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Element4l

Element4l packs in a difficult challenge and despite its shortcomings you will find something worth your time.
Element4l Game Cover
80%Game Brain Score
music, gameplay
replayability, grinding
82% User Score Based on 406 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

LinuxPCPlaystation 4WindowsPlayStationPlaystation Vita
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Element4l Game Cover

About

Element4l is a single player casual platformer game. It was developed by I-Illusions and was released on May 24, 2013. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Element4l is an immersive and experimental indie platform game, with a strong focus on flow and smooth gameplay, wrapped in an exceptional soundtrack by Mind Tree.

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Element4l screenshot
Element4l screenshot
Element4l screenshot
Element4l screenshot
Element4l screenshot
Element4l screenshot
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82%
Audience ScoreBased on 406 reviews
music157 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • Unique and innovative gameplay mechanic based on switching between four elements to control movement.
  • Beautiful and charming art style complemented by an exceptional and immersive soundtrack.
  • Challenging platforming that rewards precision and mastery, providing satisfying and addictive progression.
  • High difficulty with unforgiving timing and momentum requirements leading to frequent frustration.
  • Inconsistent or problematic respawn system that resets momentum, causing repeated struggles on tricky sections.
  • Limited level design and short playtime with some levels feeling tedious or repetitive, combined with insufficient in-game guidance.
  • music
    238 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in Element4l is widely praised as a beautiful, soothing, and exceptional soundtrack that greatly enhances the game's atmosphere and overall experience, often described as a major highlight worth the purchase alone. Some find it experimental or repetitive and occasionally distracting during challenging gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered immersive, calming, and perfectly suited to the game's unique art style and mechanics.

    • “The soundtrack is completely unique and ten kinds of amazing, and it comes free with the game, no extra purchases.”
    • “Oh god the music, I'd buy this game just for the OST.”
    • “The soundtrack for this game is amazing, it works with the way the game feels and looks so amazingly well.”
    • “I have no idea why people would praise the soundtrack - all I hear are annoying, low quality wind chimes.”
    • “If you really want to hear an annoying, inaccessible, weird soundtrack to a game... this is it.”
    • “The music is a bit repetitive and irritates when blocked on a level several times, but otherwise, it adds a soothing touch to the game.”
  • gameplay
    121 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of element4l centers on switching between four elemental states to navigate physics-based platforming, offering a simple yet innovative mechanic that is both engaging and challenging. While many praise its fluidity, unique concept, and rewarding difficulty curve, others find the controls fiddly and the difficulty frustratingly unforgiving, leading to a divisive experience between relaxing flow and punishing precision. Overall, it delivers a fresh and enjoyable platforming experience for those who appreciate skill-based mechanics and are willing to persevere through its steep learning curve.

    • “The gameplay itself is immensely enjoyable, easy to learn, but very tricky to master, and with online records and other time trial type goals the replayability is pretty limitless.”
    • “Mechanics are smooth and has a great difficulty curve, throwing in trick shots and reaction based jumps. You can tell the devs put some real thought and effort into this game.”
    • “The core mechanic of switching between air, ice, rock, and fire with just the arrow keys is brilliantly simple in concept, but the timing and momentum required to chain elements together properly is brutally unforgiving.”
    • “Often solving the puzzles didn't lead me to understanding the game mechanics any better since the 'physics solution' that I came up with in this "physics platformer" was not the right way to solve the puzzle, but I had to do it the single right (weird) way.”
    • “In the end, because the mechanics are never fully explained, when you press the same buttons on multiple attempts and get different results each time it goes from 'tough but fair' to seeming just frustrating for frustrating's sake.”
  • graphics
    78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Element4l features simple yet charming and soothing graphics with a cute, minimalist art style that many find visually appealing and atmospheric. The visuals are often praised for complementing the relaxing soundtrack, creating an inviting aesthetic, though some note the graphics can seem understated or fade into the background during intense gameplay. Overall, the game’s polished and distinctive art design is a highlight, enhancing its unique indie platformer experience despite the challenging gameplay.

    • “Then we have the graphics, oh my god the graphics... this is one of those games with graphics that are so simple that makes it look more appealing than new-gen games, you wouldn't even guess it's an indie.”
    • “Innovative gameplay, pretty and polished visuals, and a gorgeous soundtrack.”
    • “Beautiful graphics and amazing music that amps up the tempo and intensity with every combo you make.”
    • “Fairly poor audiovisuals, grating classical style piano with cheap sprites with emoji on bubble of element.”
    • “It really bothers me since I bought this game more for the aesthetic aspect of it than anything.”
    • “Other than art style nightsky-inspired and the game being short (thank lord!), there is nothing even remotely good or fine about this game.”
  • atmosphere
    37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Element4l is widely praised for its beautiful, calming, and immersive atmosphere, characterized by soft visuals and a meditative, melodic soundtrack that enhances the relaxing mood. While the game's aesthetic and auditory design create a soothing and engaging environment, some find the challenging, precise gameplay at odds with the otherwise tranquil ambiance. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a major strength, making the game a visually and sonically captivating experience despite its difficulty.

    • “I love this game, the atmosphere and music are so meditative and relaxing, and the art is so pretty, that even after playing through and finishing the story I find myself wanting to play more.”
    • “This game is short in length (2 hours approx.), has simple and solid controls, appreciative level design (reminiscent of Nightsky), lush and vibrant atmosphere, background and art design, all backed up by an amazing soundtrack by Mind Tree which makes you feel relaxed for hours.”
    • “The atmosphere looks so nice and peaceful that you don't want to stop playing.”
  • story
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is minimal to nearly non-existent, offering only vague or abstract narrative elements that many players find underdeveloped or confusing. However, this lack of story does not significantly impact the overall experience, as the game's atmosphere, music, and gameplay remain its primary strengths. Some appreciate the subtle, interpretive nature of the story, while others wish it had been more fleshed out to complement the game's intriguing themes.

    • “I love this game, the atmosphere and music are so meditative and relaxing, and the art is so pretty, that even after playing through and finishing the story I find myself wanting to play more.”
    • “Its simple and brilliant with the vague story it has that lets us, the player, compound it with our struggles as we push through level after level.”
    • “I love the game for it has great music, great graphics, and a rather beautiful story even though there is not any dialogue aside from the captions the game says to you.”
    • “The story is very near non-existent.”
    • “No story, not even an abstract story.”
    • “The game seems like it's trying to tell some story, but in the end it doesn't culminate into anything.”
  • humor
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is polarizing, with some players finding the dry, quirky, and sometimes cheesy jokes and text messages amusing and fitting, while others describe it as distracting, annoying, or comparable to low-quality meme humor. References to pop culture and funny in-game commentary are appreciated by many, though the comedic attempts don't resonate with all, leading to mixed reactions overall.

    • “Beautiful soundtrack, nice art, and encouraging/funny text to accompany your playthrough.”
    • “Also the little comments that we encounter across our journey are pretty funny and fit well in the game!”
    • “+ Funny text messages with referrals to other games/movies (like 'The Goonies', 'Harry Potter', 'Indiana Jones' or RPGs).”
  • replayability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability is generally positive, driven by enjoyable, skill-based gameplay, time trials, achievements, and a fun racing mode that encourages repeated attempts to improve performance. However, some note the linear level design and limited assistance features slightly restrict long-term engagement. Overall, the game offers good replay value despite its shorter length.

    • “The gameplay itself is immensely enjoyable, easy to learn, but very tricky to master, and with online records and other time trial type goals the replayability is pretty limitless.”
    • “The game has a ton of replay value while you race through levels trying to beat your best time and find that one spark you missed, as well as a racing mode that is incredibly fun if you ever get bored of the solo levels.”
    • “It has good replay value in the form of its lost sparks and race mode, and it can be very fun once you get the hang of it.”
    • “Replayability is average.”
    • “The replayability is good, but not great, as the levels are fairly linear.”
    • “The methods of help (a ghost that moves too fast at times) and a helpful boost barely make the game more playable for derptastic people like myself.”
  • grinding
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and frustrating, with repetitive tasks that lack meaningful motivation or engaging challenge. While some players initially enjoy it, the increasing difficulty becomes more about precise timing than thoughtful strategy, leading to a less satisfying experience. Despite this, the game's graphics, sounds, and overall world remain appealing.

    • “At first I did enjoy it, but later it became tedious and frustrating, as there seemed to be no reason for what I'm doing (I couldn't make up any story from the bland details the game gave me), and the levels got more and more complicated, but not in a way that makes you think more or anything alike, but rather makes you press the exact correct button at the exact correct time.”
    • “And this game really isn't that bad, it has interesting graphics and sounds, interesting gameplay... but it all gets too tedious and frustrating too early.”
    • “But ultimately frustrating and tedious.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game initially suffered from bugs and occasional crashes, including glitches like falling through the floor, impacting stability. While some issues may have been addressed since launch, players still report occasional instability. However, some argue that the game's challenge lies in its precision rather than its technical flaws.

    • “Ice melting sometimes glitches and causes you to fall through the floor, resulting in death.”
    • “The game was a bit buggy at launch with some crashes; not sure about the current state.”
    • “They are asking 9 euros for this half-baked, buggy mess.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is poorly optimized, being very demanding and barely playable with a 360 controller, indicating inadequate controller support and overall performance issues.

    • “But the game is way too demanding and is borderline unplayable with a 360 controller, let alone being optimized for it.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect is described as engaging and challenging, requiring significant skill and dexterity, which may create a sense of accomplishment for players.

  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development is highlighted by visually striking, stylized art and charming, adorable character designs that enhance the overall appeal.

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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4h Median play time
4h Average play time
1-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Element4l is a casual platformer game.

Element4l is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Windows, Linux and others.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Element4l.

Element4l was released on May 24, 2013.

Element4l was developed by I-Illusions.

Element4l has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its replayability.

Element4l is a single player game.

Similar games include DeadCore, Pid, Nihilumbra, 140, Airscape: The Fall of Gravity and others.