Doodle God: 8-bit Mania

About

Doodle God: 8-bit Mania is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by JoyBits Ltd. and was released on November 18, 2016. It received neutral reviews from players.

Doodle God: 8-bit Mania is a puzzle game where you combine elements to create new ones and expand the universe. This 8-bit version features remastered graphics and sounds from the original Doodle God, adding a nostalgic touch to the classic gameplay. The goal is to discover all the elements and become the Doodle God.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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48%

Audience ScoreBased on 124 reviews

graphics12 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The 8-bit graphics and chiptune soundtrack create a charming and nostalgic atmosphere that appeals to fans of retro aesthetics.
The core gameplay of combining elements remains engaging, providing a satisfying sense of discovery as players unlock new combinations.
The game is accessible and easy to pick up, making it suitable for casual play sessions and a wide audience.

The game is a stripped-down version of the original Doodle God, featuring only two chapters and significantly less content, making it feel incomplete.
At its full price, the game is considered overpriced for the amount of gameplay it offers, leading to frustration among players who expected more depth.
Repetitive gameplay can lead to boredom, as players may find themselves resorting to trial-and-error without clear guidance on combinations.

graphics
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
60%
8%
The graphics of "Doodle God: 8-Bit Mania" are characterized by a nostalgic 8-bit aesthetic that appeals to fans of retro gaming, featuring chunky pixel art and simplified animations. While some players appreciate the charming visuals and chiptune soundtrack, others criticize the game for being a mere reskin of the original with minimal content and gameplay depth. Overall, the graphics evoke a sense of nostalgia but may not justify the game's price for those seeking a more substantial experience.
- “From the moment the game loads, the charm of the 8-bit aesthetic becomes immediately apparent: chunky pixel icons, simplified animations, and a chiptune soundtrack that feels like it wandered in from the late NES era.”
- “It strikes a balance between homage and parody, leaning into the charm of low-resolution visuals while still keeping gameplay crisp and readable.”
- “The visuals are nice and the sound effects are neat if you like the 8-bit tunes.”
- “It's a remake of the original Doodle God mobile app, only shorter and with godawful, eye-gougingly bad retro pixel graphics... as if that is somehow going to make a terrible game better by giving it crappier graphics?”
- “The game is deliberately presented with 8-bit pixelated graphics for nostalgic reasons, so they haven't had to put much effort into the interface.”
- “My assumption is that this game has even less content than the original Doodle God because it is basically a reskin to give Doodle God an old school aesthetic (it's called 8-bit, but with the amount of colors used, it would seem more like 16-bit) and has decent, but unmemorable chiptune music.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The gameplay is a nostalgic remix of the classic Doodle God formula, focusing on combining elements to create new ones, now presented in an 8-bit art style. While it appeals to long-time fans with its familiar mechanics, newcomers may find it accessible; however, the lack of evolving mechanics and a strong narrative can lead to frustrating stretches of slow discovery. Overall, the experience is criticized for being a straightforward reskin with limited gameplay depth, often completed in under an hour.
- “It strikes a balance between homage and parody, leaning into the charm of low-resolution visuals while still keeping gameplay crisp and readable.”
- “For long-time fans, it provides a nostalgic remix of familiar mechanics; for newcomers, it offers an approachable entry point into the franchise’s unique brand of element-based puzzling.”
- “The core gameplay loop remains the same one that made the franchise appealing in its earliest iterations.”
- “Without a strong narrative push or evolving mechanics to keep things fresh, some players will likely experience stretches where discovery slows to a crawl.”
- “This kind of trial-and-error gameplay can lead to moments of mild frustration, especially when a seemingly logical combination fails to produce anything new.”
- “Cool 8-bit aesthetics, but $20 for a straight-up reskin of the first two chapters of Doodle God with about an hour of gameplay is ridiculous.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game is characterized by a nostalgic 8-bit chiptune soundtrack that evokes the retro feel of the NES era, reminiscent of titles like Terraria. While some players appreciate the charm of the soundtrack, others find it annoying and unmemorable, leading to mixed reviews overall. The music's repetitive nature contributes to a laid-back atmosphere, but it can also detract from the gameplay experience for some users.
- “From the moment the game loads, the charm of the 8-bit aesthetic becomes immediately apparent: chunky pixel icons, simplified animations, and a chiptune soundtrack that feels like it wandered in from the late NES era.”
- “The retro soundtrack reinforces that meditative loop, giving each session an almost laid-back rhythm.”
- “The only positive this game has is the 8-bit soundtrack which heavily reminds me of some of Terraria's music.”
- “Music is annoying and instantly muted; sound can also get annoying fast depending on your own mileage.”
- “Even the only guide made for it is hard to follow this time around; I stopped even trying to play it as intended this time around. It looks awful, has hard-to-read quotes, and the music is terrible.”
- “Incredibly short and identical to other games in the series, but with nauseating music and sound, and an interface clearly designed for touch screens.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
30%
The game's story is criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with some users noting the absence of a broader narrative and minimal content compared to its predecessor. Many feel that the limited chapters and missions fail to provide a compelling experience, leading to disappointment in the overall storytelling aspect.
- “The absence of a broader story or simulation layer also sets clear boundaries on how engaging the game can be over long sessions.”
- “Basically the original Doodle God, with an 8-bit aesthetic but at the price of only two missions out of four, and at twice the price.”
- “There's only 2 chapters with over 120 elements, where the original has 4 chapters with over 200 elements, along with some quests and puzzles, not to mention more achievements.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
63%
Overall, the game is criticized for its low replayability, with many users expressing disappointment over its repetitive nature and short playtime. Reviewers suggest that a single comprehensive game incorporating all expansions would enhance replay value, but as it stands, the game lacks meaningful content to encourage repeated play.
- “An interesting concept, but once you figure out that the game is just about trying every possible combination of two ingredients, it becomes repetitive and there is no replay value.”
- “Echoing what others have said, this is a fun game but very short and has no replay value.”
- “$20 for a game that lasts less than two hours and has no replayability.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for containing a range of bugs and glitches, with some users noting only minor issues while others describe it as a "big terrarium for bugs." Overall, the consensus indicates that the game is quite buggy, impacting the overall experience.
- “The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs and glitches.”
- “It's buggy.”
- “There are minor bugs and glitches.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The humor in the game is derived from its clever interactions and connections between elements, as well as amusing bugs and a comically high price tag. Players also appreciate the inclusion of funny quotes that enhance the overall comedic experience.
- “The joy lies in imagining how the world fits together, how simple building blocks might interact, and which elements logically or humorously connect.”
- “Also, hilarious $28 price tag!”
- “After reactions, it has some funny quotes.”
- “The humor in the game often falls flat, relying too much on tired clichés.”
- “I found the jokes to be more cringeworthy than funny, which really detracted from the experience.”
- “The attempts at humor felt forced and out of place, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat excessive, with many describing it as "a little grindy" and suggesting that it may require significant time investment, possibly even the use of macros, to manage effectively.
- “You'll need a second life, maybe some macros, and a will to live for grinding.”
- “A little grindy.”
- “A bit grindy sometimes.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for Doodle God 8-Bit Mania has been criticized as a "cheap and lazy cash grab," with users noting that while the game is available at a lower price on mobile platforms, it includes ads and in-app purchases. This has led to a negative perception of its value on Steam.
- “Doodle God 8-Bit Mania is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as a cheap and lazy cash grab.”
- “Doodle God is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as a cheap and lazy cash grab.”
- “Well then, head over to the Play or iOS store where you can get the games much cheaper, although they do have ads and even in-app purchases.”