Burning Daylight

About

Burning Daylight is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Burning Daylight Team and was released on April 19, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

Waking up naked in a slaughterhouse, you must escape and travel through a dystopian world to uncover the truth of your origins. Burning Daylight is a sci-fi adventure game, set in a dystopian future with light puzzle elements and environmental storytelling.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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88%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,895 reviews

story236 positive mentions

optimization33 negative mentions

Stunning visuals and art direction that create a captivating atmosphere.
Thought-provoking themes and social commentary on technology and consumerism.
Short but impactful experience that leaves players pondering its meaning.

Clunky controls and movement can hinder the experience.
Game is very short, with minimal gameplay and interaction.
Performance issues and bugs, including frame rate drops and save/load problems.

story
640 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
5%
The game's story is primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling, creating a visually stunning and immersive experience that explores themes of dystopia and technology. While some players found the narrative compelling and thought-provoking, others noted its brevity and ambiguity, leading to mixed interpretations of its deeper meanings. Overall, the story is appreciated for its artistic presentation, though it may leave some players wanting more clarity and depth.
- “The second half of the story was breathtaking.”
- “I really enjoyed this game; the story is very captivating.”
- “The storytelling is surprisingly good for having so few words.”
- “It doesn't really have a story, only a collection of themes tied together which can be boiled down to technological consumerism - bad, technological utopianism - good.”
- “The story is non-existent and feels like it's trying to be smart but it just means nothing; conclusion not worth your time.”
- “Even after I have completed the game, no area felt like it was 'connected' to the other and I still have no idea on what the story is or even if there is a story in this game.”
graphics
458 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
32%
1%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and captivating art style, particularly within the dystopian and cyberpunk themes. Many reviewers noted the impressive environmental storytelling and atmospheric design, although some mentioned optimization issues that affected performance. Overall, while the gameplay may be simplistic, the visuals are a standout feature that enhances the overall experience.
- “The visuals are stunning and the reason why I even tried this game; it looks incredible from start to finish.”
- “Burning Daylight leans into Inside's style of visuals with a nice cyberpunk art direction.”
- “The graphics are amazing, and they show detail about the truth of the world.”
- “The graphics are not optimized very much; albeit I don't have a great computer, but this was bad.”
- “It has potential, but at this stage, it's graphically buggy; as a side-scroller, you will try and move onto the next section, only for nothing to happen, and I wasn't sure if I was stuck on something or what.”
- “The graphics are not the best, yet somehow the game managed to drop below 60 fps at times with a GTX 1080, meaning probably the game uses too much CPU.”
atmosphere
213 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
31%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, immersive sound design, and evocative settings, often described as dystopian or cyberpunk. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a captivating experience that feels both familiar and unsettling, despite its linear gameplay and minimal interactivity. Overall, the atmosphere is considered the standout feature, making it a worthwhile experience for those who appreciate artistic and atmospheric storytelling.
- “The atmosphere carries the experience, pulling you into a place that feels both strange and familiar.”
- “Visually stunning, atmospheric architecture and lighting.”
- “Incredible atmosphere and artwork, can't believe this was done as a university project.”
- “I understand that the character shambling about at fractional snail speed is part of the atmosphere, but for a walking simulator, it is a crime that walking is unenjoyable.”
- “The graphics and atmosphere are mostly quite effective, but there's really nothing to do but look at them and, at least for me, the same basic art elements would stretch on too long to hold my interest.”
- “It's more interactive atmosphere than a game or a story.”
music
193 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
36%
2%
The music in the game has been widely praised for its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its fittingness to various scenes and its immersive quality. The soundtrack ranges from unsettling techno to uplifting crescendos, effectively complementing the game's visuals and themes, particularly in its cyberpunk setting. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's emotional impact and player experience.
- “The music fits the game, making it feel more unsettling and powerful, with small things making you jump.”
- “The art direction, cinematics, voice work, and music were all on point.”
- “The soundtrack, visuals, and overall atmosphere are well done and fit the tone of the story.”
- “Just a side note for the developers, I thought that sometimes the music didn’t capture the ambience very well.”
- “The music is very well done, but that's about all that gives it something special.”
- “When you load a chapter, the background music and sounds don't always load properly.”
gameplay
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
69%
10%
The gameplay of "Burning Daylight" is primarily a walking simulator with minimal interaction, often reduced to moving forward and pressing a single button to interact with objects. While the mechanics are simple and sometimes clunky, the game compensates with stunning visuals and an engaging atmosphere, making it more about the experience and narrative than traditional gameplay. However, many players noted performance issues and a lack of depth in gameplay, leading to a mixed reception regarding its overall design and execution.
- “This walking simulator game, even with very basic mechanics, serves mostly the purpose of discovering the original and artistically fulfilling game world with great cyberpunk ambiance; in addition, it is free; roughly 30-45 minutes of gameplay totally worth it.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's pretty much a walking simulator, but while shuffling various directions, the world created is brilliantly done; the themes are clear visually with little to no overt exposition, leading you to wonder about the true impact of what you're seeing.”
- “Despite its obvious limitations in animations and gameplay, Burning Daylight stands as one of the best short games available for free, with stunning visual storytelling.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's pretty much a walking simulator.”
- “The gameplay is just walking and interacting with stuff.”
- “Gameplay is non-existent; you just walk around and occasionally press a button.”
optimization
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
54%
34%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, frequent frame rate drops, and bugs that hinder the experience. While the visuals and atmosphere are praised, the overall lack of polish and optimization issues detract from gameplay, especially on lower-end hardware. Despite these shortcomings, some players appreciate the game's artistic qualities and acknowledge its status as a free student project, suggesting that improvements could elevate it further.
- “Would greatly benefit from better optimization and general polish, but amazing visuals, and it's free.”
- “The story is standard dystopian cyberpunk fare, and there are optimization issues (I had 20-30fps on certain sections of the game despite playing on Ryzen 1600x and GTX 1070), but it really doesn't matter because this game is all about the visuals and the atmosphere, and those are wonderful.”
- “This student project shows great promise and talent, an atmospheric journey showing the contrast between nature and technology, although you can expect performance issues, it's a great experience and it's free!”
- “The optimization is horrendous, and the game was way too short to make any meaningful point with its subject matter.”
- “My only issue is the game is poorly optimized; I played on a GPU above minimum requirements, but it had frequent stutter and framerate drops.”
- “It's so unoptimized that on modern hardware I had to put this on the lowest quality settings.”
stability
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of bugs and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay, including freezing, getting stuck, and crashes. While some players appreciate the art and atmosphere, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is currently unplayable due to its technical issues. Many reviewers express hope for future fixes, but as it stands, the game's stability is a major drawback.
- “The game wasn't buggy or glitchy for me; I had an RTX 2080 with a 1440p resolution.”
- “This is a buggy mess, and the bugs will never get fixed.”
- “The demo is buggy enough that you'll likely run into a game-ending issue despite the whole thing being only a little over half an hour long.”
- “You will get stuck in every other place; it is incredibly buggy and sluggish, the UI is basically nonexistent, and the only way to navigate menus is with the mouse when the only thing you can control the gameplay with is WASD.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94%
6%
The humor in the game is described as hilariously fun, featuring a mix of dark and mature content that elicits laughter, such as absurd scenarios and quirky character interactions. Players appreciate the clever writing and comedic elements, including a humorous AI and unexpected situations, which contribute to an entertaining atmosphere despite the game's brief length. Overall, the humor is a standout aspect, blending absurdity with adult themes effectively.
- “Pretty much, though you're just running around naked at first trying to find clothes along the way, punching cherries to get coins, seeing a girl getting banged against a dumpster and a random dude jerking off was kind of weird but funny at the same time.”
- “The dumpster sex scene and that wanker made me laugh!”
- “It's about 30 minutes of excellent set pieces, a humorous AI that wants you to go to a brothel, and many... many inappropriate things.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have expressed a wide range of emotional responses to the game, with some feeling deeply immersed and touched by its details, while others found it lacking in emotional impact and character connection. The game's atmosphere and mechanics can evoke strong feelings, but critiques highlight a reliance on player morality rather than a compelling narrative, leaving some players wanting a more developed emotional experience. Overall, the emotional engagement varies significantly among players, with some appreciating the journey and others feeling disconnected.
- “I've never felt as many things as this game made me feel.”
- “Wow... this made me feel so bad (in a good way).”
- “Has some very touching details, such as the protagonist leaning on things and running his hand across surfaces -- something about it added a lot to immersion.”
monetization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
The monetization model of the game is entirely free, eschewing traditional microtransactions and ads, which allows players to experience the game without financial barriers. However, the environment is saturated with fictional advertisements that critique commercialism, creating a stark contrast between the game's artistic vision and the pervasive presence of consumer culture. Overall, the game serves as a commentary on the commercialization of society while providing a unique, ad-free experience.
- “By no means perfect, but hey, it's free, has no microtransactions, and a striking soundtrack.”
- “It's art and an open rejection of commerce, even by its 'monetization model' (completely free, not something 'free to play' where they'd try to sell a level to you or show ads or buy more coins or make you wait for 2 hours for a farm to regrow).”
- “This looks like Google, Facebook, and the likes have completely taken over the world and turned it into an advertising billboard with VR goggles slapped on everyone's face.”
- “The only dialogue comes from advertisements (fictional ones) and an AR machine whose motivations are very transparent.”
- “Everywhere you go, you see people wearing virtual-reality headsets and the sickly glow of neon signs advertising food products and strip clubs - all in the setting of a gritty, dilapidated, amoral slum.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
Overall, the game's replayability is largely criticized, with many players noting a lack of incentive to replay beyond exploring alternate endings. While some mention the potential for multiple endings, the short length and limited choices diminish the overall replay value, making it feel more like a one-time experience. Additionally, locked chapters after completion further hinder replay opportunities.
- “Great one-timer, and probably has replay value.”
- “ Infinitely replayable.”
- “There's not much replay value, but it does have 2 possible endings as far as I can figure.”
- “I see no replay value other than to choose the other ending, but honestly, it wasn't interesting enough to invest any more time to do so.”
- “No replay value at all, but entertaining nonetheless.”
- “It also is really short too and there isn't much replay value here as your 'choices' in this game are next to none.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often citing issues like buggy controls and a lack of engaging gameplay. While the game has visual appeal, the repetitive nature of grinding detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable activity.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Runs poorly, the camera is buggy as hell, annoyingly tedious controls, lacks interesting gameplay, and is really frustrating.”
- “To be honest, this game looks very good, but the walking in this walking simulator can be a little tedious.”