Conscious Existence - A Journey Within
- June 15, 2019
- Marc Zimmermann
Get on Steam"Conscious Existence - A Journey Within" is an introspective, atmospheric exploration game. The player journeys through a series of abstract landscapes, reflecting on existential questions and exploring the depths of their own consciousness. The game features minimalist design and a contemplative pace, encouraging players to ponder their own place in the universe.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Visually stunning and immersive experience that evokes strong emotions and a sense of wonder.
- The ability to turn off the narration enhances the experience, allowing users to fully appreciate the beautiful visuals and music.
- A great introduction to VR for newcomers, showcasing the potential of the medium beyond traditional gaming.
- The experience is very short (around 12-15 minutes) and lacks interactivity, which may not justify the price for some users.
- Many users reported technical issues, particularly with AMD GPUs, leading to glitches and a poor viewing experience.
- The narration, particularly the child's voice, was found irritating by some, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the visuals.
- graphics146 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics in this VR experience are widely praised for their stunning quality and immersive beauty, often described as breathtaking and on a new level compared to other VR titles. While many users highlight the visuals as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience, some critiques mention inconsistencies in quality and a lack of depth in certain scenes. Overall, the visuals are considered a major draw, making the experience visually captivating and emotionally impactful.
“The graphics are absolutely fantastic, on a completely new level, unlike anything I have experienced anywhere else.”
“This had the absolute best graphics I have ever seen in VR to date.”
“The visuals are stunning and take you elsewhere.”
“There was no 'journey within' -- graphics are simple, repetitive, and the audio didn't appeal to me.”
“Some of the visuals lacked quality as well.”
“Content-free, very annoying narration done whisper-style, the rest of it is low-rent graphics and a montage of some 360-degree 3D scenes.”
- music52 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the experience is described as a blend of emotional and suitable soundtracks that enhance the visual journey, with many praising its quality and integration with narration. However, some users find the music to be generic and lacking in replay value, suggesting a desire for more diverse soundtracks and customization options. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the immersive experience, opinions vary on its uniqueness and impact.
“This is an absolutely masterful combination of beautiful visuals and emotional music for a deeply meaningful VR experience.”
“The music and voice are perfect, and this is a true artistic gift from the creator.”
“The sound effects, music, and audio fit perfectly, and the cinematic editing is well-paced and flawless.”
“Meh music.”
“Music is very generic, and you won't ever want to retry the experience again, because the music is ok, but nothing special like 'Transition VR' or 'Chocolate VR'.”
“It's like a music video for VR, except with mostly this woman, who sounds like a little girl, talking some gibberish.”
- emotional34 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the experience is widely praised for its powerful impact, with many users reporting feelings of deep connection and even tears throughout the journey. The combination of stunning visuals, evocative music, and thoughtful narration creates a meaningful and touching experience that resonates differently with each individual, often leaving them feeling humbled and reflective. While some reviewers found the emotional depth overwhelming, others appreciated the opportunity for contemplation and personal connection.
“It's a short but amazing journey that leaves many people feeling rather emotional.”
“Simply beautiful and touching with a meaningful message.”
“Amazing, emotional experience that will leave you speechless.”
- replayability13 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its replayability despite being relatively short, with users appreciating its polished design and the option to customize the experience, such as turning off the voice for a more meditative playthrough. While some suggest that additional tweaks could enhance replay value, many feel that the experience remains worthwhile, especially at its low price point.
“This experience is infinitely replayable.”
“This is polished but remains rather short, but this doesn't take away from its worth and replay value.”
“The future everyone will understand what I'm saying, and hidden titles will get replay value once everyone catches up and gets the experiences.”
“They also give you the ability to turn off the voice, so it has some replay value as an unguided meditation.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the app has been widely criticized, with users reporting persistent glitches, stutters, and freezing issues, even on high-end devices. While some managed to find a workaround by lowering the resolution, the overall experience remains marred by technical problems that detract from its enjoyment.
“None of them, even the 2021 flagship, runs the experience without glitches and stutters.”
“I wish I could have been able to show it to my friends and family without ruining it with black box glitches and stutters.”
“Instead of smooth video, it freezes and becomes blocky every few seconds and during transitions to other scenes.”
- story10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the experience is enhanced by effective audio elements that complement the visuals, although the low-resolution graphics detract from overall enjoyment. Users note that the visuals may not fully convey the narrative, leading to a disjointed storytelling experience.
“The worst part is that it simply is too low-res to be enjoyable on modern headsets, even on the puny Quest 2 I could see pixellation and notable compression artifacts.”
“The audio portions of this film do very well to round out the storytelling that the visuals are going for.”
“Or do the visuals tell the story?”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The optimization of the audio-visual performance is highly praised, with users noting that the combination of poetry, music, and visuals is executed exceptionally well. The audio alone is considered capable of pushing the limits of spatial performance, indicating a well-optimized experience overall.
“Great optimization.”
“The audio alone would have tested the index spatial performance to the max.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised, with multiple users highlighting its excellence.
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game initially resonates with players, but opinions seem to shift over time, suggesting that while it may start off amusing, it may not maintain its comedic impact throughout the experience.
- gameplay2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay aspect is not directly described in the provided texts, as they primarily focus on the user's experience with a playthrough video that was taken down due to copyright issues. There is no specific feedback or commentary on the gameplay mechanics or experience itself.
