A Long Journey to an Uncertain End
- June 28, 2023
- Crispy Creative
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreIn "A Long Journey to an Uncertain End" , play as a sentient A.I. with customizable pronouns, navigating a narrative space opera. Assemble an unruly crew from diverse characters while evading capture in an outlawed sentient ship. Manage fallout from crew members' mishaps, including a hacked anti-sentience rally and missing crew members.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features charming characters and a delightful narrative that resonates with fans of inclusive storytelling.
- It offers a unique blend of resource management and narrative-driven gameplay, making it engaging for players who enjoy both elements.
- The art style and character designs are appealing, contributing to an immersive sci-fi atmosphere.
- The game is criticized for being too short and lacking meaningful replay value, with many players finishing it in just a couple of hours.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, including issues with saving progress and character interactions.
- The gameplay mechanics are often described as simplistic and uninspired, leading to a lack of challenge and engagement.
- story76 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as charming and engaging, with a compelling sci-fi twist reminiscent of works by Becky Chambers and shows like Firefly and Cowboy Bebop. While the main narrative is relatively short and straightforward, players appreciate the depth of the world-building and character interactions, which encourage replayability through branching missions and quests. However, some reviewers noted a desire for a longer story and more impactful choices, as well as inconsistencies in character representation.
“An addicting, immersive sim, truly making you feel as if you've stepped into a Becky Chambers story.”
“Furthermore, the story is effective at communicating its message, and contains some twists I wasn't expecting.”
“The story is easy to grasp right from the start and the characters are compelling, all while keeping the text and dialogue very succinct.”
“A lost chase results in [game over] with no alternative plot options.”
“The main story is fairly short.”
“I'd love to see a version of this game with more refined mechanics, and a longer story that really helps flesh out this interesting sci-fi universe.”
- gameplay38 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive, uninspired, and lacking in challenge, particularly during space travel. While some appreciate the straightforward mechanics and resource management elements, others feel that the gameplay is underdeveloped and disconnected from the narrative. Overall, the game offers a simple experience that could benefit from more refined mechanics and a deeper story.
“The gameplay parts with resource management are easy enough to understand, without too much handholding.”
“It was worth the price for 4 hours of interesting gameplay.”
“The game mechanics are easy to grasp, the design of the UI is straightforward and appealing, and I really enjoy the art.”
“I don't know how you come up with a way to make traveling across space so boring, but here we are... gameplay is so uninspired, repetitive, and non-challenging that you have to go out of your way to lose.”
“This felt like a graphic novel with minor game mechanics tacked on to me, and it just did not click at all with what I was expecting.”
“The ending felt abrupt, especially after a certain gameplay element is just straight-up removed near the end.”
- music18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising a standout guitar theme while others criticize it as excessively loud and poorly integrated into the gameplay and cutscenes. Many players noted jarring transitions and glitches that detracted from the overall experience, leading to a sense of disconnection between the music and the game's emotional moments. Overall, while there are highlights, the execution feels inconsistent and unpolished.
“The art, character writing, and music are all spot-on.”
“- fantastic soundtrack”
“The one OST which is good - is a guitar theme anyway.”
“Music is obnoxiously loud and out of place.”
“Some cutscenes can be quite jarring with the soundtrack blaring upbeat music in your ear while your ex threatens you.”
“Music also cut in and out pretty abruptly between scenes and glitched sometimes, which didn't feel super polished.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game experiences some minor glitches, such as pop-ups closing unexpectedly and outfit changes not reflecting during space travel. However, these issues are generally considered minor and do not significantly detract from the overall gameplay experience, leading many users to still recommend the game.
“There are some glitches, and definitely aspects that could be improved upon.”
“Many of these glitches are minor things: a pop-up closing without hitting accept because a new alert came in, outfit changes don't update in the space travel portion despite the outfit being updated all other times. In my opinion, these small things don't affect the gameplay negatively enough to not recommend this excellent game.”
“There are some glitches, and definitely aspects that could be improved upon.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their great visuals and appealing art style, with some users expressing disagreement with the complaints about it. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the gaming experience, enhancing the story and mechanics.
“If the issue with time passage gets ironed out, this becomes an extremely solid and easy-to-pick-up gaming experience with great visuals, great story and worldbuilding, and fun mechanics.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, often feeling that despite its fun potential, the execution is dull and uninspired.
“Comes up very short; just boring and tedious. It looks very fun, but somehow they present everything in the most boring way.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its appealing designs, with initial customization options appearing limited but expanding significantly as players progress through the game. This gradual unlocking of features enhances the overall experience and engagement with character personalization.
“Character designs look great, and though you might think the customization is lackluster in the beginning, you actually unlock more options as the game progresses!”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is characterized as a wholesome experience that evokes positive emotions, making it a delightful choice for players seeking a feel-good gaming experience.
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its relevant and inclusive storyline, which is both interesting and meaningful, making it enjoyable to play multiple times. Players find the experience engaging enough to revisit, enhancing its overall appeal.
“The game features a relevant and inclusive, interesting and meaningful storyline that makes it fun to play and highly replayable.”
“With its engaging narrative and diverse characters, the game offers a fun experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.”
“The combination of a captivating story and varied gameplay mechanics ensures that each playthrough feels fresh and exciting.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a self-referential wit, as players find it amusing that they cannot submit feedback without the game continuing to progress, highlighting a playful irony in the design.
