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 and themes of political and conspiratorial fiction, appealing to fans of the original.
- The updated graphics and animations provide a nostalgic experience for those who enjoyed the original Floor 13.
- The game offers a unique premise where players face the consequences of their actions, adding depth to the gameplay.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
- Gameplay is overly difficult and relies heavily on trial-and-error mechanics, making it feel unbalanced and confusing.
- Lack of clear direction and feedback leaves players feeling lost, with many reporting that the game is unplayable due to its design flaws.
- story9 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story in this game is criticized for its reliance on trial-and-error mechanics and a lack of engaging narrative progression, with players often feeling lost among irrelevant plot elements. The missions can be frustratingly difficult, leading to negative consequences that impact the player's standing, while the overall storytelling feels outdated and uninspired compared to its predecessor. Many reviewers suggest looking elsewhere for a more compelling government or spy-themed narrative experience.
“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.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for its steep difficulty curve, reliance on trial-and-error, and a lack of forgiveness compared to its predecessor, leading to a frustrating experience. Additionally, the presence of UI and gameplay bugs, along with slow transitions, detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it feel outdated and less competitive with modern titles in the genre.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Unfortunately, the retro mechanics and retro UI turn this one just barely into a 'do not recommend.'”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in "Deep State" have received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the updated visuals and animations that reflect 30 years of technological advancements, others criticize them as messy and accompanied by frustratingly long load times. Overall, the graphical improvements are seen as a positive aspect, but they are overshadowed by performance issues.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beauty and immersive qualities, effectively conveying a noir, black ops vibe. However, some users feel that while the atmosphere is rich, the gameplay lacks substance, leading to repetitive and tedious experiences.
“Very pretty, dripping with atmosphere, but essentially not a game.”
“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 conveys a certain black ops noir atmosphere.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is considered basic yet immersive, providing a fitting backdrop to the gameplay experience.
“The soundtrack is basic, but somewhat immersive.”
