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Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone"

83%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
gameplay, stability
83% User Score Based on 72 reviews

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In "Boreal Tenebrae Act I: 'I Stand Before You, A Form Undone'," players are drawn into a dying town's dream-like world, inspired by PS1-era games and "Yume Nikki". As the town's sickness grows, players must solve a murder, find Sarah, and complete a ritual, uncovering deeper truths along the way, set against a haunting musical backdrop by Guidewire. This retro-style adventure combines horror elements with intricate narratives in an interweaving community story.

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Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone" screenshot
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83%
Audience ScoreBased on 72 reviews
story16 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique art style and intriguing story that captivates players, reminiscent of magical realism and nostalgic aesthetics.
  • The atmosphere is rich and immersive, with a compelling soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • Despite its bugs, the game offers a quirky and engaging narrative that many players find enjoyable and worth exploring.
  • The game is plagued by numerous game-breaking bugs that can halt progress, leading to frustration among players.
  • It has a lack of proper save systems and limited save slots, making it difficult to recover from glitches and softlocks.
  • The game ends abruptly with a 'to be continued' message, leaving players feeling unsatisfied and uncertain about future content.
  • story
    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of *Boreal Tenebrae* is a magical-realist narrative centered around a group of friends in a small, troubled town grappling with an otherworldly infection, while exploring themes of debt, uncertainty, and loss. Players can switch between characters, allowing for intersecting storylines that create a rich, atmospheric experience reminiscent of *Kentucky Route Zero* and *Stranger Things*. Despite its intriguing plot and strong character development, the game is currently marred by bugs that hinder gameplay, leaving players eager for the continuation of its compelling narrative.

    • “The story also talks about topics like debt, uncertainty, apathy, and loss.”
    • “This game oozes visual style, very strange, baffling but intriguing story and characters, something not achieved very often.”
    • “You can easily miss parts of the story, or play them out of order so it seems weird.”
    • “The story has a lot going on in it to be honest and a lot that we still need to know about.”
    • “Systems of power play a big role in every story in Boreal Tenebrae, tangibly through threats of violence and death but also intangibly through poverty, desperation, and exhaustion.”
  • graphics
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are praised for their unique art style and retro aesthetics reminiscent of PS1-era visuals, evoking a nostalgic feel akin to 2000s TV shows. While the vibrant colors and appealing character designs create an engaging atmosphere, several reviews note the presence of game-breaking bugs that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the visuals remain a significant draw, enhancing the narrative and making the game worth exploring for those who appreciate its distinctive look.

    • “The main appeal of this game is most likely the visual design, a large amount of video filters over very vivid colors and appealing character design, with great prerendered cut scenes.”
    • “- dreamlike atmosphere, enhanced by the graphics”
    • “With its cassette tape-like aesthetics, the game at times feels like you're watching a forgotten home movie of people you never met.”
    • “The game is executed in the vein of a PS1 game, with low-quality, yet endearing graphics, and a heavy amount of puzzle-solving, via using/combining items in your inventory found throughout the game.”
    • “Visuals kinda remind me of 2000’s TV shows that would be on during that time.”
  • atmosphere
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its surreal, dreamlike quality, enhanced by charming retro graphics and atmospheric sounds. Reviewers highlight its mysterious and spooky elements, with a strong narrative that complements the exploration of various beautifully crafted locations. Overall, the atmosphere is described as intense, psychedelic, and full of personality, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “Perfectly nails the dream atmosphere, great surreal exploration game.”
    • “Review in English: this game had everything to be one of the best indies I've ever played in my life: it has a surreal, intense, psychedelic, and magnificent atmosphere, with its own philosophy.”
    • “I feel bad because I do like the concept and atmosphere of this 2.5-3 hour 'game' (reminds me a lot of Serial Experiments Lain anime)... and what's there is enjoyable.”
    • “The atmosphere is mysterious and spooky, the story is intriguing, the retro style is charming (though I ended up bumping the resolution up a bit).”
    • “+ gloomy, mystical atmosphere.”
  • gameplay
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is generally considered passable, featuring simple puzzles and a generous hint system, but lacks significant challenge and polish, leading some to view it as amateurish. While the mechanics draw comparisons to classic titles like "Alone in the Dark," players often express frustration over game-breaking bugs that detract from the experience. Despite these issues, the gameplay is seen as intentionally designed to support the game's narrative and themes, contributing to its unique atmospheric horror experience.

    • “Nice atmospheric adventure game with Grim Fandango-style gameplay.”
    • “The mechanics of the game resemble the 'Alone in the Dark' series, only there are no action elements.”
    • “As for the gameplay, it’s passable; there’s not really much risk for failure. Some of the puzzles are pretty simple (there's no real Silent Hill 2 hangman puzzle, which I would have appreciated), but there is a generous hint system if you get stuck.”
    • “It's a new type of horror game; on top of the gameplay, you're in constant fear of the many game-breaking bugs you'll encounter.”
    • “Some might consider the gameplay and the game systems amateurish or not polished enough, but I will argue that it is highly intentional to enhance the game's narrative and themes.”
  • music
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received high praise for its excellent soundtrack, with many players expressing a desire to purchase it after finishing the game. However, some users noted that one particular song was unpleasant and detracted from their experience, while others appreciated the unsettling quality of the music and sound effects. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, despite some mixed feelings about specific tracks.

    • “The soundtrack is excellent, and I purchased it immediately after completing the game.”
    • “Music and sound effects are at just the right level of unsettling.”
    • “Great music and sounds.”
    • “One song in particular hurts my ears, and I dreaded being in that area.”
    • “The music is quite bothersome!”
    • “The soundtrack is not enjoyable.”
  • stability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is frequently described as "extremely buggy," with users reporting various glitches that affect stability. Despite these issues, many players appreciate the game's personality, atmosphere, and story, often expressing that the bugs do not significantly detract from their overall enjoyment.

    • “However, regardless of everything I like about this game, it is extremely buggy.”
    • “The problem, however, is that it's buggy all over the place.”
    • “Encountered a few glitches along the way.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews highlight that while the game excels in visual design and character aesthetics, there is little emphasis on character development itself. The focus remains primarily on the appealing visuals and vibrant colors rather than on the depth or growth of the characters.

    • “The character designs and color work are great!”
    • “The character designs and color work are great!”
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