Fragmented
- August 15, 2017
- Above and Beyond Technologies
- 7h median play time
"Fragmented" is a Sci-Fi Shooter game with exceptional visuals, featuring single-player, multi-player, and co-op options. After a failed colonization mission, you must survive on an alien planet, harvest resources, craft weapons, and regain lost skills to ensure humanity's survival. Players can host their own servers, adjust settings, and choose between easy or harsh gameplay modes, with a focus on survival and skill progression.
Reviews
- The game has beautiful graphics and a captivating alien world.
- The crafting and leveling system is extensive and offers a lot of potential for gameplay.
- The developers are responsive and actively work on updates and fixes.
- The game is filled with bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay.
- The user interface is clunky and difficult to navigate, leading to frustrating experiences.
- Many players feel the game is a cash grab and lacks the depth and polish of other survival games.
- graphics158 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful alien environments and unique creature designs, while others criticize the overall quality and optimization, describing them as subpar or reminiscent of older titles. Many users note issues with performance, graphical glitches, and a lack of polish, suggesting that while the visuals have potential, they currently fall short of expectations set by promotional materials. Overall, the graphics are seen as decent for an early access title, but significant improvements are needed for a more immersive experience.
“I was immediately captured with the graphics; the alien world is beautiful and crisp.”
“The graphics are amazing and the critters are unique.”
“Good graphics and a beautiful to behold alien world.”
“The graphics are worse than a game released from 2005.”
“On loading up, I noticed the graphics weren't anything like what they were showing in the screenshots; everything from the ground textures to the trees and alien creatures looked very rudimentary in their design.”
“In order for this game to become anything worth a damn, it's going to need a complete and total overhaul of the graphics, the animation, the sounds, the naming conventions, the UI - everything.”
- gameplay110 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant issues such as clunky controls, buggy mechanics, and a lack of diversity in biomes. While some appreciate the foundational elements and potential for fun in survival and crafting, others criticize it for being a derivative and unfinished experience that feels more like a clone of other survival games. Overall, the game shows promise but requires substantial improvements to its mechanics and performance to reach its full potential.
“After playing Conan and Ark Survival, both games which I hated, I tried Fragmented with no expectations at all, but was very surprised by the gameplay quality and rapidly got hooked.”
“Honestly, out of all the survival games I've played so far, this game, as early access as it is, has great graphics, gameplay that is easy to pick up, and the option to not have your entire inventory drop on death... outstanding survival game I've played in a long time.”
“The underlying mechanics and stylizations in both level progression and settlement management bring this game into a new area.”
“The controls are terrible, but there seems to be a lot to do. It seems like it's tried to copy off Ark but failed. I think if it wasn't abandoned, they could have turned it into something great, but it's far from a rubbish game because it's actually quite good once you can get used to the terrible controls, which are so clunky. This isn't my first time playing this game either; I just recently bought it on Steam because I thought they may have changed it, but nope. There is still a fair bit to do in the game, I've played much worse. I hope another team picks this up one day and turns it into something better because there's a basis for every great game but just falls apart from terrible mechanics and clunky movements.”
“Bad graphics and even worse gameplay. The game crashes frequently and you just keep dying and having to respawn. In other words, this game is not worth your money.”
“Game mechanics suck. Tools vanish, sounds happen before you even hit anything, monsters attack from inside trees; the list goes on and on.”
- stability64 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, with many players reporting issues that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some minor glitches are noted as manageable, the consensus is that the game feels incomplete and poorly optimized, leading to frequent frustrations such as freezing, desyncs, and erratic mechanics. Overall, players recommend waiting for further updates and fixes before fully engaging with the title.
“This game is easily one of the most buggy, glitchy games I have ever played.”
“It's buggy and has many issues that make you wonder why this ever got out of beta.”
“Unless you are willing to deal with losing your stuff randomly, desyncs, graphical glitches, poor video optimization with framerates all over the place, and wonky mechanics, you should wait before throwing any money at the title.”
- optimization38 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant performance issues, technical glitches, and a lack of polish that makes it feel unfinished. While some players note improvements in graphics and performance with patches, others struggle to maintain stable frame rates even on high-end systems. The consensus suggests that while there is potential, the game requires substantial optimization work before it can be fully recommended.
“Graphics optimization has improved.”
“It's good, well optimized and getting better and better with every patch.”
“The game is also very well optimized for early access.”
“Very poorly optimized.”
“As it stands, the base building and crafting are pretty limited, there isn't much variety of enemies or gear, the AI is dumb, the optimization is below poor and there are a ton of technical issues and bugs.”
“Unless you are willing to deal with losing your stuff randomly, desyncs, graphical glitches (when you crouch holding anything the animation is of you holding a gun), poor video optimization with framerates all over the place even on a very high-end gaming rig and wonky mechanics (you glitch like a madman and spin/warp all over the place if you step onto a dropped loot package for example), you should wait before throwing any money at the title.”
- grinding30 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express significant frustration with the grinding mechanics in the game, describing it as tedious and overly complex, particularly in the early stages where resource gathering feels like a chore rather than an engaging activity. The limited inventory space exacerbates the issue, leading to excessive time spent farming materials without a sense of achievement or motivation. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a major drawback, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
“This leads to a lot of unnecessary grinding of bushes and trees just so you can make stone tools or clothes or build a shelter.”
“Gathering materials to slowly develop your character and settlement feels tedious in this and quickly wore thin for me.”
“I'm sure at least 75% of my first 2 hours was just grinding materials to test crafting and building.”
- story28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, often leaving players confused and disengaged. Many reviewers note the absence of NPCs, missions, and a compelling narrative, with the repetitive theme of fragmented memory failing to engage players. While some see potential for improvement, the current state of the story is deemed dull and underdeveloped, making it difficult to recommend over more established survival games.
“Since it is a game in the making, there is a plot so far, lots of bugs to be sorted out... but I do enjoy playing it (mostly offline).”
“I'm recommending this game because it's playable and has the potential and backing to be very decent, and it leads into the repopulation, which will share many of its features and backstory.”
“If they could bring NPCs, more enemies, more biomes, and a storyline, they could easily sell the game for 30-40 euros.”
“Another issue with the game is it lacks any depth of story; it is another 'I woke up and can't remember anything.' The game even throws in your face every time you load it, 'your memory is fragmented.' So dull, boring, and lame.”
“This is the forest but very rough in terms of FPS and story (there isn't any).”
“The story isn't there.”
- monetization10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, initially designed to maximize profits without delivering quality. However, players note that many of these exploitative elements have been removed, resulting in a more enjoyable and playable experience, particularly in offline and multiplayer modes. Despite lingering concerns about grind and monetization tactics, the game's current state is seen as a victory for gamers.
“This game was clearly designed to be a quick cash grab by the devs, but it obviously failed and the gamers are triumphant once again.”
“I hope the dev fixes this, but I think it might just be on Steam for a last-minute cash grab.”
“Those things get in the way of the all-important profits of the cash grab and bail mechanism that is his entire business model and therefore they must be silenced.”
- music10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised for its soothing and calming qualities, enhancing the beautiful, semi-dreamlike landscape. Reviewers highlight the sound design as a strong point, contributing to an immersive experience that complements the visuals. Overall, the music is described as a significant positive aspect of the game.
“The world is beautiful and the music is soothing.”
“The world looks great, the sound is awesome and the music is very good.”
“Once it finally loads, you'll notice the entire game has 4 online players... I don't know if that's specific, but 4 players. So I clicked join on a server with 1 person. It loaded the main menu this time with music. I quit after that, so I don't have many pros and cons to say.”
“The music is peaceful and calming.”
“Seriously, the music, the natural yet semi-dreamlike landscape, the near-perfect harvesting sounds.”
- character development6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews; while the monster designs are praised for their creativity, the player character design is criticized for being bland and lacking customization options, leading to a sense of uniformity among players. Many feel that the character design feature feels unnecessary given the limited variety.
“Monster designs are great, character design is good; the individual assets of the game are fantastic.”
“The character design is very plain, boring, and quite ugly, with little to nearly no customization at all.”
“I don't understand why they even include a character design section in the game, since everyone will pretty much be clones in different sizes.”
“The character design is very plain, boring, and quite ugly, with little to nearly no customization at all.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally described as decent, with satisfactory graphics and sound, but it suffers from awkward interactions with the environment and creatures. While it provides a suitable setting for survival, players feel that additional features could enhance the overall experience.
“The game is set in a nice kind of atmosphere for survival.”
“The graphics are decent in this game, and the atmosphere is also quite good.”
“The atmosphere is not very good due to many strange interactions with the environment and creatures.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is primarily derived from quirky character animations, particularly the odd bending of wrists that occurs due to the camera mechanics. Players find these animations amusing, adding a lighthearted touch to the overall experience.
“Some of the character animations are a bit funny.”
“Watching the characters' wrists bend like they do... it's funny (hands are still tethered to the camera even though it's now behind your head, so they bend a bit oddly).”
“It is kind of funny, now that I think about it, that the one Star Wars element that J.C.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely overshadowed by frustration, as players express dissatisfaction with unclear mechanics and a cramped interface that detracts from the overall experience. The lack of guidance and visual clarity leads to feelings of confusion and discomfort, impacting immersion.
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that while the game is currently in "pre-alpha" stage, which typically suggests limited content and features, comparisons to other early-access titles like Empyrion and Rust suggest that players are hopeful for a more engaging and replayable experience as development progresses.