Anachronism\>

50%
Game Brain Score Based on 33 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
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"Anachronism" is a text-based game with 90's inspired graphics, where players can chat and interact with others in a virtual world. With 56 chapters and branching paths, players can explore multiple endings and hundreds of ways through the story. As described by JinX, the game encourages self-expression and introspection, offering a unique online experience.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

50%
Audience ScoreBased on 33 reviews
story6 positive mentions
stability6 negative mentions
  • The game successfully evokes nostalgia for the 90s internet experience, with authentic sounds and a unique interface that captures the era's charm.
  • The writing and character dialogue are well-crafted, providing distinct personalities that enhance the interactive storytelling experience.
  • As a free game, it offers a decent amount of content and can be enjoyable for those who appreciate text-based adventures and visual novels.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, such as incorrect dialogue responses and game freezes.
  • The pacing is slow, and the typing mechanic can become tedious, detracting from the overall enjoyment and immersion in the story.
  • Many players found the plot underwhelming and lacking depth, with limited player choices that fail to create meaningful engagement with the characters.
  • story32 mentions

    The story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging and interactive nature, while others criticize it for being poorly executed, lacking depth, and relying too heavily on flat dialogue. Many users express a desire for more branching paths and character development, as well as a more cohesive plot, noting that the current narrative feels disjointed and underwhelming. Overall, while some find the story captivating and nostalgic, others feel it falls short compared to better-developed narrative-driven games.

    • “The story holds your attention and you want to know all the endings.”
    • “I personally liked the story of the game!”
    • “It's well made and has a great story which ending is determined by you!”
    • “I do like the love story in theory, but too much of it took place in some offline world that I'm not invited to, so why should I be invested in it?”
    • “A computer virus is as mediocre of a plot device as they come, especially since it happened at the end, and it barely impacted the story.”
    • “It's almost as if the game fast-tracked to a segment further in the story, completely missing what I was supposed to experience, completely destroying whatever enjoyment and immersion I had in this game.”
  • gameplay12 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating the nostalgic text-based interaction and fluid mechanics, but criticizing the slow pace and lack of depth. Many found the typing mechanics tedious, expressing a desire for more streamlined options, while the overall experience was deemed shallow due to a lackluster story and character development. Despite its potential, the game feels like a missed opportunity, often compared unfavorably to similar titles.

    • “It is a well-built game with great potential, squandered by teenage melodrama.”
    • “Objectively speaking, the graphics are good, as well as the basic mechanics of the game; it runs fluidly for the most part, and the dad jokes were hilarious.”
    • “I know that it is immersive gameplay to make it feel like you are typing the message yourself, but after tapping a key 30 to 40 times just to move the story along gets kind of tiring.”
    • “I wanted to love this and recognize it's a free game currently, so I tried to be generous here, but I found the experience shallow and the actual gameplay agonizingly slow.”
    • “3.5/10, well-built and nostalgic gameplay with a unique concept, but poorly executed with an underwhelming story and plot, no developing interest or action from a bunch of characters who lacked any kind of significant development that wouldn't have anybody interested, save for maybe a handful of stupid teenagers who find this relatable. However, the jokes in the command prompt menu were hilarious.”
    • “I know that it is immersive gameplay to make it feel like you are typing the message yourself, but after tapping a key 30 to 40 times just to move the story along, it gets kind of tiring.”
  • graphics7 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some users criticizing the pixel art as "godawful" and lazy, suggesting a lack of skill or resources from the developer. Conversely, others appreciate the nostalgic 90's inspired visuals, indicating that while the graphics may not be universally praised, they can still resonate with certain players. Overall, the graphics seem to be a divisive aspect, with opinions ranging from negative to positively nostalgic.

    • “Objectively speaking, the graphics are good, as well as the basic mechanics of the game. It runs fluidly for the most part, and the dad jokes were hilarious.”
    • “The 90's inspired graphics really did it for me.”
    • “Graphics and art”
    • “This feature is really godawful, lazy pixel crap 'art' instead of real graphics.”
    • “It's hard to say if this was because the developer didn't have the skill to create 3D visuals, or couldn't afford to hire someone who does, but it also doesn't matter.”
    • “Games like Terraria and Stardew Valley succeeded despite the bad graphics, not because of them.”
  • stability6 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report only minor glitches that do not significantly impact gameplay, others experience more severe bugs that hinder their progress. Despite these issues, many appreciate the game's potential and charm, suggesting that the stability problems may vary among users.

    • “Cannot reset and still stuck, good premises but still extremely buggy for me.”
    • “The typing can be so buggy at times with choices sometimes leading somewhere and other times just doing nothing.”
    • “Enjoy the idea of this a lot but unfortunately pretty buggy.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted as a strong point, particularly the dad jokes and amusing command prompt menu, which many players found hilarious. However, the overall execution of the story and character development was criticized, suggesting that while the humor is enjoyable, it is not enough to elevate the game's shortcomings.

    • “The dad jokes were hilarious, adding a fun twist to the gameplay.”
    • “The quirky humor and love triangle made the game at least engaging.”
    • “However, the jokes in the command prompt menu were hilarious.”
  • music2 mentions

    The absence of traditional music enhances immersion, with the game's sound effects, such as computer and keyboard noises, being particularly praised. Additionally, the developer's musical taste is noted positively, adding a layer of appreciation for the overall audio experience.

    • “The sounds of the computer, keyboard, and floppy disk are sensational, and the fact that the game doesn't have music enhances the immersion.”
    • “"I see a red door, I must have it painted black" - for me, it's nice to know the developer has a good taste in music.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly due to repetitive small talk among adolescent-like characters, which detracts from the overall experience and makes pursuing additional endings less appealing.

    • “I'd play for the other endings, as I'm sure there are more, but listening to a bunch of characters written to be like adolescents just gathering on some Discord server and engaging in small talk gets tedious very quickly.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The game is praised for its heartfelt narrative and charming humor, despite some minor bugs, creating an emotionally engaging experience for players.

    • “While this game may be buggy in a few places, Anachronism is a very heartfelt little game with lovely pace and humor.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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