Enlightenment

About

Enlightenment is a single player shooter game. It was developed by LizardKing and was released on July 24, 2018. It received neutral reviews from players.

In Enlightenment, you play in a roguelike action-shooter with a fast-paced challenging journey deep into a underground complex called "the Ark". Players will be tested by large varieties of enemies in a procedurally-generated dungeon, and become stronger by learning from the inevitable deaths.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

50%

Audience ScoreBased on 54 reviews

humor4 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game has a unique setting and interesting concepts that could lead to a fun experience if polished.
The combat can be enjoyable once players get the hang of it, with a variety of weapons and abilities to experiment with.
The graphics and atmosphere are appealing, contributing to an engaging post-apocalyptic environment.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including issues with controller input, translation errors, and game-breaking crashes.
The overall design feels unfinished, with a lack of content, confusing mechanics, and frustrating difficulty spikes.
Many players feel the game has been abandoned by the developers, leading to a lack of updates and support.

graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The graphics in Enlightenment feature a blend of old-school isometric design with modern lighting effects, creating a visually appealing atmosphere. While the environmental models are well-crafted, character and enemy graphics are considered acceptable but not exceptional. However, the game suffers from performance issues and glitches, which detract from the overall visual experience.
- “The graphics and atmosphere are good.”
- “Enlightenment's graphics are a mix of old-school isometric and modern lighting and special effects filters.”
- “+ great level graphics and dynamic lighting”
- “The translation is pretty rough though, and the graphics are serviceable but nothing special.”
- “Character and enemy graphics are acceptable, but generally not as well made as the environmental models.”
- “There are no graphics options to speak of and performance does sometimes drop; I've noticed slight pauses when approaching doors while enemies spawn in the rooms beyond.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The gameplay is described as fun and addictive, featuring a well-executed loop and smooth mechanics, though it suffers from issues like a confusing interface, problematic movement controls, and a poorly designed card system. Additionally, the stamina mechanic and the inclusion of melee attacks in a twin-stick shooter are seen as unnecessary. Players have also reported crashes after extended playtime, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is fun and somewhat addicting, though movement controls are a pain.”
- “It has really smooth gameplay and the loop is really well done.”
- “There are two keybinding menus, one on the main menu screen and the other in the gameplay menu.”
- “After 5 hours of gameplay, the game crashed.”
- “You can of course just try again, but there's another badly designed mechanic, the card system, that gives you some extra buffs that you get on credit from this one weirdo in the hub.”
- “The stamina mechanic doesn't really add anything to the game, and once again I find myself wondering why the developers bothered to implement a melee attack in a twin-stick shooter; I always find them pointless.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
15%
71%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and a lack of developer support, leading to an unfinished experience. While some players have not encountered glitches, the overall consensus highlights significant issues with gameplay mechanics and poor translation, detracting from its potential.
- “No glitches for me so far.”
- “Buggy mess that has been abandoned by developers.”
- “Tldr: this game has potential but it's way too buggy and unstable to be an acceptably finished game.”
- “A buggy, poorly-translated, unpleasant mess of a game.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's story is perceived as minimal and somewhat unclear, with some players unsure if there is a coherent narrative. However, others appreciate its originality and express anticipation for uncovering more as they progress through the game. Overall, the story seems to be a mixed aspect, with varying levels of engagement among players.
- “The game's story itself is a really original concept.”
- “There is a storyline going which I'm looking forward to learning more about.”
- “My review will probably have what would be considered spoilers, but there's really not any story to this game, so all there is to spoil is what lies farther up the tower you venture into.”
- “I think there's a story... not sure.”
- “Story?”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is described as quirky and fitting the overall desperate tone, blending oddities with comedic elements, such as crates humorously placed on counters. While not groundbreaking, the humor adds a unique charm to the experience, making it both weird and amusing.
- “It's an odd duck with an odd sense of humor that somehow fits the desperate tone of the game.”
- “Again, not game changing but it’s both weird and funny at the same time.”
- “The game can get a bit funny with crates on top of counters where the gold would be clipping through the counter.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's music features a slow score that complements the atmosphere, though it often fades into the background due to the prominence of combat sounds. The mid-level shop music provides a pleasant break, but the lack of separate volume controls for music and sound effects limits customization.
- “There's a slow musical score that fits the game quite well.”
- “The mid-level shop music is a welcome interlude.”
- “The in-game soundtrack is mostly quiet enough to be non-existent since the combat sounds (especially melee) are so loud.”
- “There's only a single volume control, so you can't adjust the music volume separately from the sound effects.”
- “The slow musical score fits the game well, but it often feels overshadowed by other sound elements.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as exploitative, with users feeling that it prioritizes profit over quality, resulting in an unfinished product that appears to be a cash grab.
- “The game feels clearly unfinished and seems to be just a cash grab.”
- “The monetization strategy is overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I feel like I'm being pushed to spend money at every turn, which ruins the overall experience.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious rather than engaging, noting that while it incorporates basic roguelike elements, it lacks the excitement typically associated with the genre.
- “It has the basic elements of a no-frills roguelike, but is more tedious than engaging.”
- “The grinding feels endless and lacks any real reward, making it a chore rather than a challenge.”
- “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which quickly became monotonous and frustrating.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere in Enlightenment is praised for its appealing graphics and engaging ambiance, though it is somewhat marred by numerous glitches that detract from the overall experience.
- “Enlightenment has nice graphics and a cool atmosphere.”
- “The graphics and atmosphere are good.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The game's optimization is lacking, with minimal graphics options and occasional performance drops, particularly noticeable during enemy spawns near doors. While some users reported minor performance issues and language problems, no game-breaking bugs were encountered.
- “I found a few issues with performance and the obvious language problems, but I haven't encountered any game-breaking bugs.”
- “There are no graphics options to speak of, and performance does sometimes drop; I've noticed slight pauses when approaching doors while enemies spawn in the rooms beyond.”
- “I found a few issues with performance and the obvious language problems, but I haven't hit any game-breaking bugs.”