Duplexer

About

Duplexer is a challenging single-player puzzle platformer game. The player can push or pull the walls, floor and ceiling around them to overcome many puzzling, platforming and physics based trials.

Genres & Tags

Indie

Play Modes

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

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 12 reviews

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features interesting and challenging puzzles that provide a satisfying sense of accomplishment upon completion.
It has a variety of unique levels and mechanics that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.
The minimalistic graphics and sound design complement the puzzle-solving experience without being distracting.

Some puzzles can be tedious and require overly precise controls, leading to frustration and unnecessary repetition.
The game lacks polish and personality, making it feel less engaging compared to other puzzle games like Portal or The Witness.
Certain mechanics can lead to softlocking and other frustrating gameplay issues, detracting from the overall experience.

gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of innovative mechanics and challenging puzzles, with a notable issue being an overly sensitive jumping mechanic that can lead to frustration. Players appreciate the gradual introduction of new elements and the increasing difficulty, which encourages experimentation and problem-solving. Overall, the game offers a solid puzzle experience, though some mechanics may feel unfairly challenging at times.
- “Between the main actions of extruding and retracting elements of the level, portal-esque cubes and balls that must be placed on switches, and more complex mechanics such as the electric wires (one of my favorite parts!), the later levels become increasingly challenging to solve and usually require a lot of experimentation.”
- “Overall: if you're looking for a puzzle game with interesting mechanics and want to actually feel challenged (I'm looking at you, Portal 2!), then I'd recommend Duplexer.”
- “Combined with the over-sensitive jumping mechanic (which only allows you to jump up one space but along about 5 spaces), this results in large amounts of unnecessary failure which means continually re-solving the level again and again until you finally not overshoot the block you're trying to land on (this happened four times to me in the same level).”
- “It's clear from the screenshots and trailer that the developer's main focus was gameplay, and the mechanics reflect that: each one has an introductory level where the player gets to mess around with it, before steadily upping the difficulty of the puzzles to the point where it almost seems unfair.”
- “Before you claim that there's some mechanic later on that will make everything better, note that that doesn't change a thing about my complaints based on what I've seen so far.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some puzzles are imaginative, others are considered tedious and can lead to frustration. Overall, the grinding is seen as a minor issue, but it can detract from the enjoyment if players encounter particularly challenging sections.
- “It is tedious and forces a failure.”
- “A decent game with some imaginative ideas; however, some puzzles are very tedious.”
- “Only a small portion is truly tedious... if you can get to it...”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics are minimalistic and somewhat unpolished, focusing on essential details needed for gameplay. While they may lack depth, many players feel that this simplicity complements the game's mechanics effectively. Overall, the visuals are described as decent but bare bones.
- “The graphics are simple, without much more detail than what is required to solve the level.”
- “Although a little unpolished, I think that the minimal graphics help the game.”
- “An okay 3D puzzle game with solid mechanics and decent, if not bare-bones, graphics.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The music and sound effects enhance the gameplay experience without being overly impressive or repetitive, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere.
- “The music and sound effects may not be groundbreaking, but they certainly enhance the gameplay experience without becoming repetitive.”
- “The music and sound effects probably won't blow you away, but they definitely add to the gameplay experience without being repetitive.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story aspect of the game is noted to be lacking in personality and depth, which some players find disappointing, though it may not significantly impact their overall enjoyment.
- “There's also no personality or story, which isn't a huge issue for me, but it's something I appreciate nonetheless.”