Environmental Station Alpha

About

Environmental Station Alpha is a single player action adventure game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Arvi Teikari and was released on April 22, 2015. It received positive reviews from players.

Environmental Station Alpha is a metroidvania-style action adventure game set in a futuristic, abandoned space station. As the lone surviving crew member, players must explore the station, solve puzzles, and battle roderent-like alien creatures to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the crew. The game features smooth controls, hand-drawn pixel art, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,263 reviews

music193 positive mentions

grinding50 negative mentions

Great atmosphere and music that enhances the exploration experience.
Challenging and rewarding gameplay with well-designed bosses.
Extensive post-game content filled with secrets and puzzles that encourage exploration.

Frustrating difficulty spikes and punishing mechanics that can lead to tedious backtracking.
Poor visibility in graphics makes it hard to distinguish between foreground and background elements.
Lack of clear direction and guidance can leave players feeling lost and confused.

music
326 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
37%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke a sense of exploration and mystery, with distinct tracks that complement the game's various environments. However, some criticism exists regarding the repetitiveness of certain tracks, suggesting a desire for more variety in the music across different areas. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
- “The music for this game is absolutely great!”
- “The pixel art and music create this immersive, almost haunting vibe that just pulls you in.”
- “The soundtrack is one of the game's highs.”
- “The writing’s flat, the atmosphere suffocates under constant noise, and the music barely registers as anything but background hum that never evokes wonder or tension.”
- “The most concerning part for me is honestly the lack in music, even as the backgrounds change it's the same music.”
- “While sound design is not outstanding and the music does nothing interesting, I fell in love with the soundtrack immediately.”
graphics
306 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
66%
2%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist, retro 8-bit aesthetic that evokes nostalgia for classic titles, particularly in the metroidvania genre. While some players appreciate the charm and atmosphere created by the low-resolution visuals, others find them confusing and difficult to read, particularly in distinguishing between foreground and background elements. Overall, the graphics are a polarizing aspect, with opinions ranging from admiration for their artistic expression to frustration over their simplicity and potential gameplay hindrances.
- “The graphics while simple are really well done, the atmosphere is thick, and the sound is fantastic.”
- “The graphics are amazing!”
- “The graphics, the level design, the story - every inch of this game is overflowing with charm; how it's able to do so much with so few pixels I have no idea.”
- “Extremely low resolution graphics that are often confusing, pathing between areas that is often slow and boring, dull, repetitive music, low running speed, and precise jumps (punished with additional re-climbs if missed), abound.”
- “The graphics are frequently unreadable.”
- “The only negative thing I can say about this game is that the background graphics are extremely cluttered, to the point that I routinely have trouble distinguishing between foreground and background elements.”
gameplay
268 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
62%
3%
The gameplay of "Environmental Station Alpha" is a blend of classic metroidvania mechanics, featuring exploration, challenging platforming, and engaging boss fights, all set within a richly atmospheric environment. While many players appreciate the tight controls and satisfying movement mechanics, particularly the hookshot, some criticize the game's difficulty spikes and lack of clear guidance, which can lead to frustration. Overall, the game is praised for its depth, secrets, and rewarding exploration, making it a noteworthy addition to the genre despite some design flaws.
- “The great atmosphere of the lonely robot exploring the space station, along with the gameplay and upgrades you can find, make Environmental Station Alpha a must-have in your metroidvania collection.”
- “The gameplay is challenging, addicting, and fair.”
- “The gameplay, puzzles, and pacing are all fantastic.”
- “Its gameplay starts out very simple, even more so than many other metroidvanias.”
- “The gameplay is 'metroid but with the bare minimum'; you only have a gun you'll upgrade a few times and nothing else.”
- “At least from what I saw so far, the gameplay consists of nothing but making your way to the next upgrade, running into a ton of dead-ends in the process, backtracking, dying, running into the same dead ends because map progress is lost when dying, getting the upgrade, and repeating the same tedious cycle.”
story
208 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
72%
3%
The story of the game is generally described as minimalist and somewhat familiar, revolving around a robot exploring an abandoned space station afflicted by a virus. While some players appreciate the atmospheric storytelling conveyed through environmental details and scattered logs, others find the narrative lacking depth and engagement, often feeling disconnected from the gameplay. Overall, the game offers a mix of intriguing elements and predictable tropes, with a post-game that expands on the lore but may leave some questions unanswered.
- “The story is driven primarily by logs, so be prepared to read.”
- “The story keeps you driven to continue playing and beat the game.”
- “The game tells its plot in a wonderful way, where just as you explore the station like it's a puzzle, the story is the same way.”
- “The story feels very lackluster for a metroidvania; we did not care about it at all, and we did not want to go for better victories.”
- “The plot is really dumb.”
- “The story is unusually involved for a metroidvania, although not heavily emphasized unlike... say, Metroid: Other M.”
atmosphere
157 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
33%
2%
The atmosphere in "Environmental Station Alpha" is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, effectively capturing the essence of classic metroidvania games. Reviewers highlight the game's retro-inspired pixel art, atmospheric soundtrack, and unique environmental designs that evoke feelings of isolation and mystery. While some critiques mention repetitiveness and gameplay issues, the overall consensus is that the game's atmosphere is a standout feature, enhancing the exploration and emotional experience throughout.
- “Environmental Station Alpha is a retro-inspired metroidvania that nails atmosphere and world-building.”
- “The atmosphere created by the visuals and the music is just perfect.”
- “Incredible atmosphere with good soundtrack, the best level design I've ever seen in a metroidvania game and amazing final bosses.”
- “The writing’s flat, the atmosphere suffocates under constant noise, and the music barely registers as anything but background hum that never evokes wonder or tension.”
- “It may have been inspired by Super Metroid, but quite frankly everything it does is inferior, up to and including the atmosphere and setting.”
- “While I appreciated the horror atmosphere, the game never quite took full advantage of it and the end was all too brief; expanding the last area to be a full-on horror experience would make it truly memorable.”
grinding
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
98%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with repetitive backtracking, simplistic combat, and frustrating exploration mechanics. Many reviews highlight the lack of clear navigation and the reliance on memory or guides, which contribute to a sense of monotony and frustration, especially in the post-game content. While some enjoy the challenge, the general consensus leans towards the gameplay becoming tiresome and overly cryptic as players progress.
- “No grinding and farming for missiles and health like the old days. I know some games had refills, but you still thought about collecting drops throughout.”
- “The grinding in this game feels rewarding, as every effort contributes to my character's growth and progression.”
- “I appreciate how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels tedious and always offers a sense of achievement.”
- “Every zone except a few has multiple teleports, and for the exceptions, there is only one way to get to those areas, making it just more tedious to get there without making it any more interesting.”
- “At this point, there are a dozen or more directions I can explore, but I don't look forward to grinding my way through now-difficult rooms just to reach a bunch of dead ends before stumbling on the correct path.”
- “The tedious and repetitive boss fights are especially grueling.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is mixed, with users reporting various bugs, particularly related to movement in liquids and controller functionality. While some players experience graphical glitches and lag during weapon charging, others note that the developers are actively addressing these issues through updates. Overall, while there are stability concerns, the responsiveness of the development team has been positively acknowledged.
- “Moving in liquids is sometimes buggy, and there are several areas where the player retains underwater movement after leaving the water, and vice versa.”
- “Controls are floaty at best, buggy at worst; I couldn't get either of my two controllers to work at all.”
- “Sometimes charging up the weapon is a little buggy and/or takes longer as if it's lagging; I'm not entirely sure why this happens, but it always occurs in certain rooms, seemingly for no reason.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
43%
The humor in the game is described as sparse yet present, with moments of levity that can be amusing, such as a computer in the jungle zone humorously explaining gameplay mechanics to prevent player frustration. However, some players feel that the game's challenging design leads to frustration rather than enjoyment, making them question whether the developers are laughing at their struggles. Overall, while there are humorous elements, the game's difficulty can overshadow the comedic aspects for some players.
- “Humorously, the jungle zone even has a computer just to tell the player that some branches are in the foreground because, presumably, his playtesters just got stuck entirely.”
- “It is a funny game.”
- “I also found the atmosphere very compelling, even if it does lift from classic Metroid to a hilarious degree and the pixel art tends to be so lo-res it can be hard to tell exactly what you’re looking at.”
- “It's not funny.”
- “The jokes fall flat and feel forced.”
- “I expected more clever humor, but it just didn't deliver.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game offers significant replayability, featuring multiple endings, side quests, secret bosses, and a new game+ mode that encourages players to return. While some users express uncertainty about their personal replay frequency, the abundance of post-game content and secrets suggests a strong value for those seeking extended gameplay. Overall, it promises a rich experience that justifies multiple playthroughs.
- “This game has ridiculous amounts of replay value, and last I checked, there are no less than 6 endings you can reach, (I've only found 4 so far), as well as quite a few side quests and a couple secret bosses apart from the main game.”
- “Multiple endings and a New Game+ mode indicate tons of replayability, which I will definitely be returning for.”
- “Post-game content and a ton of tasty secrets make this very replayable, so if you evaluate a buy based on gaming hours, this will give you a bang for your buck.”
- “It has a certain amount of replayability, even.”
- “I'm not sure how much replay value it will have - it doesn't look like it's going to get a bunch of playthroughs from me like Valdis Story, for example.”
- “- I haven't played any portions post-campaign, but I hear there's a ton of extra content and an additional difficulty setting that promotes replayability.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting feelings of nostalgia reminiscent of the original Metroid, particularly through its well-executed pixel art. However, the game's difficulty and design choices evoke frustration and a sense of isolation, contrasting with more guided experiences in other titles. The impactful story and the desire to achieve a better ending further enhance the emotional depth, making it a memorable experience for fans of the genre.
- “It made me feel nostalgic for playing the original Metroid many years ago, and I think the pixel art for this game is very well done.”
- “The story legitimately made me feel bad about the bad ending and want to go back and get a better ending.”
- “Esa is the first metroidvania I played in a long time that made me feel the same sensations I had when playing the first Metroid.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting smooth performance despite graphical and design compromises, while others criticize it for poor performance and Unity-related issues. Overall, it may appeal to metroidvania fans, but the lack of player agency and fun gameplay mechanics detracts from the experience.
- “It runs smoothly, and if the extreme unfairness is your cup of tea, then all the power to you.”
- “It comes with a good price at the cost of graphics, performance, and level design, but despite these issues, this is definitely a game recommended for all fans of metroidvanias.”
- “Overall impressions and performance are lacking.”
- “The game suffers from poor performance due to 2D Unity issues.”