Atma

About

Atma is a single player casual action adventure game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by pataya and was released on July 10, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

In a world where spirits and humans coexist, Shaya, guardian of the unseen, keeps the safe balance between the living and it's spiritual entities. She once was Atma’s eternal lover, but as he passed away, she became the next Guardian. As she communes with herself at her beloved's tomb, Atma tries to reach out to her through her powers. He never met the spirit world, and has been oscillating betwee…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 361 reviews

story70 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

Absolutely gorgeous pixel art and animations that create an immersive experience.
Unique combat mechanics that involve drawing mantras to interact with the environment and defeat enemies.
Engaging storyline with choices that impact the narrative, making it a thought-provoking experience.

The game is very short, taking only about 30-60 minutes to complete, leaving players wanting more.
Movement speed is painfully slow, making exploration tedious and frustrating.
Several bugs and glitches, including issues with controller support and save functionality, detract from the overall experience.

story
142 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
47%
4%
The story of Atma is generally well-received, featuring a unique narrative where players embody Shaya, a guardian navigating between the living and spirit worlds. While many appreciate its engaging and touching themes, including love and sacrifice, several reviews note that the story feels short and could benefit from expansion and deeper character development. Overall, the visuals complement the narrative, but the execution leaves room for improvement, particularly in terms of gameplay mechanics and dialogue clarity.
- “The story is touching as well.”
- “The potential of this game is huge, since its universe and story is so fresh, picturesque, and mystifying.”
- “The story is enjoyable and was a lot of fun when it introduced that you could make your own decisions in-game, changing the ending.”
- “The story is oversimplified, the characters unendearing.”
- “Story is ok-ish at the core but chaotic and uneven in execution, at multiple points feeling extremely cheap/cliché (e.g. the initial choice to mourn or not to mourn feels like 'press F to pay respects').”
- “Great for the scenery, not so much for the gameplay and story progression.”
gameplay
130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
63%
5%
The gameplay of Atma is characterized by its unique mechanics, such as drawing to cast spells and interacting with the environment, which some players found innovative yet underutilized due to the game's short length. While the art and atmosphere received high praise, many reviewers noted issues with movement speed and combat mechanics, leading to a mixed reception regarding overall enjoyment and challenge. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a promising foundation that could benefit from further development and expansion.
- “The gameplay is really relaxing, and the music is nice. The story is good; it's short and incredible.”
- “The puzzles are interesting without being too challenging, and the gameplay is smooth and easy to understand.”
- “The drawing mechanics are really great and leave you wishing the game was longer in order to capitalize on this system a bit more.”
- “The gameplay is awful.”
- “But the gameplay is so lackluster.”
- “The gameplay does have some issues though, regarding limitations (the size of the window you can draw on can be a bit of a pain, the character can't move while casting, testing your patience, plus the fact of being extremely controller-dependent, not quite very adaptable to keyboard users).”
graphics
115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
32%
3%
The graphics of Atma are widely praised for their stunning pixel art style, vibrant colors, and captivating animations, often compared to titles like Hyper Light Drifter and Okami. While many reviewers appreciate the beautiful artwork and atmospheric visuals, some note that the graphics can feel flat or clash with certain effects, and there are occasional technical issues. Overall, the game's visuals are considered its strongest aspect, contributing significantly to the immersive experience despite some gameplay and design shortcomings.
- “The graphics are gorgeous, the concept is unique and the gameplay is fulfilling enough for a free game.”
- “The artwork is truly beautiful and so is the music.”
- “The art style is absolutely gorgeous and it is even more beautiful than most games I pay money for.”
- “Visuals are solid if a bit flat - Hyper Light Drifter used unusual color palettes and went the extra mile making its whole world feel dead and decaying; here it just feels pretty and not much else.”
- “Effects like fire and waterfalls aren't pixel art and kind of clash with the rest of the visuals as a result.”
- “Graphics looking 30 years old.”
music
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
33%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall immersive experience alongside the stunning visuals. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack is beautifully composed, fitting well with the game's aesthetic, though some felt it could be overshadowed by sound effects in certain areas. Overall, the combination of relaxing music and beautiful graphics creates a captivating experience that many players found enjoyable, even if the gameplay itself was considered short or simplistic.
- “The calm soundtrack is absolutely on point.”
- “The music was beautifully done to create an atmosphere and doesn't sound repetitive at all.”
- “Combined with the calm soundtrack, a really beautiful and relaxing experience is created here which I wish I could see more of.”
- “On the other hand, the design and music are okay, but definitely not enough to make up for the rest.”
- “Music was basically not present by the loud sound effects and ambience in some areas.”
- “I was honestly surprised by the pixel art and music, it felt like a demo for a bigger game.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
17%
18%
The atmosphere of Atma is widely praised for its stunning art and immersive sound design, creating a captivating experience that encourages players to explore at a leisurely pace. Reviewers highlight the game's unique mechanics and depth, noting that the intentional limitation on movement enhances the overall aesthetic and emotional impact. Overall, Atma is celebrated as one of the most beautiful games, drawing comparisons to other atmospheric titles like Journey and Ori.
- “The atmosphere is amazing; it's so wonderful to walk around.”
- “Atma is an amazingly atmospheric puzzle-based narrative.”
- “At first I thought it was intentional to make you go slower and admire the atmosphere and the view, but now I think it was made that way so you won't finish it within 15 minutes.”
- “The atmosphere of this game, from the music and the graphics, was by far breathtaking.”
- “Games limit speed for different reasons; first person, RPG, RTS, platformer games so that you can react (or so that enemies have a chance of hitting you); puzzles and point-and-click for aesthetics; then there is atmosphere, which is not so much a type as a design choice, horror or drama.”
character development
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
17%
25%
The game excels in character development through its stunning and unique designs inspired by Asian folklore, featuring imaginative representations of various creatures like bird, monkey, and deer people. The vibrant color palette and intricate pixel art contribute to an ancient, mystical atmosphere that enhances the overall experience, although some players feel the story and gameplay could be improved. Overall, the character designs and artistic elements are highly praised, making them a standout feature of the game.
- “The character designs are all very creative and beautiful.”
- “The art is gorgeous and the character design is so unique.”
- “Really beautiful game with great visuals and character design.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters on a personal level.”
- “Despite the beautiful visuals, the characters themselves are one-dimensional and fail to evolve throughout the game.”
- “I found the character arcs predictable and uninspired, leaving me wanting more complexity and growth.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is marked by a mix of occasional glitches and bugs, particularly during combat and with mouse controls, which can detract from the experience. While some players encountered significant issues that affected gameplay, others found the problems manageable and appreciated the game's artistic design. Despite its free-to-play status and some technical shortcomings, many users felt the game was still enjoyable.
- “The environment looked good, but the gameplay and story weren't worth the troubleshooting.”
- “For a free game, it is well-executed and well thought out; however, bear in mind that it does have its glitches, especially in combat.”
- “I didn't deal with many of the glitches myself (only about 3), and those I did were easily resolved. From what I hear, though, they leave the game in either a playable or non-playable state.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
90%
10%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a touching and introspective story that explores the conflict between personal emotions and the greater good, enhanced by beautiful pixel art. While some players find the narrative heartwarming and impactful, others feel it lacks dramatic tension and depth, leading to mixed feelings about character engagement and story development. Overall, the game evokes a range of emotions, from warmth to disappointment, depending on individual player experiences.
- “A heart touching introspection on the potential for emotions to conflict with the 'greater good'.”
- “Amazing pixel art and a touching story.”
- “Atma is downright gorgeous and, even for as short as it is, heartwarming.”
- “Good concept, great art, cool looking characters, but boring characters and a boring story. It all balances out, so it's fine; it's got a yin-yang thing of balance going on here.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players generally find the game's replayability to be limited, despite the variety offered by premade characters and a card-based system. However, some users believe it has the potential for infinite replayability.
- “ Infinitely replayable”
- “~ Replayability ~”
- “Limited replayability: while the premade characters and card-based system provide variety, some players may find the replayability factor limited.”
- “Limited replayability: while the premade characters and card-based system provide variety, some players may find the replayability factor limited.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have reported frustrating keyboard and mouse issues, along with general optimization problems, which hinder their gameplay experience and progression.
- “It seems like keyboard and mouse issues, along with optimization problems, prevented me from continuing, which is just frustrating.”
- “The game runs poorly on my system despite meeting the recommended requirements, indicating serious optimization issues.”
- “I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, which made the gameplay feel unpolished and poorly optimized.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, as the slow walking speed during exploration makes it tedious and detracts from the overall enjoyment. The clunky combat further exacerbates the issue, leading to setbacks that can be discouraging enough to drive players to uninstall.
- “You can only walk when exploring, padding game time and making it tedious, which makes exploring not fun.”
- “It made exploring seem more tedious than it should be. I was able to bear with it until I was killed in the clunky combat, which reset the puzzle I was in. Though small, that was just enough of a setback to make me uninstall.”