Belonging
- January 18, 2024
- Farbspiel Interactive
Belonging is a first-person adventure game about a cult and its victims. As the hacktivist Jayce, you are scouting the abandoned estate of the Entelechism cult. You are there to find data you can leak to the public and uncover uncomfortable truths about what happened to the people that lived there. Explore the remains of a reclusive communityEntelechism is a community devoted to self-optimization…
Reviews
- The game features an engaging story that keeps players curious and invested, with good voice acting and atmosphere.
- Gameplay is smooth with no significant glitches or lag, providing a relaxing experience for players who enjoy exploration and investigation.
- The environment design is well-crafted, effectively conveying the theme of cults and their insidious nature.
- The game suffers from game-breaking bugs and unfinished elements, leading to frustration and a lack of confidence in its release quality.
- The story is relatively short and predictable, with limited content and character development, making it feel less rewarding.
- The user interface and gameplay mechanics are poorly designed, with unskippable dialogues and tutorial messages that hinder immersion and pacing.
- story22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as engaging and well-researched, with elements that encourage exploration and investigation through notes and audio files. While some players found the narrative to be relatively short and not particularly interesting, others appreciated its depth and the intriguing themes it explores, particularly in relation to human emotions and cult dynamics. Overall, the story offers a mix of immersive dialogue and thoughtful content, appealing to fans of story-driven games.
“The game features an intriguing story that is voice acted.”
“A thoughtful, well-researched story about the bottomless pits in our hearts that would make anyone join a cult, if the circumstances are right.”
“If you like story-driven games and binged a lot of true crime over lockdown, don't sleep on this underrated gem!”
“The story itself is not that long or interesting.”
“The best dialogue, I admit, was 'amazing': here you enter a new location and start the key story where our partner basically tells us that there are, of course, security features in this facility and data will be deleted very soon, so you don't have that much time (which, if we go by key features, is probably not true, but the main character doesn't know this).”
“Actually, later in the game, you can change any previous choices and it does not affect the plot ending, and there are automatic checkpoint saves as well.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, players appreciate the improvements made to gameplay since the demo, particularly the addition of hints that enhance the narrative experience. However, some users express frustration with the user interface and certain gameplay mechanics, such as the requirement to find key logs before accessing videos, which they consider a drawback.
“Really nice to see how they improved the gameplay compared to the demo and that even more hints are put in to really show what has been going on there.”
“Because of course one of the better gameplay choices was that to be able to see the video, you should first find the prior key log.”
“Now for the worst part: UI and gameplay features.”
“One of the 'better' gameplay choices was that to be able to see the video, you should first find the prior key log.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, players report that the game's optimization is generally good, with smooth video performance during gameplay despite some minor bugs, such as misplaced luggage. The positive experience is further enhanced by strong voice acting, which helps maintain immersion.
“No poor video performances at all for me.”
“Yeah, there are a few bugs and one time luggage spawned in strange places, but the stellar voice performance keeps you immersed.”
- music6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for more music in the game, noting that the current sparse soundtrack contributes to a creepy atmosphere while exploring an abandoned cult building. However, the abrupt cut-off of music during key moments detracts from the overall experience.
“No music whatsoever.”
“Also, the music whenever Jayce finds Kai's evidence cuts off quickly as soon as the commentary ends.”
“I would like a little more music in the game as well, but the silence in the game does give it a creepy feeling seeing as you are exploring an abandoned cult building.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its immersive atmosphere, effectively highlighting themes of dubious organizations and cults. The level design and side character stories contribute to a rich environment, although some lore elements may feel redundant due to the strong overall atmosphere. Players are encouraged to experience the game for its compelling ambiance.
“Very atmospheric game that sheds light on dubious organizations and cults, exploring how one could fall into their traps.”
“The level design and atmosphere are quite nice, along with the side characters' stories, so if you want to play it, feel free to do so.”
“While those logs do provide some lore, they are overshadowed by the overall atmosphere and key logs that are unmissable.”
“While those logs do provide some lore, it is obsolete, since it is already overshadowed by the overall atmosphere and key logs that are unmissable.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely viewed as predictable and lacking originality, with some players finding certain elements amusing, such as the inclusion of spin classes. However, overall, the comedic aspects do not resonate well, with many reviewers expressing disappointment in the execution.
“Also, extremely funny that they offer spin classes.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for being good-looking and contributing to a relaxing experience, though some users reported issues with video graphic memory at startup. Overall, the visual presentation is complemented by pleasant voice acting.
“It is a very relaxing experience with good looking graphics and pleasant voice acting.”
“As soon as the game started, a message in the top left corner indicated that my video graphic memory was full or not functioning correctly.”
“As soon as the game started, a message in the top left corner indicated that my video graphic memory was full or not functioning correctly.”
- stability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its stability, with users reporting very smooth gameplay and no noticeable glitches or lagging.
“Very smooth gameplay; no glitches or lagging so far.”