Basingstoke
- April 27, 2018
- Puppy Games
- 5h median play time
"Basingstoke" is a single-player horror stealth game with ingenious gameplay and perfect graphics. Players must navigate through a dense atmosphere filled with menacing Titans, while enjoying the game's good music and hilarious undertones. As the game's description states, Basingstoke has been invaded by the Titans, and everyone else is dead, making survival a top priority.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features unique mechanics such as stealth, crafting, and visibility, making for an engaging gameplay experience.
- The graphics and art style are charming, with a cute yet creepy aesthetic that enhances the atmosphere.
- There is a good amount of challenge, with a variety of items to explore and craft, providing a rewarding experience for players.
- The game is relatively short, with only 10 maps that can be completed in about 3 hours, leading to concerns about replayability.
- Many players find the price to be too high for the content offered, suggesting it is better suited for a discount.
- The controls can be inconsistent, especially with gamepad support, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- 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 rewarding and addictive experience. Players appreciate the variety of character classes and the emergent gameplay moments that arise from interactive elements, although some express frustration with certain grind mechanics and the limited enemy variety. Overall, the gameplay is described as solid and engaging, with a mix of tension and fun, despite occasional technical issues.
“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.”
- graphics33 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and distinct art style, combining cute and creepy elements that enhance the overall atmosphere. Many reviewers appreciate the minimalist low-poly aesthetic, effective lighting, and solid sound design, although some note performance issues on lower-end systems. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout in the survival horror genre.
“The graphics are simplistic, but the music and sound are adequate, even if nothing special.”
“Looks really good graphically; the 'cute' but creepy and dark graphic style works really well.”
“Graphics: 10/10, some of the best graphics I've seen in quite a while.”
“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 humor in the game is described as a delightful blend of cute and horrifying elements, featuring goofy British humor and hilarious scenarios, such as comically tragic deaths and absurd enemy encounters. Players appreciate the game's ability to balance tension with humor, making for a uniquely entertaining experience that is both silly and strategically engaging. Overall, the humor enhances the gameplay, providing a memorable and enjoyable atmosphere.
“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 enjoyable gameplay and strategic depth, appealing to fans of survival horror and rogue-lite genres.
“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 outstanding soundtracks and sound design that enhance the atmosphere and tension, while others find it adequate but not particularly memorable. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its ability to fit the game's themes and moments effectively, contributing positively to the overall experience.
“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, and the music/sound is adequate but nothing special.”
“The soundtrack is overwhelming and doesn't fit the game's atmosphere.”
“The sound is well done, providing a silent ambiance while exploring, but the music only plays near monsters, which disrupts the overall experience.”
- 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.”
“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.”
- story7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The story mode is enjoyable and features unique, randomly generated levels, but players find the main narrative to be shorter than expected, consisting of only 12 levels. While the gameplay is fun, the lack of replay value and the inclusion of clichéd stealth missions detract from the overall experience. The game's style and graphics are praised, suggesting a lasting appeal despite its narrative shortcomings.
“I would like to begin with the fact that 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
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.”
