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 game offers a challenging experience with a one-hit death mechanic, encouraging strategic play and careful exploration.
- Weapons are scarce and break quickly, leading to frustration during gameplay as players often rely on stealth.
- Levels can be long and punishing, with little margin for error, making deaths feel unfair and leading to repetitive restarts.
- The game's price point is considered too high by many players, especially given the limited content and replayability.
- gameplay102 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Basingstoke is praised for its unique mechanics, including stealth, crafting, and a one-hit death system, which contribute to a rewarding and addictive experience. Players appreciate the emergent gameplay moments and the variety of character unlocks that enhance strategic options, although some express frustration with grind mechanics and limited enemy variety. Overall, the game offers solid, engaging gameplay, despite occasional technical issues and a perceived lack of accessibility in its mechanics.
“Basingstoke hits that balance about as perfectly as any 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 (though you are always able to start all over again if you wish).”
“The end result of the huge assortment of interactive elements in the world and usable objects in your inventory can certainly produce results you might call 'emergent gameplay,' or at least I will never forget the time I discovered shooting a police car's lights resulted in electricity arcing through my pursuing horde, resulting in one of them being snatched up by a nearby tentacle monster as others were electrocuted.”
“Gameplay is solid and, in spite of the few frustrations, it’s nailed that 'just one more go' addictive appeal.”
“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.”
“In 1.5 hours of gameplay, the game got stuck twice and I had to alt+F4 (after 1 year of release).”
- graphics68 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming and distinct art style, featuring a cute yet creepy aesthetic that effectively complements the gameplay. While many reviewers appreciate the lighting effects and overall visual presentation, some note that the simplistic graphics can wear off quickly, especially considering the game's price point. Overall, the visuals are seen as a strong aspect of the game, contributing to its unique atmosphere and appeal.
“✔ Nice graphics, lighting, and models.”
“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.”
- humor36 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its unique blend of humor and horror, featuring cute yet terrifying zombies and amusing scenarios, such as iconic landmarks and comical character interactions. Players appreciate the game's goofy British humor, which complements its tense gameplay and creative crafting mechanics, resulting in both hilarious and stressful moments. Overall, the humor is described as a standout aspect that enhances the experience, making it enjoyable for those with a taste for dark comedy.
“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.”
“At the surface it is silly and goofy with a fun sense of humor, the gameplay itself is all about gathering items to combine, and using wits and your stealth to survive.”
- replayability28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 11 % 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 after completing the main story, which consists of 12 levels, the replay value diminishes significantly, despite the presence of modes like horde mode and a reset progress feature. Overall, while there are elements that encourage replay, the depth and longevity may vary depending on player preferences.
“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.”
“A lot of replay value that rewards both being a good sneak and being an action hero.”
“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 there is a reset all progress button.”
- music20 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the outstanding soundtrack and sound design that enhance the atmospheric experience, particularly during tense moments. Others find the music adequate but not particularly memorable, noting that while it contributes to the ambiance, it doesn't stand out significantly. Overall, the soundtrack is appreciated for its fittingness to the game's themes and settings.
“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 is well done, giving a silent ambiance while exploring and only bringing in music when near monsters in order to build on those moments of tension.”
“The graphics are simplistic, the music/sound is adequate but nothing special.”
“The sound is well done giving silent ambiance while exploring and only bringing in music when near monsters in order to build on those moments of tension.”
“Forcing to freeze blood in your veins soundtrack, I can't believe how all music in the game perfectly fits to her.”
- atmosphere20 mentions
- 90 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive sound design and lighting, creating an eerie yet engaging environment that enhances the stealth gameplay. Players appreciate the blend of cute graphics with a dark, frightening ambiance, making for a unique experience filled with tension and character. Overall, the atmosphere significantly contributes to the game's charm and replayability, especially for fans of rogue-like elements.
“Prepare to die repeatedly, craft amazing items, encounter frightening foes, marvel at cute yawning zombie hordes in beautifully lit eerily atmospheric environments.”
“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.”
“✔ Good soundtracks and sound design which add a lot to the atmospheric scenery.”
- story14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's story mode is enjoyable and features unique, randomly generated levels that provide a fun experience, though the main story is shorter than expected, consisting of only 12 levels. While the gameplay is engaging, the lack of replay value and the inclusion of clichéd stealth missions detract from the overall experience. The story and themes are well-received, earning an 8/10 for their style and graphics.
“I enjoyed the gameplay of the story mode.”
“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 medium short, but the unique and fun levels make it enjoyable.”
“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.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is notably compromised, with players reporting significant bugs affecting three achievements and an average completion time of over 30 hours due to these issues. Additionally, the controls are described as somewhat buggy, further detracting from the overall experience.
“3 achievements are incredibly buggy.”
“Average completion time: buggy 30+ hours.”
“Somewhat buggy controls.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, especially as they age, with some noting that the inventory management at campsites complicates the process. While it may appeal to younger gamers for farming purposes, the lack of effective inventory stacking diminishes the overall enjoyment of grinding.
“In my youth, I'd 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.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users experiencing significant framerate drops even on decent hardware, necessitating low graphical settings for smoother performance. Despite these issues, a few players rated the optimization positively, suggesting that it may perform better on higher-end systems.
“Optimization 8/10”
“I guess the optimization is bad. On my GTX 580, I sometimes experience significant framerate 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 crank all the graphical options down to low, and even then it still felt choppy.”
