Encodya

About

ENCODYA is a single-player Science Fiction game set in the gritty world of Neo-Berlin 2062. Tina, a plucky 9-year-old orphan, and her clumsy robot companion SAM-53, embark on intriguing adventures amidst spectacular music and compelling graphics. This wholesome story, with its unique atmosphere and a hint of grinding, offers a lovingly designed artbook, soundtrack, and making-of video, with a portion of revenues donated to charity.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 204 reviews

story64 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and a beautifully designed cyberpunk world that immerses players in its atmosphere.
The voice acting is well done, adding depth to the characters and enhancing the overall experience.
The story, while simple, is engaging and features charming characters, particularly the relationship between Tina and her robot companion, SAM-53.

The puzzles can be unintuitive and frustrating, often requiring pixel hunting for small objects that blend into the background.
The pacing of the game can feel slow, with excessive backtracking and convoluted tasks that detract from the enjoyment.
The hint system is not very helpful, often providing vague guidance that does not assist players in overcoming obstacles.

story
181 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
58%
7%
The story of "Encodya" is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and heartwarming, while others criticize it for being clichéd, convoluted, and filled with plot holes. Set in a cyberpunk dystopia, it follows a young orphan girl and her robot companion on a quest to uncover her father's legacy, but the execution often feels uneven, with some reviewers noting that the humor and pacing detract from the overall narrative experience. While the visuals and atmosphere are praised, the story's depth and coherence leave much to be desired for many players.
- “The story is engaging.”
- “The story made me stand up and applaud at the end.”
- “Encodya is a wonderful point and click adventure, with beautiful graphics and music, an amazing story and loveable characters.”
- “Encodya is a bland and generic cyberpunk dystopia, running indie story beats that feel uninspired.”
- “The plot had promise, but I was seeing some holes and it just didn't grab me enough to put up with the gameplay.”
- “The story is dull and cliché, the puzzles are uninspiring, and most of the NPCs are flat with bad writing.”
graphics
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
40%
4%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals and immersive art style, often described as a blend of cartoonish and cyberpunk aesthetics. Many reviewers highlight the detailed environments and smooth animations, which contribute significantly to the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of the game. However, some players noted that while the graphics are impressive, certain aspects, like item visibility and character models, could be improved.
- “The visuals are simply stunning and I felt immersed in the world all the time.”
- “The graphics are incredible, especially the environments!”
- “The environments visuals are stunning and beautiful, especially the atmospheric cyberpunk urban areas full of neon signs, rain, and people wearing headsets and plugged into cyberspace.”
- “The graphics and gameplay are what's advertised, which is a mid-2000's cereal box tier free game.”
- “The futuristic artwork mixed in a design of multi-culture even brings back some nostalgia for me, reminding me of a futuristic place called 'Insilico' in 'Second Life'.”
- “Graphics feel way too dated and ugly for character models.”
music
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
38%
6%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting its ability to create an immersive atmosphere that complements the visuals and story. The soundtrack is described as beautiful, well-crafted, and fitting for the game's themes, often drawing comparisons to iconic works like Vangelis's "Blade Runner." Overall, the music and sound effects are considered standout features, enhancing the overall experience of the game.
- “Brilliant music and good picture provide me an extremely immersive trip.”
- “The game's soundtrack is also gorgeous and largely made up of these ambient orchestrations that feel firmly in touch with the game's cyberpunk genre.”
- “Voice acting and music are also very well done and are definitely one of the highlights of this game.”
- “If you don't, you can't progress - or a keypad code based on a song - how is anyone supposed to work that out?”
- “The graphics are good, the constant rain and relaxing background music are atmospheric - and that's about all I can recommend.”
- “Voice acting is nice and suitable for the tone of the game, and music is okay.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
72%
8%
The gameplay of "Encodya" is characterized as a classic point-and-click experience, featuring item interactions, NPC dialogues, and puzzle-solving, though many players find the mechanics dated and some puzzles illogical or overly abstract. While the game offers a relaxed pace and a unique atmosphere, it struggles with slow progression and a lack of engaging story elements, leading to mixed reviews on its overall execution. Despite its flaws, some players appreciate the humor and character dynamics, suggesting that the game has potential with further refinement.
- “The gameplay is a classic point-and-click that has us interact with the environments, talk to NPCs, and solve puzzles to make progress in the plot.”
- “Not only does it nail the gameplay (combining disparate items into wacky new gadgets, pixel hunting for that one item or clue you missed and gradually tying seemingly disparate map locations together) but the characterisation and voice acting are generally excellent, and the game crucially balances moments of humour and levity with real profundity and sadness.”
- “I really enjoyed this game, very relaxed gameplay, great artwork and story.”
- “I am a fan of point and clicks, particularly the old LucasArts ones, but most modern-day attempts can't replicate the humor and barely improve upon the mechanics, which are very dated in this day and age.”
- “This game’s story, puzzle design, and gameplay are so trite, unpolished, boring, absurd, and dated that I got tired of and frustrated with it halfway through.”
- “[i]Encodya[/i] may be visually captivating, but underneath is an adventure game with a boring story, nonsensical premise, illogical and dated puzzle designs, as well as unpolished gameplay.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
32%
12%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its distinct art style, immersive cyberpunk vibes, and effective use of music and sound effects, which collectively enhance the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the beautiful graphics, particularly the atmospheric urban environments, and the engaging soundtrack that complements the game's mood. While some note minor inconsistencies in gameplay, the overall ambiance and storytelling are considered strong points that draw players in.
- “The art style feels distinct and consistent, and the music and effects do a great job of building atmosphere.”
- “The world was very unique and worked well to establish the mood and atmosphere in line with the story.”
- “The environments visuals are stunning and beautiful, especially the atmospheric cyberpunk urban areas full of neon signs, rain, and people wearing headsets and plugged into cyberspace.”
- “The atmosphere is definitely oppressive and cyberpunky.”
- “The game atmosphere is a massive benefit for me - a few locations, but they were well-developed and looked realistic for the characters' universe.”
- “They just ruin the atmosphere.”
humor
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
87%
13%
The humor in the game is polarizing, with some players finding it clever and engaging, filled with geek culture references and charming characters, while others feel it falls flat, relying too heavily on fourth wall breaks and pop culture tropes that disrupt immersion. While some appreciate the lightheartedness and social commentary, others criticize it for being unfunny or annoying, suggesting that the humor detracts from the overall storytelling experience. Overall, the effectiveness of the humor varies significantly among players, with a mix of positive and negative reactions.
- “An adventure game with old school vibes, full of hilarious quips, geek culture references (Futurama, Day of the Tentacle, Konami cheat, etc.), and smart social criticism.”
- “The story was engaging, funny, moving, and kept my interest throughout.”
- “A cute cartoonish Blade Runner-style city, Neo Berlin, filled with funny characters that are straight out of a Studio Ghibli movie.”
- “It's cheap and it's not funny, so what is it for if it's only breaking immersion.”
- “It's not funny.”
- “-not funny”
emotional
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
23%
The emotional aspect of the game is described as a mix of heartwarming moments and poignant storytelling, with some players finding it deeply moving, particularly towards the end. However, critiques highlight significant plot holes and awkward character portrayals that detract from the overall emotional impact. While the visuals and clever writing are praised, some feel that the emotional depth is not fully realized, leaving a somewhat uneven experience.
- “A cute little adventure with beautiful graphics and a heartbreaking, exciting story, along with a good bunch of quirky puzzles to solve.”
- “- happy at times, heartbreaking at others, it's a game full of emotion.”
- “This is point and click at its best, great artwork, good voice acting, a dash of humor, and a truly heartfelt story.”
- “While [i]encodya[/i] has a visually captivating style, the emotional depth is lacking, leaving players feeling disconnected from the characters and their journeys.”
- “The game attempts to evoke emotions, but the execution falls flat, resulting in a narrative that feels more tedious than touching.”
- “Despite its colorful aesthetics, [i]encodya[/i] fails to deliver an engaging emotional experience, making it hard to invest in the story or care about the outcomes.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is criticized for its tediousness, with poor UI decisions leading to frustrating pixel hunts and irrelevant fetch quests that detract from the overall experience. While some tasks are sensible, many players find the gameplay repetitive and unenjoyable, often resorting to walkthroughs to bypass the grind.
- “They have made some pretty bad UI decisions which make things more tedious than they need to be.”
- “I'd rather put my own effort into discovering the lore than on tunnel-visioning the cursor before grinding the sloppy inventory.”
- “Unfortunately, this tedious gameplay will just either leave you thinking 'what's the point, this is no fun', or just simply watching a walkthrough video on YouTube and copying that.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization is considered technically solid, with smooth performance and minimal bugs or clipping. However, some users noted minor performance issues, though these did not significantly detract from the experience. The strong voice performances also contributed positively to the game's overall quality.
- “The game ran just fine; it didn’t bug, clip, or suffer from performance issues.”
- “Finally, the voice performances are strong, most notably Lizzie Freeman as Tina and Sean Weiland as Ren.”
- “Minor performance issues here and there.”
- “The game ran just fine; it didn’t bug or clip or suffer from performance issues.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Character development in the game is highlighted by standout robot designs that overshadow human characters, showcasing a unique blend of fantasy and cyberpunk aesthetics. However, some players feel the story lacks depth, leaving the overall character development feeling incomplete despite the appealing visual elements.
- “And whoever designed Sam did a great job - I think the robots stand out more than any of the people, in terms of character design.”
- “The character design I can see getting to people, but I was able to overlook it after about an hour because I was truly enamored by the environments.”
- “The story is what kind of made me think a little less of the game; it just feels like it was missing something. I don’t know what that something is, but I didn’t feel it was complete. The character design I can see getting to people, but I was able to overlook it after about an hour because I was truly enamored by the environments.”
- “And whoever designed Sam did a great job. I think the robots stand out more than any of the people in terms of character design.”
- “I adored two aspects of the demo: the mixture of fantasy and cyberpunk that was using whispered world-like character designs and Primordia-like environmental elements. Of course, we also had the must-have Blade Runner aspects that every cyberpunk project needs.”