DETUNED
- July 15, 2023
- ApeHardware
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Get on itch.io Storehttps://store.steampowered.com/widget/2325040/ The festival is here. The music is everywhere, and it only gets louder as the main event approaches. Too bad it hurts you. You are tired of this. You have decided to seek a way out. However, it won’t be easy... Playable misophonia DETUNED is a bizarre game based on personal experiences with sensitivity to noise. It turns classic rhythm gamepl…
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Reviews
- Detuned offers a unique and experimental gameplay experience that blends rhythm and roguelike elements, creating a strange yet engaging atmosphere.
- The game's art style and surrealistic visuals contribute to its unsettling charm, making it a standout piece in the realm of indie games.
- Despite its complexity, the game has a solid gameplay loop that rewards patience and exploration, with multiple endings to discover.
- The game suffers from several bugs, including game-breaking issues that can disrupt the experience, such as black screens and unexpected exits.
- The tutorial is confusing and not very helpful, making it difficult for players to grasp the mechanics and objectives, which can lead to frustration.
- Difficulty variance can be extreme, with some runs being overly easy while others are nearly impossible, impacting the overall balance and enjoyment.
- gameplay16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a hectic and engaging loop that requires players to constantly scan the screen for pearls while avoiding musical hazards, reminiscent of titles like "Five Nights at Freddy's" and "Papers, Please." While the mechanics initially feel disjointed, they eventually come together in a satisfying way as players progress, though some reviewers criticize the reliance on a generic tutorial rather than a more organic learning experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as solid but not overly complex, with room for improvement in how mechanics are introduced.
“At first glance, it might seem it's more art than game, but there is definitely a solid gameplay loop in here, even if not too complex.”
“Discordant, unsettling, and strangely satisfying, the game has a sort of hectic gameplay where your eyes are scanning all over the screen constantly and reacting to stuff, which is kinda similar to something like FNAF or Papers, Please, I suppose.”
“A note sheet on the left of the screen shows you which areas music will play in next, and it's your job to avoid them while scanning the scenery for pearls, some obvious and some fiendishly tucked away in hard-to-see spots, with new obstacles and mechanics being introduced as you get further into a run.”
“I didn't really feel like any of the mechanics came together that well. The first time I beat the game, I only bought one small healing item, so even though you have all these upgrades, it didn't really matter.”
“I think if you're making a deconstruction game, the last thing you want to do is explain how it works. If you do, maybe do it through natural gameplay progression, not just injecting an explanation.”
“I don't like how you make an experimental game and then shove a generic tutorial into it. I say either do it more organically through gameplay or don't do it at all.”
- music12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in "Detuned" serves as a central gameplay mechanic, where players must dodge "notes" that correspond to specific locations, creating a unique anti-rhythm experience. While the soundtrack can be grating at times, it effectively contributes to the game's unsettling atmosphere, especially as the intensity increases with procedural generation and rogue-like elements. Overall, the music enhances the game's challenge and immersion, making for a compelling, albeit occasionally frustrating, experience.
“A note sheet on the left of the screen shows you which areas music will play in next, and it's your job to avoid them while scanning the scenery for pearls, some obvious and some fiendishly tucked away in a hard to see spot, with new obstacles and mechanics being introduced as you get further into a run.”
“Yet, once it got going, the rogue-like debuffs started stacking, the notes started appearing quicker, and the procedurally generated songs became more unsettling; the game revealed itself to be a rather intense experience.”
“Eng: Detuned is a weird horror game where we have to move from place to place to avoid the music of the festival. Basically, the 'notes' that come correspond to places, and we receive damage if we are in the said location. In addition, we have to see if there is a pearl on the screen; if there is, we gather it with the spacebar. If we make no mistakes in this, we can make combos to get more pearls that we need to progress and buy upgrades or items in the shop every few levels.”
“The anti-rhythm song that follows you can be a bit grating at times, but it never reached painful earrape levels I was worried about.”
“Some runs make it trivial to get all the pearls you could ever need, and others batter you with so many tricky songs that it's almost impossible to collect enough pearls to pay the tax without dying.”
“Yet, once it got going, the rogue-like debuffs started stacking, the notes started appearing quicker and the procedurally generated songs became more unsettling; the game revealed itself to be a rather intense experience.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a thick, apprehensive tone that enhances player empathy for the character, complemented by surrealistic paper cutout visuals and harsh sound design that contribute to an unsettling experience.
“The game was very effective at making me empathize with the player character, thanks to its thick, apprehensive atmosphere, fantastic surrealistic paper cutout visuals, and harsh and unpleasant sound design.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their surrealistic paper cutout style, which, combined with a thick and apprehensive atmosphere, effectively enhances player empathy for the character. The visuals contribute significantly to the overall emotional impact of the experience.
“The game was very effective at making me empathize with the player character, thanks to its thick, apprehensive atmosphere, fantastic surrealistic paper cutout visuals, and harsh and unpleasant sound design.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, which may detract from the overall experience, despite some interesting elements. While some users acknowledge the game's price point, they still feel that the grinding could be improved.
“I knew what I was paying for, so don't take it the wrong way. I am following the dev for 4 games now, but at $8, I just thought the game was more on the tedious side, even though I got some interesting vibes from it.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for a deeper narrative experience, noting that the limited story elements present are engaging but insufficient. They suggest incorporating more exploration opportunities, character interactions, and additional cutscenes to enhance the storytelling aspect of the game.
“I feel like the game doesn't lean into the narrative enough. The few rare parts of the story that you do get are what attract me, but I wish there was more exploration around the hub, more opportunities to talk to characters, additional cutscenes, or occasional exploration zones with something to discover.”
