Bottle

About

"Bottle" is a single-player, atmospheric adventure game where you play as a solitary alcoholic man in a melancholic winter setting. The game offers a short, relaxing experience with a good soundtrack, featuring poems and emotional voice acting as you move through the world. It's a recreation of the 2016 game, with all-new content except for the charming original music.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 396 reviews

music98 positive mentions

optimization4 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and serene atmosphere create a relaxing experience.
The music is hauntingly beautiful and enhances the overall mood of the game.
It's inexpensive and offers easy achievements for completionists.

The walking speed is excessively slow, making the experience tedious.
The story is thin and lacks depth, leaving players wanting more substance.
There are numerous invisible walls that hinder exploration and immersion.

story
248 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The game's story is widely criticized for being extremely thin and lacking depth, with many players finding it confusing or unengaging. While some appreciate the open-ended nature that allows for personal interpretation, the majority feel that the narrative is poorly conveyed and fails to create a meaningful connection with the gameplay. Overall, it is seen as a minimalistic experience that may appeal to those seeking a relaxing journey rather than a compelling story.
- “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.”
- “"Bottle" tells the story of a man, of a loss (perhaps an abandonment) and of the search for someone, the loved one, who is gone, who is no longer there...but whose memory in the mind of the protagonist is still vivid and poignant.”
- “The elements in the story are subject to the player's own interpretation which is part of what includes the player themselves as part of the game.”
- “The issue was that the story was flat and did not really make sense unless you fill in a bunch of stuff on your own.”
- “Story is basically non-existent and all the assets are pre-downloaded packs, so even the visuals get repetitive and boring fast.”
- “The story is practically non-existent.”
music
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
44%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to create a relaxing atmosphere, with many players highlighting the hauntingly beautiful piano soundtrack as a standout feature. However, some reviewers noted that the music can be intermittent, leading to awkward silences that disrupt immersion. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered a major strength, the lack of gameplay depth and narrative engagement detracts from the overall experience for some players.
- “I really loved this game, both the music and the atmosphere.”
- “The best part of the game, however, is undoubtedly the music, which is truly remarkable.”
- “The music especially is hauntingly beautiful and yet it is a sad melody but I often find myself absorbed in its beauty.”
- “What annoyed me the most was running into invisible walls but I guess you know you are off the path when the music stops.”
- “It still has its moments but I felt that they were too rare and even when the snowy landscapes and ambient piano music combined were exciting at the beginning, they both keep repeating themselves and lack variation.”
- “Seeing as there is no gameplay whatsoever, only a single piece of music repeating itself the whole game long, the controls feel clunky and the movement feels extremely slow (probably to make the game seem longer than its content's worth) I fail to see where the devs actually put their time.”
graphics
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful visuals and atmospheric effects created by the Unreal Engine 4, while others criticize graphical glitches, low-resolution textures, and an overall outdated appearance. Although the art style and music are often highlighted as strengths, many feel that the graphics fail to compensate for a lack of engaging content, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, while there are moments of visual appeal, the inconsistency in quality and performance detracts from the overall enjoyment.
- “The graphic effects are really gorgeous, the atmosphere, the clouds, they are all part of the fairy tale.”
- “You can expect gorgeous visuals, to say the least.”
- “Fantastic and beautiful game, loving the graphics and colors!!!!”
- “Even with everything on ultra, the graphics seem outdated at best.”
- “Story is extremely thin, the world is sparse and barely populated, and graphics (Unreal 4) are oddly blurry (even with motion blur turned off and resolution scaling set to 100%) while distance textures are extremely low-res.”
- “I tried to enjoy the world, and the game for that matter, I really did, but the horrible graphics coupled with the bad performance destroyed it for me, and a beautiful world is one of the most important things in a walking simulator.”
atmosphere
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
24%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its relaxing and mystical qualities, enhanced by beautiful visuals and ambient sounds that create a contemplative mood. While some players noted that the graphics and lighting could be improved, the overall setting—characterized by snowy landscapes and calming music—successfully immerses players in a fairy tale-like experience. However, a few critiques mention that the atmosphere could have been developed further, particularly in terms of engagement and emotional impact.
- “An atmospheric, relaxing and mystical world set in a snowy landscape.”
- “A relaxing meditative experience coupling beautiful imagery with a ponderous atmosphere.”
- “It is boring and long... wish the atmosphere had been built better.”
- “The whole point of a walking simulator is to get totally lost in the atmosphere and environment.”
- “Overall, Bottle is still at least two leagues below Dear Esther in terms of quality, attention to detail, length, writing, emotional impact, raw atmosphere.”
gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
63%
13%
The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator with minimal interaction, consisting mainly of traversing the environment, reading a few notes, and observing static scenes. Players have criticized the lack of engaging mechanics, clunky controls, and repetitive music, leading to a perception that the game offers little in terms of meaningful gameplay or story. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a serene experience rather than traditional gameplay elements.
- “Not gimmicky games that sell you on fancy gameplay, graphics, or excessive gore/violence, but games of story and experience.”
- “If you want a game that has pretty scenery and nice music, and actual gameplay, check out 'Valley'; it has a similar feel but you actually get to do things.”
- “I just followed the path; I believe you can explore a bit more than I did, but wanted to show some gameplay.”
- “Seeing as there is no gameplay whatsoever, only a single piece of music repeating itself the whole game long, the controls feel clunky and the movement feels extremely slow (probably to make the game seem longer than its content's worth). I fail to see where the devs actually put their time.”
- “If you're in the market for an abundance of either gameplay or story, this probably isn't the product for you.”
- “Gameplay: you walk 20-30 minutes, read 6 notes, watch eventually 2 graves, and thanks for playing.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
63%
25%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with many users reporting severe performance problems, including low frame rates and stuttering, even on the lowest settings. While it can run at 30fps on certain platforms like the Steam Deck, the overall graphical quality and performance detract from the experience, particularly for fans of walking simulators. Reviewers recommend waiting for further optimization before purchasing.
- “If you really like walking simulators, you could check it out and buy it, although I would recommend waiting until the game is more optimized.”
- “Neutral vote for low price and decent performance.”
- “The game is not very optimized, but it did run at 30fps with some tweaks in settings on the Steam Deck.”
- “I turned almost everything on the lowest quality, and the frame rate was horrible; the game was stuttering.”
- “I tried to enjoy the world, and the game for that matter, I really did, but the horrible graphics coupled with the bad performance destroyed it for me. A beautiful world is one of the most important things in a walking simulator.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, primarily due to the painfully slow walking speed, which detracts from the overall experience. While the game is visually appealing, the slow pace discourages exploration and engagement with achievements.
- “It's very pretty but soooo tedious mainly because you walk sooooo slow. The only time you walk faster is when you walk into those little colorful lights. I guess there are achievements, but to be honest, I didn't care to try and search them out because of how sloooooow you walk.”
- “Very, very tedious.”
- “First of all, the walking speed is tediously slow.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally appreciate the pleasant scenery and the emotional narrative, but many feel that the game falls short in comparison to titles like "Dear Esther" regarding quality and emotional depth. Some users express disappointment with the ending, feeling it lacks meaning and leaves them feeling hopeless about their investment of time and money.
- “Pleasant scenery and an interesting, emotional narrative are usually what people say.”
- “Overall, Bottle is still at least two leagues below Dear Esther in terms of quality, attention to detail, length, writing, emotional impact, and raw atmosphere.”
- “I played this to its end, hoping that it would have some deep meaning or purpose for playing it, and the ending only made me feel hopeless and like a 'fool' for spending any money at all on this and for spending 20+ minutes playing through it to the end.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game has been reported to experience significant stability issues, particularly characterized by frequent graphical glitches in normal mode.
- “There are frequent graphical glitches, especially in normal mode.”
- “The game suffers from numerous graphical glitches, particularly in normal mode.”
- “I encountered several graphical glitches while playing in normal mode.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that the game's replayability is limited, with many feeling that it only occupies a small portion of their overall gaming time. This suggests that while the game may offer some engaging elements, it lacks the depth or variety needed to encourage multiple playthroughs.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for including excessive self-referential advertising, which detracts from the overall experience and depth of the content.
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, with constant prompts to spend money on in-game purchases.”
- “It's frustrating to see that progress is heavily gated behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra.”
- “The game is riddled with ads and microtransactions, which detracts from the overall experience and enjoyment.”