Fugue in Void

About

Fugue in Void is a single player casual simulation game with a mystery theme. It was developed by Moshe Linke and was released on May 19, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Fugue in Void" is a free, immersive gaming experience that explores existential themes through surreal, superimposed scenarios. With no saving system, players are encouraged to complete the 45-minute game in one sitting, using headphones and closing curtains for full immersion. Delve into a thought-provoking journey and discuss your experience in the game's community discord channel.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 202 reviews

graphics17 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Visually stunning environments that evoke a strong sense of atmosphere and creativity.
The sound design complements the visuals well, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
Offers a unique artistic experience that may resonate with fans of abstract and surreal art.

The game features a lengthy, unskippable intro that detracts from the overall experience.
Gameplay is minimal, with limited interactivity and frequent transitions that can disrupt immersion.
Many players feel the game lacks a coherent narrative or meaningful context, making it feel aimless.

graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
56%
7%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their stunning visuals and atmospheric design, creating an intriguing aesthetic experience that resonates with fans of experimental art. However, some users noted technical issues such as poor texture quality, frame rate drops, and an overly long introductory cutscene that detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are captivating, they often lack substance, leading some to view the game more as a showcase of artistic talent than a fully realized interactive experience.
- “Honestly, for what it is, it's a pretty neat little artsy walking sim with impressive visuals, if you enjoy that kind of thing and can sit through a 10-minute long intro.”
- “The sound complements the visuals quite nicely, creating a bleak, futuristic wasteland feel.”
- “Amazing visuals combined with the right atmospheric music.”
- “Any potential aesthetics are limited to exactly what's in front of you, and that isn't really all that much to begin with because the detailing is fairly broad and not particularly abstract.”
- “10 minutes of 'okay' looking illusions and visuals, then a bridge. After the bridge, my screen goes all black, and I see a tiny white line at the bottom; it looks like it might be the bridge.”
- “It's just pretty visuals with no substance behind it.”
atmosphere
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
19%
9%
The atmosphere in "Fugue in Void" is widely praised for its immersive and moody qualities, enhanced by impressive sound design and striking visuals. Many reviewers highlight its success as an atmospheric walking simulator, drawing comparisons to other notable titles in the genre, while some note that its minimalistic and abstract approach may not appeal to everyone. Overall, it is described as a captivating experience that effectively creates a sense of intrigue and exploration, despite some criticisms regarding pacing and interactivity.
- “Fugue in Void has tons of great atmosphere, interesting ideas for places to explore, and a satisfying progression from one vignette to the next.”
- “The sound design is also worth it; it really adds to the atmosphere.”
- “The game has a brooding atmosphere despite its empty areas that is interesting and unsettling at times.”
- “Aside from 2 brief segments at the very end of the game, it's not nearly weird or creative enough in its level design, atmosphere, or style to warrant anything more than a passing shrug and an unenthusiastic 'no' when asked if it's worth checking out.”
- “While occasionally you're presented with teasing atmospheres equivalent to 'Kairo', the need to interact and explore is on par with sitting at an art gallery contemplating when is it closing time?”
- “The awkward audio clipping ruins the atmosphere.”
gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
80%
12%
The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator with minimal interaction, often described as tedious and lacking depth. Players navigate through abstract environments with little to no story, encountering issues like poor character control and motion sickness. Overall, the gameplay experience is criticized for being short, unengaging, and not worth the price, leading many to feel it lacks substance and direction.
- “I'm simply trying to highlight that the most effective transitions happen during gameplay, so that the player can experience the strangeness of going from one place to somewhere completely different firsthand.”
- “The gameplay is fairly standard walking simulator/puzzle game fare.”
- “The gameplay is exclusively walking, and the story is absent, or at least so personal that it would be impossible to understand.”
- “There is evidently next to no gameplay as this was not the developer’s intentions, or expertise, but without gameplay and with better products out there, $8.50 for normal price seems nothing more than an overpriced, unreasonable swindle, shell of a game.”
- “From a gameplay perspective, it is a simple walking simulator with a short overall length.”
story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
67%
19%
The story aspect of the game is widely criticized for its ambiguity and lack of substance, with many reviewers noting that it feels more like an experience than a coherent narrative. The introductory text suggests a personal journey, but players find it cringeworthy and unnecessary, as the game lacks a clear plot, characters, or direction. Overall, the consensus is that the game offers little in terms of storytelling, making it seem aimless and unfulfilling compared to other titles in the genre.
- “Light and dark play a prominent role in the storytelling, along with optical illusions and a feast of geometric shapes to view.”
- “Much like the mysterious title of the game, I guess it is up to you and your imagination to find the meaning of the story.”
- “The game opens with 'this is the story of my mind' and then 'this is my mind.' This is Moshe Linke's fascinations, his obsession with brutalism, and playfulness with structures explored, and that's perfectly valid too.”
- “The gameplay is exclusively walking, and the story is absent, or at least so personal that it would be impossible to understand.”
- “There is no background story, plot, characters, or goal.”
- “There is literally no story, there is no rhyme, no reason - just here's some stuff to look at.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
41%
18%
The music in the game is characterized by great ambient tracks that enhance the atmosphere, often described as creepy yet soothing, fitting well with the brutalist visuals. While some players appreciate the depth it adds, others feel the soundtrack could be more varied and that the abrupt audio transitions detract from the experience. Overall, the ambient soundscape is praised for its ability to complement the game's abstract imagery and architectural themes.
- “The music and sound effects work well to add a level of depth to the game.”
- “Amazing visuals combined with the right atmospheric music.”
- “The music and ambient sounds are very good, not 'pretty music', but somewhat creepy, soothing, startling, 'make you look over your shoulder' audio.”
- “There are no soundtracks or tunes as such.”
- “The soundtrack/effects are not as effective as in the original and the short chapters lack any real sort of puzzle or world-building.”
- “What you have here is a little interactive museum of computer graphics effects, computer music, and computer architecture.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report that the game evokes a profound emotional response, often leaving them with a sense of introspection and connection. Many describe it as a unique experience that lingers in their thoughts, comparable to other emotionally impactful titles. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a game that stirs deep feelings and reflections.
- “I played a stolen version of this once when I was a kid, and it made me feel less alone.”
- “This game made me feel something.”
- “I don't know what it made me feel, and I spent the next few days thinking about it, but I would recommend it for that experience alone.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting poor performance and the need for extensive adjustments to settings for smoother gameplay. While the visuals can be impressive, the overall optimization appears lacking, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
- “Unity sure can be beautiful and run smoothly when the developer cares like this.”
- “That's why my time is as long as it is; I had to adjust my game settings so I could have the game running at a good speed (it is not very well optimized).”
- “Looks like one of those performance tests where you're shown a series of surreal animations that task your GPU to test the FPS.”
- “Horrible optimization.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unfulfilling, with early gameplay requiring excessive searching for buttons that later become unnecessary as scenes transition automatically. The experience is marred by long stretches of empty corridors and artistic choices that lead to motion sickness, further detracting from engagement.
- “At the first part of the game, the player has to search the areas for buttons to step on to progress, which was tedious. Then the game loses the buttons altogether, and instead, scenes fade away by themselves, meaning I was looking for a way to progress when the solution was just to sit around and let the game play itself.”
- “After that, there are some really cool-looking scenes, alternated with tedious empty corridors where artistic lag, overwhelming motion blur, and dull mazes did nothing for me other than causing motion sickness while I wonder why running has been disabled for some sections of gameplay.”
- “I love walking simulators and the like, but this one just felt tedious and hollow.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy is perceived as overly promotional, resembling an advertisement for the Unity engine rather than a well-integrated aspect of the game itself.
- “I would call it, at best, an advertisement for Unity engine in game development.”
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully without spending extra money.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for its short duration, typically lasting only 30 to 40 minutes, and lacks significant replay value, making it difficult to justify its cost and time investment. Overall, players feel there is little incentive to revisit the experience.
- “The game itself is short, with very little replay value.”
- “I moderately enjoyed the 30 or 40 minutes I spent playing this, but I see no real replay value and honestly nothing to make it stand out and compete for your dollars and time.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its sharp wit and playful sarcasm, particularly in how it pokes fun at the gaming community itself, including the tendency for overly verbose reviews. Players find themselves laughing at both the game's content and the absurdity of the surrounding discourse.
- “Has the funny blame!”
- “Sidenote: I'm laughing my ass off about people writing 5 billion word 'game reviews' on an art installation.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report a range of bugs and glitches that impact the overall stability of the game, leading to occasional crashes and performance issues. While some players have experienced minor inconveniences, others have faced significant disruptions that detract from the gaming experience. Overall, stability remains a concern for many users.