Fractal Block World

About

Fractal Block World is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Dan Hathaway and was released on October 18, 2021. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

This is a surreal exploration game. Explore a massive fractal with great complexities. You can shrink infinitely to go deeper into the fractal. Or you can become larger by growing. Inner space awaits you in this infinite world.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

+12

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98%

Audience ScoreBased on 890 reviews

gameplay23 positive mentions

graphics11 negative mentions

The game offers an incredibly unique exploration experience, allowing players to shrink and grow infinitely, revealing new worlds and secrets at every turn.
Despite its simple graphics and sound design, the game is charming and engaging, with a vast amount of content that keeps players intrigued for hours.
The sense of scale and the ability to discover hidden areas within seemingly mundane objects creates a captivating gameplay loop that encourages curiosity and exploration.

The graphics and sound effects are often criticized for being low quality, which can detract from the overall experience for some players.
Navigation can be tedious, especially in the numerous mazes, which may lead to frustration and a sense of aimlessness.
The combat mechanics are considered basic and repetitive, lacking variety in enemy behavior and engagement.

gameplay
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
4%
The gameplay is characterized by its unique shrinking and growing mechanics, offering a staggering amount of content and exploration opportunities that keep players engaged for hundreds of hours. While the graphics and sound may be lacking, the innovative mechanics and satisfying gameplay loop provide a refreshing and addictive experience, despite some players finding it overwhelming or repetitive at times. Overall, the game is praised for its depth and creativity, making it a hidden gem in terms of gameplay.
- “The amount of content is staggering, the visuals are charmingly endearing, and the gameplay is refreshingly unique.”
- “The gameplay loop is satisfying and it's a joy to explore.”
- “The defining mechanic of being able to shrink and grow by many orders of magnitude is not just a gimmick, but actually integrates well with satisfying exploration and progression.”
- “Oh yeah, that's right sorry, forgot to mention, this gameplay is mostly just solving long tedious mazes, following a procedure and eliminating dead ends until you find your way out.”
- “The gameplay itself is pretty barebones and weirdly balanced, but it's a well-wrapped first-person ARPG that doesn't take too long to learn the design language of.”
- “The environments are octree jank as artform, every creature is an immobile sphere, the sounds aim for quirky and only reach annoying, half your time is spent in the same randomly generated maze, every mechanic is overexplained or unexplained.”
graphics
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
67%
19%
The graphics of the game are generally described as simplistic, crude, and lacking polish, often compared to "programmer art" or retro aesthetics. However, many players find this visual style charming and argue that it enhances the overall experience, allowing for a unique and engaging gameplay focus. While some critiques highlight the need for graphical refinement, the consensus suggests that the game's depth and mechanics more than compensate for its visual shortcomings.
- “The amount of content is staggering, the visuals are charmingly endearing, and the gameplay is refreshingly unique.”
- “Despite the graphics being very obviously programmer art, I think it's a strength that makes this game incredibly charming, and you can tell that this was a passion project made with love.”
- “Even the whimsical graphics and sounds don't detract from the overall experience; in fact, I'd say that the silly look is quite charming and furthers the feeling of awe whenever I find a cool little area or enemy.”
- “Graphics so simple they are almost abstract.”
- “One point of critique: this game desperately needs an art pass; the visuals are pretty rough.”
- “The lack of quality in visuals and sound ruined it for me.”
story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
77%
7%
The game's story is described as an avant-garde and expansive narrative that intertwines with its unique gameplay mechanics, allowing for countless paths and explorations within a fractal universe. Players appreciate the well-written lore and the depth of worldbuilding, which encourages both linear progression and extensive side quests, resulting in a rich and immersive experience. Despite its abstract nature, the storytelling is engaging and thought-provoking, with many players finding themselves deeply invested in the narrative and its secrets.
- “The story and writing in this game is excellent.”
- “The worldbuilding of the story is a very interesting kind of 'abstract science' that I absolutely love pondering about, and when I'm playing, I really feel like I'm studying the world in an almost scientific way, which makes for an amazing experience.”
- “Even after completing the already expansive main story, that's just one of the innumerable possible paths to explore, which grow exponentially as you select finer and finer end points to shrink down to.”
- “The story is certainly there, and it does have some funny bits; it's pretty esoteric.”
- “Even after playing nearly 100 hours and accomplishing the main story goal, there are still parts of the fractal universe that feel wild and dangerous.”
- “Playing through the story feels like going on a journey to the center of the earth, but if the earth was an incomprehensible fractal hell world.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The game features a notable absence of background music, which many players find leaves the experience feeling empty at times. However, the developer encourages players to add their own music, leading to a variety of personalized soundscapes that enhance gameplay. While the sound effects have their own charm, players unanimously agree that the addition of ambient music would significantly improve the overall experience.
- “This game hits different when you're high and listening to traditional Celtic music.”
- “Pretty fun game, features vast exploration concepts and an ability to allow me to play usually wildly unfitting music and just have it work.”
- “Throw on some trippy music while playing and enjoy!”
- “The lack of music and suggestions from the developer to pair your own music makes this the best shareware game I've never played, but vaguely remember trying via some random CD at 15fps on a Pentium 3.”
- “There are sound effects and there is a music system in the game, but there is simply no background music, which can make the game feel very empty at times.”
- “And I remember thinking while going through a maze that if the developer had just added some background music and recorded the sound effects on a proper microphone, this game would be 100x better, and that's just by improving the sound.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing sound effects and quirky enemy designs, which many players find entertaining and memorable. Reviewers appreciate the game's unique blend of humor and exploration, noting that the funny elements enhance the overall experience and keep players engaged. Overall, the game is recommended for its lighthearted and humorous approach, making it a delightful addition to any library.
- “The story is certainly there, and it does have some funny bits; it's pretty esoteric.”
- “The sound effects are also the most random they could be, which made me laugh.”
- “Have you ever experienced true fulfillment after clicking on a cube and hearing a funny sound?”
grinding
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
6%
88%
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while it encourages exploration and can enhance the overall experience, many players find the extensive grinding for upgrades and navigating complex mazes to be tedious and overwhelming, especially during difficulty spikes. Some enjoy the mindless nature of grinding, but others feel it detracts from the enjoyment, suggesting that improvements could be made to streamline the experience. Overall, players recommend balancing grinding with exploration to fully appreciate the game.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “If the idea of grinding out 3D mazes to get minigun damage upgrades for hours doesn't make your head hurt, then this is for you.”
- “The combat is also surprisingly complex at times, making the game have somewhat of a puzzle element to it too; however, the amount of grinding necessary is overwhelming when you see the difficulty spikes in certain areas.”
- “Oh yeah, that's right, sorry, forgot to mention, this gameplay is mostly just solving long tedious mazes, following a procedure and eliminating dead ends until you find your way out.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The atmosphere of Fractal Block World is described as surreal and resonant, effectively blending charming elements with a Lovecraftian influence. The game's sound and visual design contribute to its unique and captivating ambiance, making it a standout feature despite some narrative complexities. Overall, players find the atmosphere to be the game's strongest aspect, enhanced by potential visual effects.
- “Fractal Block World is a surreal exploration game with a certain atmosphere I have difficulty describing, but it resonates with me perfectly.”
- “The sound and visual design are batshit insane, which actually works very well in creating a surreal atmosphere for the entire game.”
- “I've experimented with reshade with good results, and feel some additional effects could really add to the character and atmosphere of the game.”
- “Overall, the atmosphere is this game's strongest point, but for me, the details of the story have made me think.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, with some reporting it evoked tears and a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of childhood experiences. The wholesome credits, featuring personal anecdotes from the developers, further enhance the emotional impact, leaving a lasting impression on players.
- “I love this game so much, I cried.”
- “One comment said, 'It made me feel like a kid again.'”
- “The credits area is so wholesome and filled with personal anecdotes about the development of the game.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight an exceptional level of replayability, with many expressing that it is among the highest they've encountered in any game. This aspect significantly enhances the overall gaming experience, encouraging multiple playthroughs.
- “An alarming amount of replayability.”
- “I've never seen so much replayability in a game ever.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a generally stable experience with few bugs or glitches; however, some have encountered specific graphical issues, such as neon green lines on the screen, indicating potential compatibility problems with certain hardware.
- “I'm getting graphical glitches where the screen is covered in neon green lines, almost as if my graphics card is dying, but it's only unique to this game.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, effectively handling the complex rendering demands of its intricately designed mazes and dungeons.
- “The mazes and dungeons are well-designed, and the game is optimized to a tee despite the insane amount of things it has to render.”
- “The performance is impressive; even with all the intricate details, the game runs smoothly without any noticeable lag.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the game mechanics, making it feel responsive and fluid during gameplay.”

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13h Median play time

7177h Average play time

6-40h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Fractal Block World is a action adventure game.

Fractal Block World is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 7177 hours playing Fractal Block World.

Fractal Block World was released on October 18, 2021.

Fractal Block World was developed by Dan Hathaway.

Fractal Block World has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its graphics.

Fractal Block World is a single player game.

Similar games include RODINA, Lunacid, Outer Wilds, FEZ, Antichamber and others.

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