Corpse of Discovery

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 123 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Corpse of Discovery Game Cover
A thought provoking homage to classic science fiction on procedurally generated worlds that is frustrating, pleasing and enjoyable all at once.
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"Corpse of Discovery" is a first-person narrative-driven adventure game. As a space explorer, you'll face challenging planetary environments and make tough decisions that affect the story's outcome. The game also explores themes of isolation, mental health, and the impact of corporate interests in space exploration.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews
story31 positive mentions
optimization8 negative mentions
  • The game features a moving and thought-provoking story that resonates with players, particularly parents, exploring themes of regret and the importance of family.
  • The visuals and atmosphere are well-crafted, creating an immersive experience that enhances the emotional impact of the narrative.
  • The voice acting, especially from the AI companion, adds depth to the experience and contributes to the game's overall charm.
  • The gameplay can feel repetitive and grindy, with players often having to traverse large, empty environments to complete objectives.
  • The game suffers from performance issues, including frame rate drops and glitches, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • The narrative delivery can be heavy-handed and lacks subtlety, leading to moments where the game's message feels forced or overly obvious.
  • story141 mentions

    The game's story is a complex blend of themes such as regret, corporate exploitation, and the longing for family, presented through the journey of an astronaut tasked with repetitive missions on alien planets. While some players appreciate the philosophical undertones and emotional depth, others criticize the narrative for being shallow, repetitive, and lacking coherence, ultimately feeling underwhelmed by its execution. Overall, the story elicits mixed reactions, with some finding it profound and others deeming it a missed opportunity for a more engaging plot.

    • “There are also extra pink markers that, despite being on alien planets (that all look different, despite having the same name), refer back to your normal life on Earth - they will be a pizza, or some sort of coffee beverage, or a stroller, etc. Before you start each mission, you have a message from your family (a wife and 3 kids) that essentially all say 'we miss you, when are you coming home, we haven't heard from you, please contact us, we love you, come home.' So your journey starts out as 'working' one mission for the company with the expectation of a huge payday and retirement to set up you and your family financially, to eventually just trying to find a way home.”
    • “The story is nice and makes you wonder about possible futures of the human race, space/time travel, and humanity/human nature, but the game itself... it was a bit awkward, not very much stuff that you can do other than jetpacking from place to place and listening to Ava blab in your ears.”
    • “It's strange, it's philosophical, but it's a story worth telling.”
    • “The story is non-existent; it literally is just about you being a worthless human sent here to do work and it doesn't matter if you die.”
    • “The story is supposed to be a metaphor for corporate overlords, wasting your time working, you just being a worthless slave, stuff like that; however, it's more than just a metaphor... that's all the dialogue is about.”
    • “The story lays out a lot of possible threads but never follows up on most.”
  • gameplay49 mentions

    The gameplay of "Corpse of Discovery" has been widely criticized for its repetitive and bland mechanics, primarily revolving around traveling from point to point on various planets to collect items. While the game incorporates some platforming elements and a narrative-driven experience, many players found the exploration tedious and lacking in innovation, leading to a sense of frustration rather than engagement. Overall, the gameplay feels more like a walking simulator with minimal interaction, which detracts from the otherwise intriguing story and themes.

    • “The gameplay segments I found the most evocative were listening to the player character’s messages from his family during the intro spacestation segments before each planet.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, you will, as an astronaut (in 3D platforming style), explore the surfaces of mysterious alien planets and the lifeforms on them, aided by an AI drone, a jet pack, and waypoints.”
    • “Another great addition was the gradual platforming that found its way into the gameplay, making it less of a 'walking simulator' and more of an actual game.”
    • “Unfortunately, once you are on the planets, the exploration gameplay element can feel very drawn-out and bland.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, all you do is walk from point A to B.”
    • “Gameplay 3/10 - extremely dull, even mocks you at a few points at how repetitive and meaningless what you are doing is.”
  • graphics25 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful art style and decent visuals, while others criticize technical issues such as graphical glitches, poor draw distance, and framerate problems. Despite these shortcomings, many players find the overall aesthetic appealing and fitting for the game's surreal narrative. However, the inconsistency in quality and performance has led to a divided opinion on whether the graphics enhance or detract from the gaming experience.

    • “Beautiful graphics, nice music, touching story with good voice acting and a bit of humor.”
    • “It's a wonderful literary experience, accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack, a very distinct art style and a writing that has its own personality, much like games by The Chinese Room.”
    • “I was really excited for the first 15 minutes when I saw the impressive graphics of the living quarters.”
    • “Poor graphics.”
    • “The graphics performance needs to be drastically improved before I could recommend anyone purchasing this game.”
    • “Graphics are a bit of a mixed bag; while the levels look decent to nice, the draw distance is bad and there are some noticeable graphical glitches. The framerate can also be dodgy at times.”
  • optimization18 mentions

    The game's optimization has received largely negative feedback, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, low frame rates, and memory leaks, particularly on lower-end systems. While some users note improvements following patches, the overall consensus is that the optimization remains inadequate for a game of its visual fidelity, leading to frustration among players.

    • “Earlier reviews complained of performance problems, but it looks like performance is perfectly acceptable now that it's been patched a couple of times.”
    • “As of writing this, optimization still isn't quite up to snuff, and you'll most likely run into some stuttering issues every now and then, but it's noticeably improved since release.”
    • “The game picks up slowly and is poorly optimized, but the payoff is seriously incredible.”
    • “Very badly optimized walking simulator with a memory leak that causes crashes, sounds jumping in and out of existence, and jittery and stuttering FPS.”
    • “I did have a few performance issues; however, the game frequently dropped below 60 FPS and had really bad pop-up. I run a 980 Titan, and a game of this visual fidelity should not run this poorly; I should be able to expect a consistent 144 FPS.”
    • “The graphics performance needs to be drastically improved before I could recommend anyone purchasing this game.”
  • music17 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful soundtrack and effective voice acting that enhance the overall atmosphere. While some players found the music to be immersive and emotionally resonant, others criticized it for being repetitive and occasionally cutting off, which detracted from the experience. Overall, the audio direction is noted as a strong aspect, contributing significantly to the game's mood and storytelling.

    • “The music and audio direction are both fantastic, with some pleasant surprises.”
    • “Beautiful graphics, nice music, touching story with good voice acting and a bit of humor.”
    • “It's a wonderful literary experience, accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack, a very distinct art style and a writing that has its own personality, much like games by the Chinese Room.”
    • “It's irrelevant in combination with the soft piano music.”
    • “To make it worse, the gameplay consists of nothing but moving from point A to point B to the soundtrack of grating, strained heavy breathing of the main character.”
    • “Sound 5/10 - average quality music, very repetitive.”
  • stability9 mentions

    The game's stability is generally criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with mouse sensitivity and graphical problems like poor draw distance and framerate drops. While some players experience smooth performance without crashes, the overall consensus highlights significant stability concerns that detract from the gaming experience.

    • “The game runs great on my AMD 6-core with an NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti.”
    • “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs during my playthrough.”
    • “The performance is smooth, even during intense action sequences.”
    • “However, it's a buggy mess; the most annoying issue was resetting to default mouse sensitivity every now and then, sometimes as soon as I used the jetpack.”
    • “Now that I'm on that topic, as a player of discovery, you will notice some glitches.”
    • “It's really, really buggy though.”
  • atmosphere8 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and evocative qualities, featuring a blend of beautiful views and a sometimes eerie ambiance that enhances the storytelling experience. While the gameplay may be limited, the atmospheric elements, including music and world exploration, significantly contribute to the overall mood and narrative depth.

    • “But the game also had some nice views, a lonely, sometimes a bit creepy atmosphere, and overall a nice idea for the story.”
    • “The music and atmosphere of the game are fantastic.”
    • “It's an interactive story, a narrative museum, or, as the common term these days is, a 'walking simulator,' in that its focus is on story and creating a certain atmosphere to create a narrative experience with limited gameplay mechanics.”
    • “But the atmosphere makes up for it!”
  • emotional7 mentions

    Players consistently highlight the game's profound emotional impact, praising its touching story, beautiful graphics, and effective voice acting that evoke genuine feelings. Many describe it as a cinematic experience that invites introspection, with moments that resonate deeply, making it a memorable journey despite some concerns about its short gameplay length. Overall, the emotional depth is a standout feature, leaving a lasting impression on players.

    • “I’m going to go out on a limb that these are actual phone calls the director of the game received from his family that are then incorporated into heart-wrenching messages - either that or these kids deserve an award for their impeccable voice acting.”
    • “A fun cinematic walking simulator that can come across as up-its-own-ass, but does genuinely have moments inviting emotional introspection.”
    • “I highly recommend this game; never have I been so emotionally driven by a game, and this one sure will pull the feels. Overall, I enjoyed the fantastic worlds and the emotional pull the game pushes you through. Again, loved this one and would highly recommend.”
  • humor7 mentions

    The game features a blend of great humor, including dark and vitriolic elements that provoke both laughter and reflection. Players appreciate its creativity and the genuine comedic moments, which enhance the overall experience alongside its beautiful graphics and touching story. However, those seeking a straightforward gameplay experience may find the humor less appealing.

    • “It's surprisingly humorous as well, in the darkest of ways.”
    • “The game was genuinely funny at points, which wins them bonus points.”
    • “There's a good amount of dark and vitriolic humor that makes you both smile and think.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    The game offers minimal replayability, primarily appealing to those interested in its narrative or who enjoy sharing the experience with others. While it may be worth a low purchase price for a short playthrough, players should not expect significant value in replaying the game.

    • “The game offers a unique experience with multiple paths and choices, making it worth revisiting to explore different outcomes.”
    • “Each playthrough reveals new details and perspectives, enhancing the overall narrative and encouraging players to dive back in.”
    • “With various endings and hidden elements, the game invites players to replay it to uncover all its secrets.”
    • “All in all, I'd have to say that the game is interesting enough for me to validate a $5 purchase (the price at which I originally bought the game), but it's best to keep in mind that there is next to no replayability unless you are some kind of theorist fanatic or have a friend sit down and play it while you look for their thoughts and reactions.”
    • “The game is worth a $5 purchase for those looking for a short (approximately 3 hour) walking sim with an interesting, albeit depressing narrative, and aren't looking for games with replayability in mind.”
    • “As with most games in its genre, there's little replay value, unless you want to see if you missed any secondary objectives.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as progressing from one objective to another feels more like a checkbox exercise rather than an engaging experience. The repetitive nature of the tasks, combined with poorly written dialogue, contributes to a sense of soullessness and frustration.

    • “Getting from one objective to the other gets tedious and does not enhance the feeling of loneliness, but rather feels like ticking boxes in a game.”
    • “It can be a little grindy with objective after objective.”
    • “Her passive-aggressive lines aren't well written and feel as ingenuine and soulless as her initial encouraging lines, making her more tedious than anything else.”
  • character development1 mentions

    The game is criticized for its insufficient character development and a weak plot, leaving players feeling disconnected from the characters and their journeys.

    • “The game lacked any real character development or plot.”
    • “The characters felt one-dimensional and their growth was non-existent.”
    • “I was disappointed by how predictable the character arcs were; there was no depth to their journeys.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
4-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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