External Visions

About

An artistic metroidvania with a classic NES era gameplay, taking the player through the life of an average man escaping his depression in a partly imaginary world he created around him. Fight more than 60 enemy types and 5 bosses, uncover more than 160 areas and unlock all powers and items.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

story4 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic NES-style experience with fun core concepts and engaging puzzles.
It provides a large world to explore with a good amount of content for a free game, making it a rewarding experience.
The unique weapon-switching mechanic adds an interesting layer to the gameplay, encouraging exploration and backtracking.

The puzzles can be confusing and poorly explained, leading to frustrating moments of backtracking and trial-and-error.
The story and character development are underwhelming, with awkward dialogue and a lack of meaningful symbolism.
The difficulty spikes can feel unfair, especially with some bosses and cheap deaths that disrupt the flow of gameplay.

story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its unique concepts and deeper themes related to mind control and personal struggles, while others find it poorly executed and lacking in coherence. The narrative is often described as awkward and cringeworthy, with missed opportunities for deeper storytelling through level design and character interactions. Overall, it seems to cater to a niche audience that may find value in its ideas, despite its shortcomings.
- “Better story than Twilight.”
- “I’m certain there are people out there who will relish just the idea of the story though – perhaps it will ignite within them something they haven’t ever thought about and provide for them mental tools to deal with their own anxieties.”
- “[b]Fez meets Psychonauts & Star Wars[/b]: a metroidvania with a story about mind control/brainwashing vs. the protagonist's control of his own mind; e.g. his 'demons' he has to 'dance with', his beliefs (positively altered by a lot of wisdom), stress relief (referring to the anti-stress machines in-game) etc. This - so including the fact that this game offers nonlinear gameplay as was the case with Fez - makes for a great game full of possibilities to explore and solve puzzles; mostly fair ones, but there are a few I have been able to solve based on logic that I'd still like to discuss.”
- “The control scheme, interface, and story are all whack.”
- “Bits of boring level design, poorly telegraphed attacks, and somewhat awkward storytelling tempt me to advise the public to skip this one.”
- “Every facet of the level design could have alluded toward something deeper, with enemies representing his fears in a more explained way and dialog that doesn’t just 'tell, don’t show.' Instead, the story is something that really bogs down the game for me.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay is characterized by a metroidvania style that combines charming aesthetics with nonlinear exploration and puzzle-solving elements. However, some players find the execution lacking, with poorly indicated mechanics and puzzles reminiscent of outdated game design, leading to frustrations that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game offers intriguing themes and possibilities for exploration, appealing to those who enjoy thoughtful gameplay.
- “The metroidvania style, with its simple aesthetic and mechanics, is charming. The execution of the in-game elements and puzzles offers a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic games, encouraging exploration and problem-solving.”
- “This game combines elements of Fez and Psychonauts with a unique story about mind control versus the protagonist's self-control. The nonlinear gameplay allows for a great variety of possibilities to explore and solve puzzles, making it an engaging experience.”
- “Interesting gameplay.”
- “The metroidvania style, with the simple aesthetic and mechanics, is charming, but the execution of the in-game elements and some puzzles, along with the lack of clear indications, feels reminiscent of cheap developers from the past who made games that required you to buy a guide alongside them.”
- “The core themes are not as fleshed out as they need to be, and the core gameplay has serious deficiencies that make it hard to stick with.”
- “The gameplay offers nonlinear exploration and puzzle-solving, but there are a few puzzles that seem unfair and can be solved only through logic, which detracts from the overall experience.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a nostalgic NES style, which some players appreciate for its pixel art and aesthetic charm. However, there are criticisms regarding technical issues, such as the need to reload after graphic changes and the presence of margins, which detract from the overall experience. While the artwork and setting are praised for their relatability and effort, the overall execution leaves some players feeling that the game falls short of enjoyment.
- “I love the artwork and the effort that you can visually see has been put into the game. I love the setting of this game and I feel like many people are able to relate to the character and the world he creates (at least for me).”
- “Sure the NES aesthetic is nice, the controls aren't terrible and I quite enjoyed the music, but it's just too darn abstruse to be enjoyable.”
- “Very very NES style game, graphic, sound, controller, story... so don't expect highly advanced 4D layers of lore nor involvement... see it as a NES game... and it just fits into place.”
- “Very very NES style game, graphics, sound, controller, story... so don't expect highly advanced 4D layers of lore or involvement. See it as a NES game, and it just fits into place.”
- “I had to reload the game after every change in graphics, and there are margins every time.”
- “---{graphics}---”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with users appreciating the nice soundtrack, though some feel that the overall experience is hindered by its complexity.
- “The NES aesthetic is nice, the controls aren't terrible, and I quite enjoyed the music.”
- “Nice soundtrack.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
Players indicate that grinding in the game can be quite demanding, often requiring significant time investment or additional lives to progress effectively.
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that character development is lacking, as there is minimal growth or context provided for characters outside of the protagonist's internal thoughts, resulting in a diminished emotional investment in the narrative.
- “There’s also no significant character development outside your character’s mind, which gives less context and less reason to care about whatever happens inside it.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely criticized, with users noting a lack of engaging story and unappealing visuals, which detract from the overall enjoyment and comedic elements. Many players found the gameplay to be unfunny and lacking in humor.