Estencel
- October 2, 2022
- RoneVine
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreSlash your way through Estencel! Traverse across a corrupted, maze like city fighting horrors. Customize and arm yourself into the ultimate monster killing assassin in this fast paced horror/fantasy Action RPG. Solve the mysteries of this world before they swallow you whole.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox
Reviews
- The gameplay is fun, fast, and responsive, with a variety of main and secondary weapons that enhance combat.
- The visual style is appealing, featuring unique character designs, impressive lighting, and intriguing animations.
- The game offers a lot of content for a solo-developed title, with interesting enemy designs and a rewarding exploration experience.
- The map layout is confusing and unclear, making it easy to get lost and leading to frustrating navigation.
- Combat can feel punishing, with some enemies having overly aggressive attack patterns and difficult-to-dodge moves.
- The game suffers from performance issues and can be too dark in many areas, making it hard to see and enjoy the environment.
- gameplay15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its fun, fast, and responsive mechanics, offering a diverse range of main and secondary weapons that enhance combat variety. While some players find the combat simplistic, the game grows on you with its challenging gameplay and intriguing atmosphere, drawing clear inspiration from titles like Bloodborne. Overall, the combination of addictive gameplay loops and unique mechanics contributes to a satisfying experience, especially for fans of the soulslike genre.
“To begin with, the gameplay is fun, fast, responsive, and very varied thanks to the high amount of main and secondary weapons.”
“The atmosphere is intriguing and the gameplay is somehow just so addicting for me.”
“Gameplay: the combat is a little more simplistic than I hoped, but it's sufficient.”
“Mechanically, it is kind of rough, but this game really grows on you as you keep playing.”
“The influence of Bloodborne is right front and center from the atmosphere, enemy/level design, gameplay, and more.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and immersive quality, particularly enhanced by the transition to Unreal Engine 5, which offers stunning lighting effects. However, some players experience performance issues, such as lag and stuttering, especially on lower settings, which detracts from the overall visual experience. While the aesthetics are appealing, the game's atmosphere and design are often highlighted as its standout features.
“The graphics are gorgeous, not enough to sit down and stop playing just to admire the sights but enough to keep me constantly immersed in the experience and genuinely wanting to see what the next area has to offer visually.”
“Estencel has improved a lot both design and balance-wise with its big 2.0 update; it's the first Unreal Engine 5 game I've played, and its lighting is stunningly beautiful, elevating its otherwise simple graphics.”
“Visuals: the game looks decent enough graphically, but it's the atmosphere and design where the game shines.”
“I'm assuming the engine change to Unreal 5 made it too intense, and I lagged like crazy to even get to the graphics menu.”
“I tried turning all graphic options to the lowest they could go, and I couldn't even move in-game at all.”
“Lotta potential but very, very rough around the edges; game feel is decent, but sound design and graphics leave a lot to be desired.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its intriguing level design and unique identity, drawing comparisons to titles like Bloodborne. Players appreciate the minimalist yet effective sound design, which enhances the overall vibe and adds to the addictive gameplay experience. While some find the exploration confusing, those who embrace the challenge are rewarded with a compelling and immersive environment.
“The atmosphere is intriguing and the gameplay is somehow just so addicting for me.”
“Sound design is minimalist but efficient and atmospheric, and the overall vibe of the game is intriguing, with a distinct identity of its own.”
“Visuals: game looks decent enough graphically but it's the atmosphere and design where the game shines.”
“It creates atmosphere, gives some basic motivation and understanding of who you are and what you are doing here.”
“Visuals: the game looks decent enough graphically, but it's the atmosphere and design where the game shines.”
“The influence of Bloodborne is right front and center from the atmosphere, enemy/level design, gameplay, and more.”
- character development4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by its unique and intriguing visual style, particularly in the character designs and animations, which are complemented by a dark gothic atmosphere. Players appreciate the cool character designs and find the overall aesthetic enhances the gameplay experience, especially on platforms like the Steam Deck.
“The world, enemy, and character design were intriguing with that dark gothic overtone.”
“It has an appealing visual style, especially the lighting, animations, and the character designs, very unique and intriguing.”
“Great game playing it on the Steam Deck, great character design and love the play style.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while some players report rough performance and poor optimization, others have not experienced stuttering or input lag. Initial stuttering may occur when entering new areas, but this is not universally felt among all users.
“Poor optimization.”
“Rough performance.”
“Graphics: some initial stuttering when reaching new rooms or new areas.”
- story4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story is generally considered thin and underdeveloped, particularly in the early stages, leaving players feeling disconnected from the plot and characters. While some find the narrative functional, many express confusion about the storyline and disappointment in the exploration elements.
“I was very interested in the story and characters.”
“The story is quite functional, but it works.”
“The story is pretty thin, at least in the beginning.”
“I was very interested in the story and characters, but unfortunately I just didn't enjoy the game enough to continue.”
“I don't really know what the story even is at the point I'm at in the game, and exploration often feels really disappointing.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally acceptable, with only minor bugs and glitches reported. However, some design choices, particularly in local multiplayer functionality, can lead to confusion and occasional issues.
“When I say that it's rough, I don't mean it's a buggy mess (it has some bugs, but nothing heavy); it's more about some design decisions.”
“The game has local multiplayer, and I played with my brother for more than 2 hours without even noticing how time passed, but it's buggy and not very clear how to join.”
“There are some glitches here and there.”
- music2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with users appreciating its quality and overall contribution to the gaming experience.
“The music is fantastic and really enhances the overall experience.”
“I love the soundtrack; it perfectly complements the gameplay.”
“The sound design and music create an immersive atmosphere.”
