Disillusion
- August 30, 2021
- Disillusion Dev
- 9h median play time
"Disillusion" is a single-player Role Playing Game with a good story, impressive graphics, and memorable music. The game immerses you in a dream-like world, where you awake with no memory and are drawn to an odd tower filled with peculiar characters. With turn-based combat, branching paths, and multiple endings, your choices will determine the outcome of your journey to uncover the truth behind your existence. Experience a stunning atmosphere that draws inspiration from games like LSD dream emulator and Eastern Mind Lost Souls. Check out the game's forum and music at and .
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and surreal experience, reminiscent of LSD Dream Emulator and Yume Nikki, with engaging visuals and a captivating soundtrack.
- The dialogue and character interactions are quirky and thought-provoking, often blending humor with deeper philosophical themes.
- Exploration is rewarding, with many hidden secrets and paths that encourage multiple playthroughs to uncover all the content.
- The combat system is often criticized for being boring and repetitive, lacking depth and engagement, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Navigation can be frustrating due to the absence of a map and the repetitive textures, making it difficult to keep track of progress in the maze-like environments.
- Some players found the humor and meme references to be grating, which can disrupt immersion and detract from the game's atmosphere.
- graphics54 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their surreal, trippy aesthetics that evoke nostalgia and a dream-like atmosphere, often reminiscent of early internet visuals and vaporwave art. Reviewers highlight the unique art style, vibrant colors, and abstract designs that enhance the overall experience, despite some noting that the visuals may not appeal to everyone. The combination of striking visuals and an engaging soundtrack creates a captivating environment that encourages exploration and immersion in its quirky, thematic narrative.
“Amazing atmosphere and art style.”
“The worldbuilding, surreal art style, abstract music, and the overall presentation of the game is done quite well.”
“Utterly enthralling from start to finish, perfectly nailing its atmosphere and vibe with striking visuals and a fantastic soundtrack.”
“Disillusion isn't a game that thrives off of its combat, or its graphic fidelity.”
“I liked the wackiness of the situation you're put in, the graphics are poor but it's intended that way but I just can't put myself through combat that is such a test of my patience!”
“Now, the aesthetic side of the play (forgive me this term) is one of the most subjective aspects to discuss: there is an oblivious, tedious repetitiveness of the assets, where the art itself becomes a leitmotif for understanding both the game and the significance behind it.”
- music51 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and experimental qualities, effectively complementing the surreal visuals and themes. Reviewers describe it as both unsettling and calming, evoking nostalgia while enhancing the overall experience. Despite some criticism regarding the lack of varied combat music, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's unique vibe.
“A lucid dream-like experience with fantastic music and stylised visuals ready to quench a very niche thirst.”
“Utterly enthralling from start to finish, perfectly nailing its atmosphere and vibe with striking visuals and a fantastic soundtrack.”
“The music for this game is great but when it is played during boring dragged out combat sequences besides the boss fights in the game it becomes unbearable to listen to the same track the whole time.”
“The combat isn't that good, and it has no battle music, but other than that, it's a pretty solid surreal game.”
“One gripe I have with this game is the combat; I do not enjoy how battles play out as they can drag on in the early game and become awfully repetitive. This issue is not helped by the lack of a music change when entering combat.”
“Still, on a more critical note, the sprites are obviously too recycled, and the background music (BGM) is too brief considering the length of the whole game.”
- story39 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is a surreal and eclectic mix of themes, drawing from various cultural philosophies and folklore, which some players find profound and engaging, while others see it as vague and difficult to follow. The narrative unfolds through interactions with a quirky cast of characters and quests, creating a unique atmosphere that resonates with those who appreciate creative storytelling, despite some criticism regarding its execution and clarity. Overall, the story is seen as a highlight for players willing to embrace its oddities, even if the gameplay itself may not be as compelling.
“However, I think the true value of this game is really interacting with the strange cast of characters you meet in the game and the quests that develop while you're in the tower trying to remember who you once were.”
“An amazing story for anyone looking for creative and interesting, never-before-seen ideas.”
“A surprisingly rich story riddled with Hindu/Buddhist, Greek, and Native American folklore/philosophy.”
“The story is vague; something something nirvana, something something samsara.”
“The endings, and more generally the plot, could look a bit bland at first sight, and could have been better fleshed out, even though one of the fundamental aspects of this opera is the dullness itself, occasionally interrupted by some lowly anticipated plot twist.”
“It has story and 'lore', but I use those terms somewhat loosely as much of it is vague and easy to not understand.”
- atmosphere25 mentions
- 76 % positive mentions
- 12 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised as a standout feature, characterized by its unique visual style, haunting soundtrack, and an evocative blend of nostalgia and surrealism. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to create an immersive and unsettling environment that enhances exploration and emotional engagement, often drawing comparisons to cult classics like "Yume Nikki" and "LSD Dream Emulator." Overall, the atmosphere is described as captivating and integral to the game's identity, making it a must-play for fans of atmospheric experiences.
“Amazing atmosphere and art style.”
“Utterly enthralling from start to finish, perfectly nailing its atmosphere and vibe with striking visuals and a fantastic soundtrack.”
“It's hard to describe the kind of feeling this game evokes purely through atmosphere and aesthetic, but to me it felt like a warm wave of nostalgia combined with something unsettling, or like something that was familiar yet completely surreal.”
“The game has a surreal atmosphere and visual elements that bring to mind Hylics, Cruelty Squad, and LSD Dream Emulator.”
“If you're into games for exploration and atmosphere, and also appreciate what's shown on the store page, I would recommend Disillusion.”
- gameplay23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been described as simplistic and often tedious, with standard RPG mechanics that can lead to repetitive combat and longer battles due to enemy abilities. While some players appreciate the game's focus on atmosphere and story over intricate mechanics, others find the lack of variety and engaging combat disappointing. Overall, the gameplay serves its purpose within the game's surreal context, but it may not satisfy those seeking more stimulating or dynamic experiences.
“Gameplay is simple, but that works in service of the game and makes the player focus more on the moment rather than actual fighting.”
“In fact, I'd go as far as saying that the game wouldn't work as well in another gameplay mode, that this game has the best possible mode of play for what it sets out to do.”
“The gameplay is simple with one directional movement and four directional camera control that fits the aesthetic of the game and wasn't too hard to adjust to over time.”
“However, the gameplay is very dry as it is your standard RPG, and becomes even more of a slog later in the game when you start getting enemies who can lower your speed, and the apparent drop in your move accuracy leading to longer fights.”
“I just wished there was more variety to the gameplay; the combat gets stale fast and the ending feels jarring for all the golem and the player went through.”
“As for the gameplay, it says it's an RPG, but the combat is more of an afterthought.”
- humor20 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as quirky, surreal, and often reminiscent of early internet culture, appealing primarily to those with a specific taste for absurdity and meme references. While some players found the dialogue and situations genuinely funny and engaging, others felt that the frequent internet humor detracted from immersion and became repetitive. Overall, the game offers a mix of dry wit and bizarre scenarios that resonate well with fans of similar indie titles, though it may not appeal to a broader audience.
“Great vibes all throughout, be it funny, dreamy, or creepy.”
“The game is weird, creepy, and even funny at times.”
“A funny yet dissociation-inducing journey of quirky internet humor, horrifying eye imagery laced with morse code, droning tunes chopped with decades-old vocal samples, and bizarre visuals that shine like old internet and LSD Dream Emulator.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the characters, particularly feeling a sense of obligation to complete the game after impactful endings. The abrupt departure of a beloved character, Mel, left some feeling hurt and unsatisfied, highlighting the game's ability to evoke deep emotional responses.
“I finished the game and got the ending, which really made me feel obligated to come back and finally get this game out of my backlog.”
“I admit I'm emotionally attached to Mel, so for her to just go away in a single dialogue and then just fight a boss and have the game be over with no explanation was really, really painful.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to be somewhat buggy in its vanilla state, leading users to recommend the use of a bugfix mod by altotas for a more stable experience.
“However, the game is a bit buggy when played vanilla, so I'd recommend using a bug fix mod by Altotas, a link to which you can find in the guides for the game section.”
“The game is quite unstable and crashes frequently.”
“I experienced numerous glitches that severely impacted my gameplay experience.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, but many feel that the engaging dialogue and music help alleviate the monotony. Overall, while grinding can be a chore, it is often balanced by enjoyable elements in the game.
“As a game, it's tedious.”
“Even if some parts can get kind of tedious, the dialogue and music more than make up for it.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly replayable, citing its enjoyable gameplay, outstanding ambiance, and music. Many secrets and new experiences await in subsequent playthroughs, enhancing the overall replay value.
“Very fun, replayable, and the general ambiance and music are outstanding.”
“Good replayability with many new secrets to discover on a second run.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized for including unskippable ads, which detracts from the overall experience, reminiscent of a negative aspect found in games like Yume Nikki.
“It's like if Yume Nikki had unskippable ads.”
“The monetization model feels exploitative and ruins the overall experience.”
“I can't enjoy the game when I'm constantly bombarded with prompts to spend money.”