Denizen
- April 29, 2024
- Departure Interactive
- 14h median play time
Get on Steam"Denizen" is a single-player Role Playing game with good graphics, focusing on life simulation and grinding elements. Players can earn a living through jobs, side hustles, and helping locals, customize their residences, and relax at various locations. The game also features a smartphone system for managing tasks, finances, and entertainment.
Reviews
- The game has a unique concept that blends exploration, puzzle-solving, and narrative-driven gameplay, which captures players' curiosity.
- The atmospheric design, including the art style and sound design, creates an immersive experience that enhances gameplay.
- The game features engaging puzzles and well-designed jobs that provide a satisfying challenge and a sense of progression.
- The game suffers from pacing issues, with some players finding it slow and lacking in action, leading to moments of frustration.
- There are technical glitches and bugs that disrupt gameplay, including crashes and issues with saving progress.
- The game currently lacks depth in social interactions and replayability, making it feel empty and repetitive after a few hours of play.
- gameplay25 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Denizen" is characterized by its unique blend of exploration, puzzle-solving, and narrative elements, complemented by smooth and intuitive controls. However, players have noted that the game becomes grindy after reaching a certain financial threshold, with a lack of engaging content and repetitive tasks leading to boredom. While some mechanics, like the pizza career and driving, are appreciated, there is a strong desire for more diverse activities and meaningful social interactions to enhance the overall experience.
“Unique concept: Denizen offers an intriguing premise, blending elements of exploration, puzzle-solving, and narrative-driven gameplay.”
“Smooth controls: The game controls are intuitive and responsive, allowing for a smooth and enjoyable gameplay experience.”
“I'm really enjoying the various gameplay mechanics for this game!”
“There's a lot of elements in the game where it seems polished with the game mechanics, business, and work you can do to earn cash in the game, but once you get above 20k, you can't really grow your money as quickly as you could in the early game. Because of this slow growth, it makes the game extremely grindy, which is unnecessary for a game like this.”
“The gameplay is very, very boring too.”
“Lacking things to do after a few hours of gameplay at the moment.”
- story18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its originality and depth, featuring well-developed characters and engaging plot twists that captivate players. However, some users express frustration with the lack of clarity in certain missions and the limited replayability once the main narrative is completed. Overall, while the story offers a compelling experience, there are calls for more content and clearer objectives to enhance gameplay.
“The game’s setting and story are refreshingly original, capturing players' curiosity from the start.”
“Narrative depth: the story is compelling and thought-provoking, with well-developed characters and intriguing plot twists.”
“Its unique concept, atmospheric design, and engaging story make it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.”
“I tried all the ways possible and nothing; it's a disaster. No guidelines, no nothing. What's the main goal? There was no story that I know of. I should have saved my money. I hate it when this happens.”
“Austin's mission is unfinished, despite him being the first to reach out to you as soon as the game starts.”
“Also, some quests, such as Austin's, are unclear on where to even proceed.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the atmospheric design and smooth visuals, especially for an early access title. However, many users express dissatisfaction with optimization issues, inconsistent graphic settings, and a lack of detail in player models and environments. While the art style contributes to an immersive experience, there are calls for improvements to meet higher standards.
“Atmospheric design: the game's art style and sound design work together to create an immersive atmosphere.”
“Very addictive and playable, the graphics are really good and smooth, for an early access game.”
“Has vibes of a true life sim with great graphics and relaxing gameplay.”
“The only thing I would like in this game is better graphics and better optimization.”
“The towns are tiny, player models are horrible for today's graphics, and there is a general feeling of loneliness due to there not being any townspeople around to converse with.”
“That's sad, the game runs fine on low graphics and also on normal, but on high and ultra where I have around 70 fps, I get some teleportation effect when I'm looking with the mouse. Sorry, but this is not playable... I can't even change resolution?”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various technical glitches that disrupt gameplay. While some players acknowledge the potential of the game and its early access status, the persistent issues, particularly during critical moments like loading screens and driving, detract from the overall experience. Improvements are needed to enhance stability and reduce these frustrating interruptions.
“Every time I try to play, the game crashes or freezes.”
“If I try to get anywhere, the game crashes or freezes.”
“Game won't get past the opening logo; it just freezes and crashes.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for enhancing the atmosphere and complementing the beautifully crafted environments. However, some users find the limited selection of radio songs repetitive and express a desire for more options, including the ability to add custom music. The feature allowing players to use their own videos and songs adds a unique touch to the experience.
“The environments are beautifully crafted, and the soundtrack complements the mood, enhancing the overall experience.”
“The music choices actually help the atmosphere in the game.”
“The ability to copy music/videos into the appropriate folders to play in-game on the home stereo and TV is a very awesome feature.”
“The radio has very few songs, which gets annoying after a minute, and it's too hard to add custom music.”
“I would prefer more songs on the radio; I would even buy extra DLC to have this option.”
“I would like it better if I knew how to watch TV and play music on the radio.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be both realistic and tedious, as accumulating wealth becomes significantly slower after reaching a certain point, leading to a repetitive experience. While some appreciate the challenge and the need for patience, others feel that the grind can detract from overall enjoyment, making the game feel tedious and lacking in engaging content.
“There's a lot of elements in the game where it seems polished with the game mechanics, business, and work you can do to earn cash in the game, but once you get above 20k, you can't really grow your money as quickly as you could in the early game. Because of this slow growth, it makes the game extremely grindy, which is unnecessary for a game like this.”
“I was excited for this game; however, lots of convenience features are missing, which makes the game very tedious and boring to play.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, users feel that while the game runs smoothly without performance issues, there is a strong desire for improved graphics and a re-evaluation of the optimization to enhance the overall experience.
“I had no performance issues in the game.”
“The optimization should be redone.”
“The only thing I would like in this game is better graphics and better optimization.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmospheric design, characterized by its art style and sound design, effectively immerses players in its unique concept and engaging story. Additionally, the carefully chosen music enhances the overall atmosphere, making it a compelling experience for genre enthusiasts.
“The game's art style and sound design work together to create an immersive atmosphere.”
“Its unique concept, atmospheric design, and engaging story make it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.”
“The music choices actually help enhance the atmosphere in the game.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to its linear narrative and absence of alternative paths or endings, which diminishes the incentive to replay after completing the main story and puzzles. While some players may enjoy the fast-paced action, others may find the lack of variety less appealing.
“Limited replayability: once the main story and puzzles are completed, there is little incentive to replay the game.”
“The linear narrative and lack of alternative paths or endings reduce the game’s replay value.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often described as fun and occasionally hilarious, particularly in moments like intentionally crashing a truck loaded with items, which adds a playful and comedic element to the gameplay. Players appreciate the lightheartedness and creativity in the game's comedic scenarios.
“It's fun and can be hilarious at times.”
“It is hilarious to crash your truck with a bunch of stuff in the back of the truck bed... on purpose.”
“If a dev responds to this, please humor me and don't just give me a lame 'cut and paste' response.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is negatively impacted by technical issues, such as the camera malfunctioning and moving uncontrollably after loading a save, which can detract from the player's immersion and emotional engagement.
