Basingstoke
- April 27, 2018
- Puppygames
- 5h median play time
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Get on itch.io Store"Basingstoke" is a single-player Horror Action game with spectacular game mechanics, ingenious graphics, and a good soundtrack that will make you laugh amidst its dense atmosphere. Explore the apocalyptic ruins of Basingstoke, UK, where stealth and arcade action blend, and scavenge to craft items for survival. With over a hundred useable items, violence is your last resort, so use stealth and cunning to outwit monsters and become a tasty snack for them.
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Reviews
- The game features a charming art style and humorous elements, making it visually appealing and entertaining.
- The crafting system is straightforward and allows for creative item combinations, enhancing gameplay variety.
- The stealth mechanics are engaging, requiring players to think strategically about their movements and resource management.
- The game can be frustrating due to its one-hit death mechanic and long levels, leading to frequent restarts.
- Weapons are scarce and break quickly, which can detract from the expected combat experience.
- The game's price point is considered high by many players, especially given its limited content and replayability.
- gameplay51 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is praised for its unique mechanics, including stealth, crafting, and a one-hit death system, which contribute to a solid and engaging experience. Players appreciate the emergent gameplay moments and the variety of character classes that enhance replayability, although some express frustration with certain grind mechanics and the limited enemy variety. Overall, the gameplay is described as addictive and rewarding, despite occasional technical issues and a perceived lack of accessibility in some mechanics.
“This game has a one-hit death mechanic, character classes, and very well-made crafting.”
“Basingstoke hits that balance about as perfectly as any game I have ever played, thanks primarily to parceling gameplay into discrete levels, rather than forcing you to start over at the beginning when you die.”
“The gameplay is hard, it is tense, and it is actually quite fun when the various bugs are not getting in the way of things.”
“Gameplay is about 2 hours without completing the secrets and achievements.”
“Poor gameplay: it's shown as a game with versatile possibilities, but it's none of that.”
“It kinda sucks that 45 minutes of gameplay get totally erased every time I reach what I think should be the next safehouse.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming and distinct art style, with many reviewers highlighting the cute yet creepy aesthetic and effective use of lighting. While some players appreciate the minimalist low-poly visuals and find the overall presentation unique and well-executed, others note that the graphics may lose their appeal over time, especially considering the game's price point. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, though performance issues have been reported by some users.
“Looks really good graphically, the 'cute' but creepy and dark graphic style works really well, and I was excited to play it with the controller on my TV.”
“Graphics: 10/10, some of the best graphics I've seen in quite a while.”
“First off, the graphics on this game are so fun, very well put together and it looks pretty unique in the way it's presented, with some lovely lighting effects.”
“The graphics are simplistic; the music and sound are adequate but nothing special.”
“Performance: I have a decent rig, but the day I turned this game on (release), I had to crank all the graphical options down to low, and even then it still felt choppy.”
“The change from 2D graphics to 3D in their designs would be a lot more pleasant if the overall roughness of polygon normals on models weren't as hard as they are, but it's more or less fine because the shadows and minimum lighting in the game cover practically most of them.”
- humor18 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its unique blend of cute and dark humor, featuring whimsical elements like adorable zombies and landmarks that evoke a sense of familiarity. Players find the juxtaposition of horror and hilarity—such as comically tragic deaths and absurd situations—highly entertaining, especially for those who appreciate a goofy, British sense of humor. Overall, the humor enhances the gameplay experience, making it both funny and tense, with plenty of surprising moments.
“And as for how the game actually is to play, well, it is hilarious how simultaneously cute and horrifying everything is.”
“In the ensuing events, you get rubber hazmat suit lab dudes clinging to you for dear life and getting eaten alive by zombies in the most hilarious ways possible.”
“Great artwork and animations together with loads of hilarious stuff you can craft and gadgets.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is generally viewed positively, with many players appreciating the semi-randomized maps, unlockable characters, and various playstyles that enhance the experience. However, some users note that once the main story is completed, the replay value diminishes, with the horde mode and a reset progress feature providing limited additional content. Overall, it offers a mix of fun and strategic depth, appealing to fans of survival horror and rogue-lite elements.
“Overall, Basingstoke is a fantastic game, with great replayability and many different possible playstyles.”
“Good replayability because of the semi-randomized maps and the unlockable characters to play.”
“Replayability - the levels are enjoyable and slightly randomized each run.”
“That said, once you've done the story (12 levels), there isn't much replay value.”
“-- no replay value whatsoever.”
“The true last bit of replay value is that there is a reset all progress button.”
- music10 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the atmospheric soundtrack and sound design that enhances the overall experience, while others find it adequate but not particularly memorable. Notably, the soundtrack effectively builds tension during key moments, contributing significantly to the game's ambiance. Overall, while opinions vary, many agree that the music adds value to the gameplay.
“Amazing little stealth game full of atmosphere and great sounds/music - randomly generated levels/items layout makes it more interesting - highly recommended experience!”
“Good soundtracks and sound design which add a lot to the atmospheric scenery.”
“The sound effects and music are outstanding, and the lighting and graphics are excellent, too.”
“The graphics are simplistic, the music and sound are adequate but nothing special.”
“The soundtrack is intense and fits the game well, but it can be overwhelming at times.”
“The sound is well done, providing a silent ambiance while exploring and only introducing music when near monsters to build tension.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 90 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive sound design, lighting, and unique environments, creating a blend of eerie and charming elements. Players appreciate the combination of cute graphics with a scary ambiance, enhancing the overall experience, especially in stealth scenarios. The randomly generated levels further contribute to the engaging and atmospheric gameplay, making it a recommended choice for fans of the genre.
“Prepare to die repeatedly, craft amazing items, encounter frightening foes, die repeatedly, marvel at cute yawning zombie hordes in beautifully lit eerily atmospheric environments, die repeatedly, keep left, then die some more.”
“✔ Good soundtracks and sound design which add a lot to the atmospheric scenery.”
“Despite how blocky and chunky the models are, there's so much character and atmosphere here bolstered by some great lighting and sound design -- I love it.”
- story7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The story mode is enjoyable and features unique, randomly generated levels that keep gameplay fun, though the main story is shorter than expected, consisting of only 12 levels. While the game's style and graphics are praised, the lack of replay value and the inclusion of clichéd stealth missions detract from the overall experience. Overall, the story and themes are rated 8/10 for their quality and aesthetic appeal.
“I enjoyed the gameplay of the story mode.”
“Didn't expect this game to be that good! The only sad thing about this game is that the main story is kind of shorter than I expected.”
“Story & themes: 8/10. The game has a great style and some nice graphics that will age very well in a few years.”
“The main story is kind of shorter than I expected.”
“Once you've completed the story (12 levels), there isn't much replay value.”
“The random generation of some locations and the random spawn of items, including quest items like keycards, detracts from the overall experience.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is notably problematic, with users reporting significant bugs affecting three achievements and an average completion time exceeding 30 hours due to these issues. Additionally, the controls are described as somewhat buggy, further detracting from the overall experience.
“Three achievements are incredibly buggy.”
“Average completion time: over 30 hours due to bugs.”
“The controls are somewhat buggy.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it may appeal to those who enjoy farming mechanics, many feel it becomes tedious over time. The inventory management issues, particularly with campsites not stacking items effectively, further detract from the enjoyment of grinding.
“In my youth, I would have probably loved this, but as an old man, it becomes more tedious.”
“The campsites don't stack the inventory and forget it after some time, so grinding doesn't make any sense.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users experiencing significant framerate drops even on decent hardware, necessitating lower graphical settings for smoother performance. However, one reviewer rated the optimization positively at 8/10, suggesting that experiences may vary.
“Optimization 8/10”
“I guess the optimization is bad. On my GTX 580, I sometimes experience significant frame rate drops, but I still maintain around 60 FPS most of the time.”
“Performance: I have a decent rig, but on the day I turned this game on (release), I had to set all the graphical options to low, and even then it still felt choppy.”
