Face It - A game to fight inner demons
- June 9, 2017
- Tlön Studios
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Face It" is a 3D platformer game that takes players on a surrealistic journey through a maze of feelings, where abstract concepts are shaped into gameplay. Players must defeat darker emotions like fear and depression, represented as monsters and traps, using brighter concepts like hope, vision, and love to beat the levels. As players progress, they will discover the true meanings of magic, unlock magical sigils representing brighter states of mind, and find their way through mazes and puzzles. The game serves as a metaphorical journey of self-discovery.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features a unique concept that explores inner demons through platforming and puzzles.
- The atmosphere is immersive, with abstract visuals and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the experience.
- Some players found the game to be inspirational, helping them reflect on personal struggles and emotions.
- The controls are clunky and unresponsive, making platforming frustrating and difficult.
- The camera angles are awkward, often leading to confusion and misjudgment during jumps.
- The writing and narrative can feel pretentious and repetitive, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
- gameplay72 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it janky, unpolished, and frustrating due to clunky mechanics and poor level design. While some appreciate the innovative puzzles and engaging platforming elements, others criticize the controls and camera issues, leading to a lack of overall satisfaction. Despite its interesting themes and potential, the gameplay often feels underdeveloped and in need of refinement.
“Really clever mechanics and puzzles.”
“A very lovely and surprisingly thought-provoking little game, well worth the price for around 7 hours of gameplay.”
“The graphics are amazing, the gameplay feels fluid and immersive.”
“It's janky and unsatisfying to play... and any experienced gamer will tell you, the handling, responsiveness, and general gameplay feel of the control scheme must be well polished for this kind of game to succeed.”
“Unfortunately, this is something the developer seems to have phoned in, with little to no apparent gameplay testing.”
“The gameplay mechanics were annoying and frustrating, especially bad with such a good concept for the game.”
- graphics52 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the stunning and unique art style that enhances the atmosphere, while others criticize the overall quality as mediocre or reminiscent of console limitations. Many users note that while the visuals can be appealing, they often lack polish and detail, leading to a somewhat generic appearance. Overall, the graphics are seen as a mixed bag, with potential that is not fully realized.
“🎨 Stunning visuals: abstract and surreal visuals fit the theme.”
“The graphics are amazing, the gameplay feels fluid and immersive.”
“Graphics are nice as is the atmosphere of the game.”
“While this is on PC, it has all the hallmarks and deficiencies of a console game, from the clunkier than needed control scheme to the less than cutting edge graphics.”
“Though the story idea is good, the gameplay and the graphics are really bad.”
“The graphics are meh, which isn't an issue for me sure, but there's just not much of anything here.”
- atmosphere44 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere receives mixed reviews, with many praising its unique and immersive qualities, particularly in relation to sound design and thematic elements. However, some players feel that the atmosphere is undermined by clunky controls, unappealing character designs, and mismatched audio elements. Overall, while the game has the potential for a compelling atmosphere, execution issues detract from the experience for some players.
“The game features a nice atmosphere.”
“It is a very atmospheric game, with a narrator that really immerses you in the gameplay and its poems.”
“The challenge, the secrets, the creepy atmosphere - it's all here.”
“The character is also pretty unappealing and goes against the game's overall dark tone and atmosphere.”
“The music and soundtracks sometimes don't match the theme and it kills the atmosphere.”
“An interesting concept with a nice look to it, but the atmosphere is ruined a bit when jumping sounds like wet farts.”
- story43 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as intriguing yet underdeveloped, often feeling disconnected from the gameplay, which leads to a lack of engagement for many players. While some appreciate the attempt to tackle themes of inner demons and the atmospheric elements, others find the narrative vague and uninteresting, with minimal impact on the overall experience. Overall, the story seems to have potential but is overshadowed by gameplay mechanics that fail to create a compelling connection.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“[b]📚 Intriguing storyline:[/b] tackles inner demons in a unique and abstract way.”
“There is content being added to this game and developers seem to be active, so get the inner demons pack with this, a soul gambler, a beautiful and great visual novel which I really recommend for its art and story.”
“To be honest, though, if the philosophy is in any way interesting it doesn’t matter, because this is a simple, run-of-the-mill platformer that thinks having a story almost entirely separate from its gameplay is a good way to keep things interesting.”
“Very clunky, bland, and vague with its dialogue and story.”
“With no real way to identify with the character other than the vague sense of maybe feeling the negative things battled in game, you have no connection to the story.”
- music34 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its ability to create an eerie atmosphere and enhance immersion, particularly noting the effectiveness of the soundtrack in certain levels. However, others criticize the ambient tracks as forgettable and mismatched with the game's themes, leading to a lack of engagement. Overall, while there are standout moments, the inconsistency in quality and thematic alignment detracts from the overall experience.
“The music is dope asf.”
“The music is good -- a great creepy vibe.”
“The music and soundtracks sometimes don't match the theme, and it kills the atmosphere.”
“It suffers from clunky controls, a very bad in-game camera, uninspired puzzles and atmosphere, weird soundtrack, and an awkward concept.”
“The music and soundtracks sometimes don't match the theme and it kills the atmosphere.”
“I got to address this first, the 'music' that's for their menu is so gut-wrenchingly hideous!”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and good optimization, others experience significant issues, particularly on lower-end hardware, leading to frustrating gameplay. Additionally, readability of text has been noted as a minor concern.
“🚀 Smooth performance: runs smoothly in its unique world.”
“The game runs smoothly and otherwise everything is great.”
“Very well optimized.”
“Just installed and the game fails performance-wise.”
“My only complaint is on performance; my notebook does not run the game very well.”
“As cons, I find the text a little difficult to read, and my computer can't run on full HD with respectable performance.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally engaging, with a narrator that enhances the sense of importance and connection to the story. The inclusion of themes like fear, hope, and doubt evokes strong feelings, leading to poignant moments that resonate deeply, though some feel the delivery could be more impactful. Overall, the emotional depth is a highlight, despite some gameplay mechanics needing refinement.
“As you are playing the game, you will find lots of texts about fear, hope, doubt, dreams, and other emotional and philosophical themes.”
“Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
“The narrator made me feel important.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game experiences occasional glitches and crashes, which users attribute to its early access status. While some players find these issues annoying, they acknowledge that such instability is somewhat expected in a game still in development. Overall, the stability is considered a significant concern that affects gameplay.
“Occasional glitches and crashes.”
“Glitches and crashes (quite understandable since this is still an early access title) also hampered my progress.”
“A few but annoying crashes and glitches.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be highly dependent on their desire to explore and collect everything, often leading to a significant time investment. While some enjoy the challenge, many criticize the gameplay mechanics, noting that frustrating controls and frequent deaths make the grinding feel tedious rather than rewarding. Overall, the experience can be enjoyable, but it often requires players to endure repetitive and frustrating elements.
“You'll have to abandon your life as you know it for grinding.”
“Gameplay: every jump is horrible, every movement can be a trip to death, fighting ghosts is annoying and tedious, every platform is as small as possible, the camera is still a problem and controls could be better.”
“That doesn't make the game harder, it just makes it tedious.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it funny and enjoyable, even in challenging levels. However, some users express hope for further improvements in the humor as the game progresses beyond its early access stage.
“Funny game and not short because some levels are hard, but you can do it, so you won't be mad.”
“Cool game, very funny and fun.”
“But it's funny... early access is not the final version... so, let's hope they'll improve it a little bit!”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Users note that while the game offers a challenging experience that can be enjoyable for short sessions, it ultimately lacks significant replayability, making it less appealing for extended play.
“🔄 High replay value: A challenging experience worth revisiting.”
“The game offers multiple paths and choices, making each playthrough feel unique.”
“With regular updates and new content, there's always something fresh to explore.”
“It's good for a 20-minute time waster, though it is definitely lacking in replayability.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its beautiful design and art, contributing to an overall pleasant visual experience.
“The character design and art of the game are truly beautiful and enhance the overall experience.”
“The depth of character development allows players to form meaningful connections with the characters.”
“Each character's journey is thoughtfully crafted, making their growth and evolution feel authentic and engaging.”
