dEskape
- September 20, 2023
- The Evergloom Team
- 61h median play time
"dEskape" is a single-player role playing game that takes about 61 hours to beat. It's a base-building game with idle and active play, featuring a laser-shooting character who repairs a ship to escape a dark, dreary planet. The game allows for multitasking with its unique PC functionality, resizable UI, and cleaver pop-out windows.
Reviews
- The game has a unique concept that allows it to run at the bottom of the desktop, making it easy to multitask while playing.
- The graphics and art style are praised for their beauty and attention to detail, creating an immersive atmosphere.
- The gameplay loop is engaging and addictive, providing a mix of base-building, resource management, and exploration.
- The game suffers from significant performance issues, including severe frame rate drops and stuttering, making it unplayable for many users.
- The user interface is often unclear and lacks essential information, leading to confusion about gameplay mechanics and resource management.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches that hinder the overall experience, with some players feeling the game is not ready for release.
- graphics44 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals and immersive atmosphere, featuring a unique neon aesthetic that complements the gameplay. While some users note that the graphics are simple and can be demanding on system resources, the overall art style and design contribute significantly to the game's engaging experience. Many players express a strong appreciation for the game's beautiful graphics and effective sound design, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
“The graphics are sleek, and the atmosphere is immersive.”
“The graphics in the game are simply amazing.”
“Deskape is a fantastic game with beautiful graphics; it successfully combines base-building, resource management while also adding action elements to create a perfect experience.”
“This game says it wants dedicated graphics.”
“In less techno-speak - this is a game that runs in Chrome (a notorious memory hog) and is using your CPU to render the admittedly simple graphics instead of the GPU that the game is demanding.”
“On the flip side, for a game that only takes up 25% of my screen with relatively simple graphics, I would not expect it to bog down my system so much.”
- optimization43 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, freezing, low frame rates, and unresponsive gameplay. Many reviewers express hope that future updates will address these problems, but currently, the lack of optimization detracts from the overall enjoyment and playability of the game. While some users note minimal bugs and decent implementation, the consensus is that the game is not sufficiently optimized for a smooth experience.
“The game is truly great, if not for some performance issues after an hour of playing the game.”
“Once performance issues are addressed, I would feel more comfortable recommending it.”
“A good indie game, a minimum number of bugs and quite optimized.”
“For a game that should be fairly simple, it has staggeringly bad performance issues.”
“By 45 minutes I was experiencing frame rate drops, enemies popping in and out of existence, stuttering, and lack of responsiveness.”
“This 'browser' game is woefully unoptimized.”
- gameplay34 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by intuitive base-building mechanics and resource management, offering a mix of engaging combat and idle mechanics that allow for progress even when not actively playing. While the visuals are praised for their stunning aesthetic, some players express frustration with performance issues and a lack of complexity in the gameplay loop, suggesting it could benefit from optimization and more variety to maintain long-term engagement. Overall, the game is seen as a versatile and addictive experience, though it has room for improvement.
“Its intuitive base-building mechanics are delightfully addictive, providing a sense of accomplishment and strategy that keeps you coming back for more.”
“With a variety of gameplay options, it accommodates diverse preferences, making it a versatile and engaging addition to your daily routine.”
“It has a beautiful neon aesthetic and gameplay that is relaxing (base building and attracting weird and wonderful friendly creatures) with short bursts of intensity through engaging combat when exploring away from your base and hunting monsters.”
“I don't usually post reviews, but there is nothing I hate more in life than sinking hours into a game and all seems fine until you reach a point in gameplay where bugs or any other types of issues severely limit your playability.”
“Even the gameplay loop itself is not that well constructed; it all relies on you waiting hours to accumulate resources and build/upgrade the next thing. It's like an animated Travian.”
“The game's mechanics could benefit from more complexity and variety to keep players engaged for extended periods.”
- music20 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in "deskape" is widely praised for its beauty and immersive quality, contributing significantly to the game's overall atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the soothing and mesmerizing soundtrack, which enhances the relaxed pace of gameplay and creates a serene auditory backdrop. Overall, the music is seen as a standout feature, reflecting the developers' dedication to creating an engaging experience.
“The game features a soothing and immersive soundtrack, providing a pleasant auditory backdrop for those who choose to keep the game running in the background.”
“I recognize when a developer has put in work, and when they've checked out-- and I cannot be more clear about this, the art, music, and general design decisions show tremendous efforts, so much so that I'll be coming back to check on this in a year to see if things have improved.”
“One area where 'deskape' does shine is its music.”
“The music complements the game's relaxed pace and helps create a serene atmosphere.”
- stability12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's stability is generally inconsistent; while some players report a smooth experience initially, issues such as frame rate stutters, freezing, and save function failures become more prevalent as gameplay progresses. Despite claims of minimal bugs and glitches, many users experience significant performance drops after several hours of play.
“No bugs, no glitches, absolutely nothing!”
“No bugs, no glitches, absolutely nothing!”
“No bugs, no glitches, absolutely nothing!”
“Enjoyable game for the first few hours, but as you progress, the 'stutter' gets longer and 9 hours in it freezes for a few seconds every minute, save function fails and starting to crash.”
“Other than frame rate, the game can be a bit buggy at times, with most of them being visual things.”
“Enjoyable game for the first few hours, but as you progress, the 'stutter' gets longer and 9 hours in it freezes for a few seconds every minute, save function fails and starting to crash.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by sleek graphics and immersive sound design that evoke a sense of mystery and serenity. Players appreciate the unique visual format and the retro-like music, which together enhance the overall experience and create a captivating environment. The combination of lighting, designs, and animations further contributes to a deeply engaging atmosphere.
“I really enjoyed the almost retro-like music and the overall atmosphere of the lighting, designs, and animations.”
“The graphics, the music, and the overall atmosphere all contributed to an incredibly immersive experience.”
“I really enjoyed the escape from the almost retro-like music to the overall atmosphere of the lighting, designs, and animations.”
“The music complements the game's relaxed pace and helps create a serene atmosphere.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a delightful blend of clever puzzles and entertaining challenges, evoking both laughter and thought. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone that enhances the escape room experience, making it both engaging and fun.
“It's like they mixed a Rubik's cube with a treasure hunt and sprinkled it with a dash of humor.”
“I found myself scratching my head and laughing out loud in equal measure.”
“It's an escape room adventure that'll keep you entertained, challenged, and laughing all the way to freedom!”
- story6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story in Deskape is considered interesting but lacks depth, leaving players wanting a more immersive narrative that offers greater purpose and motivation beyond resource management and base defense. Overall, it receives a moderate score of 6/10 for its storytelling.
“Deskape's storytelling is interesting.”
“The game could benefit from a more immersive story to provide players with purpose and motivation beyond simply amassing resources and defending their base.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, feeling a nostalgic return to their childhood excitement and wonder reminiscent of classic gaming experiences. This sense of nostalgia significantly enhances their overall enjoyment and engagement with the game.
“As a devoted fan of old-school games, I was transported back in time, and it made me feel like a child again, filled with the same excitement and wonder that I used to experience while playing my favorite classics.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game, highlighting it as an enjoyable part of the overall experience that complements exploration, construction, and combat, all set against a visually appealing cyberpunk aesthetic.