Elegy for a Dead World

Elegy for a Dead World is a game so unique that there is no point of reference for it. Nothing like this has been done before, and it fills a niche that many gamers will appreciate. It's basically a sort of writing community and writing aid, all built into one, enabling you to channel your creative vision through its art and atmosphere, and lending a helping hand to those who don't know how to start. It's more of a place than a game, a place where you can go and enjoy other people's writing, and to see other people's different perception of the things you witnessed and saw in a certain way, and to get inspired by them and write some more. It's both weird and wonderful, satisfying and incomplete, and it's definitely something that you should consider if you're into writing and reading. However, it's also lacking a certain something that would have made it seem like more than just an experiment. It somehow seems just too indie, from the small worlds to the way your stories are shown, perhaps feeling too primitive compared to what it could have been with the proper resources. It's a different experience alright, and if you're into writing, especially if you're not as picky as I am, and are struggling to find your footing, you just might find it on the three deserted planets Elegy for a Dead World urges you to explore.

65%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

gameplay, replayability

64% User Score Based on 261 reviews

Critic Score 70%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

Elegy for a Dead World is a single player simulation game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Popcannibal and was released on December 10, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Elegy for a Dead World" is a game that allows players to write their own stories as they explore mysterious, abandoned planets. Players journey through hand-painted landscapes, using written prompts to inspire their narratives. The game provides a unique platform for creative expression, blending elements of adventure and writing in a visually striking setting.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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64%

Audience ScoreBased on 261 reviews

story18 positive mentions

gameplay6 negative mentions

Elegy for a Dead World provides a unique and beautiful environment that inspires creativity and writing.
The game offers various writing prompts that help users overcome writer's block and stimulate imagination.
The art and sound design create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the writing experience.

The game has very limited content, with only three short worlds to explore, leading to a lack of replayability.
Many features, such as the ability to read and share stories, are poorly implemented and difficult to navigate.
The game is not a traditional game experience, which may disappoint players looking for more interactive gameplay.

story
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
85%
3%
The game's story aspect revolves around players creating their own narratives inspired by beautifully illustrated worlds, with prompts to guide their writing. While the concept encourages creativity and offers a unique platform for storytelling, many users report technical issues, such as crashes and difficulties accessing others' stories, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game serves as a tool for writers, but its execution and community engagement features could benefit from significant improvements.
- “It's a game where you look at landscapes and fill in the blanks of a pre-written story.”
- “The visuals and written prompts were nice inspiration for someone like myself who doesn't really do any creative writing and helped keep me stick to some sort of cohesive story as well as giving a guide for its length.”
- “Elegy for a dead world is a game about creative writing but more specifically story writing which lets you tell your own story about certain worlds that the game gives you access to, each with their own unique backgrounds.”
- “When I tried to publish a story, the game froze, and now it freezes whenever I try to access any of my written stories.”
- “Trying to read existing stories or publish a story of your own locks the game up.”
- “The dev is a jerk by ignoring the criticism of the community for the achievements (you have to get 1000 people to 'upvote' your story, which is 100% impossible due to the dying player base; not every player reads other stories and it's hard to browse through the spam to find a good one).”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
26%
7%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning and unique art style, which effectively evokes a cosmic and atmospheric feel, enhancing the overall experience. However, some users note that the limited content and gameplay detract from the potential of these visuals, with a few expressing concerns about the sound design being overly loud or distracting. Overall, while the artwork is considered beautiful and inspiring, the game's lack of depth and features leaves some players wanting more.
- “It has a beautiful, unique art style and hits that odd sci-fi feel perfectly.”
- “I loved the gorgeous visuals that greeted me when the game launched.”
- “The graphics are simplistic, the colors are garish, the sounds are annoying, the prompts are uninspired and childish.”
- “Graphically you are given a soft and colorful world, devoid of any body, minus you.”
- “Aesthetically, they remind me of Banner Saga, as the layers of two-dimensional artwork slowly pass by while you walk and enjoy the environments.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
75%
17%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its lack of depth and mechanics, with many reviewers noting that it primarily consists of moving between writing prompts without engaging gameplay elements. While the concept of using the game as a creative writing tool is appreciated, the execution falls flat, leading to a monotonous experience with minimal interaction. Overall, players feel that the game does not justify its price, as it offers little more than a walking simulator with limited content and mechanics.
- “The gameplay consists of walking right along a beautiful background and making up what happens. If you are free-forming it, then you can place story marks anywhere you like, and when you come around to reading it, whatever is in the background where the marker is, you will see a small snapshot of it.”
- “There are some potential limitations in gameplay replay if there are only the three worlds, which are rather short to play through, but the writing possibilities with the many different prompts available are varied and deep.”
- “Walking simulators get a lot of flak for lacking gameplay, but I enjoy them because often a story is there in place of the interactivity.”
- “At this point, I'm shocked that the game is still on sale at all given that the main mechanic is completely broken.”
- “There's no gameplay here either, it's just moving around between writing prompts.”
- “There is no gameplay (this shouldn't be called a game in the first place) and I cannot recommend this game, especially not at full price.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
53%
12%
The music in the game is described as atmospheric and haunting, enhancing the overall experience with its eerie yet vibrant tones that change with the environment. While many players appreciate the unique soundtracks and their contribution to the narrative, some feel that the music doesn't always fit the scenery or lacks variety. Overall, the combination of minimalistic yet stimulating music and stunning visuals creates a compelling backdrop for creative writing, though some users express a desire for more content and options to customize their listening experience.
- “You walk around on 3 different beautiful planets (2D side scroller), each with their own unique art and soundtrack, and write about what you see.”
- “Diverse backdrops and story prompts, mixed with a rich soundtrack, create an overall wonderful experience that's one of a kind.”
- “The art and music are minimalistic yet stimulating.”
- “The soundtrack didn't really fit the sceneries and made it more tense than inspired.”
- “Its minimalistic approach is fine, but it's lacking content and inspiring visual and musical themes.”
- “Unfortunately, I’m a better musician than a writer, so I personally probably won’t get as much out of this as someone who is looking to get into writing as a means to creatively express themselves.”
atmosphere
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
13%
20%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and unique qualities, enhanced by cosmic visuals and a haunting ambient soundtrack that evoke a sense of mystery and inspiration. While the vivid imagery and sound design effectively draw players into the world, some users noted that the repetitive audio and limited interactive elements detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating environment that encourages creative expression, though it may not appeal to all audiences, particularly younger players.
- “Each world creates a unique atmosphere, and each one can make an interesting story, along with the unique prompts and situations.”
- “The audio crept up on me, mysterious, subtle, haunting, but never too overwhelming, which helps to evoke the atmosphere of the world.”
- “With an atmosphere that will instantly hook you, 'Elegy for a Dead World' is a delightfully novel way to approach creative writing.”
- “Another gripe I have is that when reading other stories, you only get simulated book pages instead of the interactive walkthrough of the story experience, which takes away so much of the atmosphere, especially since the pictures in the book cannot be controlled in their shapes, sizes, and the like.”
- “I believe it's that way to help add to the atmosphere of where you are and allow you to think about what the next piece of the story will be.”
- “Through vivid imagery and carefully developed atmospheres, players are encouraged to write and share their science fiction-themed creations with the community.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some users appreciate the structured prompts that offer variety within the limited worlds, others feel that the overall content is lacking, leading to a low replay value. Enhancements such as additional prompts and worlds could significantly improve the game's longevity and enjoyment.
- “It's a wonderful game with infinite replay value.”
- “Each also has several prompts, providing structures for your writing from prose to poetry to comedy songs, so even though there are only three worlds, there's plenty of replay value in each.”
- “I feel as though this game would have more replay value if there were more to it -- more prompts, more worlds, and perhaps, more space in which to write.”
- “Replayability is nearly nonexistent, so I quickly uninstalled the game.”
- “Replay value: 1/10”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted through its mad libs-like mode, where players can create and share stories that often lead to unexpected hilarity. While some users find the humor hit-or-miss, the ability to fill in prompts with random words can result in genuinely funny outcomes, making it a delightful experience for those who enjoy creative writing. Overall, the game offers a mix of humorous and serious writing prompts, catering to a variety of comedic tastes.
- “A mad libs mode with a few people would be hilarious.”
- “Reading other people's stories is a delight as well, and some of them can be exceptionally funny.”
- “I didn't know what to write, so I just started filling in blanks with random things like aardvarks, and a few minutes later I had a story that had me laughing out loud.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, frequently freezing when users attempt to publish or access their stories, which hampers the overall experience. While there are no major glitches reported, the persistent freezing and buggy controls detract from its intended purpose as a source of inspiration.
- “Seems like an interesting game, but it freezes every time I try to publish or access my stories.”
- “When I tried to publish a story, the game froze, and now it freezes whenever I try to access any of my written stories.”
- “The game is buggy, and the first story I wrote ended up with me being trapped and not able to complete the story.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, primarily due to the lack of sorting and rating options, which makes discovering engaging content a frustrating experience. The interface is criticized for being overly simplistic, leading to a cumbersome navigation process. Overall, improvements in accessibility and organization are deemed necessary to enhance user experience.
- “Tedious as hell.”
- “However, it is so tedious.”
- “In my honest opinion, the interface and the accessibility of other stories overall should be improved, since a mere list with titles is quite tedious to go through.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary significantly across different hardware configurations.
- “The optimization in this game is outstanding, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end hardware.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance settings, making it easy to customize for the best experience.”
- “The game's optimization ensures that loading times are minimal, keeping the immersion intact.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game particularly poignant, especially in the context of current global challenges, with many expressing that it evokes deep feelings and connections, such as the heartfelt story of a dog that resonates on a personal level.
- “Now, having played it, in the midst of global health and economic collapse, it is more heart-wrenching than ever.”
- “I wrote a story about a dog, and it made me feel something inside.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The monetization model for "Elegy for a Dead World" is straightforward, as it requires a one-time purchase with no additional in-game purchases or microtransactions, making it accessible for players who prefer a complete experience without ongoing costs.
- “I purchased 'Elegy for a Dead World', even though I had never bought any games or in-game purchases before.”
- “I had to purchase 'Elegy for a Dead World', even though I had never bought any games or in-game purchases before.”
- “In-game purchases: none.”

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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6h Median play time

4h Average play time

1-7h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Elegy for a Dead World is a simulation game with science fiction theme.

Elegy for a Dead World is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Elegy for a Dead World.

Elegy for a Dead World was released on December 10, 2014.

Elegy for a Dead World was developed by Popcannibal.

Elegy for a Dead World has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Elegy for a Dead World is a single player game.

Similar games include Event[0], Stories Untold, Transistor, Quadrilateral Cowboy, Viewfinder and others.

Elegy for a Dead World

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