Detached
- August 31, 2016
- Anshar Studios
Let all your space horror stories come true as you find yourself (nearly) alone in the silence of space.
Get on Steam"Detached is a single-player and multiplayer Science Fiction VR game with exceptional graphics and a good soundtrack. Players must navigate an abandoned space station, solve puzzles, and engage in combat to survive. The game offers 360-degree freedom of movement and features a hauntingly beautiful setting inspired by Gravity with a fully orchestrated score."
Reviews
- The game offers stunning graphics and a highly immersive experience that makes players feel like they are truly in space.
- Once players get accustomed to the controls, the gameplay can be enjoyable and rewarding, providing a sense of achievement in navigating zero gravity.
- The sound design and atmosphere contribute to a captivating experience, enhancing the feeling of solitude and tension in space.
- The control scheme is often described as unintuitive and frustrating, making it difficult for players to navigate effectively.
- Many players experience significant motion sickness, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- Technical issues, such as bugs and poor controller support, have led to a frustrating experience for some users, with reports of the game being unplayable on certain VR systems.
- graphics35 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals and immersive environments, particularly in VR, where they effectively convey the scale of space. Many users report excellent performance on high settings, with beautiful lighting and color effects that enhance the overall experience. However, some players noted issues with controller configurations that detracted from their enjoyment of the impressive graphics.
“It has gorgeous visuals.”
“The graphics are excellent and truly convey the scale of the space environment.”
“Graphics are stunning in comparison to most games I've played and actually feel like a polished experience.”
“Although there is definitely some wonder there, the game's controls, graphics, and most of all, its tasks let it down.”
“Controllers are horrible and the graphic settings are turned to 2x resolution by default, and even if you change it, it doesn't save when you restart the game.”
“About minuses: you should have a 'space' graphic card on your computer, and the story was not long enough for me.”
- story20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and connection, with players feeling disoriented and frustrated by vague objectives and repetitive fetch quests. While some appreciate the intriguing premise and atmospheric music, many find the narrative underwhelming and not engaging enough, leading to a desire for a more story-driven experience. Overall, the story fails to provide a compelling backdrop to the gameplay, leaving players wanting more.
“The storyline is very good.”
“The gameplay so far and story is progressing nicely with interesting puzzles to solve.”
“Music by Mikolaj Stroinski works harmonically with the space and story of this game.”
“There's almost no story.”
“The game is frustrating and there is barely a story.”
“Also, story-wise, you don't feel connected to the story at all.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay experience is mixed, with some players praising the visuals, atmosphere, and music, while others criticize the core gameplay loop and control mechanics as frustrating or dull. Many found the tutorial repetitive and unengaging, leading to a lack of motivation to continue playing. Overall, while there are moments of enjoyment, the execution and design choices have left a significant portion of players disappointed.
“This was an awe-inspiring game in VR for myself; I loved the soundtrack, the gameplay, and the visuals. It was a game where I just kept saying 'wow' to myself.”
“The gameplay is fun, and the atmosphere and music are amazing.”
“With the very short gameplay I did play, I found the game beautiful and the method of moving around slightly confusing, primarily roll, but after some confusion in the tutorial, I got it.”
“The other big negative is the core gameplay loop.”
“However, the controls and core gameplay loop kept me from wanting to continue playing this game.”
“Gameplay is dull.”
- music9 mentions
- 78 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and how well it complements the visuals and gameplay, creating an immersive atmosphere. While many players find the soundtrack awe-inspiring and fitting, some noted that repetitive elements can detract from the experience if gameplay slows down. Overall, the soundtrack by Mikolaj Stroinski is highlighted as a harmonious addition to the game's narrative and setting.
“Game is beautiful, challenging, and has a great musical soundtrack.”
“Looks stunning in VR, the soundtrack is awesome.”
“The music is fine and appropriate for the game.”
“Music by Mikolaj Stroinski works harmonically with the space and story of this game.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its solid execution, featuring stunning graphics and immersive music that enhance the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the beautifully crafted scenery and natural controls, contributing to a captivating climate that elevates gameplay. Overall, the developers are commended for their effective direction in creating a compelling atmosphere.
“The graphics are great, the atmosphere is pretty well achieved, and the controls feel natural.”
“The atmospheric score adds a huge depth to this game.”
“The gameplay is fun, and the atmosphere and music are amazing.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game performs well on minimal VR setups, delivering great visuals and smooth gameplay. However, there are concerns regarding the lack of optimization for specific VR systems, such as the Index, suggesting that better communication from platforms like Steam is needed to set user expectations.
“Tldr: great performance on a minimal spec VR rig, great visuals.”
“It runs smoothly and looks absolutely awesome.”
“Steam needs to do a better job of helping set expectations around these VR titles that are not optimized for the Index.”
“The game suffers from severe performance issues, making it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
“I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, which completely ruined the immersion.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues following the latest index update, with controllers experiencing noticeable lag and floating discrepancies. The main menu has become increasingly buggy, exhibiting severe frame drops, while some gameplay elements maintain a balance between simulation and arcade-style fun without glitches.
“A perfect blend of simulator realism and arcade fun, all without any glitches.”
“The game runs smoothly with no crashes or bugs, providing a stable experience.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it allows me to focus on enjoying the experience.”
“But once the index update came out, my controllers are now floating several feet in front of me. The main menu is impressively even more buggy and laggy than before (I'm talking worse frame drops and lag than an overloaded VRChat world).”
“A mix between being simulator-worthy and arcade-fest nonsense, but with no glitches.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game has elicited strong negative reactions from players, with many reporting feelings of queasiness and sickness while playing.
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often leading to feelings of annoyance and boredom, with some expressing a reluctance to continue after repeated failures.
“It's tedious, annoying, frustrating, and boring. After three fails, I am not going to attempt this again.”
“The grinding feels endless and lacks any real reward, making it a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
“I find myself doing the same repetitive tasks over and over, which makes the game feel more like a job than a fun experience.”
Critic Reviews
Detached PC Game Review (HTC Vive)
Let all your space horror stories come true as you find yourself (nearly) alone in the silence of space.
76%Detached Review
Detached is a tricky experience to make an individual conclusion on and the verdict given might not reflect what a lot of people may feel when they experience it themselves. As with so many VR titles, and as referenced above, the physical experience of the title reflects a lot of what shapes the opinion. Some people are better versed to cope with the demands that the movement and physics place on them. It is also fair to give props to Anshar Studios for taking a risk like this and not compromising on their vision. For some, that will give them a lot of goodwill. However, even accepting this debate, it still stands true that the experience of Detached is only ever compelling in a few all-too-fleeting moments, and the full potential is yet to be unlocked.
50%Detached Review
While most of the VR titles that are slim on content feel like incomplete titles, Detached manages to subvert this expectation, delivering a fun filled zero-gravity romp through its limited runtime. If a community for the title manifests, a really interesting and unique multiplayer mode is part of the equation as well. Some truly stunning setpieces and the opportunity to float through space to a haunting cosmic score make for a grand ol’ time. The game’s steep price to content ratio might scare off some, but that’s not exactly a new thing in the VR realm, and ultimately the price of entry still feels worth it.
70%
