Cogmind

About

Cogmind is a single player role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Grid Sage Games and was released on October 16, 2017. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Cogmind is a single-player Science Fiction Role Playing game with an interesting plot and excellent visuals. Players build and modify a unique robot from parts, experiencing dynamic character development without grinding. The procedurally generated world, combined with hand-crafted content, features dozes of robot classes and immersive tactical combat, making it very replayable.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,678 reviews

gameplay152 positive mentions

grinding36 negative mentions

Incredibly deep and complex gameplay with a unique parts-based system that allows for diverse playstyles.
Outstanding sound design and visuals, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the gaming experience.
Active developer who continuously updates the game and engages with the community, providing a sense of ongoing support and improvement.

Steep learning curve that may overwhelm new players, requiring significant time investment to understand the mechanics.
Durability system can be frustrating, as parts can be easily damaged or destroyed, impacting gameplay and strategy.
UI may be too small for some players, making it difficult to read and navigate, especially on smaller screens.

gameplay
487 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
67%
2%
The gameplay of *Cogmind* is characterized by its deep and intricate mechanics, allowing for a variety of playstyles through a unique system of modular parts that players can swap out during runs. While the game offers immense replayability and strategic depth, some players find the learning curve steep due to non-obvious mechanics that often require external resources to fully understand. Overall, *Cogmind* successfully blends traditional roguelike elements with innovative gameplay features, creating a challenging yet rewarding experience for both newcomers and veterans of the genre.
- “Cogmind is a modern evolution of the roguelike genre, with both incredible depth and width of mechanics to invest into and learn how to use and exploit to your advantage.”
- “The gameplay is tight and challenging, the visuals are nothing short of amazing, the lore is overwhelmingly interesting, and the dev is a pretty cool dude.”
- “The mechanics are fresh and unique for the roguelike genre, and this is from someone who really enjoys Tome and ADOM.”
- “Another thing I don't like is that some of the mechanics are non-obvious until you go on the wiki and read up about it; then it becomes an 'aha!' moment.”
- “Suffice to say, Cogmind is the kind of game where it's mandatory to pore over wiki entries, guides, and engage in a fair amount of brutal trial and error if you ever want to start to get a solid grip on its mechanics.”
- “The core mechanics of Cogmind are intensely aggravating.”
graphics
228 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
58%
1%
The graphics of Cogmind are widely praised for their exceptional ASCII art and unique aesthetic, which effectively convey a rich atmosphere despite their minimalist nature. Players appreciate the game's ability to blend traditional roguelike visuals with modern design elements, offering both ASCII and tile graphics options that enhance accessibility and immersion. Overall, the visuals are noted for their charm, attention to detail, and the way they complement the game's complex mechanics and engaging storytelling.
- “The worldbuilding is well done and manages to be quite evocative despite the limited (or optionally ascii) graphics.”
- “Cogmind is a perfect blend of crunchy mechanics, engaging theme, and beautiful art style.”
- “The graphics are beautiful in my opinion, with a lovely minimalist tileset and really great ascii art for part schematics, and you can play the game in full ascii if you want.”
- “I saw the graphics at first and thought, nah, not for me.”
- “Some people might say .. cmon this game is not for everybody... it does not have graphics at all.”
- “Bought it very long ago but couldn't play, due to how graphics are rendered in the game.”
story
173 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
70%
2%
The story in Cogmind is rich and intricately woven into the gameplay, revealed through exploration, interactions with NPCs, and terminal lore, creating a sense of discovery that keeps players engaged. It features a complex narrative with multiple factions and branching paths, allowing for varied experiences across playthroughs. While the storytelling is subtle and requires active engagement, it is praised for its depth and the rewarding nature of uncovering its many layers.
- “The story of the game is hidden in side routes and given to you in drip-drop tiny pieces, creating an experience I literally cannot stop tearing through and exploring even after chain dying back to back.”
- “The way the story is incorporated is neat - there is something rewarding about encountering new story fragments and details during your attempts, especially when you have a good run, access a new area, and learn several things that shed light on the world the game is playing out in.”
- “The story is extensive, with lots to explore and discover.”
- “The game has a mysterious air to it, and that's fine, but it doesn't give you much in the way of main story substance, especially mid-game.”
- “I wouldn't say the story is an afterthought; there are actually some cool ways it's woven into gameplay, but it just feels too disjointed.”
- “At first glance, it looks like Cogmind has a very minimal story: you start at the bottom of a subterranean complex run by a hostile AI.”
replayability
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
42%
4%
Cogmind is widely praised for its immense replayability, attributed to its deep mechanics, extensive customization options, and procedural generation. Players appreciate the variety of strategies, character builds, and the engaging lore that encourages multiple playthroughs. The game offers a fresh take on traditional roguelikes, making it a must-have for fans of the genre seeking a rich and immersive experience.
- “A great deal of replay value through customization and procedural generation.”
- “Seven endings, an incredible amount of lore, lots of unique robots, hundreds of items, and constant updates make for practically limitless replay value.”
- “Cogmind has an incredible amount of replayability, driven by the variety of build potential and sheer volume of lore to discover.”
- “Compare this to traditional roguelikes which may provide 2-3 builds for every class, you can see why this game falls short in the replayability department.”
- “Roguelikes are a favorite game genre for me, but there are too many less-than-stellar games out there, or some that just aren't fun to play or where replayability is nil.”
- “Content is short and sweet, there is a lot of strategy and replayability, lots of focus on risk and reward with no handholding.”
atmosphere
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
22%
6%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and compelling design, characterized by a blend of moody soundscapes, minimalistic yet effective visuals, and rich lore that enhances the player's experience. Reviewers highlight the exceptional sound design, which contributes significantly to the game's tension and sense of mystery, making it one of the most atmospheric roguelikes available. Overall, the game's ability to create a captivating environment, despite its ASCII graphics, is frequently noted as a standout feature.
- “I think the atmosphere, which can go from moody to downright oppressive - facilitated by the great audio and UI design, makes for prime immersion.”
- “The atmosphere is absolutely brilliant and the sound design is sublime.”
- “The mechanics are robust and in-depth, the lore is interesting and reveals itself bit by bit, and even the ASCII graphics are stylistic and create an amazingly vivid atmosphere.”
- “It makes fantastic use of sound to really build the atmosphere of a lone robot crawling its way up in a cold, uncaring environment.”
- “The atmosphere combined with the bits of lore scattered about make this world great to explore.”
- “At first glance the graphics seem stylish but a bit basic if you're not used to this type of game, but the amount of love and detail that went into each and every animation really shows and conveys a lot of atmosphere.”
grinding
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
84%
Overall, reviews highlight that "Cogmind" successfully eliminates traditional grinding mechanics commonly found in roguelikes, replacing them with a progression system based on floor advancement rather than combat experience. Players appreciate the focus on exploration and tactical decision-making, though some find certain gameplay elements, like combat, can still feel tedious. The game is praised for its depth and variety while avoiding the pitfalls of tedious grinding, making for a more engaging experience.
- “Amazing roguelike, deep while being approachable and not tedious.”
- “Cogmind is a roguelike with a ton of variety, no grinding, a smooth learning curve and lots of tactical depth.”
- “There is no experience (no grinding!), you gain 'levels' by climbing to the next floor.”
- “It's slow, it's tedious, it's punishing, and it's unrewarding.”
- “There are different 'difficulty' modes, but none of them actually solve the fundamental game design problem of the game's systems being so complexly interwoven that they become tedious to interact with or think about, nor the problem of equipment requiring huge investments for insignificant rewards.”
- “Combat felt tedious at best and each run seemed nigh-identical to the last, but response from multiple people including the developer and some community members prompted me to continue playing to see if the game held more.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
68%
11%
The game currently lacks traditional music, instead featuring distinct ambient tracks that enhance the atmosphere and immersion. While the sound design, including powerful weapon sounds and environmental effects, is praised, many players express a desire for combat music to complement the gameplay. Overall, the absence of music is noted as a potential drawback, though some appreciate the focus on ambient sounds that align with the game's roguelike nature.
- “While the game doesn't have music, it's filled with ambient sounds from all the machines of the complex 'living'. It fits the game's mood extremely well and contributes even more to the immersion.”
- “The atmosphere and soundtrack are also impressive, creating a tense and immersive experience.”
- “There is no music to speak of, and I hope none ever comes since the atmospheric drawl of machines, weaponry, and robots is more than enough to draw a player into the world they are playing in.”
- “My only complaint about this game is I seriously wish it had combat music and stuff.”
- “Just sometimes I find myself having to turn on my own music since there is not much to hear aside from lasers and guns.”
- “Though on the flip side there's no music, and that's a conspicuous absence.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, blending clever references and chaotic scenarios that elicit genuine laughter without becoming overly referential. Players appreciate the balance of humor with gameplay mechanics, noting that while the game can be challenging, it often leads to amusing situations, especially in the context of roguelike unpredictability. Overall, the humor enhances the experience, making exploration and gameplay enjoyable and engaging.
- “It's got plenty of humor and references, but never gets too referential.”
- “This roguelike is amazing, and very hilarious.”
- “A great sense of humor and staggering depth, that's incredibly easy to get into.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The character development in the game is highly engaging, featuring a unique non-regenerating health system and a free-form approach that rewards players through item management rather than traditional experience points. Players appreciate the simplicity of the model, where leveling up grants additional item slots based on gameplay choices, fostering a dynamic and thematic development experience that emphasizes player agency.
- “This free-form approach to character development, besides being thematic, is very rewarding.”
- “I especially like the simple but sweet character development model - levels get you more item slots (you pick what slots you want on level-up) and you only get levels for progressing to the end of the game.”
- “Some of the most notable creative concepts introduced by Cogmind are a non-regenerating health ('corruption') system instead of a food clock, deterrents from clearing entire dungeon levels, and encompassing most of the character development within the item system (no 'experience').”
- “For character development, how you can play the game is directly related to how you play the game.”
- “Dynamic character development without XP/grinding.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players find it underoptimized and occasionally clunky, others appreciate its performance on its own engine, reporting no significant issues. The controls are well-designed for both newcomers and veterans, with intuitive mouse support and a complex keyboard mode. Overall, a well-optimized experience can enhance enjoyment, but poor builds may lead to frustration.
- “If your build isn't well optimized, attrition overwhelms you.”
- “+ The game works on its own engine, so no performance issues at all.”
- “And yet, despite its janky optimization and occasional clunkiness, I found myself smiling, laughing, and looking forward to exploration and immersing myself in Elden Ring.”
- “The mouse mode is intuitive and good for anyone starting out with this game or roguelikes in general, and the traditional roguelike keyboard mode is well-optimized for veterans, albeit more complex.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game demonstrates excellent stability, running smoothly on Linux with Proton and is described as bug-free and fully complete, contrary to its early access label. Players can expect a rich experience with extensive content and multiple endings, all without significant technical issues.
- “Regardless of what the tags say, this is not an early access game; the game is bug-free, highly complete with a full storyline, at least nine endings, and is 500+ hours of content for anyone willing to stick it out to see everything this game has to offer.”
- “Don't be put off by the early access tag, the game is a complete experience and almost completely bug-free.”
- “Runs great on Linux with Proton enabled.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is praised for its integrity, with users highlighting it as a genuine labor of love that stands in stark contrast to the prevalent cash grab practices of many AAA studios. The developer is commended for prioritizing quality and player experience over profit, making it a refreshing exception in the current gaming landscape.
- “This game is a person's life's work, and that simply does not compare to most of the cash grab garbage that's churned through Steam, especially from AAA companies.”
- “Developer is a chad for making this in a time where AAA studios are making cash grab trash and Yandere devs are failing to deliver on any promises, then leaving their game in early access until the heat death of the universe.”