Distortions
- March 2, 2018
- Among Giants
Get on Steam"Distortions" is a single-player, story-driven Mystery Role Playing game with amazing visuals and a fantastic soundtrack. Embark on a surreal adventure through an imaginary world, uncovering your identity by piecing together past memories. Use the power of music, played on a violin, to alter environments and befriend strange creatures in this 15+ hour open-world experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features absolutely gorgeous graphics and a stellar soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- The story is intriguing and offers a unique premise, with moments of real emotional depth and terror.
- The gameplay incorporates music as a tool for interaction, providing a creative and interesting mechanic that stands out.
- The gameplay is marred by clunky controls, frustrating mechanics, and numerous bugs that hinder the overall experience.
- Camera angles and movement are inconsistent, often leading to confusion and difficulty in navigation.
- The game suffers from long cutscenes and a lack of meaningful player agency, making it feel more like an interactive movie than a game.
- music40 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and emotional depth, with many reviewers noting that it feels integral to the gameplay and overall experience. However, some players express disappointment with the limited musical mechanics, which restrict the range of notes and techniques available, detracting from the potential richness of the musical gameplay. Despite these design flaws, the soundtrack and immersive audio elements are highlighted as standout features that enhance the game's enchanting atmosphere.
“The soundtrack is great; you can tell the musicians are experienced and put a lot of thought and effort into the performances.”
“If you're playing this, and you should, it's for the enchanting scenery, great soundtrack (switching between prog rock battles and interactive violin/guitar dream sequences), and unique mechanics.”
“The original soundtrack is very well composed.”
“The musical gameplay, which is the main feature of the game, is probably the source of my biggest disappointment.”
“Because of the way the interface for playing music is designed (you can only play 4 notes), the range of music you can play feels very limited and amateur.”
“While there's a bit of interesting visual art to see and some neat music to hear, the game is frankly a total mess.”
- graphics27 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and artistic quality, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning visuals and unique aesthetic elements. However, some players noted issues such as frame rate fluctuations, glitches, and a dated appearance, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game's visuals are often described as breathtaking and a significant highlight, making it a visually captivating experience.
“The graphics were absolutely beautiful.”
“Aesthetically the game is also wonderful, the surreal elements applied in the nature of mountains, caves, and lots of water give a simply unique aesthetic quality. In several moments of the game, you need to stop and observe the scenery; it is clear that the care with this part was great, each stone floating, each mountain shape, each irregular path was beautifully done. Visually, this game is a rejoice to the eyes.”
“So the good news is that this game had some of the most artistically beautiful graphics I've ever seen in a game.”
“However, the graphical effects (especially when using abilities) cause wild fluctuations in the game's frame rate, and in some cases can cause the game to black screen and essentially crash.”
“It's not a rig issue; it's this specific graphic engine.”
“Game is clunky on the controls, graphics are glitchy even at 20 FPS. I think we're overpaying; it seems unfinished, like a beta.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many reviewers citing it as clunky, buggy, and poorly implemented, making it feel almost unplayable. While the game features unique mechanics centered around music and exploration, technical issues and unintuitive controls detract significantly from the experience. Despite some praise for its visual design and soundtrack, the overall execution of gameplay elements has left players disappointed.
“A significant amount of gameplay and game design is focused on the music.”
“If you're playing this, and you should, it's for the enchanting scenery, great soundtrack (switching between prog rock battles and interactive violin/guitar dream sequences,) and unique mechanics.”
“- Unique gameplay: much of the game is driven by finding music sheets for new songs that have the ability to shape the world around you.”
“An intriguingly ambitious and unique idea; however, it was unfortunately soured by the gameplay feeling overall aimless and obtuse.”
“As a lot of other reviews state, there are many aspects of the gameplay that are unintuitive, buggy, or poorly implemented.”
“But I will not recommend this game due to the buggy implementation of core features such as character physics, camera angles, and controller mechanics.”
- story23 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as intriguing and well-conceived, focusing on themes of memory and self-discovery within a surreal world. However, players note that the emotional impact is diminished by mechanical issues, confusing elements, and a lack of meaningful interaction with the narrative. While the storytelling and atmosphere are praised, the execution leaves some feeling detached and frustrated.
“The story is intriguing and the music is haunting.”
“With a powerful intro, the story becomes intriguing as the game lets players learn backstory from the environment and a set of messages as pieces of memories.”
“Distortions tells an intriguing story while you explore your way through a surreal and beautifully crafted world.”
“The plot revolves around the psychological state of the main character, but there isn't enough immersion or interaction to allow players to become significantly emotionally invested in the character.”
“Other pieces of the story are introduced through collectible items, but they have no impact on the gameplay and are rarely (if ever) mentioned, ultimately feeling flat and meaningless.”
“The story also comes off as confusing and pretentious, with big dramatic moments and swelling music fishing for totally unearned feelings, leaving me thinking, 'What the hell were they thinking?!'”
- stability7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, including persistent screen freezes, animation glitches, and unintuitive mechanics that disrupt gameplay. Issues such as character movement loops and problematic interactions with the environment further detract from the experience, leading many reviewers to recommend against the game due to its unstable performance.
“As a lot of other reviews state, there are many other aspects of the gameplay that are unintuitive, buggy, or poorly implemented.”
“There are some buggy mechanics such as if you run, jump, stop, and repeat while using the silence ability, you can keep it active basically forever.”
“But I will not recommend this game due to the buggy implementation of core features such as character physics, camera angles, and controller mechanics.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report solid performance even on older hardware, others experience constant frame rate stuttering, indicating inconsistencies in optimization across different systems.
“I found the game runs quite solid and optimized on my 7-year-old hardware with max settings.”
“Constant frame rate stuttering.”
“Performance issues detract from the overall experience.”
“The game runs quite solid and optimized on my 7-year-old hardware with max settings.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its beauty and immersive qualities, making it one of the most atmospheric experiences in recent memory. However, some users noted issues with glitchy controls and a lack of integration between the protagonist and the environment. Overall, it is highly recommended for fans of atmospheric storytelling.
“One of the most beautiful and atmospheric games I've played in a while.”
“I was thoroughly impressed with this game, and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes atmospheric games with intriguing stories.”
“The controls are glitchy, and at certain points, it looks as though the protagonist doesn't blend with the ground or atmosphere.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game's plot focuses on the psychological state of the main character, players feel that the lack of immersion and interaction prevents them from forming a strong emotional connection with the character.
