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Elsie

Elsie doesn’t do a great deal new, but it is a great way to blast away a few hours in a world that looks and sounds beautiful.
Elsie Game Cover
79%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
replayability, stability
80% User Score Based on 55 reviews
Critic Score 74%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchLinuxPCPlaystation 5WindowsPlayStation
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Elsie Game Cover

About

Elsie is a single player arcade action adventure game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Knight Shift Games and was released on September 10, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Elsie is an indie action-platformer filled with rogue-like mechanics such as perma-death, procedurally generated levels, and a wide scope of items and weaponry to make each run as unique as possible.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
Elsie screenshot
+6
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80%
Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews
gameplay10 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • Elsie offers a fun and fast-paced gameplay experience reminiscent of Mega Man, with smooth controls and a variety of upgrades that enhance combat.
  • The game's visuals are striking, featuring beautiful pixel art and a vibrant aesthetic that keeps players engaged, complemented by a fantastic soundtrack.
  • Each run feels unique due to the roguelike elements, providing a satisfying challenge with rewarding mechanics like the parry system and diverse weapon configurations.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as freezing during boss fights and inconsistent item descriptions.
  • The tutorial system is poorly designed, introducing mechanics in a disjointed manner that can confuse players, making it difficult to grasp the game's full potential.
  • Progression can feel frustrating due to the randomization of bosses and upgrades, leading to runs that may lack meaningful advancement or engagement with the story.
  • gameplay
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in "Elsie" is characterized by its smooth mechanics, engaging upgrades, and a fast-paced roguelite experience that keeps players coming back. While the parry system and various movement mechanics add depth, some players find the tutorial pacing and certain power-ups underwhelming. Overall, the combination of tight controls, vibrant pixel art, and an energetic soundtrack creates an addictive and enjoyable gameplay experience, despite some frustrations with enemy mechanics and menu navigation.

    • “Beautiful pixel art, speedy and smooth gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay is really smooth, upgrades are fun, and there is a consistent difficulty increase.”
    • “The dive attack, parry, and spell mechanics add a ton of additional layers on top of your basic movement, and you'll always be getting better at the game.”
    • “There are weird moments when you have to break enemies with a certain mechanic, and it is almost impossible to pull off due to positioning. I nearly had to restart the game because I couldn't break a red-shielded enemy.”
    • “I've encountered mechanics and obstacles before their tutorials spawned for me several runs later.”
    • “When the difficulty of the gameplay requires this much precision, every upgrade counts, and it can feel pretty frustrating to receive an item for a part of the moveset that you don't use, need, or want, especially as the game ratchets up the difficulty area-by-area.”
  • music
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Elsie" has received widespread acclaim for its engaging and dynamic soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the seamless integration of the music with game mechanics, creating a sense of momentum and intensity during play. The soundtrack is described as catchy and memorable, with many players expressing a desire for an official release due to its high quality and ability to elevate the overall atmosphere of the game.

    • “One thing that I've really been enjoying about Elsie is that it doesn't take long to pick up a feeling of momentum and 'flow.' The combination of dashes, floaty jumps, downward slams, and other mechanics, combined with the driving electronic soundtrack, propel me forward and give a great sense of fluidity and forward motion.”
    • “The music blends so well with the gameplay, pushing you forward and making every fight feel intense.”
    • “Overall, Elsie delivers on everything it promises: tight gameplay, stunning visuals, and a killer soundtrack.”
    • “Also, when will the soundtrack be released?”
    • “Need an OST now.”
    • “The sprites of the enemies and characters are pretty neat, while the soundtrack is very appropriate to the aesthetics, accompanying the frenetic gameplay with lively melodies.”
  • story
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in the game is described as having potential with engaging elements like plot twists and character interactions, but it suffers from predictable outcomes and uninspired dialogue. While some players find the narrative engaging and appreciate the character dynamics, others criticize the uneven storytelling and technical issues that disrupt the flow of the game. Overall, the story is seen as a mixed bag, with calls for deeper character development and more impactful narrative choices.

    • “At first glance, Elsie has the makings of a great story.”
    • “I've beaten a few bosses, the story has kept me surprisingly engaged - it's voiced, really fun, the quippy banter with bosses is great.”
    • “I liked how Elsie lays out her story, with little scenes and conversations that unlock as we progress and defeat certain bosses.”
    • “The dialogue and voice acting are uninspired.”
    • “There are plot twists, but they’re somewhat predictable and lack any emotional impact.”
    • “The story and characters come across as rather uneven.”
  • graphics
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning pixel art and retro aesthetic, enhanced by modern digital effects. Reviewers highlight the impactful artwork and character designs, which evoke a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic titles like Mega Man. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's engaging atmosphere and gameplay experience.

    • “The graphics are really good pixel art as well.”
    • “Overall, Elsie delivers on everything it promises: tight gameplay, stunning visuals, and a killer soundtrack.”
    • “The artists and stage designers clearly know their aesthetics; many of the enemy designs look like they came straight out of a lost Mega Man game.”
    • “On the graphics and music side, Elsie demonstrates a mix of pixel art and very cool digital effects, creating a retro aesthetic but with modernized touches.”
    • “The sprites of the enemies and characters are pretty neat, while the soundtrack is very appropriate to the aesthetics, accompanying the frenetic gameplay with lively melodies.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game offers significant replayability due to its extensive customization options and upgrades, though some players feel it lacks the initial excitement upon revisiting.

    • “Pairing the voice acting with the customization options and the variety of upgrades creates an immense amount of replayability.”
    • “There is tons of replayability in this game.”
    • “The replayability is present, but it falls short of the excitement I initially experienced.”
    • “Pair in the voice acting with the customizations as well as the amount of upgrades, which makes the game have an immense amount of replayability.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches and bugs reported, including dialogue freezes, boss spawn failures, and crashes during pauses. These problems have led to frustration, particularly during critical moments like final boss encounters, making it difficult to recommend the game.

    • “But there are so many glitches and bugs that it's not something I can recommend.”
    • “The number of times I have had to quit at the final boss due to either the dialogue freezing, the boss not spawning in, or the game crashing if you pause slightly too long is ridiculous.”
    • “But it's been out long enough that the general UI shouldn't be this buggy, in my opinion.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    While the character designs and voice acting are praised, reviewers feel that the game falls short in fully developing its characters, suggesting that more effort is needed to enhance their depth and complexity.

    • “If you’re going to the trouble of making great character designs and hiring voice actors for them, then take time to fully develop them.”
    • “Character designs are cool.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is well-received, featuring a variety of easter eggs and references that enhance the overall experience.

    • “I also want to shout out the art direction and humor, which has plenty of easter eggs and references.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    While the game features plot twists, they are often seen as predictable and fail to evoke a strong emotional response from players.

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74%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Elsie is a arcade action adventure game with science fiction theme.

Elsie is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Elsie.

Elsie was released on September 10, 2024.

Elsie was developed by Knight Shift Games.

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

Elsie is a single player game.

Similar games include 30XX, Trinity Fusion, ScourgeBringer, 20XX, Astral Ascent and others.