Advent Rising

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 276 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Advent Rising Game Cover
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"Advent Rising" is a single-player Science Fiction Shooter game with a marvelous story and beautiful gameplay, accompanied by awesome music, developed by GlyphX Games and written by Orson Scott Card. Despite its cult following and considered an underrated classic, the game suffered from poor critical reception and sells, leading to the cancellation of its sequels. The game was originally conceived as a trilogy, with a PSP title in the works called 'Advent Shadow' that was also canceled.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 276 reviews
story106 positive mentions
stability23 negative mentions
  • The game features an engaging and unique combat system that allows players to combine weapons and psychic powers, making them feel powerful.
  • The story, written by Orson Scott Card, is captivating and filled with twists, keeping players invested throughout the game.
  • The animations and visuals, while dated, still provide a nostalgic charm, and the soundtrack is highly praised for its quality.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, particularly during cutscenes, which can disrupt the gameplay experience.
  • The controls can be clunky and awkward, especially when switching powers mid-fight, leading to frustration during combat.
  • The graphics are outdated, and some cutscenes are of low quality, which detracts from the overall presentation of the game.
  • story223 mentions

    The story of "Advent Rising," penned by Orson Scott Card, is a mix of epic sci-fi themes and classic tropes, featuring a protagonist who discovers his latent powers while navigating a universe where humans are revered as demigods. While many players appreciate the engaging narrative and its potential, criticisms arise regarding plot holes, pacing issues, and an unsatisfying cliffhanger ending that leaves the story feeling incomplete. Overall, the narrative is seen as a highlight of the game, despite its flaws, and is often compared to beloved franchises like Halo and Mass Effect.

    • “The story penned by Orson Scott Card has the Wyeth brothers be the pilot taking the ambassador to a first contact with a race of aliens who worship the humans almost as gods, and they bear bad news... while they are perfectly peaceful... their enemies, known as the Seekers, are about to wipe out all the humans, and they will be here in days.”
    • “Advent Rising is a classic game with an amazing story and universe.”
    • “The story is this is wonderful, exciting, heart-breaking, and accompanied by lovely music.”
    • “The main storyline is too wishy-washy and rough with many holes in it, and that's not mentioning the ending of the game which is downright confusing; a lot of it is just confusing.”
    • “Yet I just didn't care about the story, the characters, or the overall plot.”
    • “The story makes no sense, the levels are poorly designed, the cutscenes are jumpy, and most of the time you don't know what the hell you're doing.”
  • gameplay96 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its fun mechanics and engaging combat, while others criticize its bugs, outdated controls, and repetitive elements. Some players appreciate the unique powers and skill progression, noting that the gameplay can be enjoyable despite its flaws, while others find it frustrating and unpolished. Overall, the game is seen as a nostalgic experience with potential for improvement in a remastered version.

    • “However, the gameplay is fun and the story was engaging for the most part.”
    • “The gameplay constantly evolved and the story was epic.”
    • “A story line written by one of the greatest authors of our age, some of the most kick-ass music in video gaming, and some damn fun gameplay.”
    • “The AI can downright hinder gameplay, and the graphics look ancient for the time it came out.”
    • “The gameplay is just not good enough to keep me playing.”
    • “But the gameplay is just so rough around the edges that the game becomes a test of patience a lot of the time.”
  • music66 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its epic quality and cinematic feel, often comparing it favorably to soundtracks from major films. Composed by Tommy Tallarico, the soundtrack is described as stunning and memorable, elevating the overall experience despite some criticisms regarding repetitiveness and audio design issues. Overall, it is considered one of the standout features of the game, contributing significantly to its emotional impact and storytelling.

    • “The music score is worthy of an A-list movie; the music producer had to have asked themselves, 'If I were boarding an enemy ship in space, what would I want playing?'”
    • “The soundtrack on the other hand is really great and done by a real orchestra.”
    • “I absolutely love the soundtrack.”
    • “But (and this may be due to design issues or time constraints) once a song plays, it's often done.”
    • “I'm not sure the songs loop at all, in terms of their actual composition (they have beginnings and endings that don't blend back together) or through audio design to start up a song once it hits the last second.”
    • “Music kind of gets a bit repetitive by the end where in every cinematic it plays the same dramatic music again and again and again.”
  • graphics55 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated, reminiscent of late 90s to early 2000s visuals, with many reviewers noting their lack of appeal compared to modern standards. While some appreciate the charm and artistic style, others criticize the low resolution and graphical glitches that hinder the experience. Overall, despite the dated graphics, the game is often praised for its engaging story and gameplay, making it a nostalgic gem for some players.

    • “Yes, the graphics are from 2005, but it has its charm.”
    • “The graphics were new at its time; today they are certainly outdated - but in a nice, sweet, and charming way.”
    • “If you're willing to give it a shot and look past some of the older graphics (which have held up pretty well, I might add), you will find yourself enjoying the story and gameplay.”
    • “The graphics are very late 90s, early 2000s.”
    • “The AI can downright hinder gameplay and the graphics look ancient for the time it came out.”
    • “- sub par graphics even for a 2005 game.”
  • stability24 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly detract from the overall experience, including crashes, freezes, and audio issues. While it runs well on modern hardware and offers enjoyable gameplay, the instability and technical flaws make it a frustrating experience for many players. Despite its charm and potential, the game's age and lack of polish lead to a cautious recommendation.

    • “Since it's on UE2, it shows its age, but it plays great on modern hardware. The best part is I can play it on anything now, like a laptop or an old hardware PC, which it also runs great on.”
    • “With the game being old, it has various bugs that ruin the game experience, the biggest of which either crashes the game even in compatibility mode. I also had various freezes, especially in cut-scenes where it would freeze the video but keep playing audio.”
    • “The game is a buggy mess, and the first section of the game is much harder due to missing tools and a much worse health regeneration mechanic than you acquire later on.”
    • “Camera glitches make the game basically unplayable after the 4th cutscene when entering the hallway.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    Players express that the game evokes a profound emotional connection, likening their experiences to iconic characters and roles, such as Neo and a Jedi master. The heartfelt storytelling, combined with beautiful music, creates a genuinely moving experience that resonates deeply, contributing to its cult status.

    • “But this is the only game I've ever played that made me feel like Neo should feel, including the Matrix games.”
    • “Whatever cult status Advent Rising has achieved to this day is most likely stemming from how genuine and heartfelt the whole production is.”
    • “The story is wonderful, exciting, heart-breaking, and accompanied by lovely music.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting performance issues, low framerates, and numerous bugs across various platforms. While some players managed to improve their experience through control and graphics adjustments, many still found the game lacking in optimization, particularly on PC. Cinematics also suffered from technical problems, further detracting from the overall experience.

    • “I optimized the controls and graphics quite easily, and I find that it still looks quite nice and the framerate issues from the console version are gone.”
    • “Also vehicle controls... why would someone put steering on the mouse? I also had performance issues; my 1080 Ti barely gets me 60 FPS at 1440p for some reason.”
    • “It's bad... too many PC problems and optimization issues, along with poor controls.”
    • “With that being said, it has a huge number of bugs, does not deliver on as much as it tries to, and needed some serious optimization work.”
  • character development5 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the growth and depth of the characters, others criticize it as lacking and feeling outdated. The character designs are noted as good but somewhat dated, reflecting a B-list title with limited marketing support. Overall, the effectiveness of character development seems to vary significantly among players.

    • “The characters are very good and there is actual character development - you grow as a character during the game.”
    • “Character design could have been a bit better, but what can you expect from a B-list title that received less than two months of television advertising?”
    • “Poor character development.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, as it requires repetitive leveling to unlock and effectively use various abilities and weapons. While the game features a variety of cool guns and powers, the necessity to frequently dodge and wait for abilities to recharge can detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “The game has a lot of cool guns to choose from, but there are like four you will use constantly, while the rest are only useful when you are forced to use them. The powers are actually pretty cool, but having to constantly dodge to let them recharge after using them once or twice, especially in the forced powers sections, makes it tedious.”
    • “I found this game to be a bit tedious.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers limited replayability due to its short playtime of 6 to 9 hours and a lack of substantial story depth, though a single impactful choice does provide some incentive to replay. Overall, while it has potential, many players feel it requires improvements to enhance the overall experience.

    • “It's relatively short - 6 to 9 hours of play, but there are some story choices (well 1 choice of who to save to be exact) that makes it replayable.”
    • “I spent most of the game thinking it's a great game, just lacking in story, but the more I played, the less enjoyable the game became. There are a lot of things that could be smoothed out but were not thought about enough. I honestly would recommend the game otherwise, but I just can't, and not because of modern standards since I love older games. This one was strong; it just needs a patch to make it more playable.”
    • “It's relatively short - 6 to 9 hours of play, but there are some story choices (well, one choice of who to save to be exact) that makes it replayable.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted as a standout feature, with reviewers appreciating the light-hearted dialogue and professional voice acting that contribute to its comedic tone. The developers are commended for taking risks while successfully integrating humor into the overall experience, reminiscent of the beloved Mass Effect series.

    • “It is fantastic to see the developers stepping out of their boundaries and trying something risky while maintaining professional voice acting, superb cinematics, and humorous, light-hearted dialogue.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is consistently described as uplifting, contributing positively to the overall experience.

    • “It gives the game an atmosphere that is very uplifting.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is perceived as lacking, with users noting that the character design falls short, likely due to the limited budget and minimal advertising support typical of a b-list title.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

2hMedian play time
2hAverage play time
2-2hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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