Backrooms Cycle
- July 15, 2023
- Sweepy Games
Get on Steam"Backrooms Cycle" is a first-person exploration and survival game set in the Backrooms, a labyrinthine, otherworldly environment. Players must navigate through different levels, scavenge for resources, and survive encounters with hostile creatures. Interactions with other scientists and questlines offer multiple choices, leading to different outcomes. The ultimate goal is to fight and defeat legendary Backrooms entities and potentially escape. The developers aim to create a immersive and ultimate Backrooms experience for players.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has massive potential and offers a fun dynamic with good variation of game mechanics.
- Developers are responsive and have shown willingness to improve the game based on player feedback.
- The environment and gameplay can be enthralling, providing an interesting experience for players.
- The game is plagued by technical issues, including crashes, poor optimization, and a frustrating inventory system.
- Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks meaningful content, with many players feeling it is not worth the current price.
- There are significant design flaws, such as auto-tracking enemies and a lack of a save system, which detract from the overall experience.
- story22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is seen as a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the potential for meaningful character interactions and quests in areas like the pool rooms, others feel that the current lack of a cohesive narrative detracts from the experience. There are calls for a save system to mitigate the harshness of the game's mechanics, and some players question whether a story is necessary at all, suggesting that the focus should remain on the exploration of the backrooms rather than scripted elements. Overall, the game is viewed as having an interesting concept that could benefit from a more developed narrative structure.
“I like the idea that you're able to go to the pool rooms to talk to some characters that have some meaningful story/quests.”
“It is something no other backrooms game has done yet, or at least not well, and I think it can work with (and even complement) the current story-driven shooter game you are going for.”
“It's an interesting niche between these two common backroom design choices; you want the feeling of the infinite (which more scripted backroom games lose out on), but the levels have to be small enough that players won't miss out on story elements (which large backrooms exploration games can't have).”
“It's early, there is no story and I don't think that one should even exist for this type of game.”
“It is an interesting concept, backroom dungeons, but I don't know if this is a genuine design choice or if you are forced to do this because putting a story into this game is holding you back.”
“< will try to add in a story, often to their own detriment: Zomboid, Sons of the Forest, etc. So far it just seems like a romp through the backrooms.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is seen as having good potential with a variety of mechanics, though it requires polishing, particularly in areas like item storage. Players appreciate the immersive environment and suggest that the core gameplay loop should focus on resource gathering to enhance the experience, emphasizing the need for diverse loot and dynamic encounters typical of dungeon-crawling roguelikes. Overall, while promising, the gameplay still needs refinement to fully realize its potential.
“I’ve played it across a couple of iterations as the game has grown, and have found myself lost and enthralled in the environment and gameplay.”
“More loot; this type of game needs all kinds of weapons, items, and monsters that change up the gameplay moment-to-moment.”
“Otherwise, the rest of the game mechanics just need polishing. The locker does not save anything you put into it, which would be my first priority.”
“I suggest you lean into the whole dungeon crawl roguelike; design-wise, you are already there, so have the gameplay back it up.”
“Point is: I think your main loop, gameplay-wise, should revolve around trying to gather resources to build up a 'saferoom'.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game lack customizable options, leading to frustration among players, particularly regarding the water graphics. Additionally, there are noted translation issues that detract from the overall visual experience.
“There are no graphics options and there are some translation issues.”
“For the love of god, let us turn the water graphics down.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has been criticized for creating unrealistic expectations through its advertising, which some users feel oversells the game's value compared to the actual experience.
“The monetization in this game feels more like a cash grab than a fair system.”
“The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating how much you have to spend to enjoy the game fully.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate significant concerns regarding the game's optimization, with players experiencing frequent performance issues and frame rate drops. Many users express frustration over the lack of polish, suggesting that the game feels unrefined and poorly optimized for various hardware configurations. Overall, the consensus highlights a pressing need for improvements to enhance stability and performance.
“What is happening and why is this so unoptimized?”
“What is happening and why is this so unoptimized?”
