Foregone

81%
Game Brain Score Based on 512 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Foregone Game Cover
Foregone is a good 2D action platformer, and worth a play-through. I’ve played many games that are easy to put down when the review is done, but Foregone is staying in my rotation for a while.
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"Foregone is a single-player platformer game with an interesting plot involving a war against a corrupting force called the Harrow. The game boasts spectacular mechanics, masterful graphics, and a sensational soundtrack. Players can collect legendary loot and upgradeable skills to shoot and slash their way through hordes of enemies in fast-paced action."

  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

81%
Audience ScoreBased on 512 reviews
story33 positive mentions
grinding33 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful pixel art and fluid animations, creating an engaging visual experience.
  • Combat is fast-paced and enjoyable, with a variety of weapons and abilities that allow for different playstyles.
  • The game offers a decent challenge with boss fights and side missions that test player skills.
  • The story is weak and predictable, lacking depth and engagement, making it hard to care about the narrative.
  • Level design is linear and repetitive, with limited enemy variety that can lead to boredom over time.
  • The loot and upgrade systems feel shallow, with many items being forgettable and not encouraging experimentation.
  • story177 mentions

    The story in the game is generally perceived as basic and unremarkable, often described as forgettable or filled with clichés. While some players appreciate the attempt at depth and the intriguing lore, many find it disjointed and lacking in engagement, with a narrative that feels underdeveloped and reliant on collectible entries rather than immersive storytelling. Overall, the narrative serves its purpose but fails to leave a lasting impression, overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and visual design.

    • “The positive: the story is surprisingly intricate, and the lore surrounding everything that's going on is actually quite interesting.”
    • “From a church cult to a military war to experimentation and to certain things the arbiter lives to regret - everything was quite interesting and as one who loves a good story, I was intrigued.”
    • “Learning the story made the last boss fight exciting and sad.”
    • “The story is boring and self-contradicting with some really hammy dialogue and voice acting.”
    • “The story feels like a draft that was turned in as an essay, but struggled to meet the word count.”
    • “The story is lackluster and it can't decide if it is cyberpunk or medieval themed.”
  • gameplay132 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is generally described as smooth and engaging, with solid mechanics and enjoyable combat, reminiscent of titles like Dead Cells. However, many players criticize the level design as clunky and the overall content as shallow, leading to a lack of depth and variety in gameplay experiences. While some appreciate the fast-paced action and fluid controls, others find the mechanics underwhelming and the progression system frustrating, particularly due to the need for frequent backtracking and limited fast travel options.

    • “Fast enough gameplay, nice graphics, run & gun, some cool boss battles.”
    • “Tight controls, crispy movement and various abilities make for great metroidvania gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is very smooth, combat is intuitive and fun, and the variety of ways different weapons interact with enemies is great.”
    • “The main flaw of this game is that while it's mechanically polished, the content is shallow.”
    • “But gameplay-wise it's a boring version of Dead Cells without rogue-like elements.”
    • “The gameplay is fast, but it lacks impact; your character has no reaction or invincibility frames after getting hit, so if you are not paying attention to your heal, you can die without even noticing.”
  • graphics85 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their vibrant pixel art style, smooth animations, and well-designed environments, often drawing comparisons to titles like Dead Cells. While many players appreciate the aesthetic and fluidity of the visuals, some critiques mention issues with clarity in gameplay due to the art style, suggesting that certain elements can blend into the background. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The graphics are amazing, and the environments are very well designed.”
    • “Some of the best and most vibrant pixel graphics I've ever seen, makes the levels really fun to explore.”
    • “The artwork is beautiful.”
    • “The graphics are pretty but they are very flat, and this leads to them being less appealing than they should be, as well as numerous issues of enemies sometimes being hidden behind other enemies or corpses.”
    • “The art style is made from 3D models being pushed through a pixel art filter, where this worked in Dead Cells due to meticulous care and an eye for detail, in Foregone it looks like a cheap Photoshop plugin that wasn't calibrated properly.”
    • “Dead Cells and Hades are far better than this one; I feel it lacks depth, and the graphics are meh.”
  • music35 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the overall soundtrack and its fit within the game's aesthetic, though some find it generic and unmemorable. While certain tracks, particularly those following boss battles, stand out for their emotional impact, others are criticized for lacking originality and depth. Overall, the soundtrack is considered decent and enjoyable, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere, but it doesn't break new ground.

    • “Backed by haunting music and enchanting backdrops, it follows the story of an arbiter who faces the lessons of the past.”
    • “The best part of this game is the music.”
    • “Foregone is a brilliantly written rogue-lite meets metroidvania loot-based platformer with amazing controls, solid story, attractive art-style, brilliant soundtrack, and a load of replayability.”
    • “Even the soundtrack is more than a little similar to that of Dead Cells.”
    • “It did not particularly strike me, as it didn't really feel especially connected to what was going on in the game, mostly being generic sounding orchestral music in my mind.”
    • “My only complaint would be the bland music and the lackluster progression system (abilities & looting overall).”
  • grinding33 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely regarded as tedious and time-consuming, often detracting from the overall experience. Players report that leveling up and obtaining upgrades requires significant backtracking and repetitive farming, which can feel monotonous, especially with a questionable loot system. While some enjoy the addictive loop of improving gear and skills, many find the grind to be excessive and lacking in satisfying rewards.

    • “It's a tedious process.”
    • “The whole grinding process (doing side missions at the outpost repeatedly) detracted from focusing on the game--basically you can pick game progression, or spend an hour grinding for coin and XP to experiment with one or two items/spells.”
    • “This is just a typical grinding skinner box only without satisfying rewards.”
  • replayability11 mentions

    Overall, the reviews indicate a mixed perception of replayability across different games. While some players appreciate the variety in gameplay and unique experiences that enhance replay value, others express disappointment with the lack of meaningful new content in New Game+ modes and linear storylines, which limit replayability. Games like "Foregone" are praised for their engaging mechanics and loot systems, suggesting a higher replay potential compared to others that feel repetitive after the initial playthrough.

    • “Compelling story that plucks the heartstrings and decent replayability.”
    • “I highly suggest playing through Foregone and picking it up at full price because the weapon and skill variety offers a lot of replay value alongside unique experiences that I've yet to experience elsewhere.”
    • “Foregone is a brilliantly written rogue-lite meets metroidvania loot-based platformer with amazing controls, solid story, attractive art style, brilliant soundtrack, and a load of replayability.”
    • “The animations are fantastic, combat is fluid and feels great, sound design is on-point... it's a good game, just don't expect something with much replay value.”
    • “I find the lack of replay value with NG+ content being strictly the same a bit disappointing, but nonetheless I had fun on my second playthrough even though it was way easier and maybe twice as fast as my first :)”
    • “The twist or reveal at the end is so cliché it hurts, and the potential different endings bait you to do another playthrough but the replayability is non-existent.”
  • stability7 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report a smooth experience with responsive controls and minimal glitches, others encounter frustrating bugs, particularly with platforming mechanics and AI behavior. Issues such as character control glitches and problematic level design detract from the gameplay for some users, leading to a less enjoyable experience.

    • “I found no glitches and the game is a fun distraction to play while watching TV.”
    • “As a first game from this studio, it's actually good; it's not buggy, and the controls are responsive, which is important for 2D games with some platforming.”
    • “Runs great.”
    • “Traversal is regularly frustrating - level design is filled with barely-out-of-reach ledges that require circuitous horizontal routes to reach, ledge/platform grabbing gets totally jorked if you do anything in mid-air, many hazards are excessively narrow, and the wall jump is buggy as hell and half the time causes a double jump instead.”
    • “My intent was to 100% this game in order to review it as fairly and accurately as possible, but after eight hours of non-engaging gameplay, bullet sponge bosses, seemingly random enemy placements, incomprehensible systems and menus, asinine dialogue, buggy AI, leap of faith trap placements, and an ugly art style; it was enough to break me.”
    • “Often there seem to be small control glitches that make your character get stuck for half a second instead of dodging or moving.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Reviewers highlight that while the story may lack depth, the voice acting and emotional animations are commendable, enhancing the overall experience. The game is accessible for younger players, with a design that avoids frustrating skill-switching mechanics, though some feel that the lack of diverse gameplay elements may lead to a sense of underutilization.

    • “The story felt kind of meh too, but the voice acting and the emotional animation were really good.”
    • “My 9-year-old daughter Ariadne has played and just finished Forgone today while I have finished the game several times, and my 7-year-old son Calchas has given it a wholesome try.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its solid design and lack of bugs, but some players report limited performance options and issues with stuttering that detract from the experience. While certain settings like bloom effect toggles can improve performance, the overall optimization appears inconsistent.

    • “The design is amazing, I didn't find any bugs yet, and it's well optimized.”
    • “Good game with a retro style, but it has very few performance options like disabling or enabling the bloom effect, and with that option, I can increase my game performance.”
    • “Good game with a retro style, but it has very few performance options, like disabling or enabling the bloom effect. With that option, I could increase my game performance.”
    • “Constant stuttering that hurt my eyes.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    Reviewers suggest that in a metroidvania-style game, timed elements should enhance the atmosphere and narrative tension rather than serve as a primary gameplay mechanic. This approach can enrich the overall experience, making the environment feel more immersive and engaging.

    • “In a metroidvania-style game, the occasional timed element should be a tool used to heighten tension and add to the story and atmosphere of the game, not a core mechanic.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development is criticized for featuring an unsympathetic protagonist and poor writing, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, the character design is described as cringe-worthy, further diminishing player engagement.

    • “A really unsympathetic protagonist with cringe character design and poor writing.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and unengaging, making it hard to connect with anyone in the story.”
    • “There is a lack of meaningful growth for the characters, leaving them feeling static and uninteresting.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is subtle, with players finding amusement in the unexpected presence of certain elements or characters, even if the game itself isn't overtly comedic.

    • “I think it's hilarious how the characters interact with each other.”
    • “The jokes and puns throughout the game had me laughing out loud.”
    • “I love the quirky humor; it adds a unique charm to the gameplay.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

Buy Foregone

Play time

6hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
5-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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