Between Horizons

About

"Between Horizons" is a 2.5D pixel art adventure game set aboard the Zephyr, humanity's first generation ship. As Stella, the Chief of Security, you must investigate a conspiracy that threatens the ship's mission and social order. With a branching narrative and semi-open world, this game offers increased player agency in the investigation process and challenges players to make tough decisions that will question their moral compass.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 169 reviews

story73 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Engaging story with interesting moral dilemmas surrounding life on a generation ship.
Challenging puzzles that require logical deduction and exploration, enhancing the detective experience.
Beautiful pixel art style and atmospheric soundtrack that complement the narrative well.

Some players found the pacing rushed, particularly in the final act, leading to confusion and a lack of emotional connection to characters.
The user interface for managing evidence and clues can be cluttered and lacks organization, making it difficult to navigate.
Limited replayability due to the linear nature of some story elements and the inability to revisit earlier decisions easily.

story
183 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
58%
2%
The story of "Between Horizons" is a compelling sci-fi narrative centered around Stella, the chief of security on a generation ship, as she navigates moral dilemmas and conspiracies threatening the mission's success. While the writing and character development are generally praised, some reviewers noted that the pacing can feel rushed and the plot lacks depth in certain areas. Overall, the game offers an engaging experience with meaningful choices that impact the storyline, making it a solid choice for fans of narrative-driven detective games.
- “Great story where you feel your decisions actually matter.”
- “The story is excellent as well, in my opinion, boasting a large cast of distinct and memorable characters with understandable motivations.”
- “Between horizons is a smart and fun detective game that establishes a really rich cast and setting and then lets you solve cases in a relatively freeform way - you can accuse anyone of anything in your case work, and the story continues.”
- “Despite the fact that your choices can somewhat impact the ending, the story felt linear.”
- “The story goes far too fast; I don't really have any connection to the crew, outside of my 'case-work'.”
- “Story-wise, I felt it was a bit rushed, didn't go deep enough and kept throwing in too many characters that had no or little time to actually be of any importance.”
gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
7%
The gameplay is centered around detective work, featuring case-solving mechanics that require players to gather information and make impactful choices, enhancing the sense of immersion and consequence. While the game offers an engaging storyline and exploration elements, some users noted issues with the user interface and certain mechanics, suggesting that improvements could enhance the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay is praised for its depth and challenge, though it may not appeal to those seeking traditional point-and-click mechanics.
- “The detective gameplay is fun, and with the hardcore mode where choices matter (no manual saves), it really feels like your decisions have weight.”
- “Very good detective gameplay that strikes a good balance between being manageable and making you feel like an actual detective.”
- “With tight gameplay, a tense atmosphere, a fantastic soundtrack, and a story that delves into some deep themes, this game packs a punch even though it can be finished in 5-7 hours.”
- “I think some UI and gameplay adjustments are definitely needed to make this game better, like being able to open two pieces of evidence side by side.”
- “I liked the storyline and characters, but the gameplay, mystery logic, and game world are really unpolished.”
- “Running around blindly hoping to stumble across someone is not fun gameplay.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
35%
8%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charming pixel art style and unique 2.5D visuals, which enhance the overall atmosphere and storytelling. While many reviewers appreciate the artistic direction and animation quality, some note inconsistencies between character and background designs, as well as minor technical issues. Overall, the visuals are considered a significant improvement from the developer's previous work, contributing to a captivating gaming experience.
- “The graphics, the scenario, the music, and the overall atmosphere and feeling are nice.”
- “It's has a really unique 2.5D art style I haven't seen much before, and the art direction is just fantastic; everything feels so personable and alive.”
- “Digitales has taken everything they have learned from working on Lacuna to create a vastly improved experience with Between Horizons, whilst keeping their accessible gameplay and signature mixed 2D/3D graphics style.”
- “However, there are minor technical quirks, like a somewhat clunky interface and a graphics style that feels uneven (characters deserve more pixels, the environment could do with less, so that it feels more akin to pixel art adventure games instead of Octopath Traveler -- but maybe that's just me, as I do not like the mixed style much).”
- “This is an extreme contrast to the background graphics and a complete break in style.”
- “What is a pixelated player character doing in a game with high-resolution background graphics?”
music
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
34%
10%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and fit the story well, while others noted its repetitiveness and lack of variety across different stages. Some players found the soundtrack memorable and worth purchasing, while others described it as decent but ultimately forgettable. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, though it could benefit from more diversity.
- “The visual style, music, and especially story really carry this game.”
- “The music does a great job of capturing both the sci-fi and mystery moods of the game, and provides a good ambience while usually not being too attention-grabbing.”
- “A great little game - love the art style, the story is interesting and the soundtrack will be on repeat now that I've finished it.”
- “The biggest issues I have is probably the music feeling very samey and looping over and over again, and not having more options for chapter selection to try out the different endings/choices.”
- “The music was repetitive and traversal was janky, but overall bearable.”
- “The music is fine, but entirely forgettable.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
6%
19%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its excellent integration of graphics, music, and storytelling, creating a captivating and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the charming pixel art style and the effective use of sound to enhance the overall mood, making it a standout feature that complements the gameplay. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as gripping, enjoyable, and a significant factor in its appeal.
- “The graphics, the scenario, the music, and the overall atmosphere and feeling are nice.”
- “Digitales creates these fantastically atmospheric pixel sci-fi worlds that are an absolute pleasure to play in.”
- “With tight gameplay, a tense atmosphere, a fantastic soundtrack, and a story that delves into some deep themes, this game packs a punch even though it can be finished in 5-7 hours.”
- “The atmosphere, graphics, music, and everything else are great.”
- “Between Horizons looks much better, but still has that atmosphere, thankfully.”
- “Overall atmosphere is top-notch.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the need to navigate the ship extensively to locate specific characters and the cumbersome evidence collection system. The puzzles often lack clarity, and frequent tutorial interruptions further disrupt the flow, making the experience feel unnecessarily drawn out. A more efficient travel system could have alleviated some of this frustration.
- “Evidence collects in a panel that, although you can sort by 'type'; so physical evidence/person/location lists, it is still one giant jumble of crap that is tedious to scour through when you're trying to find 'Steve the hick' that you met two chapters back and he's all the way down the bottom, except you can't remember what this pillock even looks like.”
- “It reduces the time, but not by much, so feels pointless: either the player wants to travel on foot to discover new things or they want to go somewhere specific, in which case a 'move to room' travel system would have been far less tedious.”
- “You are constantly interrupted with tutorial pop-ups grinding things to a halt.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Overall, the game offers moderate replayability, particularly for fans of story-driven detective narratives, with various choices that encourage multiple playthroughs. While it may not reach the depth of games like Baldur's Gate 3, players can still enjoy different outcomes and discussions with friends.
- “It gives great replay value and discussions with friends!”
- “There's not much replayability, but if you like story-driven detective games, you will have a good time playing between horizons.”
- “There are a lot of different choices one can take, meaning there is a reasonable amount of replayability, even if it's not Baldur's Gate 3 when it comes to choices and consequences.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have noted that while the game contains emotionally impactful moments, the lack of character development and depth in relationships detracts from the overall emotional engagement. The protagonist's limited emotional expression further contributes to a sense of detachment, leaving some players feeling less invested in the game's outcomes. Overall, there is a consensus that enhancing character relationships and emotional depth could significantly improve future installments.
- “Some moments in the game made me emotional, and there were great 'aha!' moments.”
- “I wish some of the more important characters had been fleshed out more, as well as the protagonist's relationship with them, to give them more emotional depth and meaning. This is definitely a point that could be improved in the developer's next game.”
- “The character you play as comes across as emotionally stunted, given how little time they get to express anything. At the end of the intro, it was almost comedic how quickly things went from 'a chase' to 'guy stuck in door' to 'oh, we're at a funeral' to 'oh, we're in bed again.'”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, user reviews on stability are mixed; while some players report a smooth experience with no bugs or visual glitches, others have encountered significant issues, particularly with branching dialogue and UI glitches. Many suggest waiting for patches to address these bugs, despite praising the game's concept and graphics.
- “I will say, it's quite buggy, with a lot of branching dialogue issues at the moment (a few days after release), so I might wait a couple of weeks for things to get ironed out, but the concept and puzzle system of the game are well done, and it is graphically beautiful.”
- “The choices feel real (note: but see below for the UI glitches).”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Reviews indicate that while the main narrative is engaging, character development, particularly for side characters, feels underexplored due to the game's focus on mystery. Additionally, a faster-paced introduction leaves little room for deeper character exploration, suggesting that incorporating slice-of-life elements could enhance character depth.
- “The intro's pacing is too fast; I think having some slice-of-life elements after the funeral would have helped with character development.”
- “In a longer game, I would have liked to see more character development from many of the side characters, but the game's focus is clearly more on the mystery rather than the characters.”
- “The main character feels one-dimensional, and the lack of depth in their backstory makes it hard to connect with them.”
- “While the game has an interesting premise, the character arcs are underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more substance.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, running very smoothly without any performance issues.
- “It runs as smooth as butter, so I can't complain about performance.”
- “The optimization is top-notch, making the gameplay experience seamless.”
- “I've noticed significant improvements in load times and frame rates, enhancing my overall enjoyment.”