Cosmochoria
- March 1, 2015
- 30/30
- 5h median play time
Cosmochoria is a single-player shooter game with fantastic visuals and a great soundtrack. As a tiny cosmonaut, explore a distant galaxy, uncover mysteries, fight aliens, and plant seeds to regrow life. With each playthrough, discover new secrets surrounding the universe while choosing to roam freely or establish a home base. Humorous elements will make you laugh along the way.
Reviews
- Fun and bright with a charming art style, making it enjoyable to play.
- Offers a unique blend of exploration and action, with a variety of upgrades and collectibles.
- The game is addictive and provides a satisfying experience, especially for those who enjoy casual gameplay.
- Gameplay can become repetitive and tedious, with a lack of meaningful rewards for healing planets.
- Some players find the controls and mechanics frustrating, particularly when dealing with enemy spawns.
- The game lacks a save feature, requiring players to complete runs in one sitting, which can be inconvenient.
- gameplay106 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it simple and addictive, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking challenge. The core mechanics involve planting seeds on planets while fending off enemies, which can feel tedious and unengaging over time. Despite its charming graphics and potential for variety through upgrades and artifacts, many reviewers feel the execution falls short, leading to a frustrating experience rather than an exciting one.
“Part building/part exploration, there's lots of variety each playthrough as you unlock and activate different weapons and perks that alter the gameplay.”
“The gameplay is simple, but there are hints of secret systems such as teleportation centrals and favor systems.”
“The game combines simple arcade action with an effective strategy element that creates engrossing gameplay.”
“Sadly, the gameplay is not good, so the game manages to be frustrating without being difficult - most of the time I'm just ignoring enemies (and ignoring being hit) because destroying the enemies is boring and pointless.”
“After 1.5 hours of gameplay, I got bored with repetitive routines.”
“The entire gameplay mechanic is landing on planets, holding the down key to plant a seed, which takes several seconds (even with upgrades... ugh), while pausing fairly often to shoot completely unchallenging enemies.”
- music94 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and engaging qualities, with many players praising its ability to enhance the overall experience. While the soundtrack is described as memorable, fun, and fitting for the game's cute and spacey aesthetic, some users noted that the music can be intermittent rather than continuous, leading to periods of silence. Overall, the combination of relaxing tunes and energetic themes contributes significantly to the game's charm and addictiveness.
“The classic arcade core with a botanical twist; the cartoony-cute art style; the tone-setting soundtrack that is memorable but unobtrusive, fun and sophisticated; the gentle humor balanced by some existential far-outness in story bits and easter eggs throughout the game—each of these elements is full of personality and together they help to define each other and the game as a whole, making Cosmochoria a unique experience that’s more than the sum of these parts.”
“It's a really immersive experience when you are in the midst of planting these weird and beautiful plants while frenetically warding off nasty critters and UFOs as the incredible atmospheric synth soundtrack washes over you.”
“The concept is great, the mechanics are great, the music is banging, everything about this game is just wonderful.”
“Music is intermittent rather than looped - I've gone anywhere from 1-30 minutes without music.”
“Music is suiting for the ambient spacey tone, although there can be some real ear piercers.”
“I somehow collected a pickup from a boss after the game was over despite dying to it, which gave me a white screen and a weird three-minute musical number.”
- graphics76 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of Cosmochoria are widely praised for their charming, cartoony art style that enhances the game's unique concept and overall experience. Players appreciate the cute and endearing visuals, which are complemented by a memorable soundtrack and engaging gameplay mechanics. While some users noted minor framerate issues, the general consensus is that the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal and addictive quality.
“The graphics are lovely and endearing, the soundtrack is fabulous, and the gameplay rocks.”
“The graphics are fantastic and I love the gameplay.”
“The graphics are cute, the gameplay is challenging but not crazy hard, and the overall experience is a lot of fun.”
“Graphically it is okay, but I don't really like it.”
“It's a great game, although the newest update seemed to cause some framerate issues for me; not sure why (despite having a poor graphics card, I guess).”
“I'm fairly certain it's obvious enough, but the game has a strong childish and cartoon-like art style which some might like or not.”
- story50 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in Cosmochoria is described as light-hearted and mysterious, featuring a simple premise of saving a dying galaxy, but it often feels minimal and somewhat repetitive. While some players appreciate the quirky humor and intriguing elements woven throughout the gameplay, others find the narrative lacking depth and coherence, making it an optional aspect rather than a central focus. Overall, the game's charm lies more in its engaging mechanics and artistic presentation than in its storytelling.
“The classic arcade core with a botanical twist; the cartoony-cute art style; the tone-setting soundtrack that is memorable but unobtrusive, fun and sophisticated; the gentle humor balanced by some existential far-outness in story bits and easter eggs throughout the game—each of these elements is full of personality and together they help to define each other and the game as a whole, making Cosmochoria a unique experience that’s more than the sum of these parts.”
“With a story shrouded in mystery, tons of plants, even more bullets, poetic style achievements, and an egg I still haven't figured out how to hatch, this game is a real catch.”
“The storyline is suitably funny and mysterious, what is the cataclysm and who is the bearded one and what is the function of those crazy portal things?”
“Disliked the lack of plot from the otherwise fun game.”
“Cons: too repetitive, almost no story, just plant, shoot, defend, sometimes upgrade.”
“With the amount of light-heartedness, it’s difficult to take the story seriously at all as it’s slowly revealed to you.”
- humor28 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in Cosmochoria is characterized by its lighthearted and goofy tone, complemented by a cartoony art style and funny dialogues that enhance the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the game's self-aware narrative and the quirky, humorous elements woven throughout the storyline, making it both entertaining and engaging. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's unique charm and personality.
“I really like the humor and how the game doesn't take itself too seriously.”
“The game doesn’t really take its own narrative seriously; holograms of some planets’ past residents are spread out to give some strange but humorous lines.”
“Cosmochoria is a fun, 2D indie game, with smooth controls, creative artwork, and a hilarious backstory.”
- atmosphere24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in *Cosmochoria* is described as immersive and charming, enhanced by a captivating synth soundtrack that complements the game's exploration and plant-growing mechanics. Players appreciate the blend of innocence and challenge, with each playthrough offering a unique experience as they cultivate planets and fend off threats. Overall, the game's art style and music contribute to a delightful and engaging atmosphere that keeps players coming back.
“Cosmochoria is a very intriguing exploration game with a great atmosphere to it.”
“It's a really immersive experience when you are in the midst of planting these weird and beautiful plants while frenetically warding off nasty critters and UFOs as the incredible atmospheric synth soundtrack washes over you.”
“The atmosphere is great, and the game brings a smile to your face.”
“The basic idea is to recreate a planet's atmosphere by planting seeds and defending it from aliens.”
“Once you have planted enough trees, the planet will be renewed and form an atmosphere.”
“Once you die, you start off with a new universe, so every playthrough offers a different atmosphere.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 78 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its randomized galaxies, numerous upgrades, costumes, weapons, and power-ups, making each playthrough unique and challenging. While some players note that early access may lead to similar experiences across runs, the combination of procedural map layouts and varying difficulty levels keeps the gameplay engaging for completionists and casual players alike. Overall, it is considered a worthwhile investment for those seeking a game with high replay value.
“Lots of upgrades, costumes, weapons, and power-ups combined with randomized galaxies make for tons of replayability.”
“It has me hooked with its replayability - due to the randomized galaxies, you can't start new games knowing where everything is, and finding every power-up, costume, and weapon in one life is impossible unless your luck is crazy good.”
“Top that off with procedurally generated map layouts to the game, and you've got yourself a game with great replay value.”
“It has me hooked with its replayability - due to the randomized galaxies, you can't start new games knowing where everything is and finding every power-up, costume, and weapon in one life is impossible unless your luck is crazy good.”
“With lots of replay value, difficulty progression, and playstyle options, this game is worth the money.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as tedious and repetitive, lacking the challenge and reward that players seek. While it offers a casual experience reminiscent of old-school arcade games, many feel that the combat becomes monotonous and does not contribute meaningfully to long-term engagement. There is potential for improvement if the game expands its features and reduces the grinding element.
“While competent as a flash game you might find for free on the internet, the gameplay loop is not challenging or rewarding, but tedious.”
“The problem I had was that the play itself got repetitive quickly and the combat itself is difficult, difficult without being challenging (read, tedious) and not really relevant to the long-term game.”
“Potentially could be a great game if continuously expanded and ends up requiring less monotonous grinding (my play hour is not enough for me to say this game does not have enough upgrades and features to keep me entertained).”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional experience of the game to be impactful, as they navigate through challenging boss encounters that evoke feelings of heartbreak. The contrast between the player's unencumbered perspective and the emotional burdens of others adds depth to the gameplay, enhancing the overall emotional engagement.
“Somehow, you are unencumbered by the emotional biases built up in others that accumulate over a lifetime.”
“The onslaught of bosses is heartbreaking sometimes, but maybe you collected enough points to upgrade your stats.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the provided text, which focuses more on the game's pacing and visual aesthetics. Therefore, no specific insights about monetization can be derived from this summary.