ENKI

About

ENKI is a single-player adventure game offering around 5 hours of playtime, with multiple endings and occult symbolism. Players are trapped in a dark cellar and must escape by solving puzzles and finding items, with smart randomization making it challenging each time. The game features various endings based on collected secrets, with the possibility of uncovering more than one exit.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 79 reviews

graphics11 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The game has a creepy atmosphere and good graphics that enhance the overall experience.
Puzzles are interesting and provide a challenge, with some randomization in item locations for replayability.
The time limit adds tension to the gameplay, making it an engaging escape room experience.

The game is very short, typically taking only about 30 minutes to complete, which may not justify the price.
It suffers from frequent crashes and performance issues, making it frustrating to play.
The darkness of the environment can make it difficult to find items, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
42%
13%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the crisp visuals and atmospheric design, while others criticize the quality as poor or janky. Although many appreciate the use of Unreal Engine 4 and the overall aesthetic, issues such as optimization and clunky controls detract from the experience. Overall, while the graphics have potential, they are hampered by technical shortcomings and a lack of engaging content.
- “The visuals are great, and the controls are smooth; the biggest drawback is the lack of content.”
- “The hook is good, the graphics are crisp (if a little dark), and the open-ended exploration and collectible-based endings are solid foundations for a puzzle game.”
- “Nice graphics and atmosphere; I wish it had been longer, as they could have easily fleshed out the concept to a 3-4 hour experience.”
- “The graphics are barely visible, the puzzles are all sequence based, there's nothing interesting to do with any of the interactions, and the little plot that is there, which is scattered about, is not interesting in the slightest.”
- “But the graphics and movement are janky.”
- “Very bad graphics quality.”
atmosphere
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
13%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its creepy and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience and tension during gameplay. While the unsettling sounds and visuals contribute to a strong sense of dread, some players note that the atmosphere can become less impactful after repeated playthroughs. Overall, it is considered the game's strongest aspect, despite concerns about its short length and limited replayability.
- “This is the game's strongest suit and it helps to build a solid atmosphere, and paired with the time limit that is constantly ticking down, makes the game quite intense.”
- “The game has great atmosphere and uses real-world theology to create a mystery you need to investigate.”
- “What potential there is for the atmosphere is utterly wasted, leaving you to fit the pieces of the puzzle together with aggravating hisses and snaps in your ears.”
- “The atmosphere is creepy, but after your first death, you barely notice it.”
- “The forte of this game is its very creepy and dark atmosphere as you try to find your way through the puzzles.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
64%
14%
The game's story is criticized for being sparse and unoriginal, with players finding it difficult to engage with the scattered backstory and collectibles that provide minimal context. While some appreciate the cryptic depth and multiple endings, the overall narrative fails to leave a lasting impression, often overshadowed by gameplay limitations and technical issues. Despite these drawbacks, a few players find the story intriguing enough to warrant multiple playthroughs, especially for completionists.
- “The story is very cryptic with a lot of depth; I may not be able to grasp it all yet, but I feel that it tells more than it shows.”
- “The story is interesting enough to keep you playing until you find everything.”
- “Unless you’re a completionist, gameplay is less than 30 minutes, but the story is compelling enough to allow an enjoyable second or third playthrough even.”
- “The graphics are barely visible, the puzzles are all sequence-based, there's nothing interesting to do with any of the interactions, and the little plot that is there, which is scattered about, is not interesting in the slightest.”
- “You can collect things to learn more backstory, but I never understood how it worked and never learned more than what the game gives you.”
- “It doesn't tell you the story and what you have to do, no voice acting, unpausable, and worst of all, the field of view is so low (which you can't change) that it makes it difficult to find the items.”
replayability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered modest, primarily stemming from its multiple endings and randomly generated item placements. However, many players feel that once the puzzles are understood, subsequent playthroughs become quick and less engaging, leading to a consensus that the replay value is limited. While some achievements may encourage further attempts, the general sentiment is that the experience does not warrant extensive replay.
- “The game boasts a high replayability factor due to randomly generated item placement and multiple endings that depend on how much you've learned about your captor, his previous victims, and his occult interests.”
- “And there's plenty of achievements to get - I'm still only at 40% as of this writing - so there may well be some replayability if you're determined to get your value for money.”
- “Tl;dr; bitesized atmospheric escape-the-room with modest replayability, provided you can overlook potential crashes.”
- “The only replay value comes from the different endings, but to experience them all you can do it within an hour, since once you figure out what solution each puzzle requires you can quickly wrap up a single playthrough, even with the randomly generated item locations.”
- “They say that it is replayable, but all that means is that they annoyingly scatter the same clues to the same boring (and easy) puzzles over the small dungeon-cellar map you find yourself in.”
- “Despite the somewhat optimistic marketing of its replay value, I will recommend Enki for fans of the genre.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
Gameplay in this game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the intriguing puzzles and immersive atmosphere, others criticize the overly dark visuals and timer constraints that hinder enjoyment. The randomization of items adds a layer of challenge, but many find the gameplay duration too short for the price, and technical issues like crashes detract from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay can be engaging but may frustrate players due to its inconsistencies and limitations.
- “The fact that items are randomized every gameplay is a lot of challenge; at first it may seem silly, but from time to time you will be missing little things.”
- “The atmosphere is really good and gameplay/puzzles are interesting, making me curious but also anxious to progress further...”
- “Making it look nice, but also immersive gameplay.”
- “Horrible gameplay, putting a timer on an overly dark hunt and click game.”
- “I like the setting, I did like the puzzles and I even like the graphics, but the advertised 'extensive randomization system' is a total joke, so there is actually no real reason for playing it again, and 9.99€ for 20 minutes of gameplay is clearly overpriced.”
- “Unless you’re a completionist, gameplay is less than 30 minutes, but the story is compelling enough to allow an enjoyable second or third playthrough.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many users labeling it as poorly optimized and experiencing severe performance issues, especially on lower-end machines. However, recent updates have shown improvement, making the game more playable, though some players still desire additional settings to enhance performance further. Overall, while there have been strides in optimization, it remains a concern for many users.
- “With the last update, I tried to take it back and I have to say that the devs worked very hard on optimization.”
- “They improved a lot the performance on lower machines and the game is perfectly playable now!”
- “I hope the developer adds some more options to the game that might improve performance, and being able to adjust brightness would also be nice.”
- “Possibly the worst optimized game I've ever played.”
- “The last time I reviewed Enki, I completely crucified it for its abysmal optimization.”
- “Sadly, there aren't many settings to aid performance, so if your specs aren't up to scratch, this game will freeze and crash.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes, freezes, and bugs reported by users. These technical problems detract from the overall experience, as players often find themselves having to replay sections due to unexpected interruptions.
- “Incredibly buggy; crashes all the time.”
- “Crashes, freezes, and bugs are a constant issue. The random gameplay idea is great and positive, but when it crashes and you have to replay everything, it's frustrating because you can't replicate your previous progress.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game's initial room, noting its amusing confusion and the challenge of figuring out how to progress, which can lead to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “The beginning room was funny; I had no idea what to do and it took me at least 30 minutes to get out of that room.”