Construct: Escape the System
- December 2, 2016
- Oliver Boyce
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam"Construct: Escape the System" is a sci-fi first-person platformer, where you must escape a computer system by exploring levels, solving puzzles with ability orbs, and extracting system core power orbs. With 4-6 hours of gameplay, players can expect a mix of exploration, platforming, and puzzle-solving, while also upgrading their abilities and unlocking new areas. The game features 8 unique ability orbs, 5 player upgrades, and 16 system core power orbs to find.
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Reviews
- The game features solid controls, great music, and immense, breathtaking environments that create an engaging atmosphere.
- Unlocking abilities such as double and triple jumps, along with various orbs, adds interesting mechanics to the gameplay.
- The game offers fun and exciting moments, especially during timed sections that provide a different challenge.
- Navigation is tedious due to the large scale of levels, leading to long travel times and a lack of direction.
- The difficulty ramps up unexpectedly, with some jumps being barely reachable, causing frustration and a lack of enjoyment.
- There is a significant lack of waypoints and save points, resulting in excessive backtracking and making the game feel incomplete.
- gameplay22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of engaging mechanics and frustrating design choices. While the first-person platforming offers unique elements and enjoyable movement, players criticize the lack of waypoints and a significant difficulty spike that detracts from the experience. Overall, the gameplay oscillates between fresh and tedious, with some players finding it repetitive as it shifts from introducing mechanics to a simpler platforming style.
“Fundamentally, the gameplay is getting from A to B and then back to A, after collecting a 'power core', against the clock.”
“First-person platforming gameplay at its very best!”
“Although I'm not a huge fan of platformers that feel like you're jumping through treacle, Construct's romp through vast, cybertronalien environments manages to stay fresh and interesting throughout, with the gameplay-altering ability orbs shaking levels up, the intense escape sequences, and the gradual collection of power orbs in order to... well, escape the system.”
“Perhaps the most annoying aspect of the problem areas of the gameplay is the lack of waypoints.”
“Sure there's jumping and sort of puzzling going on, but it's tedious, and I assume even with more mechanics it's just going to continuously feel empty.”
“In the first part, the game introduces all mechanics, but in the second, it forgets about them and the game becomes a simple platformer.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their simplicity and vibrant, neon-like colors, creating a visually appealing, Tron-esque aesthetic. While some players appreciate the cool visuals and abstract designs, others note that the minimalistic approach may lead to performance issues on certain devices. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the gaming experience, enhancing the enjoyment of the gameplay.
“A very fun and well-made first-person platformer, with pretty and sparkly abstract graphics, and a fitting soundtrack.”
“I would definitely recommend this game for its ~ 6-8 hours of fun and exploring, plus the really astounding graphics that are worth every screenshot.”
“The game has nice visuals in the sense that simplicity and neon-like colors give it a Tron-esque feel, but for some reason, that very graphics heats up my laptop a bit despite what the requirements say.”
“The graphics are simple, mostly no textures.”
“The sound design and very Unity-esque graphics reflect its independent origins.”
“I really enjoy playing this game; the music and the graphics match, but it needs a little more content.”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for being catchy and fitting well with the gameplay, particularly enhancing the atmosphere during power-ups. However, some reviews suggest that while the soundtrack is enjoyable, it may not stand out significantly compared to other titles, and there are mixed opinions on its overall quality. Overall, the music contributes positively to the gaming experience, but some players feel it could benefit from more variety or content.
“A very fun and well-made first-person platformer, with pretty and sparkly abstract graphics, and a fitting soundtrack.”
“But the atmosphere of this light build universe and the very good, spacey soundtrack made a lot of fun.”
“Some really catchy music (especially when you get a power-up).”
“And to be honest, even by 2016 standards, the eye candy and art direction isn't that great, nor is the music.”
“The music is forgettable and doesn't add much to the overall experience.”
“The soundtrack feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- story6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a significant lack of story in the game, with many users expressing disappointment over the absence of narrative elements or engaging voice-overs. Comparisons to "The Talos Principle" highlight that this game fails to deliver a compelling storyline or meaningful puzzles, reducing the experience to merely collecting orbs. Overall, players feel that the game lacks depth and fun due to its minimal storytelling.
“There's no story or fun, just collect orbs and win or whatever.”
“'Oh, if you like Talos Principle you'll like this.' I'm sorry, Talos actually has a story and has actual puzzles, so no it isn't like Talos Principle.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and empty, suggesting that the game could be significantly smaller without sacrificing enjoyment. The repetitive nature of traversal and mechanics contributes to a sense of monotony.
“Sure, there's jumping and some puzzling going on, but it's tedious, and I assume even with more mechanics, it's just going to continuously feel empty.”
“The whole game could be 1/10th the size, and it would be so much less tedious to traverse.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its engaging, light-hearted universe complemented by an excellent space-themed soundtrack. Reviewers appreciate the immersive open-world feel and the balance of challenges, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“The atmosphere is amazing and the challenges are fair; the open world feel is very good.”
“The atmosphere of this light build universe and the very good, spacey soundtrack made a lot of fun.”
