CORPUS EDAX

About

"Corpus Edax" is a first-person-melee RPG set in a retro-futuristic city on the brink of revolution. The game features a unique Skills and A.G.N.I.S. system, allowing for various combat styles and problem-solving approaches. With physically-based characters, immersive dialogue, and the ability to manipulate the environment, players can shape their character's reputation and engage in a dynamic world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 190 reviews

story18 positive mentions

stability17 negative mentions

The game features a unique melee combat system that allows for creative interactions and physics-based gameplay, making fights entertaining and chaotic.
The character progression system offers various builds and playstyles, allowing players to approach situations through combat, stealth, or dialogue.
The atmosphere and world design evoke a strong cyberpunk aesthetic, reminiscent of classic immersive sims like Deus Ex.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including problems with saving and loading, which can disrupt gameplay.
The level design becomes repetitive and linear as the game progresses, with many areas feeling empty and lacking meaningful exploration rewards.
The story and character interactions are underdeveloped, with limited dialogue options and a lack of depth in the narrative.

story
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
71%
6%
The story in the game is characterized by its ambitious premise of a societal revolution, but it suffers from rushed pacing and a lack of depth, often resolving plot points too quickly and leaving players wanting more context. While the atmospheric storytelling and world-building are appreciated, many players find the narrative simplistic and linear, with limited replayability and a tendency to prioritize combat over story development. Overall, the game is better enjoyed for its gameplay mechanics rather than its narrative, which feels underdeveloped despite its intriguing setting.
- “The story was interesting enough; it felt a little bit rushed at times, but I still enjoyed watching things unfold and wanted to see what happened next!”
- “Corpus Edax definitely conjures the dystopian stealth/exploration feel of old-school Deus Ex and Thief games with large levels to explore, hidden shortcuts to uncover, and a story centered around resistance against a large corporation run by nefarious leaders.”
- “The story is simplistic, but it's an intriguing world.”
- “The story is so obviously ambitious that it introduces characters and plot twists and resolves them within minutes of introducing them without much depth at all.”
- “The story often feels rushed, but that means fewer cutscenes, so I guess that's fine.”
- “The plot is bizarre and reaches a conclusion without any clear storytelling.”
gameplay
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
84%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of ambitious mechanics that often feel poorly executed and inconsistent, leading to a repetitive experience, particularly in combat. While some players appreciate the variety and physics-based interactions, many criticize the lack of depth in stealth and RPG elements, as well as the game's short length, which diminishes engagement with its systems. Overall, the game presents a flawed yet enjoyable experience for those willing to overlook its shortcomings.
- “The mechanics can be used so dynamically that you start exploiting every system the game offers.”
- “While the playthrough was brief, I found myself genuinely enjoying the experience—especially when considering the fluidity and variety of the gameplay.”
- “The movement isn't that bad and the focus on melee combat is great; there are plenty of neat mechanics like hacking or using objects to find alternative ways (the extendable rod is a great and creative tool!).”
- “The game is so short that it basically negates any reason to interact with its mechanics, and some of them seem to be forgotten past the first hour of the game.”
- “Stealth mechanics just don't exist at all - the majority of levels just won't fit for a stealth play, and it looks like the mechanics themselves aren't finished.”
- “A lot of mechanics end up being rather unused, and the game is mostly combat-focused with some very light RPG elements.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally described as "buggy but fun," with issues primarily related to saving mechanics and occasional glitches, particularly in NPC animations. While players appreciate the engaging gameplay, many express frustration over the lack of sufficient auto-saves and backup options, leading to potential long-term problems if glitches occur. Despite these stability concerns, the developers are actively releasing patches, which gives hope for future improvements.
- “Update: *sigh* unfortunately, the game is a bit too buggy around saves, and doesn't auto-save enough or have enough back-up saves for that to be the case.”
- “I really want to like this game but it is so buggy and feels incomplete.”
- “It's very buggy for sure, but even beyond the bugs it just doesn't feel like there is much actually going on here.”
optimization
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The optimization of Mortal Sin has received significant criticism, with users reporting frequent performance dips below 60 FPS, especially in larger areas with many NPCs. Issues such as long load times, bugs related to saving and loading, and clunky movement detract from the overall experience, leading many to label it as poorly optimized for a Unity game. While the melee combat system is praised, the game's performance issues hinder its potential, particularly on platforms like the Steam Deck.
- “Mortal Sin has a deep and rewarding melee combat system that rewards experimentation with multipliers and buffs while featuring parries, limb targeting, more weapon variety, enemy variety, and smoother performance.”
- “For a fighting game, you need to have proper optimization so the flow of combat (and stealth) is optimal.”
- “Performance isn’t great and the movement can be a little clunky but if you’re a fan of immersive sims it’s worth a shot.”
- “Performance consistently dipped below 60 in larger areas with more NPCs.”
- “You have 1 file, and an autosave, and saving and loading causes huge performance hindrance and can occasionally break the collision.”
- “There's much to be said about other features too: the odd stamina system (does it even work?), the apparent lack of meaningful alternative solutions (sometimes there, sometimes not), the unusual level design (often linear with a side vent in an immsim), just completely awful performance (unusual load times and weird bugs surrounding quicksaves in general).”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is primarily derived from its physics-based combat, which leads to amusing ragdoll effects and slapstick moments, such as characters being hilariously knocked out by flying objects. Players find joy in the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the interactions, although some aspects of the game may feel janky or frustrating. Overall, while the humor adds entertainment value, it may not be enough to sustain long-term engagement with the game.
- “I found it especially hilarious when Jacquie completely ruins his plan by literally just waking you up.”
- “Kicking people around, hitting them with flying uppercuts, roundhouse kicks to the cranium, all while funny ragdolls hit the scene.”
- “Also, ragdolls are hilarious and nothing beats throwing a brick that directly connects with someone's head, knocking them out and sending the body tumbling down the stairs.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The graphics of the game are characterized by low fidelity and an uninspired art style reminiscent of 90s and 2000s titles, which some players appreciate while others find lacking. The low-poly visuals are complemented by effective lighting that enhances the bleak, dystopian atmosphere, though many reviewers note that the overall performance and polish do not meet modern standards. While the aesthetic may appeal to fans of retro styles, there is a consensus that the visuals feel unfinished and could benefit from more detail and variety to better represent the game's themes.
- “Excellent low-poly art style that perfectly suits the bleak, brutalist, dystopian setting.”
- “The low-poly visuals are offset by excellent lighting effects; this choice of art style does a good job of emphasizing how barren and uniform everything is—a society without soul, people mere tools to an end.”
- “Once I hit the later levels I was more impressed, but I'd love to see more advertisements, propaganda posters, varieties of graffiti, and general representations of depravity and exploitative hypercapitalism that a cyberpunk aesthetic can feature.”
- “Low graphical fidelity overall with an uninspired art style that clearly takes influence from games like Deus Ex and Prey.”
- “The visuals feel unfinished and even if there is an attempt at creating a cohesive look with limited resources, it just looks really awful.”
- “If you're looking for polished game feel, cutting-edge graphics, and Hollywood cutscenes, look elsewhere.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
33%
8%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, blending brutalist and cyberpunk influences to create a unique and engaging environment. Players appreciate the atmospheric music and sound effects, which enhance the storytelling and overall experience, making the world feel rich and cohesive. Despite some flaws, the atmosphere remains a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and depth.
- “This game is a very flawed gem, but a gem nonetheless, thanks to its dense atmosphere, immersive elements, and moment-to-moment gameplay.”
- “The mix of brutalist and cyberpunk influences works well in creating an environment that feels unique and is interesting to explore, its atmosphere well-compounded by apt sound effects and a somber soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere and environment tell so much more of the story than the dialogue (in a good way), hence 'cohesive'.”
- “Sound and atmosphere is mostly nonexistent.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
36%
27%
The music in the game is generally praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and immersion, with a well-crafted soundtrack that complements the graphics and setting. While many players appreciate the lo-fi vibe and unique sound design, some note that the limited number of tracks and their forgettable nature detracts from key moments, such as boss fights. Overall, the music is seen as a strong aspect of the game, particularly for a first release by a solo developer.
- “The well-crafted ambiance, complemented by the soundtrack, enriches the entire experience.”
- “The music, in particular, adds a layer of immersion that greatly enhances the mood and tone of the game.”
- “The parts where it could be improved was having some music in important moments of the game, like boss fights and the final area.”
- “There are about 5 songs in the game, and they are all very forgettable and barely used; sound design in this game is frankly nonexistent.”
- “The mix of brutalist and cyberpunk influences works well in creating an environment that feels unique and is interesting to explore, its atmosphere well-compounded by apt sound effects and a somber soundtrack.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
Overall, the game offers good replayability due to its engaging combat and physics system, as well as various builds and story choices that encourage multiple playthroughs. However, some players note a lack of story-driven replay value, suggesting that while the gameplay is enjoyable, the narrative may not compel repeated runs.
- “The combat and physics system make this game very addicting, leading to a lot of experimentation and replayability.”
- “Given the numerous possible builds and story-related choices, the replay value is good for at least a couple more runs.”
- “The only thing I can possibly think of is that there really isn't a lot of replayability story-wise.”
- “There's almost no replayability, but it's fun, so I will play it through another time.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, leading some to avoid combat altogether by running past enemies instead of engaging.
- “I found this very tedious and frustrating to fight, and I started just tanking the damage and running past them when I encountered them.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The character development system is perceived as confusing, with users expressing difficulty in understanding how it works.
- “I never figured out the character development system.”
- “The character development feels shallow and uninspired.”
- “There are too few choices for character growth, making it hard to feel invested.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers express a desire for a richer representation of cyberpunk themes in the monetization aspect, suggesting that more advertisements, propaganda, and graffiti could enhance the game's atmosphere and critique of hypercapitalism.
- “Once I hit the later levels, I was more impressed, but I'd love to see more advertisements, propaganda posters, varieties of graffiti, and general representations of depravity and exploitative hypercapitalism that a cyberpunk aesthetic can feature.”