Bottle: Pilgrim

About

"Bottle: Pilgrim" is a first-person exploration game where you navigate through surreal, symbolic landscapes. As a pilgrim, you search for answers to existential questions, interacting with objects and creatures that offer cryptic clues. The game features a distinct art style, with hand-drawn graphics and a serene atmosphere, encouraging contemplation and introspection.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 143 reviews

story59 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

Beautiful and immersive graphics that create a stunning visual experience.
The story, while familiar, is emotionally impactful and explores themes of loss and redemption effectively.
The game offers a relaxing atmosphere, making it suitable for players looking for a chill experience.

The narration lacks emotional depth, making it difficult to connect with the protagonist's journey.
Gameplay can feel tedious due to slow movement and lengthy stretches of walking without significant interaction.
Some players may find the story predictable and the collectibles feel disconnected from the narrative.

story
202 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
69%
2%
The story of *Bottle: Pilgrim Redux* revolves around a man's emotional journey of loss, addiction, and redemption following the death of his wife, which many reviewers found to be both poignant and familiar. While some appreciated the narrative's depth and the effective use of interludes to enhance the storytelling, others criticized it for being predictable and lacking emotional engagement, particularly due to the narrator's flat delivery. Overall, the game presents a visually stunning backdrop to a tragic tale, though opinions vary on its originality and execution.
- “The story is about a man that lost his wife and succumbed to alcoholism after his wife's passing.”
- “Bottle: Pilgrim Redux is an emotional journey and can be a painful topic for many who suffer from addiction, regret, or loss, but I thought the story’s progression handled it well.”
- “Take part in a man’s personal pilgrimage from the top of a mountain to the beach below as you explore loss, regret, and redemption in a beautiful world filled with emotion and a compelling story.”
- “It just feels like it's a story we've heard before over and over again, so in that respect it doesn't feel very unique.”
- “For such a tragic story, I didn't really feel anything except boredom and relief when the game finished.”
- “The story was cliché as hell.”
graphics
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
31%
5%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beauty and aesthetic appeal, with many reviewers noting the stunning landscapes and visuals that enhance the overall experience. However, some players criticize the lack of optimization for modern hardware, repetitive environments, and occasional graphic errors that detract from the enjoyment. Overall, while the visuals are a highlight, they are sometimes marred by technical issues and design choices that can lead to frustration.
- “The graphics in this game are beautiful.”
- “From the first moments of the game, you can already notice and appreciate the gorgeous graphics that make this kind of game a much more pleasant experience.”
- “The graphics continue to evolve as Tonguç refines both his craft and his use of assets to create lush and beautiful landscapes that can't help but be pleasing to the eye.”
- “Not optimized for modern PCs and graphic cards.”
- “The levels are copy and paste visuals with no variety as you move through the game.”
- “Also, the graphics for this game are blurry.”
music
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its calming piano melodies that complement the serene landscapes and melancholic story. However, some found the music repetitive and unmemorable, detracting from the overall experience. While it enhances the atmosphere for many, others felt it lacked the emotional depth and variety needed to keep it engaging throughout the gameplay.
- “A walk through enchanting landscapes, relaxing music, and an excellent storyteller.”
- “The music is ethereal and perfectly complements the melancholic story.”
- “The environments, the music, and the story are great and complement each other.”
- “Music: 3/10 - slow, boring piano chords that don't actually fit with the story or scenery.”
- “The score was fairly decent, but once the music starts looping and you hear the same melody played over and over, it does get grating.”
- “As far as music goes, the generic sad piano music is okay, but the levels progress so slowly that it becomes repetitive and annoying quickly.”
emotional
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
"Bottle: Pilgrim Redux" is widely regarded as an emotional journey that effectively explores themes of addiction, loss, and regret through its touching narrative and interludes that evoke a range of feelings. While many players found the story to be heartwarming and heartbreaking, some criticized the voice acting for lacking emotional depth, which detracted from the overall impact. Despite these mixed feelings about the delivery, the game's beautiful visuals and poignant storytelling resonate deeply with those who appreciate narrative-driven experiences.
- “Bottle: Pilgrim Redux is an emotional journey and can be a painful topic for many who suffer from addiction, regret, or loss, but I thought the story’s progression handled it well.”
- “I really liked the inclusion of 'interludes'… touching little snippets of the narrator’s memories – some endearing or funny, others heartbreaking – to support the main chapters of the story; it was quite effective.”
- “The game starts out heartwarmingly enough with a happy family but then, as soon as the mother's death is made aware, the game slowly immerses you into the world while subtly telling you about the protagonist's slow but painful downward spiral.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
73%
10%
The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator focused on exploration and storytelling, with minimal interactive elements such as collecting items. While the visuals are praised for their beauty, many players feel that the gameplay lacks depth and connection to the narrative, often resulting in a passive experience. Overall, it appeals to fans of the genre who prioritize story over traditional gameplay mechanics, but some find it frustrating due to its simplistic and sometimes disjointed nature.
- “I listened to YouTube videos throughout instead of the audio in the game, just enjoying the visuals and gameplay.”
- “Visuals are absolutely beautiful, gameplay as expected to be just a relaxing walking sim driven by a deep storyline.”
- “Good gameplay.”
- “It has a very poor mechanic of where you can't stop walking.”
- “Gameplay was walking around and occasionally picking something up.”
- “The story is sort of interesting but definitely doesn't feel linked to the gameplay or locations in any way.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
23%
18%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its beautiful landscapes and immersive environments, effectively enhancing the emotional journey of the player. While some reviewers noted that the music could be improved and moments of silence felt awkward, the overall ambiance—characterized by detailed soundscapes and visually stunning settings—creates a captivating experience. However, a few critics found the atmosphere lacking in depth and excitement, suggesting a desire for more dynamic elements to elevate the emotional impact.
- “I was very surprised by Bottle: Pilgrim Redux's beautiful landscapes and atmospheric game chapters that fit the narrator's moods and different stages in his life - snow, storm, sunset, beach, mountains, and more.”
- “Bottle: Pilgrim Redux is a beautiful and emotional journey through a hauntingly atmospheric world.”
- “These worlds are crafted with loving care and attention to detail, from the light effects to the sounds of footfalls; all the tiny minutiae comprise an atmosphere that is easy to get figuratively lost in.”
- “Atmosphere was pretty empty and colorless.”
- “Exactly what I expected, but since the atmosphere was boring, it made this game more of a chore to complete.”
- “His games need more pathos, better pace; they are too peaceful and linear. I prefer artistic tension, existential drama, twisted psychologies, not linear behavior, mixed feelings, elegiac and sturm und drang atmospheres, sudden u-turns, etc. Even music should be more vibrant, expressive, and effective.”
optimization
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly in snowy areas where frame rates drop drastically. However, the redux version has improved performance and resolved many earlier issues, leading to smoother gameplay for some users. Overall, while some players report excellent optimization, others struggle with severe frame rate drops and the need to lower graphics settings significantly.
- “Update for redux version: I just played through the redux version and it is much better, the snowy area has been fixed, the performance is good and the branches are now shown up so you don't have to search for them for hours, very good!”
- “As for optimization, there are no problems; the game runs butter smooth with no hiccups whatsoever.”
- “An excellent example of optimization on the Unreal Engine 4.”
- “The performance just collapses there without any reason.”
- “You can't go over medium shadow; otherwise, the performance collapses on a Core i5 CPU.”
- “I was around 70-80fps for most of the game - the entire game is poorly optimized in my opinion; but there was this part where I had to turn everything from 'ultra' to 'low' just to stay above 20fps, and even then I couldn't always stay above it.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly during specific segments like the third interlude, which involves excessive item searching. While some appreciate the overall story and presentation, the repetitive nature of the grinding detracts from the experience for many.
- “It's pretty tedious at some parts.”
- “This means you have to look in every nook and cranny to make sure you don't miss anything, and that can become very tedious.”
- “The only downside, in my opinion, was the third interlude which was mainly an extremely tedious item search.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Overall, the reviews indicate that the games generally lack replayability due to their short stories and limited choices, with some exceptions noted for titles like "drizzlepath: genie." While some players express a willingness to revisit the experience despite this limitation, the consensus is that the games do not offer significant incentives for repeated playthroughs.
- “The exception is Drizzlepath: Genie, and I can only hope that more of his future projects might exhibit replay value by offering different perspectives, such as the red or blue path in the aforementioned title.”
- “Replay value or not, I do consider it the kind of experience I’d be more than willing to repeat in the foreseeable future.”
- “The story is also rather short and doesn't really have replay value.”
- “One of the few flaws of Bottle: Pilgrim stems from its lack of replay value.”
- “- no replay value.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate the humor in the game, particularly through the inclusion of 'interludes' that feature the narrator's memories, which blend endearing and funny moments with more poignant themes, enhancing the overall storytelling experience.
- “I really liked the inclusion of 'interludes'... touching little snippets of the narrator's memories – some endearing or funny, others heartbreaking – to support the main chapters of the story; it was quite effective.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report that the game exhibits excellent stability, with no glitches, crashes, or any other issues affecting gameplay.
- “No glitches, crashes, or any sort of issues.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any interruptions.”
- “I haven't experienced any stability problems during my gameplay.”

Buy Bottle: Pilgrim

Bottle: Pilgrim Redux
$3.99
See offer on Steam

2h Median play time

2h Average play time

2-2h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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About

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Bottle: Pilgrim Redux

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