Driven Out

About

"Driven Out" is a challenging 2D side-scroller with a 16-bit retro aesthetic, where a farmer, forced from her home, must fight dangerous creatures in a world in upheaval. A magical device creates copies of herself upon death and allows custom checkpoints, but it's fragile and enemies may attack it. Deliberate combat and a seamless world with varied enemies await, making strategy and quick thinking essential.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 68 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Beautiful pixel art and smooth animations enhance the overall experience.
Challenging and rewarding combat that requires learning enemy patterns and precise timing.
The ability to place checkpoints adds a strategic element to gameplay, allowing players to manage their progress.

The game can feel unfair at times due to poorly telegraphed enemy attacks and a steep difficulty curve.
Limited player progression with only three health points and no upgrades can lead to frustration.
Some controls feel clunky and unresponsive, making combat less enjoyable during intense moments.

gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
59%
19%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and focus on swordplay mechanics, primarily involving parrying and attacking, which can feel repetitive and punishing due to the lack of a rolling mechanic. While the intricate combat system and enemy patterns offer a rewarding challenge, the overall execution is seen as misguided, leading to a dull gameplay loop for some players. Despite its beautiful pixel art and potential for mastery, the extreme difficulty and unpolished aspects may deter those seeking a more engaging experience.
- “Perfect parry feels very satisfying, but the time frames to punish your enemies are very short, and without a rolling mechanic, you can easily be punished instead during your attack.”
- “It's got beautiful pixel animation, a great combat system, and challenging gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is essentially just encountering different enemies and learning their attack patterns and the appropriate counters.”
- “The gameplay is a bit repetitive to me, and I just don't like the design of it.”
- “Because the difficulty level of the game is so extreme, all of these unpolished, jank aspects of the game go on to create this dull, repetitive gameplay loop.”
- “Basically no plot, music, and gameplay are both boring and repetitive.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The game's graphics are characterized by beautiful pixel art that enhances the overall aesthetic, with detailed animations and a polished art style. While some visuals may be intentionally obtuse, the vibrant and eye-catching pixel graphics contribute positively to the game's appeal, reminiscent of early 2000s flash games but with notable improvements. Overall, players appreciate the combination of challenging gameplay and visually pleasing design.
- “The art style is beautiful, the game is simple to understand, and the souls-like concept is great.”
- “It's beautifully realized in its pixel graphics, and the mechanics are simple but polished.”
- “Great art style, sprites are top notch and have detailed animations.”
- “This is pretty much a flash game from the early 2000s with better graphics.”
- “Some visuals are obtuse on purpose, making it harder to block, but that's not a fun idea.”
- “Pixel graphics were eye-catching, and the music was beautiful, but the games were absolutely brutal.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
34%
22%
The music in the game is generally praised for being solid and pleasing, effectively complementing the game's world and enhancing the overall experience. While some players appreciate the nostalgic feel reminiscent of Sega Genesis-era games, others find the music and gameplay to be repetitive and lacking depth. Overall, the soundtrack is a highlight for many, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “The music is really pleasing on the ears too and complements the game’s world.”
- “Loved the art, music, and the combat.”
- “The music is pleasant and fits well, but the pixel art is just absolutely gorgeous; it feels like a Sega Genesis-era game.”
- “Basically no plot, music and gameplay are both boring and repetitive.”
- “Music seems about the same here.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game's story is largely criticized for being nonexistent or poorly developed, with some players noting that it feels like a more substantial narrative was intended but ultimately scrapped. However, there are hints of charm and creativity in the world-building, and some players express hope that the story will unfold more as they progress. Overall, while the visual elements are praised, the narrative remains a weak point.
- “Besides that, the songs are good and the story... damn, the game does know how to throw surprises.”
- “It seems to have a nice little story going for it, though I don't really understand what's going on at the moment.”
- “More parts of the story will probably be revealed as you progress in the game.”
- “Nonexistent story.”
- “No story (seems like it was meant to have one but was scraped at some points).”
- “There are some rough edges with this game and the story is mostly visual, but the game looks and plays quite beautifully.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players who enjoy grindy gameplay that involves learning enemy patterns through repeated attempts may find this game enjoyable, while others might find the experience frustrating.
- “If you enjoy grindy games where you have to learn each enemy by repeatedly dying, then you'll probably have a good time.”
- “The grinding feels endless and often tedious, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “I found myself spending more time grinding for resources than actually enjoying the gameplay.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have stability issues, with users experiencing various bugs and unintended glitches that detract from the overall experience.
- “My only complaint is that the game is kind of buggy; there's a lot of weird stuff happening sometimes, and it is clearly unintentional.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is noted to be both challenging and entertaining, providing players with a blend of difficulty and comedic moments that enhance the overall experience.
- “It's pretty challenging and funny.”
- “The humor in this game is spot on and keeps me laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game incorporates witty dialogue and hilarious situations.”