and repetitive graphics gave me motion sickness after just a few minutes.”
“The graphics are low fi, and eventually I died, got stuck in a room, and gave up.”
“The graphics are going to be a turnoff for some; it's just how it goes in today's world of AAA releases with trash gameplay.”
- story24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story of *4089: Ghost Within* revolves around a robot rebelling against its creator, the "overlord," but suffers from poor execution and a lack of clarity, making it difficult for players unfamiliar with previous titles to grasp the narrative. While the game attempts to provide social commentary on manipulation through fear and hatred, the repetitive voiceovers and confusing gameplay detract from the overall experience. Despite a rich world, the storytelling feels frail and underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more depth and coherence.
“Phroot has managed to construct a rich world, in which the story and theme complement the rudimentary polygon graphics.”
“The enemy AI has a voice over that sort of narrates the story for you as you move deeper into the game.”
“Story - social commentary on the manipulation of humanity through fear and hatred.”
“Many other games, shows, and books have adopted this sort of groundbreaking plot, and honestly, it's been done to death.”
“It's not to say that it isn't a good premise, but the game itself does a rather poor job at explaining the story to the player.”
“For a game that's already confusing story-wise, you'd hope that the gameplay would be able to back it up, but unfortunately, both fall below expectations.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it features procedurally generated elements that can provide a fresh experience, many players feel that the core gameplay remains repetitive and lacks depth. Some appreciate the challenge and potential for extended playtime, but others criticize the design flaws that undermine the intended replay value. Overall, opinions vary significantly, with some finding it highly replayable and others feeling it falls short.
“The game is very replayable and fun.”
“The game is challenging (a good kind of challenging if you look beyond the bad points) and the randomly generated dungeon definitely makes it replayable.”
“Replayability - it's a procedurally generated roguelike, so if you feel the need, I'm sure you could put over 100 hours into it.”
“The problem here is that despite the map changing in basic layout supposedly offering replayability, everything is still essentially the same.”
“Unfortunately, the elements in the game that should add replay value (skill tree, random map generation) do little to nothing to contribute due to how badly designed the game as a whole is.”
“It's fun and I really like the sounds and graphics, but it doesn't have much replay value in my opinion.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is heavily criticized, as the overarching message conveyed by the overlord character suggests that emotions are inherently negative, leading to a discouraging and oppressive atmosphere for players. This theme may resonate poorly with those seeking a more nuanced or positive exploration of emotions in gameplay.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, featuring immersive environments and engaging music that enhance the overall experience, contributing to enjoyable gameplay.
“The atmosphere is immersive, with stunning environments and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience.”
“The game creates a rich atmosphere filled with detailed environments and an engaging musical score that keeps you hooked.”
“The combination of great atmosphere, beautifully crafted environments, and an excellent soundtrack makes for a truly enjoyable experience.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from its poor design, which leads to frustrating navigation that players find amusing. Users report laughing at the game's shortcomings, suggesting that the humor is unintentional and stems from the experience of dealing with its flaws.
“I spent about five minutes in the game hurting my neck trying to navigate and laughing at the poor design, and the rest in the menus trying to see if there was an option that made it playable.”
