Borstal
- March 21, 2016
- Thotep
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreSurvival roguelike novellas with meaningful choices and multiple endings! There are two scenarios currently: first one is set on a small island. It's 1926, you're 13 years old and it is raining. You're looking for your lost father. The second scenario puts you in the role of a mountaineer trying to climb an eight-thousander.
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Reviews
- The game offers high replay value with randomized scenarios that encourage multiple playthroughs.
- It provides a unique and engaging narrative experience, allowing players to explore different endings and storylines.
- The low price point makes it an accessible option for casual gamers looking for a short, entertaining experience.
- The game suffers from significant glitches and bugs that can lead to frustrating and unexpected deaths.
- Gameplay is overly reliant on random number generation (RNG), which can make it feel unfair and lacking in skill-based mechanics.
- Content is minimal, leading to a short playtime and limited reasons to continue after completing the game.
- story6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its unique and unexpected narratives, while others criticize it for being poorly written and lacking depth. The overall experience is described as mediocre, with a simplistic plot that fails to engage, despite some enjoyment found in its survival mechanics and text-based encounters.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“Until this week, I encountered storylines that I had not previously seen, having already played each scenario dozens of times.”
“Pitched in the description as more interactive novellas, the two scenarios provided play out like only the most classic turn-based survival, harkening more to the style of Neo Scavenger than Rust in that the most engaging aspect is the text-based story and randomized encounters rather than the graphics and crafting.”
“Everything here is mediocre or just plain bad, even the narration, which should be the core of a game like this - lacking real gameplay - is badly written and all the settings and plot ideas are stupid.”
“This is a silly story about a human-snail journey, so after a week you've only found a couple of houses.”
“The overall story is a bit too vague, and I feel as if I missed some huge context clues.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for its poor mechanics and numerous glitches, leading to a mediocre experience overall. Players find the survival roguelite elements dull, with a heavy reliance on poorly written narration that detracts from the experience. However, some appreciate the change of pace and simplified survival mechanics, suggesting a slight enjoyment despite the game's flaws.
“The overall story is a bit too vague, and I feel as if I missed some huge context clues, but the change of pace and setting to what I've been playing recently and the simplified yet reasonable survival mechanics made it a joy.”
“The core mechanics are just awful; this game is glitchy and not well developed.”
“Everything here is mediocre or just plain bad. Even the narration, which should be the core of a game like this, lacks real gameplay and is badly written, with all the settings and plot ideas being stupid.”
“A dull survival roguelite game where the gameplay consists of reading badly written narration text and randomly dying for pathetic reasons.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as overly simplistic, which some players find unimportant compared to the engaging text-based story and randomized encounters. While a few gamers appreciate the minimalist aesthetic, many feel that the lack of visual complexity detracts from the overall experience, emphasizing that the gameplay relies heavily on random chance rather than skill or strategy.
“Pitched in the description as more interactive novellas, the two scenarios provided play out like only the most classic turn-based survival, harkening more to the style of Neo Scavenger than Rust, in that the most engaging aspect is the text-based story and randomized encounters rather than the graphics and crafting.”
“There's no skill or strategy here; it's just 100% RNG, combined with utterly simple graphics.”
“It's not the overly simple graphics that make this game fail, because I am one of the few gamers these days that can have a hell of a lot of fun with simplistic graphics.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game "Borstal" has faced significant stability issues, particularly during its early development phase, with users reporting numerous glitches, including game-ending bugs in "Mountain" that are both shocking and baffling.
“When I first purchased Borstal, it was still in an early stage of development and had many glitches.”
“But—and this is a big enough but for a Sir Mix-a-Lot song—Mountain suffers from some game-ending glitches that shocked and baffled me each time they happened.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as smooth and intentionally absurd, leading to moments of unexpected laughter. Players find the comedic elements entertaining and engaging, often describing the experience as delightfully silly and enjoyable. Overall, the humor significantly enhances the game's appeal, making it a memorable aspect of the gameplay.
“It made me laugh; it's so smooth I think they scripted it this way... it doesn't make sense. By the way, I talked about this for so long because this was the most entertaining time I had with the game.”
“In the first minutes of gameplay, I thought: 'If this game keeps being like this, I could actually like it, because it's so accidentally stupid it's funny!'”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its calming and soothing qualities, providing a relaxing experience that can help players feel at ease.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users consistently highlight that the game offers high replay value, suggesting that players find it engaging enough to return to multiple times.
“The replay value is incredibly high, offering new experiences with each playthrough.”
“Every time I play, I discover something new, making it a game I can return to again and again.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes ensures that no two playthroughs are ever the same.”
