Alucinod
- August 29, 2019
- Thomas Pettus
Get on Steam"Alucinod" is a first-person puzzle game with unique gravity-shifting mechanics, where players must adapt to ever-changing paths and twisted rooms to progress. The game features a seamless world with a dense and atmospheric experience, telling a wordless story through immersive exploration. With every surface a potential path, puzzles bloom with possibility as players get lost in this mesmerizing world.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The gravity-changing mechanic is innovative and well-implemented, providing a unique puzzle-solving experience.
- The game's visuals and lighting are exceptional, creating an eerie and captivating atmosphere.
- Despite its short length, the game offers a smooth and enjoyable experience without overstaying its welcome.
- The game is very short, with many players feeling it lacks enough content and variety for the price.
- Some puzzles are poorly designed or lack challenge, leading to moments of frustration and confusion.
- The slow walking speed can be tedious, making exploration feel laborious and detracting from the overall experience.
- gameplay32 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is centered around a well-implemented gravity-changing mechanic that offers captivating puzzles and stunning visuals, though it risks becoming repetitive due to a lack of variety in mechanics. While some players appreciate the effective use of this mechanic, others find the game short and lacking in unique challenges, leading to a cautious recommendation overall. The absence of a story and limited gameplay duration contribute to a perception of forgettability, despite the intriguing puzzle design.
“The main puzzle mechanic of changing gravity is simple and effective.”
“However, the gravity mechanic was used to great effect in obfuscating the critical path and creating wonderfully captivating levels.”
“Provides about 2 hours of Escheresque gravity-based puzzle-solving gameplay.”
“Some have complained this is expensive for just two hours of gameplay.”
“The gameplay is just that forgettable.”
“This is a very cautious recommendation; the game is short and does not develop its mechanics very far.”
- music14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its ability to blend seamlessly with the visuals and gameplay, enhancing the overall experience without being groundbreaking. It features a well-synchronized soundtrack that provides cues during puzzles, contributing to a unique and relaxing atmosphere, particularly appreciated by fans of darker themes. Overall, the combination of music and art is considered impressive and effective in creating an engaging environment.
“Absolutely brilliant puzzle game, unique and challenging with a great soundtrack and deep subtext.”
“The music adds a refreshing touch to each new discovery.”
“The soundtrack is synchronized with the puzzles, so you get cues in sync with the environment.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently described as unnerving, intriguing, and lonely, enhanced by excellent visual and sound design that creates a unique and strangely relaxing experience. Many reviewers emphasize that the atmosphere alone makes the game worth playing, particularly for fans of atmospheric or Escher-like puzzles, despite some wishing for a more digestible narrative and developed puzzles. Overall, the clean graphics and soundtrack contribute significantly to its captivating aesthetic.
“The clean graphics and interface, along with the soundtrack, evoke a unique and strangely relaxing atmosphere.”
“The visual and sound design are both excellent, creating a very lonely atmosphere that reminded me of Kairo.”
“Lastly, I thought the tone, atmosphere, and aesthetic were consistent, unnerving, and intriguing.”
“While I would have preferred a more digestible narrative or some more developed puzzles, I think the game was worth playing for the atmosphere alone and may be worth a look if you enjoy atmospheric or Escher-like puzzlers.”
- story8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional narrative, relying instead on environmental storytelling that introduces new mechanics and concepts. However, many players found this approach uninspiring and felt that the story was minimal or non-existent, with little to engage or captivate them. Overall, the storytelling did not resonate with those who typically appreciate this style.
“The storytelling is done through new environmental patterns and designs that introduce new mechanisms and concepts.”
“The storytelling is done through new environmental patterns and designs that introduce new mechanisms and concepts.”
“There is no story, and the mechanics are what you see in the trailer, so there is nothing to spoil.”
“When it comes to the story, it really flew past me.”
“I’m usually a sucker for environmental storytelling (like NaissanceE), but this really didn’t inspire me.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as clean and well-executed, contributing to a unique and relaxing atmosphere, though some users feel that the environment lacks additional elements to enhance the experience. The consistent tone and intriguing aesthetic are praised, with comparisons made to other games known for their outstanding visual and sound design. Overall, while the graphics and soundtrack are well-received, there is a sense that more could be done to enrich the environment.
“Lastly, I thought the tone, atmosphere, and aesthetic were consistent, unnerving, and intriguing.”
“The clean graphics and interface, along with the soundtrack, evoke a unique and strangely relaxing atmosphere.”
“Music and visuals are very well done.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, primarily revolving around achievement hunting, as players will revisit the same areas after a 2-3 hour initial playthrough. While it may not provide significant new experiences upon replay, some players still find it enjoyable enough to revisit.
“It will take most people 2-3 hours to finish on the first run-through, and there's probably not much replayability.”
“There is not much in replay value, other than trying to get all achievements; it will be the same areas over again. That's not to say it isn't worth playing again.”
“It will take most people 2-3 hours to finish on the first run-through, and there's probably not much replayability.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express that certain puzzles in the game evoke a sense of accomplishment and intelligence, contributing to an emotionally rewarding experience.
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for causing significant frame rate drops on larger levels, indicating that performance issues may stem from inadequate optimization efforts.
“Frame rate tanks on some of the larger levels, which I assume is sub-par optimization.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the puzzles enjoyable overall, but some express that certain puzzles can feel tedious, indicating a mix of engaging and repetitive elements in the grinding experience.
“The puzzles were fun, though some were a little tedious.”
“The puzzles were fun, though some were a little tedious.”
