Envelope

About

Envelope is a single player action adventure game with horror, mystery, thriller and violence themes. It was developed by Skaar Game Productions and was released on September 4, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Play full game now on Steam! ~10 minutes to playthough Will you rise to the occasion - or succumb? Another night of hard work. Your boss is a douche, your job sucks, and you have every intention of quitting and finding something new. You think everything is normal, but things might take a sharp turn - for the worse. Will you rise to the occasion, or succumb? Will you do what it takes, o…

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

story4 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Unique and engaging immersive sim with a blend of thriller and mystery elements that rewards exploration and experimentation.
Rich writing with humorous, irreverent, and occasionally touching dialogue that enhances the story and worldbuilding.
Large, detailed open world with many quests, secrets, and multiple approaches to encounters, providing high replayability and different endings.

Lack of any save or checkpoint system leads to frustrating repetition, especially due to frequent instant deaths and long item gathering phases.
Gameplay can feel tedious and slow-paced with excessive backtracking, menial chores, and clunky inventory management.
Underdeveloped mechanics and lack of meaningful emergent gameplay or impactful stealth options, with an underwhelming mansion finale that limits player creativity.

story
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
72%
12%
The story is straightforward yet intriguing, centered around a cult and a mysterious system called "envelope," with a blend of mystery, exploration, and side quests contributing to a rich atmosphere. While some find the quest repetition and mandatory long sessions tiresome, others appreciate the elegant simplicity, unique narrative style, and evolving storyline that balances humor, suspense, and a "cozy" horror vibe. Overall, it's a solid and atmospheric narrative experience with meaningful secrets and character interactions.
- “The story is actually much more thought out than you would think at first glance, and the writing is equally intriguing, mysterious, and funny.”
- “A straightforward story that does it well; a cult with nebulous intents using a system called envelope to perform hits on people who have broken away.”
- “Definitely would recommend picking it up if you're into a mystery and uncovering lore and story through exploration.”
- “I am not willing to play through all of that running and fetching quests again.”
- “And yes, there is a “save system” but not the conventional one you’d like… at the moment, you must play chapter 2 in one sitting or risk losing all the quest items.”
- “I spawned back at the beginning and the whole story was reset.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
72%
14%
The gameplay presents a mix of exploration, item collection, and survival mechanics with some engaging elements, but is often criticized for its tedium, lack of polish, and unforgiving design choices like insta-death and inefficient save systems. While the tutorial is well-crafted and certain mechanics add depth, many feel underdeveloped, leading to repetitive, slow pacing that can diminish player motivation. Overall, the gameplay offers potential but is hampered by frustrating implementation and a lack of immersive, emergent interactions.
- “The graphics and sound design aren’t too impressive, but the gameplay is what you will be playing this for, and Envelope does not disappoint.”
- “And the game introduces enough little mechanics (the dirt piles, cans, pills, energy items, etc.) that keep one engaged even when you’re just walking around and exploring.”
- “The opening at the gas station is a very tightly made tutorial that demonstrates most of the game's mechanics.”
- “To spend an hour going through the setup only to die immediately because there is no way to learn how a mechanic works is bad design.”
- “Takes so long to get to the mansion where some gameplay happens, but if you make one single mistake (very easy because insta kill dogs and auto aim guns) you instantly die and have to repeat gathering all your supplies again due to lack of a save system (except for one part where it requires you to quit the game, and then your save gets erased next time you open the game).”
- “I wanted to like this game but unfortunately it is just tedious to gather all the equipment you need each loop, and the gameplay overall is extremely unpolished.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is widely praised for its irreverent, quirky, and meta style that often provokes genuine laughter. While the comedic tone may not suit everyone, its charm, funny dialogue, and amusing quirks contribute significantly to the overall experience. Some find the humor heartfelt and integral to the game's quirky atmosphere, enhancing the entertaining, lightly horror-themed setting.
- “I’d say the best thing about this game is its writing; there were many times throughout my playthrough where the dialogue made me burst out laughing.”
- “What it lacks in wholeness, it makes up for with heart, a charmer of a town, as well as 'anything goes' humor.”
- “There was even a time I went through with an ax to everyone in the town, and no one batted an eye even when they were right next to a victim, which I found hilarious.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
The graphics feature a nostalgic PSX-style aesthetic that may not impress everyone but effectively creates a strong atmosphere and complements the story. While not highly advanced, the visuals are appreciated by fans of retro-style graphics for enhancing the overall experience.
- “Ok, so I have only played this game briefly, but I am loving the graphics.”
- “It takes the old graphics aesthetic like Puppet Combo and creates one crazy game.”
- “For those who enjoy PSX style graphics, great atmosphere, and a story.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in this game is seen as tedious and unrewarding, with players feeling that repeated efforts often result in wasted time due to unpolished gameplay and unpredictable outcomes. The process of gathering equipment each loop is frustrating, diminishing enjoyment despite learning faster item routes.
- “I wanted to like this game but unfortunately it is just tedious to gather all the equipment you need each loop, and the gameplay overall is extremely unpolished.”
- “I went back to the mansion, went to the dogs, threw the meat... and then only one of them got distracted while the other killed me once again making my hour of grinding completely pointless.”
- “The knowledge I gain of what routes I can take to get items quickly doesn't make me feel any better about all the time I wasted grinding previously.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users praise the game's atmosphere for its strong storytelling and nostalgic PSX-style graphics, creating an engaging and immersive experience.
- “For those who enjoy PSX-style graphics, great atmosphere, and a story.”
- “Great story, atmosphere, and visuals.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game balances humor with genuinely sweet and heartfelt moments, effectively hitting key emotional beats beyond just comedy.
- “Besides the jokes, this game also had some moments that were strangely sweet or otherwise not directly played for laughs but still hit the emotional beats it needs to.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization aspect focuses on improving gameplay efficiency through multiple runs, leveraging the game's rogue-lite elements and information to achieve faster and more effective progress toward different endings.
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users appreciate the music for its synthwave style, particularly enjoying the car scene soundtrack at the beginning of the game.