Borealis

About

Borealis is a single player action game. It was developed by Conrad Nelson and was released on September 2, 2014. It received neutral reviews from players.

Weave through missiles to generated music, and let the world flow around you.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

55%

Audience ScoreBased on 168 reviews

music12 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and relaxing experience, making it suitable for short play sessions to unwind.
The ambient music and visuals create a calming atmosphere, enhancing the overall zen-like feel of the game.
Borealis features different game modes, providing some variety in gameplay despite its simplicity.

The gameplay can become repetitive and boring quickly, with limited mechanics and little variation in challenges.
Mouse sensitivity restrictions make controls feel unnatural and frustrating, detracting from the overall experience.
The music is often described as annoying or unpleasing, which undermines the intended relaxing atmosphere.

music
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
75%
9%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its calming and ambient qualities, while others find it either annoying or lacking in depth. Many users noted that the soundtrack does not effectively enhance the gameplay experience, often feeling disconnected from the action or repetitive. Overall, while the music aims to create a zen-like atmosphere, it fails to resonate with a significant portion of the audience, leading to a perception that it detracts from the game's intended relaxing experience.
- “The slow pace and the rather peculiar, somehow relaxing music contribute to the overall feeling of ease the game offers.”
- “The main stars of this game are the carefully balanced rhythmic gameplay and excellent atmospheric music and sound effects that elevate Borealis into a 'special kind' of game.”
- “When paired with the ambient music and sound effects, one can truly get entranced in the zen-like nature of this space-like experience.”
- “The music is alright, kind of like dark ambient, but the game itself is very boring.”
- “This is a music game in the sense that 'somewhat musical noises play while missiles are shot at you', not the typical expectations of a music game having a track playing in the background with cues synced to the music.”
- “I didn't feel relaxed and I found the music rather annoying.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
67%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity, focusing on avoiding obstacles with minimal mechanics, reminiscent of retro games. While some players appreciate the rhythmic and ambient elements that create a relaxing experience, many criticize the repetitive and dull nature of the gameplay, feeling it lacks depth and innovation. Overall, it appeals to those who enjoy zen-style, slow-paced bullet-hell mechanics, but may disappoint players seeking more complex or engaging gameplay.
- “The gameplay is simple: don't get hit, but each level you survive makes the game different; instead of every missile coming after you, some may dodge.”
- “The main stars of this game are the carefully balanced rhythmic gameplay and excellent atmospheric music and sound effects that elevate Borealis into a 'special kind' of game.”
- “If you like music generation, smooth/slower bullet hell-style gameplay (lots of dodging), and challenging gameplay against nice backdrops, you will enjoy this game.”
- “Limited and repetitive gameplay loop that is outdone by the competition or any shmup.”
- “It felt more and more pointless to progress through levels offering basically the same mechanics over and over again.”
- “Gameplay is dull.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting a retro aesthetic reminiscent of older systems like the Atari 400, leading to a lack of detail and polish. While some appreciate the serene and minimalistic visuals that complement the music, others criticize the graphics as simplistic and lacking variety, with a few describing them as reminiscent of a 1996 screensaver. Overall, the visuals are seen as a mixed bag, offering a unique style but falling short in execution and complexity.
- “Borealis surely has an art style all of its own, and can be visually quite pleasing.”
- “The aesthetics are simple but nice - different-colored tracers fly toward you in varying patterns, all with changing backgrounds that are serene and minimalistic.”
- “A very relaxing affair with serene visuals and pleasant, ambient sound design.”
- “This is the sort of game you would have played on your Atari 400 back in the day, so don't expect detailed graphics or complex game mechanics.”
- “The game is super slow, game mechanics are the most simple possible, and the graphics look like a screensaver from 1996.”
- “The visuals also fell just slightly short; they had the makings of some nice mind-absorbing visuals, but lacked a little bit of polish in effects and coloring to take it all the way.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The atmosphere of the game is described as a mix of vague aesthetics and dullness, with some players finding moments of zen in the music and sound effects, while others feel it lacks depth and engagement. Overall, the atmosphere seems to be a polarizing aspect, with some appreciating its rhythmic qualities and others deeming it uninspired.
- “I know this would please the developer, but for a good bit I was lost in the game's dulcet atmosphere and did reach a sort of zen; at this point, I feel like I've gotten my fill.”
- “The main stars of this game are the carefully balanced rhythmic gameplay and excellent atmospheric music and sound effects that elevate Borealis into a 'special kind' of game.”
- “Atmosphere is dull.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's story is minimal and often feels non-existent, serving more as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a central focus. However, players find that the music, sound effects, and visual design create an emergent meaning, evoking interpretations related to human emotions or surreal experiences. Overall, it functions more as an engaging distraction than a narrative-driven experience.
- “The story is practically non-existent, but it does have an emergent meaning to it thanks to the superb music and sound effects and the look of the levels, where you'll wonder if levels are allegorical representations of basic human emotions, or maybe it'll look like a feverish dream of a would-be hacker.”
- “The lives system seems oddly handled as story mode seemed to just restart me at any failure while I got impacts several times in endless mode and kept on trucking, presumably because the game aggregates a score that counts as your lives but does not tell you that.”
- “This is definitely a great boredom buster when you don't want to play anything story-driven.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with users expressing disappointment over the absence of engaging content that would encourage them to play again. Ratings reflect this sentiment, with a low replay value score of 35% and a 0/10 rating for replayability.
- “So no replayability, and no way to make the game more interesting. I suffered through this game for an hour hoping that something good would finally come, but alas, I'm going to go cry in a corner for about 5 years.”
- “Replayability: 0/10”
- “[tr][td]replay value[/td][td]███████═════════════[/td][td]35%[/td][/tr]”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game to be a deeply relaxing experience, evoking a sense of calm and emotional tranquility. The soothing gameplay elements contribute to an overall feeling of comfort and peace.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users reporting performance issues and bugs that hinder gameplay. While certain aspects run smoothly, others experience significant lag and crashes, indicating a need for further refinement. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be inconsistent, affecting the overall user experience.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's stability is severely criticized, with many users reporting that it fails to launch and expressing frustration over the developers' lack of support and troubleshooting assistance.
- “The game does not even start; the developers don't care and provide no troubleshooting support—just look at the forums.”
- “Frequent crashes make it nearly unplayable, and the lack of updates is frustrating.”
- “I experience constant lag and disconnects, which ruin the overall experience.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users find humor in the game, particularly noting a comedic element related to the mouse speed being intentionally limited, which adds a quirky twist to gameplay.
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever jokes and witty dialogue that kept me laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game incorporates absurd situations that catch you off guard and make you chuckle.”
- “The quirky characters and their hilarious interactions add a delightful layer of comedy to the gameplay.”