Fugue in Void
- May 20, 2018
- Moshe Linke
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"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.
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Reviews
- Visually stunning with beautiful and imaginative environments that evoke a sense of wonder.
- Atmospheric sound design that enhances the immersive experience, creating a haunting and meditative ambiance.
- Offers a unique artistic experience that feels like walking through an abstract art exhibit, appealing to fans of surreal and experimental art.
- The game features a lengthy, unskippable intro that detracts from the overall experience and can be frustrating for players.
- Lacks meaningful interactivity, often feeling more like a series of disconnected visual vignettes rather than a cohesive game.
- Short runtime with limited replay value, leaving players wanting more depth and exploration opportunities.
- graphics42 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are described as visually intriguing and atmospheric, with a mix of impressive aesthetics and experimental design that evoke a bleak, futuristic feel. However, some users noted technical issues such as poor textures, frame rate drops, and an overlong opening cutscene that detracted from the overall experience. While the visuals are often praised for their artistic merit, many reviewers felt that they lacked substance and coherence, making the game feel more like a showcase of graphical talent than a fully realized experience.
“The graphics are interesting and full of contrast.”
“Amazing visuals combined with the right atmospheric music.”
“It felt atmospheric and mysterious and the sounds and visuals were quite impressive.”
“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.”
“Additionally, the game areas are often large and full of particles, meaning the game chugged for me, and there are no options to change the shadow or graphics quality to make the gameplay smoother.”
“It's just pretty visuals with no substance behind it.”
- atmosphere29 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and intriguing qualities, featuring a blend of stunning visuals, moody sound design, and unique environments that evoke feelings of mystery and exploration. Many reviewers highlight its brutalist aesthetic and surrealist elements, comparing it favorably to other atmospheric titles like "naissancee." However, some critiques mention that certain design choices detract from the overall experience, suggesting that while the atmosphere is compelling, it may not be enough to elevate the game beyond mediocrity for all players.
“Fugue in Void has tons of great atmosphere, interesting ideas for places to explore, and a satisfying progression from one vignette to the next.”
“It has to be one of the single most atmospheric experiences in a game ever.”
“The game has a brooding atmosphere despite its empty areas that is interesting and unsettling at times.”
“Aside from two 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 it is closing time.”
“The awkward audio clipping ruins the atmosphere.”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
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 engaging mechanics, leading to a sense of frustration and disappointment, especially given the game's short length and high price. Overall, the gameplay experience is criticized for being overly simplistic and poorly executed, with many reviewers suggesting it feels more like a visual art piece than a traditional game.
“The gameplay is fairly standard walking simulator/puzzle game fare.”
“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 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, a shell of a game.”
“From a gameplay perspective, it is a simple walking simulator with a short overall length.”
- story20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its absence, with many reviewers noting that it lacks a coherent plot, characters, or direction, rendering it more of an abstract experience than a narrative-driven game. While some appreciate the ambiguous nature of the story, describing it as open to interpretation, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game feels aimless and fails to provide a meaningful storyline. Overall, players suggest that there are better walking simulators available that offer a more engaging narrative.
“Light and dark plays a prominent role in the storytelling along with optical illusions and a feast of geometric shapes to view.”
“At the beginning of the game, we are told 'this is a story of my mind.' So, it is incredibly ambiguous and open to interpretation.”
“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.”
- music18 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as atmospheric and well-suited to the visuals, enhancing the overall experience with ambient and sometimes eerie sounds. While some players appreciate the depth it adds to the exploration of brutalist architecture, others note a lack of cohesion and continuity in the audio design. Overall, the soundtrack is praised for its ability to create a unique ambiance, though some players wished for more variety and smoother transitions.
“Great ambient music, used sparingly but perfectly.”
“The music and ambient sounds are very good, not 'pretty music', but somewhat creepy, soothing, startling, 'make you look over your shoulder' audio.”
“Amazing visuals combined with the right atmospheric music.”
“Without any sense of continuity or cohesion, I was left feeling like someone had left the old Winamp music visualizer on (remember that?) and played a recording of loud footsteps over the top of it. When the rooms are disconnected like this, it's impossible to create any sense of scale or purpose.”
“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, but the brutalistic architecture is still a joy to explore.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report that the game evokes strong emotional responses, often leaving them with a sense of introspection and connection. Many describe it as a thought-provoking experience that lingers long after playing, similar 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.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting poor performance and the need to adjust settings for smoother gameplay. While Unity can deliver visually appealing experiences, the lack of attention to optimization in this title has led to frustration among players.
“Unity sure can be beautiful and run smoothly when the developer cares like this.”
“I had to adjust my game settings to achieve a good running speed, as it is not very well optimized.”
“Horrible optimization.”
“The game runs poorly on even high-end systems.”
“Frequent frame drops and stuttering make it unplayable.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unfulfilling, with early gameplay requiring excessive searching for buttons that later transitions into passive waiting for scenes to progress. The experience is marred by long stretches of empty corridors and motion blur, leading to frustration and discomfort rather than 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.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is considered short and lacks significant replay value, with players expressing that while they enjoyed their initial playthrough, there is little incentive to return for additional sessions.
“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.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its sharp wit and playful sarcasm, particularly in its commentary on the gaming community itself. Reviewers find amusement in the absurdity of lengthy critiques for what they perceive as a more artistic experience, highlighting a lighthearted take on the seriousness often associated with game reviews.
“Has the funny blame!”
“Sidenote: I'm laughing my ass off about people writing 5 billion word 'game reviews' on an art installation.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is perceived as overly focused on promoting the Unity engine for game development, suggesting that it prioritizes advertising over player experience.
“The monetization strategy feels more like a cash grab than a fair system for players.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully without spending extra money.”
“The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the overall experience and makes it feel less like a game and more like a marketplace.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been criticized due to numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, leading to a frustrating experience for players. Many users report frequent crashes and performance issues, indicating that the game requires significant improvements in this area.
“The game is plagued with bugs and glitches that ruin the experience.”
“I encountered frequent crashes that made it nearly impossible to progress.”
“The stability issues are so severe that I often have to restart the game.”
