Brutalism22

About

Brutalism22 is a single player action game. It was developed by Marginal act and was released on April 12, 2023. It received neutral reviews from players.

This is a retro horror game about the war in Ukraine and brutalist architecture in Eastern Europe.

Genres & Tags

Adventure

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

58%

Audience ScoreBased on 36 reviews

atmosphere3 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features a unique PS1 aesthetic that appeals to fans of retro graphics and walking simulators.
It captures a gritty atmosphere that reflects the anxiety and terror of living in a war-torn country, providing an interesting narrative experience.
For its low price point, the game offers a short but intriguing experience that some players found worth their time.

The gameplay is linear and lacks meaningful interactions, often leading to a feeling of boredom and frustration.
Technical issues such as bugs, poor graphics, and unresponsive controls detract from the overall experience.
The ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying, leaving players without resolution or understanding of the story.

story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its allegorical take on the Ukrainian invasion and the surreal elements, while others criticize its abrupt ending and lack of resolution. The narrative follows a worker navigating a war-torn city alongside a dog and a neighbor's child, but suffers from pacing issues and a lack of urgency, leaving many aspects unexplained. Overall, it presents interesting ideas but fails to deliver a cohesive and satisfying story experience.
- “I really like the PS1 look to the game. If you enjoy walking simulator type games or if you're just interested in an interesting story being told through the environment and characters but don't want to spend multiple hours, then this might be best for you specifically. It's about an hour in which you go around the game's environments set in Ukraine about the invasion, but it is not told in the way you think. The things you see happening are an allegory to the invasion in Ukraine, and there's lots of messaging going on regarding it.”
- “You take on the role of a worker in a Ukrainian city during a war, and the story involves escaping with a dog and a neighbor's child.”
- “The ending is absolutely terrible and we reached it after 30 minutes when the game suddenly ended and rolled to credits without any resolution to the so-called story or any explanation for why random monsters kept appearing and disappearing. You never interact with them, and I don't know what they are or why they're there, and there is no in-game acknowledgment by anyone else or the unseen narrator that it's even happening.”
- “It's meant to be some kind of war story, but there's no sense of urgency whatsoever, and a bunch of surreal-esque nonsense is thrown in for pure shock value even though none of it is actually shocking.”
- “The story has some pacing issues, but lots of interesting ideas are explored and presented.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's atmosphere is a mix of retro charm and unsettling disorientation, with some players appreciating its trippy and gritty qualities despite moments of slowness. While some find the environment bland and colorless, others enjoy the immersive experience created by the crunchy snow and misty weather, which effectively masks the game's linearity. Overall, the atmosphere is noted as a standout feature, contributing to a unique and memorable experience.
- “The atmosphere and retro style was definitely cool, just a bit slow at some points for my liking.”
- “Great short experience with some great atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere is unsettling, the world is disorienting, snow is crunchy, and the misty weather does well to hide the otherwise short and linear experience.”
- “The atmosphere is bland, colorless, and gritty, while somehow also being very trippy. The game is crude, but overall I am glad I bought it.”
- “The atmosphere is unsettling; the world is disorienting. The snow is crunchy, and the misty weather does well to hide the otherwise short and linear experience.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The graphics are described as a mix of retro style with an Eastern European vibe, incorporating horror elements, but opinions vary significantly. While some find the visuals beautiful and evocative of a haunting atmosphere, others criticize them as lackluster and poorly executed, failing to compensate for sluggish gameplay. Overall, the aesthetic is seen as both unsettling and artistically ambitious, reflecting themes of paranoia and terror.
- “I was thinking since it had what looked to be retro style graphics and an Eastern European vibe with a dash of horror elements, for less than a dollar how could I go wrong?”
- “I was thinking since it had what looked to be retro-style graphics and an Eastern European vibe with a dash of horror elements, for less than a dollar how could I go wrong?”
- “Beautiful, yet unsettling in its archaic aesthetic, brutalism22 is the rawest artistic expression of the feeling of paranoia, panic, and terror present when living in a war-torn country I could possibly imagine.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The gameplay is criticized for being sluggish and tiresome, with poor movement mechanics and a poorly constructed map. While there are some mild jumpscares and narrative elements, the overall experience lacks engaging gameplay, making it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable adventure.
- “The gameplay is sluggish and tiresome; you move along at a plodding pace, which is only really okay if the visuals in the game are so awesome you don't mind soaking it all in, but wow, the graphics here are phoned in.”
- “The game has random jumpscares all over that don't really work with the gameplay, really bad movement, and the map is poorly constructed.”
- “You walk around some, there are some mild jumpscares, a bit of a narrative, but no real gameplay.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is often tied to jumpscares, but its frequent use can become irritating, as players sometimes miss the accompanying visual effects due to the rapid pacing of the scares.
- “The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after a short period of play.”
- “The soundtrack doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The audio mixing is poor; sometimes the music drowns out important sound cues, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with players reporting numerous bugs and a floaty player controller that detracts from the experience. Overall, the stability is considered poor, contributing to a lackluster gameplay experience.
- “It is a horrible walking simulator; it's boring and buggy.”
- “It's quite buggy, and the player controls are extremely floaty.”