Budget Cuts

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,667 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Budget Cuts Game Cover
Budget Cuts is a frantic and fun stealth-fuelled virtual reality romp that will keep your PlayStation VR headset firmly glued to your head until you beat it. It’s so much fun lurking around the offices of TransCorp and trying to sneak your way to safety, with the clever level design and flexible gameplay mechanics coming together to make for a really entertaining experience. Admittedly, the controls could feel a little fiddly when you get into the middle of a fight with the robots and the short length was a little disappointing, but they’re minor hiccups in what is otherwise a stellar PlayStation VR title. Now then… when is Budget Cuts 2 coming to PlayStation VR?!
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"Budget Cuts" is a stealth action game that takes place in a world where robots have taken over the workforce. You play as a worker at a mega corporation who must use stealth and slicing motions to evade and defeat the robotic enemies. The game features challenging gameplay and immersive virtual reality environments.

  • PC
  • Virtual Reality
  • Windows
  • Oculus VR
  • Play​Station
  • Play​Station VR
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,667 reviews
gameplay250 positive mentions
stability78 negative mentions
  • Innovative teleportation mechanic enhances stealth gameplay and immersion.
  • Engaging story with humorous elements and quirky robot characters.
  • Challenging puzzles that require exploration and problem-solving.
  • Confusing level design often leads to aimless wandering and frustration.
  • Game-breaking bugs, particularly in the final level, can hinder progress.
  • Short playtime for the price, with limited replayability.
  • gameplay659 mentions

    The gameplay of this VR title is characterized by its innovative teleportation mechanic, which enhances stealth and puzzle-solving elements, allowing players to preview their surroundings before moving. While many players appreciate the engaging mechanics and immersive experience, some criticize the repetitive nature of the gameplay, confusing level design, and underdeveloped throwing mechanics. Overall, the game offers a unique blend of humor and tension, but its execution can feel inconsistent, leading to mixed reviews on its overall enjoyment and replay value.

    • “The stealth mechanics and combat are both top notch.”
    • “The gameplay is really fun, and you can really feel the adrenaline pumping when hunted.”
    • “The teleportation mechanic works well and reminds me a bit of portal as does the story and environments.”
    • “But the level design is quite terrible, and the gameplay loop isn't that engaging.”
    • “The level design is incredibly confusing and does a very poor job of teaching you what the puzzle mechanics are, what your objective is, and how to get there.”
    • “The gameplay is pretty dry as well, constantly searching through an endless number of desk drawers for hopeful knives and looking for new holes to shoot your teleporter ball into.”
  • story442 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its engaging narrative and immersive lore, while others criticize it for being predictable and lacking depth. Many appreciate the humor and atmosphere reminiscent of titles like Portal, but note that the story can feel short and occasionally convoluted, with some players experiencing bugs that hinder progression. Overall, while the story is seen as a strong aspect of the game, it may not meet the expectations of those seeking a more complex or original plot.

    • “The story is amazing with great lore.”
    • “The story, atmosphere, and gameplay all evolve in a really great way.”
    • “An absolutely thrilling game with a compelling and interesting story.”
    • “You'd be able to write the entire plot on a napkin and not miss a single important detail.”
    • “The story mode mainly consists of tediously teleport-hopping around bland office cubicles to locate keys.”
    • “The story, jokes, and basically any level of detail just vanishes after you've spent about an hour getting introduced to the game.”
  • graphics190 mentions

    The game's graphics feature a simplistic yet appealing art style that effectively complements its gameplay and atmosphere, drawing comparisons to titles like "Job Simulator" and "Portal." While many players appreciate the clean visuals and immersive design, some report issues with graphical glitches and repetitive environments that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are considered polished and enjoyable, though they may not meet the expectations for high fidelity in modern VR games.

    • “The beautiful art style, immersive atmosphere, gorgeous levels, realistic sound, and immaculate environment design alone are worth the full price in my opinion.”
    • “The graphics and aesthetic, the sound, the gameplay, all feel so polished.”
    • “Amazing visuals coupled with an amazing story coupled with the best made-for-VR gameplay I've seen out there.”
    • “The graphics are too simple and repetitive (the same assets and environments everywhere), the teleportation feels extremely slow and clunky (once you are spotted, it's very hard to 'zap' away when you need to slowly hold down the teleport button) and it's just dull and uninspired.”
    • “There were lots of times where graphical glitches would make entire portions of levels disappear if you were just slightly far away from them.”
    • “Unfortunately, the graphics setting is permanently tied to your save, so if you decide to change the graphical quality, you have to start a brand new game.”
  • humor151 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mix of dark, witty, and absurd elements, often drawing comparisons to the style of "Portal." Many players find the dialogue and interactions with robot characters to be genuinely funny, contributing to an engaging and entertaining experience, despite some criticisms regarding repetitive lines and occasional bugs. Overall, while the humor may not resonate with everyone, it is frequently described as clever and enjoyable, enhancing the game's stealth and puzzle mechanics.

    • “It has dark humor, lots of it.”
    • “The random humorous things in the game would make me grin, like the things the non-hostile robots would quip when you approach them.”
    • “Budget Cuts is a hilarious yet oddly terrifying stealth/puzzle game.”
    • “Not funny in spite of the trailer.”
    • “I know that's a challenging comparison to live up to, but I would love to see that kind of humor being developed further.”
  • stability84 mentions

    The game's stability has received significant criticism, with many players reporting frequent bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. Issues such as AI getting stuck, visual glitches, and game-breaking bugs have been highlighted, leading to frustration and making the game feel unplayable for some. While there are mentions of patches addressing some problems, the consensus is that the game remains quite buggy, impacting its enjoyment and performance.

    • “New levels are fun and there are no glitches at all!”
    • “That time was bug free and the game was delivering.”
    • “* runs great, looks great, plays great... but leaves you wishing there were a lot more substance.”
    • “The game would have charm, but due to the buggy physics, unenjoyable gameplay, and awful checkpoints, I found myself too frustrated to continue.”
    • “I was totally looking forward to the game, but it's so buggy that it's unplayable.”
    • “Then they go all the way up to serious stuff like game-breaking bugs, for example, after you get the level 4 keycard and you have to go to the elevator to start the new level, as soon as you enter the elevator loading goes fine till about 3/4's of the way when it freezes up and makes the Oculus screen go black.”
  • optimization70 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has seen improvements since launch, but many players still report inconsistent performance, particularly on higher-end setups, with issues like stuttering, crashes, and game-breaking bugs. While some users experience smooth gameplay, others find the performance lacking given the game's simplistic visuals, leading to mixed recommendations. Continued optimization efforts are needed to address the prevalent performance issues and enhance the overall experience.

    • “Fun game & very well optimized.”
    • “Haven't beaten it yet; however, it's well polished and optimized.”
    • “Runs well on my 980, so the extra time the team spent on performance is appreciated.”
    • “Ultimately, I can't recommend it at this price point even if you had no issues, and I can't recommend it at any price with this level of performance and bugginess.”
    • “Poor optimization and game-breaking bugs galore.”
    • “It is also poorly optimized, with frequent stuttering and framerate issues, which was the main reason I do not recommend this game.”
  • replayability61 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the option to replay levels for collectibles and achievements, many criticize its short length and linear design, leading to limited replay value. The introduction of mutators and arcade modes offers some additional replayability, but the consensus is that the game lacks substantial content to encourage repeated playthroughs. Players express a desire for more features, such as level selection and varied game modes, to enhance the replay experience.

    • “After the campaign, you have the option of going back through to find collectibles or play it again on a harder difficulty/modifiers, which gives it good replayability.”
    • “Most objectives have several paths to completion, with tons of collectibles and related achievements to discover en route, satisfying the completionist and adding replayability for the collectors out there.”
    • “The recent addition of the 4 arcade mode maps is very welcome and adds some replayability.”
    • “The game is fun and has good mechanics, but it's short and has little replay value.”
    • “The game is easily beatable in 4 hours and does not have much replayability.”
    • “The game is too short, has no replay value, and ends up being a sick joke instead of fun.”
  • atmosphere56 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and well-crafted world, featuring a blend of light-hearted humor and engaging environmental design that evokes a sense of fun and exploration. Players appreciate the vibrant art style, realistic sound, and the ability to feel genuinely immersed, with some noting a successful shift to a more sinister tone at certain points. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's standout features, enhancing the overall experience despite some critiques regarding gameplay diversity.

    • “You genuinely feel immersed and the atmosphere and general 'feel' of the game are just perfect.”
    • “The beautiful art style, immersive atmosphere, gorgeous levels, realistic sound, and immaculate environment design alone are worth the full price in my opinion.”
    • “The story, atmosphere, and gameplay all evolve in a really great way.”
    • “The general atmosphere with talking over the intercom, robots working, posters, notes, and postcards was all good.”
    • “You'll probably be okay if you aren't a scaredy like I am, but it was definitely a detour from the usual atmosphere of the game and it felt like I was playing a horror title.”
    • “The overall atmosphere was fairly decent.”
  • music44 mentions

    The music in the game has received high praise for its quality and effectiveness, with a standout soundtrack that blends jazz and techno elements, enhancing the overall atmosphere. Players appreciate the non-distracting background music, which complements the gameplay, and many highlight the memorable ending song as a particular highlight. However, some users noted issues with the combat music looping during encounters, which can detract from the experience.

    • “The soundtrack is great as well as the music.”
    • “Something I don't see anyone discussing is how good the soundtrack is; even though it stays out of the way most of the time so you can hear what's around you, it's a sort of jazz/techno fusion and it works really well.”
    • “The game is immersive, the style is attractive, the music is catchy, the controls are easy, and the ending is satisfying.”
    • “Sometimes an enemy won't lose track of the player after breaking line-of-sight, pursuing indefinitely and causing the 'combat' music to loop.”
    • “Occasional music in the game is like elevator music, which is really appropriate for the setting.”
    • “I'd love to play this game again; the visuals, art style, and soundtrack are worth the money, but for 20 bucks at 50% off, I feel ripped off.”
  • grinding34 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious, with players frequently having to search through drawers and navigate bland environments to find key items, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the achievements that extend gameplay, many find the repetitive tasks and poorly structured navigation frustrating, leading to a sense of monotony. Despite these issues, some still enjoy the game for its engaging mechanics and overall charm.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You spend a lot of time tediously opening drawers and cabinets and filtering through useless props, just to maintain a steady supply of weapons or find a trinket you haven't before.”
    • “The main issue this game suffers from is requiring the player to search for solutions that are not all that obvious; I probably spent 1 hour of the 4 total for the main story searching for specific keycards and items, which gets tedious quick.”
    • “Sadly, the story mode mainly consists of tediously teleport-hopping around bland office cubicles to locate keys.”
  • emotional12 mentions

    Players report a strong emotional engagement with the game, highlighting feelings of dread, tension, and immersion that enhance the overall experience. The physicality of gameplay, such as ducking and peeking, intensifies the sense of threat and involvement, making it a memorable and captivating journey. Additionally, the developers' wholesome nature adds a positive emotional layer to the experience.

    • “This however, has made me feel that sense of dread and gut gnawing over confrontation and stealth... actually having to duck physically to avoid detection, peeking physically around corners... these build tension.”
    • “It really made me feel threatened.”
    • “This game made me feel so immersed, intrigued, and entranced in a way that a game hasn't since I played Portal 2 for the first time.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

Buy Budget Cuts

Play time

6hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
5-8hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 26 analyzed playthroughs

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