Answer Knot

About

Answer Knot is a single player action game. It was developed by Naraven Games and was released on May 31, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

A short narrative and exploration game about Zach, June, and a strange phenomenon. You're Zach and, stuck in your home, you will do everything to keep hearing June's voice messages and unravel what's happening to her out there.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 533 reviews

story108 positive mentions

stability7 negative mentions

Engaging story with a surprising twist at the end that keeps players intrigued.
High-quality voice acting and atmospheric sound design enhance the overall experience.
Richly detailed environment with numerous easter eggs and references to other games and pop culture.

Very short gameplay, taking only about 30-45 minutes to complete, which may leave players wanting more.
Some puzzles and tasks can be unintuitive, leading to confusion on how to progress.
Limited exploration as the game only takes place in a single floor of the house, which may feel restrictive.

story
282 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
59%
3%
The game's story is generally well-received, characterized as engaging and atmospheric, with a notable plot twist that surprises many players. While some find the narrative brief and simple, others appreciate its depth and the way it unfolds through environmental storytelling and character interactions, primarily via voice messages. Overall, it offers a compelling experience for fans of narrative-driven games, despite some critiques regarding its pacing and predictability.
- “I loved the overall feeling of the short, but well-executed story. I didn't see that ending coming, and as a cherry on top: the easter eggs.”
- “The narrative design and storytelling are implemented very well, giving the player a real sense of the escalating situation; it fosters intrigue and culminates in an ending that provides an element of surprise.”
- “The story escalates at a nice pace and keeps you guessing until literally the last second.”
- “The story didn't quite impact me as much as the game seemed to want, however.”
- “The whole story feels a bit thrown together and just not good overall.”
- “The story tries to be dramatic and builds up to a plot twist, but in the end it just comes off as super silly.”
atmosphere
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
22%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and eerie qualities, effectively building tension and unease throughout the experience. Many reviewers highlight the minimalist design, clever use of lighting, and sound to enhance the mood, making each moment feel significant. Despite some critiques regarding the game's length and simplicity, the overall ambiance and storytelling methods leave a lasting impression on players.
- “I was pleasantly surprised by how atmospheric and immersive they managed to make the game feel with such short play time.”
- “The atmosphere this game creates is great and you'll be immersed instantly.”
- “The strong point of the game is the atmosphere which is increasingly unnerving as the story progresses.”
- “Creates a creepy atmosphere in a really small space.”
- “Well, when you put it that way I guess it doesn't sound very exciting; but little by little with each new call they manage to build up a surprisingly tense atmosphere.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
35%
8%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their polish and aesthetic appeal, contributing to an immersive atmosphere that enhances exploration and storytelling. While many reviewers highlight the quality of the visuals and lighting, some note minor inconsistencies, particularly towards the end of the game. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, adding depth to the gameplay experience.
- “Graphically, this is a polished experience.”
- “The graphics are lovely, though getting them to run on my old laptop was a little bit of a struggle.”
- “As a big fan of this genre, it was really fun exploring, reading, and finding all the little easter eggs, and graphically it was gorgeous.”
- “Great game with a really heavy atmosphere, but that thing at the end of the game needs better graphics, really.”
- “I didn't feel that the graphics in the ending matched the rest of the game.”
- “- minor graphical mistakes (i.e., stairs lead into the ceiling)”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
84%
8%
The gameplay is primarily focused on simple, narrative-driven tasks that involve listening to voice messages and completing straightforward objectives, often feeling more like a point-and-click experience than traditional gameplay. While some players appreciate the story and voice work, many criticize the limited mechanics and lack of depth, noting that the gameplay is short and primarily serves to advance the narrative rather than provide engaging challenges. Overall, it caters to those who enjoy story-rich experiences but may disappoint players seeking more complex gameplay.
- “The gameplay revolves around solving brain-teasing puzzles that interconnect, creating a sense of progression and discovery as you go.”
- “I think I got stuck on finding the beer, but otherwise, it was a simple game with an easy mechanic behind it: listen to the messages and do your wife's request to unlock the next message and next part of the story.”
- “The evolution of the gameplay (from easy to harder to easy again) is of perfect support for the story evolution, that escalates toward a really surprising climax. Couldn't have guessed the ending, not a second!”
- “Just seems kinda the vast gameplay was then pointless; like why have the player enact these actions at the request of the wife, to lock up the house and such, if you end up playing as the alien?”
- “Gameplay aspects are extremely weak (if at all) and the game focuses mainly on presenting an in-depth story to the player in the form of voicemails.”
- “The story is told through answering-machine messages, while the gameplay consists of doing simple menial tasks (and one easy puzzle).”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
21%
The humor in the game is characterized by a wealth of easter eggs, quirky achievements, and amusing details that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the funny notes and references, particularly in the house setting, and many found the ending to be both surprising and hilarious. However, some critiques mention that certain jokes feel forced or unfunny, and the writing can be inconsistent at times.
- “There's plenty of easter eggs and references scattered about, and there's some humor and quirkiness to the achievements.”
- “The house itself had funny notes, great references to other games, and a cute story of a couple; although, it felt a bit barren at times.”
- “Very well done for a first attempt at a game, attention to detail which is always very important in these types of games, little funny easter eggs everywhere, and to top it all off: phenomenal voice acting!”
- “The writing is a bit off, and some references feel forced, unfunny, and just there for the sake of it.”
- “The tasks you have to perform and their order aren't necessarily logical, which detracts from the humor.”
- “I had constant lagging issues and framerate drops, which made it hard to appreciate the humor.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
The music in the game is highly praised for its attention to detail, featuring a well-composed soundtrack of piano and mellow tracks that enhance the atmosphere and storytelling. Players appreciate the ability to adjust various audio settings, and the music effectively builds tension while complementing the game's overall aesthetic and production quality. Overall, the combination of beautiful sound design and voice acting immerses players in the experience.
- “The audio in the game was given so much attention that there are options to adjust master, voice, music, ambience, and even effect volumes.”
- “The story, atmosphere, music...everything is just in its place.”
- “Thanks to the great production values such as the fantastic voice acting and music, you very quickly get drawn into the short story.”
- “- music is composed of piano/chill/mellow tracks.”
- “- music -”
- “The audio in the game was given so much attention that there are options to adjust master, voice, music, ambience and even effect volumes.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent freezing, glitches, and bugs that disrupt gameplay, such as unresponsive menu options and invisible walls. Players report needing to forcefully close the game due to severe lag and crashes, making it difficult to enjoy the experience fully. While some find the exploration and puzzles enjoyable, the technical issues significantly detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “This game looked interesting, but it is so buggy!”
- “Again, I needed to ctrl+alt+delete to shut the game down... I think this game was free, so I'm not trying to complain too much here, but it's annoying how buggy it is within 30 minutes of playing.”
- “I cannot even play it long enough to figure out why she asks for beer (third in-play line of the game) before it completely freezes and makes my computer ridiculously laggy as well.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of effort akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
Reviews indicate a mixed perception of replayability; while some users find the game infinitely replayable, others criticize its linear progression of clues, which significantly limits replay value.
- “Infinitely replayable.”
- “The game offers countless ways to experience the story, making each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
- “With multiple endings and diverse character choices, I find myself coming back for more every time.”
- “The linear progression of clues means there's no replayability value.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game's story to be both touching and thrilling, describing it as an emotional rollercoaster that effectively combines intense moments with poignant storytelling. The emotional delivery enhances the overall experience, making it memorable and impactful.
- “The story is touching and thrilling, I could say.”
- “This game took me on an emotional rollercoaster, introducing me to the shooting gallery and then showing me the haunted house.”
- “+ emotional delivery”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from optimization issues, particularly for low-end machines, as it demands significant resources even on high-end setups like an RTX 2070. Players have noted that it can cause excessive fan noise and performance strain, suggesting that it could benefit from better optimization overall.
- “The game seems to be unoptimized, spinning up the fans very quickly on an RTX 2070, i7, 32GB of RAM, and an SSD, more than some AAA titles.”
- “Could be a bit more optimized for low-end machines. I personally found the safe puzzle to be kind of dumb; realistically, no one uses [spoiler]that as a way to hide your password. It would make sense if it was a note hidden somewhere or someone's birthday reversed[/spoiler] or whatever.”