Everything

About

Everything is a single-player, open world fantasy game with stunning graphics and music. The game allows players to control various objects in the universe, from animals to galaxies, with no set goals or tasks. Narrated by philosopher Alan Watts, Everything offers a unique perspective on life through its procedural, AI-driven simulation.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,184 reviews

gameplay35 positive mentions

story8 negative mentions

Unique and thought-provoking experience that encourages exploration and self-reflection.
Beautiful visuals and calming soundtrack, enhanced by philosophical narration from Alan Watts.
Offers a meditative journey through the universe, allowing players to become everything from atoms to galaxies.

Repetitive gameplay with limited interactions, leading to boredom after a short time.
Awkward controls and animations, particularly the rolling movement of animals, detracting from immersion.
Not a traditional game; lacks clear objectives or challenges, which may frustrate players seeking more engaging gameplay.

gameplay
200 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
78%
5%
The gameplay in "Everything" is characterized as unconventional and simplistic, often described as a meditative experience rather than traditional gaming. Players primarily engage in exploration and interaction with a vast universe, but many find the mechanics repetitive and lacking depth, leading to a sense of boredom over time. While the philosophical themes and narration by Alan Watts are praised, the overall gameplay is seen as minimal and not appealing to those seeking more active or challenging experiences.
- “The game's mechanics of seamlessly transitioning between objects of all sizes is a stroke of brilliance.”
- “With its philosophical insights, irreverent humor, and meditative gameplay, it's a game that offers a unique and mind-bending experience.”
- “The gameplay is unlike anything else: very fluid, which makes it a joy to play, and very immersive as well.”
- “From a gameplay standpoint, though, everything was a letdown.”
- “There is no actual gameplay.”
- “Gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and the only things that feel new are those philosophical musings.”
music
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
53%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and immersive qualities, often described as ambient and soothing, which enhances the overall experience. Many players appreciate the integration of Alan Watts' philosophical narration, which complements the soundtrack and encourages deep reflection. Overall, the combination of beautiful music and thoughtful audio clips creates a meditative atmosphere that players find both relaxing and engaging.
- “The minimalist art style paired with the mesmerizing soundtrack creates an immersive experience that's equal parts soothing and thought-provoking.”
- “The calm music and the Alan Watts segments make for a great relaxing experience.”
- “The soundtrack is beautiful and well placed in the game which allows you to experience an even deeper level of immersion.”
- “I spent an hour literally walking around a desert trying to become something bigger than a tree while obnoxious music played in the background, and once in a while at least, a strange man would start talking about life in a 'I like my own farts' kinda way.”
- “If one can deal with a zero violence, educational game with interesting narration, meaning college lectures of philosophy, specifically metaphysics (at least that's what I got so far), hypnotic soundtrack, okay graphics and not that much to actually do, give it a shot.”
- “They put all their budget into 10 lines from Alan Watts and a really neat soundtrack.”
graphics
121 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
54%
9%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist, low-poly art style that has sparked mixed reactions among players. While some appreciate the simplicity and find it effective for the game's philosophical themes, others criticize it for being outdated and lacking polish, with jarring animations detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are seen as charming by some and frustratingly basic by others, serving more as a backdrop to the game's deeper messages rather than a focal point.
- “The minimalist art style paired with the mesmerizing soundtrack creates an immersive experience that's equal parts soothing and thought-provoking.”
- “The visuals are beautiful, and there are so many different things to see and to be that it never gets boring.”
- “This game takes simple visuals and combines them into a masterpiece.”
- “The graphics are worse than most PlayStation 2 games.”
- “The graphics are fairly basic on most levels - stylized and sometimes muddy.”
- “The graphics are so basic that it does not even make sense that it hardly runs on my decent (not great) machine.”
humor
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a unique blend of philosophical insights and absurdity, often delivered through quirky animations and witty dialogue that provoke both laughter and contemplation. Players appreciate the game's ability to juxtapose lighthearted moments with deeper existential themes, creating a meditative yet entertaining experience. While some find the humor to be initially engaging, others note that it can become repetitive over time, but overall, the game's charm lies in its ability to make players laugh while prompting them to reflect on life's complexities.
- “Everything embraces its philosophical musings with a dash of irreverent humor, like a stand-up comedy routine at a philosophy convention.”
- “The movement mechanics of the animals are absolutely hilarious, so bonus points for a good laugh.”
- “Funny, philosophical, and deeply, deeply weird; there’s nothing else quite like everything on PC.”
story
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
77%
12%
The game's story is unconventional and often described as lacking a traditional narrative structure, focusing instead on philosophical themes and exploration. Players are encouraged to engage with the world at their own pace, discovering snippets of dialogue and philosophical musings rather than following a linear plot. While some appreciate this unique approach, others find the absence of a clear storyline or objectives frustrating, making it more of a meditative experience than a conventional game.
- “This is just perfect in terms of story, and is definitely more of an experience than just a game.”
- “If I want a video game that actually deals with life, death, metaphysics, and such, Outer Wilds would be such a masterpiece, by giving you amazing gameplay and a fascinating story with a revolutionary take on narration.”
- “The relationship between ourselves, the player, the game, and life itself is the very crux of everything's story and progression.”
- “There is no story (not in the usual sense), there is no real ending or beginning...”
- “There's no real narrative, no storyline to follow; the storyline isn't the point of this game in my opinion.”
- “The idea is interesting but bad execution, and there is no story, so basically you just wander around with no purpose.”
atmosphere
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
34%
9%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its surreal, dreamlike quality, enhanced by excellent sound design and a tranquil soundtrack, including thought-provoking audio clips from Alan Watts. Players describe it as a meditative experience that encourages exploration and reflection, although some note technical issues and animation flaws that detract from the overall immersion. Overall, it is considered a beautiful and atmospheric game, perfect for those seeking a relaxing, contemplative experience.
- “The sound design is excellent, with a great score and sound effects that perfectly complement the game's surreal and dreamlike atmosphere.”
- “The overall atmosphere provided by the music and the Alan Watts audio nuggets are conducive to a calm, tranquil state of mind.”
- “The beautiful atmospheric music, the simplistic art, and the pointless nature of this game make it an absolute joy to play.”
- “On the downside though, my laptop crashed every time I got into this atmosphere zone, and I always got framerate errors.”
- “It's an alright walking simulator if you're into that, but the large mammal animations are stupid and really ruin the atmosphere.”
- “I understand the idea of the game and why it's there, what it adds to the atmosphere, etc - however, I wasn't enjoying it.”
emotional
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is profoundly impactful, with players reporting a wide range of feelings from joy to deep sadness. Many describe experiences that evoke tears, reflection on life, and a sense of grounding, highlighting the game's ability to connect players to their emotions in a meditative and wholesome manner. Overall, it stands out as a unique experience that resonates on a personal level, often prompting players to confront their own realities.
- “This made me feel everything.”
- “A spruce beetle almost made me cry, by saying 'everything I enjoy in life just makes life go by faster, until I die.'”
- “It's heart touching, it really is.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
5%
89%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often describing it as a hollow experience that detracts from enjoyment. Many reviewers note that the gameplay becomes repetitive and confusing, particularly when it comes to collecting items and achieving 100% completion, leading to a lack of motivation to continue. The consensus is that while the game may start off engaging, it quickly devolves into a monotonous grind.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I would go so far as to say that there isn't much gameplay at all, unless you decide that you want to catalog every object in existence, which is unbearably tedious.”
- “An utterly hollow, tedious experience with all the entertainment value of repeatedly jabbing yourself in the eye with a 2h pencil.”
- “Would have got a refund but it took about 2 hours of tedious gameplay to reach the conclusion that this game is intended to bore me to death.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with many users noting limited or minimal lasting appeal. While some players appreciate the fun experience and potential for relaxation, others feel it lacks significant replay value, despite a few mentions of enjoyable collection elements.
- “Well play tested with plenty of replay value.”
- “+ tons of replayability and collection.”
- “Highly recommend for a fun experience, though I'm not sure how replay value or even extended play value will hold up.”
- “Very limited replayability.”
- “Little to no replayability or lasting power.”
- “However, in terms of replayability -- there's not that much.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players find it runs well on certain systems, others report significant performance issues, including stuttering and resource intensity despite low-detail graphics. Additionally, there are complaints about animal movement and key assignments, with specific bugs affecting the MacBook version. Players with older hardware may experience further complications, leading to a less smooth gameplay experience.
- “On the technical side of things, it seems well optimized (and ought to be for something with a scale-to-detail ratio similar to Katamari Damacy), lacks detail settings, and plays well with gamepad or mouse and keyboard (although a couple of the key assignments are highly questionable, but there's no impetus to be overly efficient with them).”
- “It's unduly resource-intensive despite having very simple and low-detail graphics and textures, so it seems like the game hasn't been optimized very well.”
- “There's a bug in the MacBook version; there's constant stuttering of the white background, and it blinds my eyes.”
- “But truthfully, at least half of said minor problems could be attributed to my ancient laptop's poor performance, so I walked away for a couple of days to contemplate how I intended to play everything again.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs, low framerate, and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some users find it worth the price during promotions, the gameplay is often described as boring and empty, further compounded by a confusing interface.
- “Completely buggy trash and low framerate.”
- “So buggy!!!!!!!!!!!!”
- “Sprinkle in boring and empty gameplay, and a truckload of glitches, and you have yourself a garbage game with a serious ego.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that it attempts to be artistic and edgy but ultimately fails, resulting in a waste of time and money. Additionally, there are concerns about the placement of advertisements for other games, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “Silly cash grab that's trying to be artsy and edgy, but it's just a pure waste of time and money.”
- “It did include a very smartly placed little advertisement for this game 'everything', which came about 3-4 years later.”