Drizzlepath
- March 12, 2015
- Tonguç Bodur
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Drizzlepath" is a single-player Adventure game with a focus on atmospheric exploration, featuring pretty visuals and compelling music using the CryEngine 3. The game offers a short, relaxed "walking simulator" experience to the top of the Mountain of Fire, with a checkpoint system for resuming progress. Players who appreciate moody experiences can enjoy the dense atmosphere, along with the included OST in the game's folder.
Reviews
- Beautiful graphics and scenery that create an immersive experience.
- Relaxing atmosphere with calming music that enhances the experience.
- A unique walking simulator that allows for exploration and appreciation of the environment.
- Lack of meaningful interaction and gameplay, as it is primarily just walking.
- Difficult to understand narration due to a thick accent and no subtitles.
- Short playtime of around 30-40 minutes, which may leave players wanting more.
- music158 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the atmosphere, featuring pleasant guitar compositions and occasional orchestral elements. However, many players find the music's sporadic nature jarring, as it often drowns out the narration, which is difficult to understand due to the narrator's strong accent and lack of subtitles. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated, its inconsistent presence and volume issues detract from the immersive experience.
“The music is actually very good and I wish it was a constant because I loved it every time it appeared.”
“The music was beautiful to listen to though, it was very nice.”
“The atmosphere and music is very relaxing.”
“The voice over accent, the lack of subtitles, and the lack of control over voice and music volume makes the story completely unintelligible for me.”
“The music was decent, though not fitting for what atmosphere the game had, if any, and it cut on and off randomly leaving you with silence most of the time.”
“The music tends to overwhelm the narration and makes some of the narration unintelligible.”
- graphics133 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful scenery and high-quality visuals, particularly when using powerful hardware. However, many also report significant issues such as glitches, texture pop-ins, and a lack of detail outside the main path, leading to an inconsistent visual experience. Overall, while the graphics can be stunning at times, they are marred by technical problems that detract from the immersion.
“Beautiful scenery from beautifully developed graphics introduced me to an open-world game with a pre-set path to follow for the story.”
“The amazing graphics are just...wow!”
“The graphics are superb.”
“The graphics can get a bit glitchy and haven't aged well in places, but the drizzle effects are pretty fun and there are some nice tableaus along the route.”
“Now, there are constant graphical glitches in which textures will compress and decompress themselves as you walk towards the crests of hills, and the shapes of the background mountains range from boring to ludicrous.”
“The graphics of this 'game' are supposed to be amazing, but at the highest settings, this game was still completely subpar.”
- story98 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story in this game is largely criticized for being incoherent and difficult to understand due to the narrator's thick accent and the absence of subtitles. Many players describe it as lacking depth, with some referring to it as a collection of nonsensical poetry rather than a cohesive narrative. While the atmospheric visuals and music are appreciated, they do not compensate for the weak storytelling, leading to a general consensus that the game is more of a walking simulator without a compelling plot.
“Personally, I love it: beautiful plants and trees, rich textures, warm lighting, and a soothing yet quite persistent drizzle of rain accompany you as you walk along the unwinding storyline.”
“With just a pinch of horror, this game was overall relaxing and engaging, and with a story up for individual interpretation, I imagine it's a different experience for every person.”
“Simply follow the path listening to the story of a native traveling through the countryside to the base camp in the mountains.”
“The story was very difficult to follow - despite there being an attempt of a storyline created by regular voice acting sequences playing in the background, it was impossible to understand what that voice actor said due to a strong accent and a lack of subtitles, making it impossible to understand what the game was all about.”
“The poetry sounds like it's procedurally generated and makes no sense at all, is hard to understand (she is not a native English speaker) and adds nothing to the story, if there was one to begin with.”
“There is unfortunately no way near enough story, atmosphere, plot or context to what you end up walking through for me to recommend this game.”
- atmosphere25 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 16 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its lush scenery and relaxing soundscape, creating a meditative experience reminiscent of walking simulators. While some players find the music inconsistent and the narrative lacking depth, the overall ambiance is described as beautiful and immersive, making it a compelling journey through stunning environments. However, a few critiques highlight that the atmosphere could be enhanced with more contextual storytelling and atmospheric effects.
“The good: the walking simulation, atmosphere, and music are all very nice.”
“Its beautiful, wonderful atmosphere, pretty music, relaxing, and just a quick little thing to experience.”
“Beautiful, atmospheric, and just wonderful to play.”
“The music was decent, though not fitting for the atmosphere the game had, if any, and it cut on and off randomly, leaving you with silence most of the time.”
“No effort is made to create a haze or mist effect, which leads to a spartan atmosphere that lacks the richness of the foreground play areas.”
“There is unfortunately nowhere near enough story, atmosphere, plot, or context to what you end up walking through for me to recommend this game.”
- stability16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Drizzlepath suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes and a multitude of graphical glitches that severely impact gameplay. Players report that the game often freezes, leading to a frustrating experience, and many textures and assets appear poorly rendered or stock-like. Overall, the game's stability problems render it largely unplayable for many users.
“Drizzlepath is riddled with so many glitches and bugs, at least 50% of the time, it can't be done/played.”
“If you turn your head too fast it freezes up and shuts down, it even forced a restart on my PC at one point.”
“Game is unplayable...buggy, glitchy...& was made by CryEngine.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is largely criticized for being monotonous and linear, with players describing it as a "walking simulator" that offers minimal interaction and engagement. Many reviewers noted the lack of a compelling story or meaningful gameplay mechanics, leading to a sense of aimlessness and dissatisfaction. While some appreciated the ability to explore, the overall experience felt shallow and lacking in substance.
“Gameplay-wise, I was positively surprised to find myself able to swim!”
“Walking sims have little gameplay, but should make up for that with good scenery and memorable music and/or narration.”
“Whilst it meets all the gameplay features of other good examples of this genre, such as Dear Esther or Firewatch, it lacks a crucial one: a story.”
“I think I paid so much attention to the music, though, mostly because I didn’t have much to focus on, gameplay-wise.”
“The gameplay is walking forward, and you only use the jump button once near the end.”
“The gameplay consists of aimless wandering around some random map for about half an hour, and 90% of the time the world around you is completely silent...”
- optimization8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues even on high-end hardware. Many users note that despite the game's stunning visuals, the poor optimization detracts from the overall experience, leading to a lack of immersion and frequent performance hiccups. Some suggest that playing with reduced graphical settings or focusing on specific areas can improve performance, but overall, the game's optimization remains a major concern.
“As mentioned above, while the game looks stunningly beautiful, there are performance issues here and there.”
“However, if you're prepared to play while looking at the ground through the whole game, you can use the very high settings just fine :) It'll run smoothly :)”
“Txt and growing log files tell you it's not even remotely optimized... hopefully they fix all the errors... then I might walk it again for screenshots.”
“The biggest issue I had was simply performance.”
“Text and growing log files tell you it's not even remotely optimized... hopefully they fix all the errors... then I might walk it again for screenshots.”
“Not to criticize your game, but the optimization is garbage, along with the concept and overall execution.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game to be delightfully absurd, with moments like intentionally dying from fall damage and the presence of a random fridge adding to the comedic experience. The unrestricted game mechanics, such as launching turtles and chickens, contribute to the overall hilarity, while some players highlight specific funny instances, like an unexpected "jump tutorial." Overall, the humor is characterized by its randomness and unexpected moments that elicit genuine laughter.
“I think I lost weight from laughing!”
“There's a fridge in the middle of nowhere, and the engine hilariously hasn't been restricted, so you can bazooka turtles and chickens.”
“Absolutely nothing happens, save for one unintentionally hilarious moment about 30 minutes in where a 'jump tutorial' appears.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of Drizzlepath is characterized by its philosophical themes and introspective musings, offering players a reflective journey as they explore a virtual mountain. Many users feel a sense of fulfillment and connection to nature through the game's immersive environment, suggesting it effectively satisfies their emotional and physical needs without requiring real-world activity.
“Drizzlepath is a kind of emotional journey of exploration to the top of a mountain.”
“This game made me feel like I no longer needed to go outside for exercise, as it really makes me feel like I'm getting my daily needs from merely walking around in this virtual world.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has low replayability, primarily due to its short duration of around 30 minutes and its nature as a walking simulator, which limits the potential for varied experiences in subsequent playthroughs.
“It is not a long game in the slightest; it doesn't offer any replayability with the storyline as it is just a walking simulator.”
“Replayability is low, and the game lasts a maximum of 30 minutes.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of "drizzlepath" is criticized for being too short, leading to a lack of depth and engagement, ultimately making the experience feel tedious.
“Which makes this game terrible and tedious.”
