Floor 13: Deep State
- November 2, 2020
- Oversight Productions
Get on SteamFloor 13: Deep State is a dynamically generated dystopian thriller, inspired by the 90’s classic Floor 13 and created by its original team. In a free society, citizens make their own decisions, can challenge authority, and are able to speak their truth. Your job is to put a stop to that.
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Reviews
- The game captures the bureaucratic atmosphere of a British Government department dealing in espionage, appealing to fans of political and conspiratorial fiction.
- It offers a unique premise with consequences for player actions, allowing for a variety of outcomes based on decisions made during gameplay.
- Fans of the original Floor 13 may appreciate the nostalgia and updated graphics, as well as the new campaign content.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, leading to a frustrating experience, with many players feeling abandoned by the developers since support has ceased.
- Gameplay is overly reliant on trial-and-error mechanics, with vague objectives and a lack of direction, making it difficult for players to succeed without extensive retries.
- Many players find the UI outdated and cumbersome, with slow transitions and a lack of feedback on actions, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- story18 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for its reliance on trial-and-error mechanics and a lack of engaging narrative, with missions often feeling disjointed and irrelevant. Players find themselves grappling with convoluted plots that can lead to frustrating outcomes, and the overall experience is compared unfavorably to its predecessor and other titles in the genre. The narrative structure appears outdated, leaving players yearning for a more cohesive and modern storytelling approach.
“If you fail to stop a plot or abduct/murder someone too high profile to get away with, you get a nasty news report that will tank the polls and your job evaluation is unlikely to go well.”
“Every couple of days a new plot starts from a random assortment of the game's standard plots.”
“Not every case is so easy and you might spend a couple of days staring at dossiers of completely irrelevant places and people wondering if this plot is actually going anywhere.”
“With the exception of the suitably gritty introduction animations and a rudimentary tutorial mission, the game has seemingly walked straight out of 1991 with its original format intact, bugs and confusing paper trails and all.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title has been criticized for its high difficulty and reliance on trial-and-error, making early missions frustratingly challenging. Players have noted that the game is less forgiving than its predecessor, with numerous UI and gameplay bugs contributing to a negative experience. Additionally, the retro mechanics and slow transitions detract from the overall enjoyment, leading many to feel it falls short of modern standards in the genre.
“While hypnospace outlaw, Papers Please, Don't Feed the Monkeys, the Orwell games, and others have pushed the creepy surveillance format forward, Floor 13 mechanically feels a little bit too dated to compete.”
“Unfortunately, the retro mechanics and retro UI turn this one just barely into a 'do not recommend.'”
“I bought the game when it was released based on the quality of the original and the fact that at least one of the original developers was allegedly involved in this one, but this is nowhere near as good as its predecessor: early missions are extremely hard and purely based on trial-and-error mechanics.”
“Also, the game is much less forgiving now (even though Mr. Garcia is nowhere to be seen) and some of the UI/gameplay bugs make for an infuriating experience.”
“While the game has a lot of gray, rain-soaked London buildings to set the mood for the scenes, they have a lot of transitions that really slow the gameplay down.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in the updated version of the game have received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the enhancements and refinements made possible by modern technology, others criticize them as messy and accompanied by frustratingly long load times. Overall, the visual improvements are seen as a significant upgrade from the original, but not without notable drawbacks.
“As an enormous fan of the original desk-bound espionage adventure, I was excited to see an updated version with deeper and more intricate plots, a more refined investigation system, and the various graphical and audio improvements that 30 years of technological advancement has put in the hands of the original developers.”
“If you did too, I suggest you give Deep State a try - it's pretty similar to the original game with updated graphics and animations and new plots.”
“This is just a reproduction of it, with graphics that are messy, annoyingly long load times and sequences between days/events, slow and unnecessarily difficult.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beauty and immersive qualities, effectively conveying a noir, black ops vibe. However, many users feel that while the atmosphere is rich, the gameplay suffers from repetitive tasks that detract from the overall experience.
“The game certainly conveys a unique black ops noir atmosphere.”
“Very pretty, dripping with atmosphere.”
“It does a lot for the atmosphere, creating an immersive experience.”
“It is tolerable and does a lot for the atmosphere, but for a game, you have to repeat doing very little a lot; it is certainly a pain.”
“The game certainly is conveying a certain black ops noir atmosphere.”
“Very pretty, dripping with atmosphere, but essentially not a game.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as basic yet capable of creating an immersive atmosphere for players.
“The soundtrack is basic, but somewhat immersive.”
