Double
- March 15, 2019
- Tomato Fantasy Games
Get on Steam"Double" is an action-adventure game following Carlos, a veteran struggling with post-war syndrome in a mental asylum. Players face the challenge of deciding between treatment and succumbing to dreams, with the dreamworld increasingly invading reality. The game features a non-linear story, difficult choices, and an original soundtrack.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The story is engaging and well-narrated, with choices that impact the ending.
- The game explores interesting themes related to mental health and PTSD, providing insights into the protagonist's struggles.
- The atmosphere and art style, while simplistic, contribute to the overall experience and mood of the game.
- The game is plagued with bugs and glitches, making it frustrating and sometimes unplayable.
- Combat mechanics are clunky and poorly designed, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The lack of voiceovers and reliance on text can make the narrative feel less engaging and immersive.
- story30 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally well-received, praised for its interesting narrative and psychological depth, though some players found the conclusion disappointing and felt that certain plot elements were underdeveloped. While the game features engaging themes and character development, it suffers from pacing issues due to repetitive cutscenes and bugs that detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, many players appreciate the game's unique storytelling approach and its ability to evoke emotional responses.
“Great story, very well narrated.”
“The story is great and it's an interesting, brief (under a few hours) game that doesn't overstay its welcome.”
“This was a really interesting story with a nice twist.”
“The story, or rather, its final evolution was really disappointing (and I've steered to the good ending).”
“All accumulated potential of this highly charged psycho-horror to become a true bomb-story was quietly flushed down the toilet in the final chapter.”
“Basically, the culmination of the storyline finished far before it even started.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally criticized for being simplistic and reminiscent of low-effort flash or mobile games, lacking substantial quality or detail. While there are options to adjust resolution, they do not significantly enhance the visuals, leaving players with a lackluster 2D aesthetic. Some reviewers noted that the art style can be appealing, but overall, the graphics do not meet the expectations of PC gamers seeking high-quality visuals.
“Very interesting story (I would say it's the best point), great graphics and effects.”
“The art style looks very great and detailed.”
“Graphics were also okay.”
“While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
“The game features somewhat lazy, simplistic 'retro' looking 2D graphics, of the type you normally expect to see in low effort flash/browser games and mobile apps.”
“Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with some users praising the soundtrack as fantastic, while others find it repetitive and express disappointment over the absence of certain tracks from the trailer. Overall, while the music may not be perfect, it contributes positively to the game's atmosphere and is appreciated alongside its characters and plot.
“The soundtrack is fantastic.”
“Game is alright, a slow burn; I was hoping to hear the post-ambient song from the trailer at a certain point, but it didn't come up unfortunately.”
“My rating for this game (including music and art style) would be a 7/10.”
“Game is alright, a slow burn. I was hoping to hear the post-ambient song from the trailer at a certain point, but it didn't come up unfortunately.”
“The animations are a little janky, the shooting sections can be spammed through, and the music is repetitive.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being bogged down by excessive text cutscenes that detract from the interactive experience, making it feel more like reading than playing. While the narrative is engaging, the clunky mechanics and broken shooting system significantly hinder the overall enjoyment, leaving the game nearly unplayable in its current state.
“The gameplay is decent.”
“Interesting narrative, mechanics, and art, but overall the game is almost unplayable in its current state.”
“So you'll spend a huge amount of time not playing the game, but clicking through endless lines of poorly written visual novel text cutscenes because the developers couldn't figure out how to relate their narrative through the game mechanics, and decided instead it would be better to compete with reading a book for your time.”
“The game mechanics are a bit clunky and, of course, the game is graphically mediocre at best; however, the story is what really caught my eye in this.”
“The shooting mechanic is entirely broken, and the 'reality' meter is unbalanced.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent glitches, lags, and unexpected freezes that disrupt gameplay. Many players have reported needing to restart the game multiple times due to these problems, leading to a frustrating experience.
“The game is riddled with glitches.”
“I have played this game, but after a few minutes, I felt like it contained numerous glitches and lags, so I stopped and moved on to the next game.”
“I had to restart the game multiple times because it freezes for no apparent reason (while loading, in the middle of a dialog, or during a battle).”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of Gamemaker Studio is criticized for promoting low-quality, retro-style games often seen as cash grabs, with some users highlighting the unrealistic pricing of around $6 USD for products that do not meet quality expectations, especially when compared to numerous free, higher-quality alternatives available on platforms like Steam.
“Double has the completely unrealistic cash grab price of around $6 USD. It's not worth it given the defects and shortcomings of the product, especially considering the sheer number of completely free, much higher quality games on Steam.”
“Gamemaker Studio is most commonly used to make retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is noted for its bleakness and strong presentation, but the repetitive nature of the mini-games detracts from the overall experience, making it feel tedious over time.
“The atmosphere and bleakness are palpable, creating an immersive experience.”
“The atmospheric presentation is stunning and enhances the overall gameplay.”
“The atmosphere and bleakness are present, but it drags on and on, repeating the same mini-game so many times that it becomes a chore.”
“The game tries to create a dark atmosphere, but it feels forced and lacks genuine immersion.”
“While the setting is intended to be eerie, the repetitive gameplay undermines any sense of tension or dread.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game suffers from notable performance issues, impacting overall optimization.
“It looks like the game has some performance issues.”
“The optimization is lacking, resulting in frequent frame drops.”
“I experienced significant lag during gameplay, which ruined the experience.”
