Eleusis
- October 16, 2013
- Nocturnal works
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Eleusis" is a single-player 3D adventure game that utilizes the Unreal Engine for Windows. The player seeks refuge in a seemingly abandoned Greek village, only to find themselves in the midst of a cult's dark plans to revive a powerful force through an ancient ritual. The game features an interesting plot, ingenious graphics, and a splendid atmosphere, with a focus on exploration, information gathering, and puzzle-solving based on actual history, mythology, and technology.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features decent graphics and a spooky atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- The story, while simple, has interesting connections to ancient Greek mythology, which adds depth to the gameplay.
- The game is relatively short, making it a quick playthrough for those looking for a casual experience.
- The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator with tedious backtracking and aimless wandering, leading to a lack of engagement.
- Puzzles are often illogical and frustrating, requiring players to search for items in obscure locations without clear direction.
- The horror elements are minimal, with enemies being more of an annoyance than a genuine threat, detracting from the intended suspense.
- story88 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of the game is centered around a character who finds himself in a mysterious village in modern Greece, uncovering a cult linked to ancient Greek mythology. While some players appreciate the atmospheric and spooky elements, many criticize the narrative for being predictable, thin, and overly reliant on familiar tropes, with significant portions of the story conveyed through cutscenes and text rather than engaging gameplay. Overall, the story has potential but often feels underdeveloped and lacks depth, leading to a mixed reception among players.
“On top of that, I did like the premise of the story and its connections to ancient Greek mythology - you play a character who finds himself stuck on a lonely road in modern Greece after his car breaks down, and discovers a strange village close by where everyone seems to be missing.”
“The story, and its two endings, were tacked together like a poorly constructed narrative, but the atmosphere and exploration elements kept me engaged.”
“Great story with an even better atmosphere.”
“The story is predictable and the gameplay is not smooth at all, making it an overall pretty boring experience.”
“The storyline is nothing special - some mysterious cult trying to raise an evil god - and the twists and turns can be seen from a mile away.”
“The story is very thin and amounts to stopping an evil ritual, lacking depth and engagement.”
- graphics45 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of Eleusis are generally praised for their decent quality, atmospheric design, and effective use of lighting, particularly for a smaller development team. While many reviewers appreciate the visuals and the immersive ambiance they create, some note that the graphics alone cannot compensate for the game's lack of engaging gameplay and story. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, but they are often overshadowed by the game's other shortcomings.
“Graphics are quite amazing for a two-man job, with nice and crisp textures, while shadows and ambient occlusion are excellent and provide a decent spooky atmosphere.”
“Fantastic game with great graphics, full of atmosphere and well worth a try especially if it's on sale.”
“The spooky ambient noises are fitting and the great graphics in general work well to establish a creepy atmosphere.”
“Uninspiring visuals, few puzzles with lots of walking, didn't really feel a story hook that would make me want to continue the game.”
“The size of the map might also be connected to the horrendous performance I received on a PC that is more than capable of running the game, which graphically consists of little more than bland textures, pop-in prone foliage, and embarrassing particle effects.”
“The graphics also found a way to annoy me though, so it didn't save my experience.”
- atmosphere44 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is frequently described as spooky and immersive, with many reviewers praising its dark, eerie visuals and ambient sounds that enhance the overall experience. While some found the atmosphere compelling and reminiscent of classic horror titles, others noted that it can feel superficial or wear off quickly, with gameplay and story elements not always matching the atmospheric quality. Overall, the game succeeds in creating a tense and unsettling environment, appealing to fans of atmospheric, story-driven experiences.
“Overall, it's an alright game; I very much liked the atmosphere it provided, and the ending(s) in particular.”
“The creepy looking visuals and ambient atmosphere gave off a nice unsettling mood that looked very promising.”
“The atmosphere around the map is awesome, especially with a good headset to fully enjoy the sounds of the game.”
“While failing to capture the atmosphere of similar games of this genre, it also manages to be painfully uninteresting.”
“The game just didn't feel very adventurous; it was more or less a boring experience, although it did succeed in creating a creepy atmosphere.”
“Also, the dark atmosphere is not something to be proud of since it makes no sense either.”
- gameplay27 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and simplistic, primarily revolving around slow exploration, item scavenging, and backtracking. While some appreciate the immersive environment and atmospheric design, others criticize the lack of engaging mechanics and the presence of glitches that hinder the experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a significant drawback, with many players feeling it fails to deliver a compelling or smooth experience.
“The gameplay, while short (it took me about 4 hours to finish the entire game), is rather good and works well with the environment to immerse you.”
“Overall, I think this is a good little game made by a small team that doesn't try to punch above its weight but instead focuses on good gameplay and an immersive environment with great sound design.”
“Great looking, great gameplay.”
“The gameplay: the entirety of the game is spent exploring the map at a bit of a walking pace, finding various clues, figuring out what they're telling you to do, locating items you need, sometimes accidentally picking up items before you've found the clue that tells you what you need them for, then trying to figure out why you need them and where they go.”
“The entire gameplay is structured around finding items and constantly backtracking to use them in places you visited several times already.”
“The worst part about the game is the gameplay itself, which is nothing but walking around in a large but empty world at a very slow pace.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by numerous bugs, including clipping issues, NPC spawning problems, and sound glitches, which detract from the overall experience. While it is optimized to avoid noticeable freezes or lags, players report frequent freezing and a lack of clarity in gameplay objectives, making it less enjoyable. Overall, the game struggles with stability, leading to a frustrating experience despite some positive aspects.
“This game had the potential but it failed in many aspects. The description of the game is all wrong; this is not even mild horror, it is a walking simulator with bugs and a bunch of locked houses and key collecting. The whole game is confusing, and you do not even know what to do or where to go. They did this to prolong this very short game. If you enable NPCs, they spawn in some buggy locations that can get you killed instantly. So all in all, it's a mild walking simulator that could be worth a try since it is short, but I would rather advise you not to unless you get it for free or really cheap.”
“Physics system works, but there's a lot of clipping. You can push objects through walls, and the sound glitches when you drop items.”
“The other flaw is that the game is buggy (at least for me); it freezes too often.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and lacking depth, with repetitive enemy encounters and excessive backtracking contributing to a monotonous experience. The puzzles are often described as easy yet frustratingly confusing, leading to a gameplay loop that feels more like a series of fetch quests than engaging challenges. Overall, the combination of predictable design and a lack of suspense diminishes the enjoyment of the game.
“The backtracking felt tedious and boring.”
“Trite puzzle design; tedious backtracking; threadbare and predictable story drain the tension fairly quickly; short length.”
“Gameplay (up to half an hour in) consists largely of scavenging for tools in a needlessly large and dismally lit environment, which grew tedious even in the brief time I spent on it.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance on older hardware, others experience significant issues, particularly on lower-spec systems. The graphical quality does not always align with performance expectations, leading to overheating and lag on certain setups. However, for its price point, many find the optimization acceptable, especially given the game's age and the capabilities of the Unreal Engine.
“On a bright side, the game is old and seems to be nicely optimized; there are no noticeable freezes or lags.”
“Performance was great, but given the graphical quality, I am not shocked.”
“Extremely good for only 3 euros; the world is non-open and fairly linear, but it does not feel like it's on rails. Graphics are very pretty and performance is good.”
“First off, Eleusis has much worse performance than the quality of the graphics might lead you to expect.”
“The size of the map might also be connected to the horrendous performance I received on a PC that is more than capable of running the game, which graphically consists of little more than bland textures, pop-in prone foliage, and embarrassing particle effects.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is minimal and not overly distracting, with occasional fitting tracks that enhance the atmosphere. However, overall, the sound design feels underdeveloped, contributing to a sense of the game being untested.
“The sound and music in this game are well-balanced; there's not too much distracting music playing, and on the few occasions it does, it is very fitting.”
“Conclusion: This game, despite having good graphics, lighting, and creepy ambient music, seems untested and underdeveloped. I would advise not to waste your time with it!”
“The sound and music are lacking; there's not much distracting music playing, and when it does, it feels very fitting but ultimately forgettable.”
“The sound and music are lacking; there's not much distracting music playing, and when it does, it feels very fitting but ultimately forgettable.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find humor in the game's quirky design, particularly the absurdity of dying and facing a series of loading screens that add a comedic layer to the experience.
“The fact that if you die, you enter a loading screen to the beginning, so you can click continue and enter another loading screen, is hilarious.”
“The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me laughing out loud throughout the game.”
“The game's quirky characters and their ridiculous antics make every moment entertaining.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Many users feel that "Eleusis" offers limited replayability, primarily due to its short length—often completed in under two hours—and minimal choices that affect the outcome, making the $15 price point seem excessive.
“Overall, I enjoyed much of Eleusis, but to put it bluntly, fifteen dollars is too much to ask, because it is not only too short (I beat my first run in less than two hours), it lacks replay value, save for one small decision at the end.”
“After completing the game, I found that there was little incentive to play again. The story doesn't change significantly, and the gameplay feels repetitive after the first run.”
“While the game has a captivating story, the lack of different endings or meaningful choices makes it hard to justify replaying it once you've seen everything.”
