ENCODE

About

ENCODE is a single-player, story-driven Role Playing game set in a dystopian, open-world cyberpunk atmosphere. In the fictional country of Nira, a state security force uses advanced technology to monitor and control citizens, assigning numerical scores based on loyalty. As an indie developer's expressive work, ENCODE explores faith, philosophy, and politics while providing an immersive experience with a compelling soundtrack, despite possible shortcomings in production quality.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

49%

Audience ScoreBased on 41 reviews

story13 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game has a strong atmosphere and aesthetic, capturing the essence of a dystopian cyberpunk world with beautiful visuals and a fitting soundtrack.
The story touches on interesting themes and has moments of depth, providing a unique narrative experience.
The developer is responsive to feedback and has made improvements, showing potential for future updates and refinements.

The game is unfinished and feels like abandonware, with numerous bugs, poor optimization, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience.
Gameplay mechanics are janky and frustrating, including issues with visibility, driving controls, and AI behavior, making it difficult to navigate and enjoy the game.
The game is often too dark, making it hard to see, and the lack of a proper map or guidance leads to confusion and frustration during gameplay.

story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
47%
10%
The story is described as linear and somewhat generic, touching on themes like censorship and false media without deep exploration. While the atmosphere and visuals are praised, many reviewers note significant bugs and a lack of engaging gameplay that detracts from the narrative experience. Despite these issues, some players find the story interesting and worth experiencing, especially within the game's immersive cyberpunk setting.
- “The story is surprisingly good; it impressed me.”
- “The story touches on interesting topics like censorship and false media, but doesn't really delve very deeply into it.”
- “Encode is a very enjoyable atmospheric shooter, with a story that examines some interesting themes which I haven’t seen in other games.”
- “The story and structure is completely linear as you move from objective to objective, and since this free-roam aspect is so poorly implemented, it just highlights the overall poor quality where levels would have gotten the job done much better.”
- “You often will just pick a direction and slam the gas... you don't know where you are, and the story was so linear it was kind of painful.”
- “The game tries to be a high-quality story-driven narrative, but you can't even experience the story without going 'wow, this really is not fun to play at all'.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising the solid shooting mechanics and entertaining driving elements, while others criticize the lack of depth in major gameplay features and immersion-breaking NPC models. Many players appreciate the developer's responsiveness to bugs and gameplay issues, but feel that the overall experience could benefit from more polish and creativity. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects, the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks the innovation needed to elevate it beyond a basic experience.
- “Driving around was not only an entertaining part of the gameplay, it gave me an opportunity to explore the nooks and crannies of a city I had never really seen the likes of before.”
- “The shooting mechanics feel solid, the driving can be hilarious and satisfying at the same time, the story is fresh and easily enough to hold my attention.”
- “I appreciate that they're actively taking steps to improve the quality of their product and the gameplay experience, and I don't believe their efforts are futile.”
- “None of the major gameplay elements feel fleshed out, and some of the models (mainly the NPCs) just rip you out of the immersion entirely.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it was dull, shipping you from one mini-game to the next.”
- “Figuring out the mechanics and navigating the city without a map or distance references was tough.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
29%
18%
The music in the game has received high praise for its atmospheric and fitting cyberpunk themes, enhancing the overall experience and narrative. Many users highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as beautiful and immersive, although some caution about potential copyright issues for content creators. Overall, the music is considered a significant asset, contributing to the game's dystopian feel and making it worth experiencing.
- “In-game cyberpunk music is beautiful; it fits the atmosphere and the story behind it.”
- “The music and atmosphere are top-notch, the best I've seen in 2020, and maybe better than anything I've seen in recent memory.”
- “Its atmospheric, dystopian Tokyo feel is served by an excellent soundtrack and unique narrative.”
- “Yes, it had some lighting issues but it has been patched and it looks better. Also, the music is copyright claimable, so if you post content on YouTube like myself, be careful with that!”
- “But you can always turn down the music in the menu, which is a shame because the music is very fitting to the game and it's pretty cool.”
- “It's worth it for the atmosphere and soundtrack alone.”
atmosphere
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
13%
20%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning cyberpunk music and immersive dystopian Tokyo setting, which significantly enhance the storytelling experience. Reviewers highlight the exceptional soundtrack and world-building elements, noting that the atmosphere is a standout feature that elevates the overall gameplay, despite some technical issues. Overall, the atmosphere is considered top-notch, making the game worth experiencing for its unique ambiance and narrative depth.
- “The music and atmosphere is top notch, the best I've seen in 2020, and maybe better than anything I've seen in recent memory.”
- “Its atmospheric, dystopian Tokyo feel is served by an excellent soundtrack and unique narrative.”
- “It's worth it for the atmosphere and soundtrack alone.”
- “Where the game really shines though is the atmosphere.”
- “Long version - the game really nails the atmosphere.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The graphics of the game are visually striking, featuring beautiful skylines and detailed character artwork, but they suffer from inconsistencies, such as no-clipping issues and a lack of effective resolution settings. While the aesthetic captures an intriguing blend of dystopian and post-apocalyptic vibes, the overall execution feels rough and unfinished, leaving players confused about the intended atmosphere.
- “First off, the game is stunningly gorgeous and for one person, I believe, doing the artwork they truly crafted something to behold.”
- “The skylines are beautiful, the artwork on characters is nice, and most of all the car you drive is breathtaking.”
- “Aesthetics were nice but rough when you look past the 80s neon vibe.”
- “The graphic settings, especially resolution, seemed to do nothing no matter what you selected from the limited, non-widescreen list.”
- “- Resolution display in the graphics settings (it does go above 1080p, but in changing the setting it wouldn't reflect the change in the options panel). I verified it was running at 4K via a screenshot and checking the file details.”
- “However, there's one part where the game gets really wack, and that's the graphics.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd and often chaotic scenarios, such as rain inside cars and comically inept AI driving. Players find amusement in the reckless behavior of both drivers and pedestrians, which, while entertaining, can detract from immersion. Overall, the blend of funny glitches and engaging gameplay contributes to a lighthearted experience.
- “What I find hilarious, for example, is that you get a ride in the car and it rains inside.”
- “Cars spawning atop one another, cars driving off the road into walls, and stairway rails you can clip through. I found it funny that you can jump from your apartment window all the way from 30 stories up and simply get into your car and drive off.”
- “The AI's are comically bad drivers and the pedestrians are extremely reckless, which is funny but can hurt immersion.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is criticized for being buggy and poorly optimized, with numerous placeholder elements and frustrating driving mechanics. While some players find it enjoyable for short periods, the overall experience is marred by technical issues and a lack of polish.
- “The game you can play right now is buggy, poorly optimized, and full of early placeholder conversations.”
- “Super janky, slightly buggy, but surprisingly fun for a few hours.”
- “The driving is horrible and buggy, making it really hard to find your destination while driving.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
Reviews indicate that solo developers often excel in creating indie titles that prioritize gameplay and creativity over high performance requirements. However, some games are criticized for being poorly optimized, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “Solo developers excel in creating indie titles that have low performance requirements, allowing them to focus on great gameplay and creativity.”
- “The optimization in this game allows it to run smoothly on a variety of systems, making it accessible to a wider audience.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the game mechanics, resulting in a seamless experience that enhances overall gameplay.”
- “Solo developers are better off with so-called indie titles that have low performance requirements, where they can shine with great gameplay and creativity.”
- “Poorly optimized.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization of the game is viewed positively, with users emphasizing that it is neither an asset flip nor a cash grab, suggesting a fair and thoughtful approach to in-game purchases.
- “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “I feel pressured to spend money to enjoy the game fully, which is frustrating.”
- “The in-game purchases are way too expensive for what they offer, making it hard to justify spending.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the shooting mechanics in the game evoke a strong sense of immersion reminiscent of titles like Superhot, players feel that the lack of depth in enemy characterization detracts from the overall emotional experience.