Culpa Innata

About

In "Culpa Innata," players assume the role of Phoenix Wallis, a Senior Peace and Security officer, tasked with solving a high-profile murder case in a seemingly utopian society called the World Union. As she delves deeper, she uncovers enigmatic clues and disturbing secrets challenging her faith in the world she has sworn to protect. This game boasts a 3D engine, dynamic cameras, and impressive facial animation technology for an immersive and cinematic experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 127 reviews

story40 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game features a unique and intriguing story set in a well-constructed dystopian world, drawing comparisons to 'Brave New World'.
Character interactions and dialogue are rich and engaging, providing depth to the narrative and allowing for multiple paths and outcomes.
Despite its age, the game runs smoothly without crashes, and the facial animations of characters are notably well done.

Gameplay is often slow-paced and tedious, with excessive dialogue that can feel repetitive and unimportant to the main plot.
The user interface and navigation are clunky, leading to frustration with camera angles and movement, making exploration cumbersome.
The game leaves many plot threads unresolved, feeling incomplete due to the lack of a sequel that was originally planned.

story
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
56%
3%
The game's story is praised for its intriguing world-building and well-developed narrative, drawing inspiration from Alev Alatlı's book "Schrödinger'in Kedisi." However, many players criticize the execution, noting that the plot is often hindered by repetitive dialogue and a lack of closure, as it seems more focused on setting up a sequel than providing a satisfying conclusion. Despite these issues, the story remains engaging and is considered a highlight for fans of the genre, with multiple endings and rich character development.
- “Good things: both the story and the world are interesting and well fleshed out (the game is based on/inspired by Alev Alatlı's book 'Schrödinger'in Kedisi', I presume a lot of the world lore originates from there).”
- “Culpa Innata has a really nice world building that is mixed with a nicely typical noir convoluted story, where all the threads point to different directions in vertiginous speed.”
- “Great story (based on a book, if I recall correctly), nice characters, interesting puzzles, multiple endings (based on our choices).”
- “It's sad, because the story and the graphics seemed decent enough.”
- “Its more concerned with sequel baiting than finishing its own story.”
- “However, a planned sequel is no excuse for such complete lack of closure of major plot elements.”
graphics
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
51%
13%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, with many reviewers noting that while the visuals may not be cutting-edge, they are still decent for the game's age. Some praise the character facial animations and the effort put into the details, while others find the overall quality lacking, particularly in environments and certain animations. Overall, the graphics are a mixed bag, appealing primarily to fans of vintage aesthetics who appreciate the game's storytelling and character design.
- “Great graphics and quests.”
- “For its age, the visuals are great and the facial animation is solid.”
- “It's a classic point-and-click adventure with plenty of puzzles to solve, but it does not stop there: the game also offers fantastic details and graphic animation for all its many characters throughout the game.”
- “Graphics apart from character faces are hideous.”
- “Graphics are vintage 4:3.”
- “Only downside is, the graphics are a bit low quality and pathing is confusing.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
71%
14%
The gameplay is characterized by clunky area transitions and unpredictable camera angles, leading to a frustrating experience for players. While the point-and-click mechanics and extensive dialogue contribute to an interesting narrative, they also result in repetitive and uneven gameplay, with puzzles that can feel tedious. Overall, the game offers a compelling story but suffers from technical shortcomings and a lack of engaging gameplay elements.
- “If you can endure the gameplay hardships, it's an interesting take.”
- “Gameplay: the game is highly non-linear.”
- “The gameplay is a bit weird - you spend most of your time talking to people.”
- “The puzzles, voice acting, and gameplay are uneven, and the ending begs for a sequel that was never written.”
- “Amazingly long dialogues, most of them useless, minor gameplay issues, and technically way below average.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
28%
17%
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and variety, featuring a thematic soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere. Reviewers note the absence of repetitive voice lines and appreciate the diverse tracks across different locations, with many expressing a desire to seek out specific songs. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout element, contributing positively to the gaming experience.
- “The soundtrack is nice too, fits the mood well.”
- “Finally, the music is great.”
- “It ranges from 'this is good video game background music' to 'must learn the name of this downtempo track so I can buy it'.”
- “Music: a futuristic dystopian nightmare.”
- “I haven't yet been tempted to turn off the music and play out-of-game tunes yet.”
- “You're not gonna hear a lot of repeating voice lines and such, lots of locations with different music each.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the delicious sarcasm and strong writing, others feel that many attempts at humor fall flat. The effective use of acting and camera work enhances the comedic moments, but the overall reception of the humor varies significantly among players.
- “There is much delicious sarcasm and humor in this game.”
- “Great writing (humor! sarcasm!), strong acting, well-chosen camera angles and facial expressions that (while a bit mechanical if you think too much about it) artfully telegraph believable hints, the list of things done right in the conversation scenes is getting tedious, isn't it?”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, often requiring extensive searching and navigation that can lead to frustration. While the writing and acting are praised, the repetitive nature of conversations and minor glitches contribute to a sense of monotony, suggesting that using a walkthrough may enhance the experience.
- “You can spend hours searching (I recommend following a walkthrough the instant you're stuck if you want to enjoy the game) and the conversations can sometimes be tedious.”
- “Great writing (humor! sarcasm!), strong acting, well-chosen camera angles and facial expressions that (while a bit mechanical if you think too much about it) artfully telegraph believable hints, the list of things done right in the conversation scenes is getting tedious, isn't it?”
- “Minor glitches and navigation can be tedious.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences minor glitches and occasionally tedious navigation, which are typical for older titles. Despite these stability issues, the compelling story helps maintain its status as an excellent adventure game.
- “Minor glitches and navigation can be tedious.”
- “It's got a few glitches, being an older game, but the story alone is enough to keep it at the top of excellent, engrossing pure adventure games.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game has been rated poorly for replayability, with a score of 4 out of 10, indicating that players find limited incentive to revisit the game after completing it.
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
- “The linear storyline and repetitive gameplay mechanics severely limit replayability.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its strong sci-fi elements, creating an immersive and engaging experience for players.
- “The game creates a captivating sci-fi atmosphere that immerses you in its world.”
- “The atmosphere is rich with sci-fi elements that enhance the overall experience.”
- “The game successfully establishes a compelling sci-fi atmosphere that draws you in.”