Else Heart.Break()

68%
Game Brain Score Based on 519 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Else Heart.Break() Game Cover
A beautiful adventure with heart, humour, and satisfying hacking puzzles you can enjoy even if you dont know anything about coding.
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In Else Heart.Break, play as Sebastian, a young adult seeking his identity and love in the city of Dorisburg, while navigating a dynamic world through programming and interaction with characters. Experience a rich, detailed story in a living, breathing city, filled with secrets and intrigue. Solve problems your way as you form friendships and uncover the city's dark secrets.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

68%
Audience ScoreBased on 519 reviews
story62 positive mentions
stability16 negative mentions
  • Unique and engaging hacking mechanics that allow players to modify the game world using a custom programming language.
  • Visually striking art style and a captivating soundtrack that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.
  • The game encourages exploration and creativity, rewarding players for their curiosity and problem-solving skills.
  • The game can be confusing and aimless at the beginning, with little direction on where to go or what to do, leading to frustration.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches can disrupt gameplay, including soft locks and unresponsive NPCs.
  • The story feels incomplete and unsatisfying, with multiple endings that lack depth and resolution.
  • story483 mentions

    The story in "else heart.break()" is often described as confusing, linear, and lacking depth, with many players feeling it fails to engage them fully. While some appreciate its quirky and surreal elements, they note that the narrative can feel incomplete or rushed, with significant bugs and navigation issues hindering progression. Overall, the game is seen as more focused on its unique hacking mechanics than on delivering a compelling story, leading to mixed feelings about its narrative quality.

    • “The story is interesting and weird, and it really captures that youthful college vibe of going off on drunken adventures with friends.”
    • “I've played through the story 3 times and have had a unique experience each time -- not because the story is full of arcs like some AAA RPG that you could never hope to finish it all, but because there's so much opportunity to affect the elements with your own input.”
    • “The story is rich and creative (yet somewhat breakable), and you even get to learn code along the way.”
    • “There is literally no good ending to this story.”
    • “The story is confusing and clumsy; and worse: typical game design elements that make games playable are completely absent here.”
    • “The writing is atrocious, the story is almost entirely uncompelling, and the pacing is awful.”
  • gameplay126 mentions

    The gameplay of "Else heart.break()" is characterized by its unique programming mechanics, which allow players to interact with the game world in innovative ways, though it requires a significant learning curve that can be frustrating for newcomers. While the art style and atmosphere are praised, many players find the initial hours slow and unengaging, with some technical issues affecting navigation and interaction. Overall, the game offers a compelling experience for those willing to invest time in mastering its systems, particularly appealing to players with a background in programming.

    • “The gameplay itself is some of the most engaging stuff I've ever played.”
    • “The mechanic of being able to hack almost everything makes for some great emergent gameplay, and the art and sound design sets the mood in a way few indie games have ever done.”
    • “As someone who adores games with novel mechanics, I find that this game ticks all of those boxes, making it one of my favorite games.”
    • “And I can't really appreciate the game where in order to progress and learn core mechanics you must read the guides unless you want to suffer for 3-5 hours.”
    • “45 minutes into it, I'm still no closer to getting to the core gameplay of the game.”
    • “I'm sure there is a decent game in there somewhere, but I can't find it under the terrible navigation and poor gameplay.”
  • graphics92 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising its unique and vibrant art style that enhances the overall experience, while others criticize the low-resolution textures and awkward design choices that can hinder gameplay. The psychedelic visuals and creative aesthetic are often highlighted as standout features, contributing to a captivating atmosphere, despite some players feeling that the graphics fall short of modern standards. Overall, the game's artistic direction is appreciated, but technical execution leaves room for improvement.

    • “I love the art style, the city, and the time-based mechanics.”
    • “The graphics are effective and have an interesting style, the sound works well, the gameplay is smooth, and the basic idea - of a world in which you can 'hack' literally anything - is fascinating and well implemented.”
    • “The beautiful art style, the unprecedented amount of freedom to do and hack whatever you want in the sandbox world, and the laid-back vibe of the storyline make this my favorite game of 2015.”
    • “However, I can't get myself to look past the atrocious graphics and controls.”
    • “The story is pure nonsense, graphics look like a PSP port, dialog is awkward as if straight from Google Translate.”
    • “The graphics in this game are not 'full HD' or something like that.”
  • music82 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its originality and fitting integration with the game's aesthetic, featuring a diverse soundtrack that blends ambient electronica and trip-hop. Players appreciate the standout tracks and the opportunity to discover new artists, with many noting that the music enhances the immersive experience of the surreal world. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant strength of the game, contributing to its unique atmosphere and appeal.

    • “The art and soundtrack are fantastic, and I discovered a whole new group of creators whose media sit firmly in my collections.”
    • “The soundtrack in the game is a mixture of ambient electronica and trip-hop, but suits the various environments in this strange surreal computer-based world.”
    • “A well thought-through world filled with an astounding amount of details and great music.”
    • “The sound is decent, nothing to write home about but it does the job, same goes for the music.”
    • “The music was okay overall, with a couple of standout tracks.”
    • “Music isn't used too much but when it is, it hits the feeling of the world and the atmosphere just right.”
  • atmosphere21 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for being immersive and engaging, with a chill vibe that complements the gameplay. While the soundtrack enhances the experience, some narrative elements are criticized for detracting from the initially strong atmosphere. Overall, the world feels alive, blending a cartoony aesthetic with underlying darkness, making exploration enjoyable.

    • “Great atmosphere, great plot, decent storyline, and immersive and interesting gameplay.”
    • “Such a great atmosphere, really chill and immersive.”
    • “As for a world that feels alive, the soundtrack meshes with the game's vibe and atmosphere really well.”
    • “Game will try to feed you narrative locations, but they are all pretty bland and pointless, and if anything ruin the atmosphere which was very good at the beginning of the game.”
    • “The atmosphere is quite cartoony, except everything seems to have a certain darkness lurking underneath.”
    • “Music isn't used too much, but when it is, it hits the feeling of the world and the atmosphere just right.”
  • stability16 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous players reporting a plethora of bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay and progression. Many aspects, including the story, characters, and controls, are described as feeling incomplete and problematic, leading to a frustrating experience for those trying to advance in the game. Overall, the consensus is that while the game has potential, its current state is marred by significant stability issues.

    • “Warning: despite me loving this game as it is and would still love it with no story and just vague goals, which it kinda is... it is a buggy mess.”
    • “The glitches and story critical bugs are plentiful here so if you're trying to progress through a game, then this ain't it.”
    • “The story, characters, dialog, locations, sounds, events and controls all feel incomplete and buggy.”
  • grinding14 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and frustrating, particularly during the initial hours, which many players find boring and unengaging. Reviewers note that the gameplay often feels taxing due to cumbersome inventory management and a lack of clear direction, making it challenging for players to stay invested. Overall, it seems that only those with considerable patience may find enjoyment in the game.

    • “Unfortunately, the game start is so tedious that I feel frustrated all the time when I try to play or get back into the game.”
    • “First impression: 2/10 - boring, tedious, taxing, not as advertised.”
    • “I would only recommend it to gamers who can muster the patience to sit through the tedious parts of it.”
  • replayability12 mentions

    The game offers a mix of replayability due to its engaging, cheery yet dystopian adventure and the challenge of navigating bugs in the programming aspect. While some players find replay value limited without additional content or mods, others appreciate the depth and time required to explore the game fully. Overall, it has potential for replayability, though it may not reach the levels of similar titles like Uplink.

    • “It doesn't teach programming in the best way, but it is a cheery albeit dystopian and different-culture adventure which is replayable and fun.”
    • “The story was going great, up until you finish - but I can see a whole lot of replayability in here.”
    • “Replayability is pretty much required as it will take a lot of time just to get a sense of the city.”
    • “Uplink is still better, mainly because of replay value.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as cheeky and enjoyable, with players finding amusement in messing around with game mechanics and encountering funny code snippets. While the story and puzzles may lack depth, the lighthearted antics and humorous interactions provide a fun experience, particularly in the ways players can creatively break the game.

    • “The story isn't the best part, but it is cheeky and has good humor.”
    • “It's fun to just mess around with random stuff and change the colors of streetlights, or break the game in hilarious ways.”
    • “There are a handful of pretty funny code snippets that add to the humor of the game.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    Reviews highlight a mixed emotional experience, with some players feeling a genuine connection to the hacking simulation, while others criticize the storytelling as lacking depth and emotional resonance. The game "else heart.break()" is noted for its potential to evoke strong feelings, despite its narrative shortcomings. Overall, the emotional impact varies significantly among players, depending on their expectations and engagement with the game's mechanics.

    • “Else heart.break() is a heart-breaking game.”
    • “Is this a function of this being one of those European-origin indie games that is characteristically heavy on delicious simulation and low on grammatically or emotionally or filmically competent storytelling?”
    • “But if you're looking for a fun hacking game, none of the others I've tried (and I feel I've tried them all now) came close to recreating that feeling like this one; this one made me feel like a real hacker in a virtual game rather than playing the predetermined story of a Hollywood hacker.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's inventory system is criticized for lacking optimization, especially given its significance in gameplay; players expected a more streamlined and efficient access similar to that found in other popular titles like Deus Ex or Minecraft.

    • “The inventory system is crucial to gameplay, and it feels like it could be as optimized as spellcasting in an MMO or weapon selection in an arena FPS, similar to the inventory management in games like Deus Ex or Minecraft.”
    • “Given the importance of the inventory, which includes essential items like keys, disks, modifiers, extractors, drinks, screwdrivers, a credit card, and even a teleporter, one would expect the inventory access to be highly optimized.”
    • “With the inventory being such a huge part of the game (important items include keys, disks, modifiers, extractors, drinks, screwdrivers, a credit card, and even a teleporter), you'd think inventory access would be as optimized as spells in an MMO or weapons in an arena FPS, or at least the inventory in Deus Ex or Minecraft.”
    • “The lack of optimization in inventory access is frustrating, especially given how crucial it is to gameplay. It feels outdated compared to other games that handle inventory management much better.”
    • “I expected the inventory system to be streamlined, but it feels clunky and inefficient, making it a chore to manage essential items.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

86% average critic score

Buy Else Heart.Break()

Play time

20hMedian play time
16hAverage play time
3-24hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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