Fragile
- November 12, 2020
- Beer Night Studio
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Fragile" is a single-player Horror Adventure game with an awesome story, taking place in a gruesome, suspenseful setting in Mongolia. As a 10-year-old abduction victim, players must escape monsters, solve unique puzzles, and uncover horrifying truths about missing children. Despite sensational graphics, the game is poorly optimized and not for the faint-hearted.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a beautifully crafted story that effectively portrays the horrors of child abduction and human trafficking, making it a thought-provoking experience.
- The art style and graphics are stunning, creating a haunting atmosphere that enhances the emotional impact of the narrative.
- Despite its flaws, many players found the game engaging and appreciated its unique approach to a serious subject matter, with some even calling it a masterpiece.
- The game suffers from poor optimization, with long loading times and frequent crashes that significantly detract from the overall experience.
- Many players expressed frustration with unskippable death animations and repetitive gameplay, leading to a tedious experience when retrying difficult sections.
- The controls are often described as clunky and unresponsive, making it challenging to navigate through the game and complete puzzles effectively.
- story108 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally praised for its dark and thought-provoking themes, particularly focusing on human trafficking and its psychological impact, conveyed through a visually striking storybook style. While many reviewers appreciate the emotional depth and creativity of the narrative, some criticize its pacing, predictability, and the frustrating mechanics that hinder replayability. Overall, the story is seen as a compelling and haunting experience, despite some execution flaws and gameplay issues.
“A beautiful, yet nightmarish story of a little girl caught up in evil actions that occur in the world we live in.”
“The artwork is great (not to mention horrific), and the story charts the spiraling mental state of a trafficked young girl, and how she sees her captors first as intimidating men, and as her captivity goes on, then as horrific demon-like creatures, or repulsive barnyard beasts on two legs with cruel weapons.”
“The story is impeccable - it was short, scary, moving, involving, well-made, intriguing and horrifying at the same time!”
“The story is weak and incoherent.”
“Dark story but executed kinda badly.”
“To be honest, the story, gameplay, and optimization were bad.”
- graphics68 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received high praise for their stunning art style, detailed animations, and ability to create an unsettling atmosphere that complements the narrative. Many reviewers noted the beautiful, gritty visuals and the effective use of lighting and textures, although some experienced performance issues, such as lag and slow loading times, particularly on lower-end hardware. Overall, the art style is considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's emotional impact despite some gameplay flaws.
“The graphics/art style in the game are really good, nice and colorful, and has a good hand-drawn feel to it.”
“The art style is wonderful and the animations have details that help sell the world and characters.”
“Graphics are beautiful with everything taking on this gritty feel, and the art style is definitely up my alley.”
“Only bad experience was that the game ran pretty slow on my Windows laptop, maybe because the graphics required a better graphics card.”
“I love the art style and the topic, but sadly the gameplay is no fun at all; it's laggy and the loading times are probably longer than the whole game.”
“There are no options nor accessibility to reduce graphics when needed.”
- gameplay44 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "fragile" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its clunky mechanics, slow character movement, and linear design, which can lead to a tedious experience. While the variety in environments and puzzles adds some interest, the overall execution is hampered by lag and awkward controls, detracting from the enjoyment. Despite these issues, the game's artistic elements and its serious thematic focus on human trafficking resonate with some players, making it a worthwhile experience for those who appreciate the horror genre and puzzle mechanics.
“There's enough variety in the environments and gameplay mechanics that it doesn't get stale for its runtime.”
“The puzzles are cool, and the gameplay was so exciting and breathtaking.”
“If you like the horror genre with puzzle gameplay mechanics, this game is for you!”
“Gameplay can be a bit tedious since a lot of mechanics are very tight, so there are a lot of times things have to be replayed a few times, but there are tons of checkpoints, so you never have to start back very far.”
“I love the art style and the topic, but sadly the gameplay is no fun at all; it's laggy and the loading times are probably longer than the whole game.”
“The game is kind of disappointing, even if they are trying to touch a sensitive subject like human trafficking, but the gameplay is poor as the movement of the character is slow and feels unresponsive at times when you really need to move.”
- optimization20 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting excessively long loading screens, frequent freezes, and overall poor performance despite low system requirements. Many feel that these issues significantly detract from the gameplay experience, making it feel unpolished and frustrating. Overall, the optimization problems are seen as a major drawback that hinders the game's potential.
“Optimization isn't great; the game would occasionally freeze on the loading screen for a second or two, and there are quite a lot of loading screens, one after another.”
“It's badly optimized considering how small the game is.”
“This would be an amazing indie game; however, there's a huge issue holding it back, and that's how terribly optimized it is.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unsettling, dark, and oppressive qualities, effectively immersing players in a horror experience that relies more on ambiance than jump scares. While the art style contributes positively to this atmosphere, some reviewers noted that the audio could be improved for better synchronization and balance, suggesting that more ambient sound would enhance the overall experience. Overall, it is recommended for those who appreciate a horror atmosphere intertwined with puzzles and a compelling narrative.
“The atmosphere in the game is very good; it does a good job of capturing a dark, depressing, and oppressive atmosphere throughout the game.”
“I honestly don't remember, but I liked the atmosphere and the fact you know things like this happen in the real world hits even harder.”
“Beautifully made, the game isn't a traditional horror in the aspect of jump scares (although I did yell out in fear once), but instead focuses on the horror of the atmosphere you find yourself in.”
“This is a game that I can recommend for someone who likes puzzles, horror atmosphere, but little to no jump scares, and an interesting story.”
“Audio could be a bit better at times in terms of syncing and balancing, but it added so much atmosphere.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent freezing during startup and prolonged loading times that disrupt gameplay. Many users recommend watching gameplay videos instead of playing due to these persistent bugs. Overall, the experience is marred by a lack of reliability.
“Doesn't work, freezes on startup.”
“Loading time takes so long and freezes sometimes.”
“So many loading screens that literally freeze all the time.”
- music10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for effectively setting the mood and enhancing emotional moments, although some players feel that certain key scenes are undermined by abrupt transitions back to gameplay. However, there are criticisms regarding the lack of ambient sound, with some reviewers suggesting that the soundtrack could have been more atmospheric and polished. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the experience, there are notable areas for improvement.
“The music in the game is very good; it definitely sets the mood of the game.”
“It has a few interesting puzzles, scary monsters (real and imaginary), great music, intense moments, an excellent storyline, really sad and scary scenes, etc. and what makes it even scarier, is that all of this is actually real.”
“The most meaningful moment in this game (to me, and probably to most) is cut short, with the music and cut scene ending abruptly, and back to the gameplay you go.”
“For the sound and music was not good.”
“Could have used more ambient sound to make it more atmospheric; instead, it sounds like it was their first attempt to make a scary soundtrack.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its powerful emotional impact, effectively addressing serious issues like animal abuse and human trafficking through a compelling narrative filled with dark and heartfelt moments. Its minimal dialogue allows visuals and notes to convey the story, enhancing the emotional experience, though players should be prepared for its heavy themes. Overall, it is highly recommended for those seeking a deeply moving experience.
“Alright, it's time for the likes. The story is really good with plenty of dark, twisted, and some heartfelt moments in it. It's a game with practically no dialogue; it just lets its visuals and notes tell the story, which is very much succeeded.”
“I would highly recommend this game but will warn that it is incredibly emotional.”
“Just so this review doesn't end on a bad note, I'm glad this game doesn't shy away from bringing awareness to animal abuse, human trafficking, wage theft, and the human experience. It was heartbreaking to read those stats and be reminded that these issues are still at large.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game somewhat tedious due to the tight mechanics that often require repeated attempts. However, the abundance of checkpoints mitigates frustration by preventing significant backtracking.
“Grinding can feel excessively repetitive, making the gameplay tedious at times.”
“The need to replay sections multiple times due to tight mechanics can lead to frustration.”
“While there are plenty of checkpoints, the overall experience can still feel like a grind.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability due to its linear gameplay structure, which may not encourage multiple playthroughs. However, it serves a significant purpose in raising awareness about human trafficking, making it more of a discussion piece than a traditional replayable experience.
“Gameplay is very linear and there isn't much in the way of replay value, but as I stated before, this game is more about awareness and bringing up the horrors of human trafficking for discussion.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is highlighted by its strong and imaginative character design, particularly noting the creepy, alien-like butchers and doctors that add depth and intrigue to the narrative.
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game to be consistently entertaining, particularly enjoying the comedic aspects of dying in-game, which adds a lighthearted touch to their experience despite their struggles.
“Even though I suck at this game :D, dying is hilarious every single time, bruh!”
