A Place for the Unwilling
- July 25, 2019
- ALPixel Games
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam"A Place For The Unwilling" is a narrative-driven adventure game set in a dying city with 21 days left until its demise. Every decision made shapes the surroundings and the city's fate, with a diverse cast of characters to interact with. The game features a rich, immersive world that combines elements of Sunless Sea, Majora's Mask, and Lovecraftian horror, offering a unique and thought-provoking experience.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a unique and beautifully hand-drawn art style that enhances the Lovecraftian atmosphere.
- The narrative is rich and engaging, with well-written dialogues and character interactions that allow for meaningful player choices.
- The game offers a vast world to explore, filled with quests and secrets, providing high replay value as players can experience different story paths and endings.
- The game suffers from significant bugs, including quest-breaking issues and frustrating controls that hinder gameplay.
- The pacing is slow, with a cumbersome time management system that can lead to feelings of aimlessness and frustration.
- There is no option for controller rebinding, and the default control scheme is unintuitive, making it difficult for players to navigate and interact with the game world.
- story89 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its depth and intriguing narrative, while others criticize its slow pacing, disjointed progression, and irrelevant side quests that detract from the main plot. Many reviewers noted that the storytelling can feel fragmented and confusing, often leaving players feeling unmotivated to engage with the narrative. Despite these issues, there are moments of compelling storytelling and character development, suggesting that the game has potential for those willing to navigate its flaws.
“The story is in-depth and there is a lot to do in this game!”
“The storytelling is amazing.”
“It's an intriguing story, beautifully illustrated.”
“The quests that the NPCs ask you to do are irrelevant to the main plot, so it mostly feels like it's all pointless. Personally, this is the reason why I never felt attached or motivated to move forward in it.”
“Due to the rushed pacing and extremely fragmented storytelling, the narrative feels disjointed most of the time. It's as if one grand story was written down and then run through a shredder, with the pieces being sprinkled across a game map for the players to reconstruct.”
“After your initial arrival to the city, you are written about in the newspapers and in the eyes of the inhabitants you are connected to your deceased friend, but absolutely no one talks about his death with you. Instead, they all ask you to fulfill nonsensical quests that your character has zero motivation to do and which are going nowhere.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn artwork and unique cartoonish style, which effectively evoke a Lovecraftian atmosphere. While the visuals are charming and immersive, some players noted issues with the overall execution, including a lack of graphic quality settings and inconsistent cutscene quality. Despite these criticisms, the art remains a standout feature that enhances the game's appeal.
“The artwork in the game looks amazing and hand-drawn!”
“The game has charming visuals and opens with a great premise.”
“Super charming game, it has an interesting and very organic world, and a lovely art style with fantastic animations.”
“From the first moment you will probably notice that although the graphic stylization, which could be described as 'cartoon Lovecraft', is really good, apftu radiates strong amateurism, and I certainly don't mean it in a good way (for example, the dubbed intro sounds like it was written by a teenager in high school and at the same time it is recorded from extreme proximity to the microphone, so it sounds like you're listening to him in a coffin).”
“There is only one minor issue I have with this: why are there not graphic quality settings?”
“The game’s aesthetics is absolutely delicious in its dark simplicity of the features, but lots of moving elements.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a slow-paced narrative filled with fetch-quests and time management challenges, which some players find tedious and unengaging. While the exploration and social interactions are central to the experience, many reviewers criticize the mechanics as feeling tacked on and frustrating, likening it to a dialogue-heavy version of an RPG without combat. Despite its intriguing concepts and strong writing, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, leading to a mixed reception regarding its fun factor.
“While the gameplay consists largely of fetch-quests, the challenge is how to manage your finite time (and to a lesser extent, money) as you set out each day into this 'dying' city juggling relationships with a cast of flawed, quirky, and mostly corrupt citizens.”
“The most impressive thing about A Place for the Unwilling is its central mechanic: choice.”
“The gameplay largely consists of exploration of the city, with lots of socializing trying to understand what the hell is going on while the relentless clock is ticking away.”
“Incredibly slow story and no engaging gameplay to help with the slowness.”
“Walking around is a chore as you seem to snag on every available piece of scenery, and the game's secondary 'mechanic' after the exploration, buying and selling goods between the game's handful of shops, seems totally tacked on.”
“Oddly enough, this game reminds me of Elder Scrolls if you removed all combat and RPG elements from it, leaving just the dialogue-based gameplay where you have to utilize the clock to visit certain locations, not to mention the fast-travel.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that contribute to a feeling of an unfinished product. While some players find the experience engaging despite these issues, the overall consensus suggests that the game requires significant patience and may not be worth the price due to its unstable performance.
“It's also buggy, incredibly buggy. To be honest, it looks like a polished unfinished beta - a really cool one, but a beta nonetheless.”
“However, from actually playing the game and investing around 6 hours in it, I had to request a refund; not only because the game itself was disappointing, but because it feels buggy and unfinished in almost every aspect.”
“However, I would not recommend it to others because it's buggy and frustrating to play.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, effectively complementing the industrial revolution setting with distinct themes for different areas, though it lacks originality. While the soundtrack enhances the atmosphere, some users noted a lack of voice acting and expressed a desire for more menacing tunes to elevate the mood. Overall, the music is decent but could benefit from greater variety and depth.
“- The music is really quite good.”
“There is no voice acting (unfortunately – it would have been especially awesome in a game with so many quirky personalities), just occasional music and plenty of sound effects. Both are very decent, but I’d prefer much more menacing tunes to build up the mood.”
“The art, the music, the writing, the atmosphere in general, even the cute newspaper that you can actually read are nicely put together.”
“There is enough variety in the music too, that each area has its own well-fitting theme, and is balanced so as to never overpower the evocative ambient sounds.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is a blend of gorgeous, cartoonish art and a Lovecraftian cosmic horror theme, creating an intriguing Victorian city that invites exploration. While the overall tone is well-crafted, some players feel it lacks the unsettling depth necessary for true immersion, leaving them as observers rather than participants. The quality of writing varies, with some sections enhancing the atmosphere and others detracting from it, but the world design remains a standout feature.
“The art, the music, the writing, the atmosphere in general, even the cute newspaper that you can actually read are nicely put together.”
“The atmosphere has the right tone, but it never quite gives you that unsettling sensation. The underlying sinister feeling that is barely scratching the surface could have been greatly expanded to create a full-blown slow dread, but it never gets there. You end up an observer instead of a participant.”
“The gorgeous and cartoonish art style should not distract you from the fact that this game is a love letter to the works of Lovecraft and his cosmic-horror atmosphere.”
“Atmosphere in this Victorian city can drive you to discover the truths beneath the mysteries.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively combines bleak humor with poignant themes of mortality, class struggle, and the supernatural, creating an emotionally engaging experience. Players find the emotional depth compelling, especially in the context of the character drama, making it a standout title compared to more expensive games that lack similar emotional resonance.
“The writing drips with bleak humor, deftly touching upon themes of mortality, class struggle, and the supernatural.”
“They are emotional and sometimes frightful if you are already engaged with the drama going on between these two.”
“We have all played $60 big studio games that had the emotional appeal of a wet napkin, so for $15, I implore you to experience this wonderful game.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is hit-or-miss, with some characters, like the local mayor, failing to deliver laughs through tedious dialogue. However, the character design and quirky personalities contribute to a memorable comedic atmosphere, with standout moments from interactions with various NPCs, including the amusing "shadow kids." Overall, while some attempts at humor may fall flat, the game's charm lies in its unique and eccentric character portrayals.
“The character design is superb, and brings a hilarious and memorable face to each and every weird personality you encounter during your stay in the city.”
“The art, the music, the writing, the atmosphere in general, even the cute newspaper that you can actually read are nicely put together (also try talking to the shadow kids; they are hilarious).”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers a significant amount of content that enhances its replayability, making it appealing for dedicated RPG fans. However, it may not be very welcoming for newcomers, potentially limiting their enjoyment of multiple playthroughs.
“There is a lot of content, providing high replay value.”
“I feel this game has great potential for replay value, especially for true RPG fans.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted for its superb design, effectively bringing to life a diverse array of hilarious and memorable personalities that enhance the overall experience in the game.
“The character design is superb and brings a hilarious and memorable face to each and every weird personality you encounter during your stay in the city.”
