FriendShapes

About

FriendShapes is a single player role playing game. It was developed by RainingLamppost and was released on February 10, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

FriendShapes v2.2 Demo Out Now! [Controls: Keyboard / Joypad / Mouse (Mouse not recommended for traversal)] [Media 17987566] Explore the twisted remnants of Leavalley, a place you're fairly...

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 23 reviews

music8 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

FriendShapes offers a unique and immersive experience with its surreal storytelling, memorable characters, and haunting atmosphere that captivates players.
The game's art style, combining pixel art and 3D effects, along with a diverse and engaging soundtrack, enhances the overall experience and sets a distinct mood.
The gameplay mechanics, which focus on negotiation and understanding rather than traditional combat, provide a fresh take on RPG elements and encourage players to think creatively.

Navigation can be frustrating due to janky movement controls and fixed camera angles that make it difficult to interact with objects and see where to go.
Some players experienced issues with repetitive encounters and RNG elements that can lead to tedious backtracking and a lack of variety in gameplay.
The writing contains typos and inconsistencies, and the text can be difficult to read at times, which detracts from the overall immersion.

music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
48%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its uniqueness and emotional depth, with each shape featuring its own distinct track, contributing to a rich and immersive atmosphere. Players appreciate the extensive variety, with a soundtrack that includes over 70 songs, enhancing the surreal exploration experience. The developer's involvement in the music adds to its quality, making it a standout aspect that lingers in players' minds long after gameplay.
- “What makes it really shine is that every shape has its own piece of music.”
- “The writing, art, and music for each shape is carefully thought out and fantastically executed.”
- “A really nice genre-bending soundtrack with 72 songs and a bunch are 6 minutes or longer, and everything is intensely dripping in atmosphere.”
- “With how subjective music is, I can't say how many players will feel the same as I do.”
- “The pixelated/psychedelic visuals and haunting soundtrack create an unsettling, dreamlike atmosphere that lingers.”
- “Every enemy has a different soundtrack.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's story is praised for its creativity, unique characters, and immersive worldbuilding, creating a memorable experience despite some confusing elements. Players appreciate the fragmented narrative style that encourages exploration and personal interpretation, while the emotional depth and abstract soundtrack enhance the overall storytelling. Although the controls may take some getting used to, the engaging plot and its unconventional delivery leave a lasting impression.
- “I love the characters, I love the story, I love how creative it is; this game's a diamond in the rough.”
- “Its storytelling, graphics, music, and gameplay all create a setting that has stuck with me ever since playing it, even if it has some flaws along the way.”
- “Took me a few minutes to get used to the controls, but it wasn't too long until I got immersed in the story with its detailed worldbuilding, abstract soundtrack, and interesting characters.”
- “I will say the controls are a bit wacky and I found some areas a bit too confusing even for this game (shout out to the one guide for this game) but other than that I enjoyed pretty much everything from the unique combat to the wacky characters and the story being told in a way my brain barely comprehends.”
- “I completed the game, didn't yet explore every nook and cranny though, want to savor it for later but while being increasingly weird (and I mean from normal weird to all the stuff listed in the warning actually happens and wait-till-you-get-to-explore-the-basement weird) it does however have plot and make sense, well, if you're able to comprehend some of it at least.”
- “There's also the plot which is indeed there, albeit in small chunks but it can be your lifeline when things will really start happening, it will still be a mostly casual exploration but more about exploring you and your brain as a player, it's something of a rare feat even in games like this one and something I enjoy greatly.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The graphics of the game are highly praised for their unique art style, striking out-of-combat visuals, and impressive 3D effects, creating a captivating and dreamlike atmosphere. The pixelated and psychedelic visuals, combined with a haunting soundtrack, contribute to an emotional and unforgettable gaming experience. Overall, players find the visuals to be a standout feature that enhances the storytelling and gameplay.
- “I can't think of any other game I've played that's used this kind of art style.”
- “The pixelated/psychedelic visuals and haunting soundtrack create an unsettling, dreamlike atmosphere that lingers.”
- “There are visuals that twist the backgrounds and cause impressive 3D effects, something that I imagine is difficult to do with this engine.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
12%
25%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by distinct and eerie locations, enhanced by pixelated visuals and a haunting soundtrack that creates a dreamlike quality. Reviewers praise its immersive and unique ambiance, making it a standout choice for fans of atmospheric exploration games, particularly within its apocalyptic setting. Overall, the combination of art, music, and environmental design contributes to a deeply engaging and memorable experience.
- “The digressions are distinct from one another in terms of color and atmosphere, giving a different sense of eeriness to each location.”
- “Absolutely recommending this for anyone looking for atmospheric exploration games with a unique apocalyptic setting.”
- “The pixelated/psychedelic visuals and haunting soundtrack create an unsettling, dreamlike atmosphere that lingers.”
- “A really nice genre-bending soundtrack with 72 songs and many are 6 minutes or longer, and everything is intensely dripping in atmosphere.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The gameplay is a unique blend of RPG, visual novel, and roguelike mechanics that captivates players with its emotional depth and engaging content. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to resonate with their thoughts and reactions, creating a memorable experience despite some minor flaws. Overall, it is praised for its charm and the richness of its gameplay elements.
- “Its storytelling, graphics, music, and gameplay all create a setting that has stuck with me ever since playing it, even if it has some flaws along the way.”
- “From the short amount of gameplay, I am absolutely speechless at everything the game achieves with its sheer emotion that never stops faltering in its heartfeltness. I am constantly stunned by how my reactions in-game make more sense and follow my line of thought better than any other game I've ever experienced. The sheer ocean of content within dazzles me for how undiscovered this gem of a game is within the sea of endless charm.”
- “If you don't mind RPG-like, visual novel, roguelike mechanics, I highly recommend this game.”
- “From the short amount of gameplay, I am absolutely speechless at everything the game achieves with its sheer ooze of emotion that never stops faltering in its heartfeltness while I'm constantly being stunned by how my reactions in-game make more sense and follow my line of thought better than any other game I've ever experienced.”
- “Either way, rest assured there's no spoilers ahead and if you just want a short version, jump to the second to last chunk of text as I will talk about gameplay and some specifics as well as my impressions while refraining from actual plot and lore explanations.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game's profound emotional impact, particularly through its storytelling and character relationships, which evoke feelings of loss and reflection. The combination of high-stakes choices and a captivating soundtrack enhances the emotional experience, making it a memorable journey that resonates deeply with players. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to convey heartfelt moments and connect with players on a personal level.
- “Once you know the story behind that shape, its appearance is both brilliant and heart-wrenching.”
- “But what really sold that dungeon was the emotional devastation of losing that friend and the quiet moment you share with their corpse in their memory.”
- “An awesome, emotional and unforgettable journey with an amazing soundtrack and art style that had me captivated the entire time!”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight that the character development is significantly enhanced by the game's setting, unique character designs, and immersive music, which collectively imbue the characters with a distinct personality that stands out in the gaming experience.
- “With the setting, character designs, music, and specialized interactions, the characters have so much more personality than they would anywhere else.”
- “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character's unique story.”
- “I love how the choices I make influence the characters' growth and relationships, making every decision feel impactful.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users reporting significant performance issues while others claim it runs smoothly without any problems. This disparity suggests that optimization may vary depending on individual systems or configurations.
- “The game runs perfectly fine for me; I haven't noticed anything weird.”
- “Despite some performance issues mentioned in reviews, my experience has been smooth and enjoyable.”
- “Nevertheless, all of this could be overlooked for the weird experience, but the performance was completely off. I've been playing RPG Maker games ever since the days of RM2K, and this should be illegal.”
- “Two reviews mention performance issues; I obviously can't disprove them, but the game runs perfectly fine for me. I haven't noticed anything weird.”