City of Fools
- August 10, 2014
- Absolutist Ltd.
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple Store"City of Fools" is a humorous adventure game where you play as an investigative journalist in the remote city of Tundel. You're on the trail of a UFO visit, but soon realize that the strange happenings in the town are far more complex. To uncover the truth, you'll need to explore, communicate with eccentric characters, and find creative ways to earn money, from gambling to stealing. The full adventure can be unlocked after trying the free version.
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PC
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Reviews
- The game features breathtaking visuals and cinematics, creating an immersive experience.
- It offers a unique blend of humor and quirky characters, making the gameplay enjoyable and entertaining.
- The open-world design allows for exploration and a non-linear approach to completing tasks, enhancing player engagement.
- Navigation can be confusing and frustrating, with a lack of fast-travel options and unclear task locations.
- The gameplay can become repetitive and tedious, with a significant amount of backtracking required.
- Some puzzles lack clear logic, leading to moments of frustration and confusion for players.
- story21 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story is generally perceived as thin and unsatisfying, with many reviewers noting its lack of a conclusive ending, which seems designed to set up a sequel. While the premise involves a journalist investigating a potential UFO cover-up in a quirky city, the narrative is often overshadowed by a plethora of fetch quests and minigames, leading to a mixed reception regarding its depth and engagement. Despite its simplicity, some players appreciate the non-linear exploration and the unique character interactions within the game.
“It has a peculiar story with even more peculiar characters.”
“Few words about the story: you are a clever, sneaker-clad journalist sent to track down and then interview the mayor of Tundel City, who is suspected of harboring an object sent by alien life forms.”
“The plot is very simple: you're a journalist and you want to interview the mayor, but you find he's on his private island when you arrive in the town.”
“The world and story are stupid, with the ending being anything but satisfying.”
“The story is ridiculous and basically has no ending (on purpose to open the gates for a sequel probably), which is frustrating and unsatisfying.”
“Caricatural and thin story.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are described as breathtaking and unique, featuring a distinctive art style reminiscent of Tolkien's tales and Aardman animations, though opinions vary on their quality. While some praise the quirky and humorous visuals, others find the animations and character models lacking sophistication. Overall, the graphics are stylized rather than realistic, contributing to the game's charm despite not being cutting-edge.
“Wow, I don't even know where to start, this game is just breathtaking; the visuals and cinematics are out of this world.”
“The graphics, while not on par with 2023's Gollum, are incredible, and the art style is something straight out of a Tolkien-esque tale.”
“Love, love, love the quirky art style.”
“Graphics are annoying plastic animations and character models are intentionally appalling rather than funny.”
“It doesn’t have the prettiest graphics, the trendiest soundtrack, or the most refined atmosphere.”
“The graphics may not look like much (it runs at 1024x768 windowed and 1366x768 fullscreen with black sidebars), but the game has various kinds of subtle and not so subtle humor that appeal to me, and that extends to the impeccable sound effects.”
- humor14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as quirky, silly, and often hilarious, appealing to fans of wacky puzzle games and casual adventures. While some players found the jokes and characters amusing, others felt the humor was hit-or-miss, with a few noting that the graphics detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a mix of irreverent and absurd humor that resonates well with certain audiences, despite some criticisms regarding its execution.
“The game is filled with humor, witty jokes, and characters that are charmingly silly.”
“A very funny (and silly) casual adventure!”
“It made me laugh, but then again my humor runs toward the irreverent and absurd.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a classic point-and-click, inventory-based system with a focus on exploration and puzzle-solving, featuring quirky mechanics and a distinctive art style. While it includes some hidden-object scenes, the core experience revolves around gathering items and interacting with NPCs, offering a fun and intuitive challenge without requiring overly complex logic. Overall, the game maintains a unique identity despite lacking significant innovation in its gameplay design.
“The mechanics are fine-tuned to a tee.”
“The gameplay boils down to a classic point-and-click, inventory-based, puzzle-oriented experience.”
“Although the plot isn't that detailed, the gameplay and puzzles were a lot of fun, and much more intuitive than some games.”
“I don't think I'd fully tack on the hidden object label on this one, although there were very short hidden object scenes present in the gameplay.”
“[City of Fools] is a quirky little game that offers no innovation to gameplay but still boasts a very strong and unique identity.”
“Most of the gameplay consists of gathering the correct inventory items and giving them to the correct NPC, however some of the puzzles are more like mini-games and there are also a number of hidden-object pictures as well.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability, though some players may find value in revisiting it to explore content they missed during their initial playthrough.
“No replayability.”
“This adds some replayability if you choose to bulldoze through the first time and want to go back and see the rest of the game later.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is often criticized for being repetitive and unremarkable, lacking both a visually appealing presentation and a standout soundtrack that could enhance the overall atmosphere.
“The music, aside from being repetitive, wasn't very remarkable either.”
“It doesn’t have the prettiest graphics, the trendiest soundtrack, or the most refined atmosphere.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game features mobile versions that begin as free downloads but require a purchase for the full experience, along with additional monetization for in-game currency. In contrast, the Steam version is entirely free of monetization, providing a complete experience without extra costs.
“The mobile versions of this game start out free, but you have to purchase the full game, and there's additional monetization to get in-game cash. However, the Steam version has no monetization, and none is needed.”
“There are mobile versions of this game, but while they start out free, you have to purchase the full game, and there's additional monetization to get in-game cash; the Steam version has no monetization, and none is needed.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, often involving excessive backtracking in its open world, which can lead to frustration without a reliable hint system to guide them.
“The game is tedious with lots of backtracking; it's quite open world, so only with the hint system might you know where to go.”
“Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, making the gameplay experience more of a slog than an adventure.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding detracts from the overall enjoyment, turning what could be exciting quests into monotonous tasks.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally considered lacking, with users noting that it falls short in terms of graphics, soundtrack, and overall refinement.
“It doesn’t have the prettiest graphics, the trendiest soundtrack, or the most refined atmosphere.”
