Anoxemia

About

Anoxemia is a story-driven exploration game that puts you in control of the scientist Dr. Bailey and his operations drone, ATMA. Search the ocean floor as you discover and extract samples from the bowels of the underwater caves. Danger lurks in each passageway, everything from poison drifts to powerful ocean currents, mines leftover from the war, and mobile machines running haywire. There's also t…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

54%

Audience ScoreBased on 171 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

stability13 negative mentions

Good art style and atmospheric visuals that enhance the underwater experience.
Interesting concept with a mix of exploration and puzzle-solving elements.
Engaging soundtrack that complements the game's eerie atmosphere.

Controls are unresponsive and frustrating, leading to frequent deaths and level restarts.
Lack of checkpoints makes the gameplay tedious, requiring players to replay entire levels after dying.
The game can feel repetitive and boring, with limited variety in objectives and gameplay mechanics.

gameplay
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
52%
17%
The gameplay of Anoxemia has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and tedious, primarily revolving around escorting a scientist and collecting plant samples. While some appreciate the unique underwater theme and atmospheric elements, others criticize the awkward controls, lack of checkpoints, and poorly explained mechanics, leading to frustration and a lack of engagement. Overall, the game presents interesting ideas but struggles to maintain player interest due to its slow pace and uninspired level design.
- “All in all, I found the gameplay of Anoxemia to be interesting and fun, albeit frustrating at times.”
- “A very good game with nice level variety, an intriguing story, and solid gameplay.”
- “Simple, but enjoyable gameplay.”
- “Anoxemia means boring, aggravating gameplay as you escort a brain-dead scientist on a quest to collect plant samples on the bottom of the ocean.”
- “The gameplay was quite boring almost right from the start and with the lack of motivation to advance in the story, there is nothing left in this game for me to continue playing it.”
- “I guess the developers wanted to give the player a sense of exploration, but with everything looking the same and with the same game mechanics being used over and over again without introducing anything new, it felt tedious every time I entered a new map.”
story
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
65%
5%
The story of Anoxemia is described as intriguing yet frustrating, with a focus on the isolation and potential madness of the protagonist, Dr. Bailey, as he navigates a series of escort missions in a dark underwater environment. While some players appreciate the atmospheric elements and the gradual unfolding of the narrative, many find the story lacks depth and fails to engage, often feeling like filler amidst tedious gameplay. Overall, the narrative has potential but is hindered by gameplay mechanics that detract from the experience.
- “Anoxemia has a wonderful sense of tension and a dark atmosphere with an interesting enough plot highlighting Dr. Bailey's isolation and possible descent into madness.”
- “The story is unique and interesting.”
- “Anoxemia is a story-rich adventure game with mechanics that continue to present themselves in interesting new ways.”
- “Anoxemia means boring, aggravating gameplay as you escort a brain-dead scientist on a quest to collect plant samples on the bottom of the ocean.”
- “The story in Anoxemia is sufficient, but fails to captivate.”
- “But 4 hours into the game (level 25) nothing has really been explained and nothing new has changed the story or plot.”
atmosphere
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
30%
6%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, eerie, and immersive qualities, enhanced by effective music and visuals that create a sense of tension and isolation. However, some players feel that the experience is marred by inconsistent design choices, frustrating controls, and a lack of engaging gameplay, which detracts from the overall immersion. While many appreciate the atmospheric elements, they express a desire for more diversity and coherence in gameplay to fully enjoy the setting.
- “The atmosphere, between the graphics and music, was absolutely nailed, and it was a joy to be in it when immersed.”
- “It's a great creative idea, with an eerie but beautiful atmosphere.”
- “Anoxemia is an atmospheric underwater exploration game with a fixation on story.”
- “It is utterly one-note, trying to stand alone on atmosphere without any appreciable gameplay whatsoever.”
- “Other games (like Limbo, for instance) can be unendingly dark and you can embrace this atmosphere... this game is basically a pixel hunt in a shadow-puppet show for the one spot on the map that will move you forward.”
- “The atmosphere created by the visuals, lighting, and sound definitely hides a poor plot and its 'specific' control.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
43%
9%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique art style and atmospheric qualities, often compared to titles like Limbo for their dark and immersive visuals. While many reviewers appreciate the aesthetic and the emotional tone it sets, some criticize the graphics for being simplistic or fatiguing due to their darkness, which can hinder gameplay experience. Overall, the visuals are considered decent to excellent for an indie project, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere despite some concerns about gameplay mechanics.
- “The atmosphere, between the graphics and music, was absolutely nailed, and it was a joy to be in it when immersed.”
- “I'm loving the atmosphere and the strangely beautiful parallax graphics.”
- “The visuals and music are excellent.”
- “The graphics are dark and gloomy and can be eye-strainingly difficult to see at times, although this adds to the immersion.”
- “Graphics... well... fairly low effort 2D stuff (it's 2016 guys).”
- “The graphics are alright and reminded me of Limbo, though once actually in game I found them to be very fatiguing because of the darkness and slow movement.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
33%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience with its beautiful and subtle soundtrack. While some users noted that the music can be repetitive, it still contributes significantly to the game's immersive environment, making it a standout feature. Overall, the combination of excellent sound design and music elevates the game's emotional impact and atmosphere.
- “The music is calm, mysterious, fitting to the theme and brings you in the mood.”
- “The music in this game is relaxing and soothing, and it was unexpectedly well made.”
- “The atmosphere, between the graphics and music, was absolutely nailed, and it was a joy to be immersed in it.”
- “The soundtrack is repetitive.”
- “Music is beautiful.”
- “The music is quite relaxing, and the atmosphere/feel of the game gives a dark, claustrophobic feeling.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of severe glitches and bugs that disrupt gameplay, particularly in the later stages. Players frequently encounter issues such as getting stuck in terrain, level resets, and game freezes, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment. As a result, many users have expressed disappointment, indicating that these stability problems significantly undermine the game's quality.
- “However, the ending is a bit rushed, the last few levels are somewhat buggy (you can get stuck in obstacles or walls), and the ending itself is very disappointing and somewhat bugged.”
- “I've started to experience dreadful glitches where I get stuck inside the terrain, so I'm forced to restart levels.”
- “The game is mostly buggy and clunky.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the lack of checkpoints and repetitive gameplay mechanics. While the short levels offer some relief, the overall experience is marred by monotony and a lack of engaging exploration, leading to a sense of boredom rather than enjoyment.
- “Tedious and frustrating experience after the first half.”
- “Gameplay is tedious; ignore the obstacles, pick up the battery for your energy levels so you can ignore more obstacles and pick up more batteries.”
- “I guess the developers wanted to give the player a sense of exploration, but with everything looking the same and with the same game mechanics being used over and over again without introducing anything new, it felt tedious every time I entered a new map.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a cash grab, with reviewers expressing disappointment that the developers prioritized attracting a popular YouTuber over addressing the game's existing issues.
- “This is nothing more than a cash grab that was trying to get Markiplier to play it, and it's disappointing that they've focused on getting a YouTuber to play rather than fix their broken game.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's replayability is rated very low, with a score of 2/10, as players often find themselves needing to replay most levels multiple times, indicating a lack of engaging content to encourage repeated playthroughs.
- “Replay value: 2/10 - extremely small; you will probably be forced to play most levels multiple times anyway.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to go back. The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
- “The game offers no new experiences on subsequent playthroughs, making it feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable revisit.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of explosive fun and dark comedy, with players enjoying the absurdity of characters meeting their demise in creatively humorous ways. While some elements may feel monotonous, the artistic presentation adds a unique charm to the overall experience.
- “You're having fun blowing stuff up!”
- “Monotonous yet artistically rendered mystery!”
- “Compelling yet one-dimensional characters dying in macabrely humorous ways!”