ENCODE

About

ENCODE is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Flyleap Studios and was released on July 16, 2020. It received neutral reviews from players.

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

Skip User Reviews

47%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

story10 positive mentions

monetization3 negative mentions

The game has a strong atmosphere and aesthetic that captures the cyberpunk theme effectively, with beautiful visuals and a fitting soundtrack.
The gunplay mechanics are enjoyable, and the story touches on interesting topics, providing a fresh narrative experience.
The developer is responsive to feedback and has made improvements, such as adding a brightness slider to enhance visibility.

The game is unfinished and feels like an early access title, with numerous bugs, poor optimization, and a lack of polish.
Visibility issues are significant, with the game being excessively dark and lighting mechanics poorly implemented, making navigation difficult.
Gameplay is often frustrating due to janky controls, a confusing map system, and a linear structure that detracts from the overall experience.

story
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
50%
12%
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 found the story enjoyable and worth experiencing, particularly within the game's cyberpunk setting.
- “The story touches on interesting topics like censorship and false media, but doesn't really delve very deeply into it.”
- “The story is surprisingly good; it impressed me.”
- “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.”
- “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'.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
29%
21%
The music in the game has received high praise for its fitting and beautiful cyberpunk soundtrack, which enhances the atmosphere and storytelling. While some users noted issues with copyright claims for content creation, the overall sentiment is that the music significantly contributes to the game's immersive experience, making it a standout feature. Many players consider the soundtrack to be one of the best aspects of the game, adding to its appeal.
- “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.”
- “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.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it dull and lacking depth, particularly criticizing the NPC models and the transition between mini-games. While certain mechanics, like shooting and driving, are praised for their solid execution, many feel that an overhaul of the gameplay and story elements is necessary to enhance overall engagement and immersion.
- “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.”
- “The gun gameplay is actually pretty decent.”
- “Good effort at presenting a slice of a dystopian city/society - like the music theme - serviceable mechanics in place - get it if you know what to expect from a B project.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
18%
27%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning cyberpunk music, vibrant colors, and immersive setting, creating a captivating experience that enhances the story. Despite some bugs, many reviewers believe the atmosphere and soundtrack alone make it worth playing, with some even rating it a perfect 10/10. However, there are mixed feelings about certain design choices, such as the letterbox format, which some players feel should be adjustable to suit personal preferences.
- “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.”
- “It has incredible atmosphere, color, and setting.”
- “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
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The graphics of the game are visually striking, featuring beautiful skylines and impressive character artwork, but they suffer from inconsistencies, such as no-clipping issues and a confusing aesthetic that blurs the line between dystopian and post-apocalyptic settings. Additionally, the limited graphic settings and resolution options do not seem to effectively enhance the visual experience, leaving players frustrated with the overall presentation.
- “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.”
- “The resolution display in the graphics settings does go above 1080p, but changing the setting 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
4 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 poor driving AI, which includes cars spawning on top of each other and driving into walls. Players find amusement in the exaggerated physics, like jumping from high places and seamlessly transitioning into driving, contributing to a lighthearted and entertaining experience. Overall, the blend of funny mechanics and a fresh story keeps players engaged and laughing.
- “What I find hilarious, for example, is that you get a ride in the car and it rains inside.”
- “The driving AI is hilariously bad.”
- “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 30 stories up and simply get into your car and drive off.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers indicate that the game's monetization strategy is not exploitative, suggesting it is a well-thought-out approach rather than a mere cash grab or low-effort asset flip.
- “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 overpriced and offer little value for what you get.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization, leading to performance issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Players report that these technical shortcomings significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “The game is poorly optimized, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “I experienced significant lag and long loading times, which really detracted from the overall experience.”
- “Despite having a high-end PC, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, indicating serious optimization issues.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is criticized for being "jankey" and buggy, particularly in driving mechanics, which can make navigation challenging. Despite these issues, some players still find it enjoyable for short periods.
- “Super janky, slightly buggy, surprisingly fun for a few hours.”
- “The driving is horrible and buggy, and finding your destination while driving is really hard to do.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the shooting mechanics evoke a strong sense of immersion reminiscent of a cyberpunk experience, the lack of depth in enemy characterization detracts from the overall emotional engagement of the game.