Full Bore is a nostalgic, open-world puzzle game where you play as a boar explorer in a richly designed underground world. With over 150 areas and countless secrets, the game encourages exploration and experimentation to understand the behavior of blocks and reveal the world's story. Featuring unique lighting and an original bluesy soundtrack, Full Bore delivers a captivating and atmospheric experience.
Challenging and engaging puzzles that provide a sense of accomplishment.
Charming pixel art and a great soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
Open-world exploration with a variety of secrets and collectibles to discover.
Controls can be frustrating, especially during timed sequences and races.
The game can feel overwhelming due to its size and lack of clear direction.
Some puzzles may rely more on trial and error rather than logic, which can be frustrating.
story
170 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
64%
2%
The game's story is a surprisingly engaging and intricate narrative that unfolds through exploration and interaction with various characters and lore scattered throughout the environment. While some players found the storytelling to be somewhat incoherent or reliant on hidden logs, many appreciated the depth and atmosphere it added to the gameplay, making it a compelling backdrop for the puzzle-solving experience. Overall, the story is described as charming, with a mix of quirky humor and darker themes, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.
“A lovely little puzzle game with an interesting background story that you have to look for to really figure out what's going on in this uniquely constructed world where boars mine the earth.”
“A surprisingly deep story is revealed as you discover new areas and talk to a variety of interesting characters.”
“The story is brilliantly told through background art and computer terminals hidden throughout the various levels.”
“The story is incoherent and did nothing to really engage me.”
“The story itself is pretty straightforward and could probably be written down on one page of paper.”
“The digging animations are needlessly padded, and the introductory story is so painfully trite that I was unable to complete it before closing the game in disgust.”
gameplay
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
78%
5%
The gameplay in "Full Bore" is centered around open-world exploration and solving environmental puzzles primarily through digging and manipulating blocks, offering a mix of challenge and creativity. While some players find the mechanics simple and occasionally repetitive, the game compensates with clever puzzle design, a charming aesthetic, and a captivating soundtrack, allowing for a satisfying experience that encourages exploration at one's own pace. However, certain timed challenges and cryptic puzzles can lead to frustration, particularly for those unfamiliar with the mechanics.
“The gameplay is where the game really shines.”
“The world is massive and tightly connected like a Metroid game, and the puzzles are really clever, using a wide variety of interesting mechanics.”
“At its core, there is extremely fun and solid gameplay, and rounding everything out are gorgeous production values.”
“Chorelike gameplay.”
“The title to this game should have been 'Full Boring' because after what felt like an hour of gameplay, there was still nothing challenging.”
“However, some puzzles rely more on experimentation than logic (which can get frustrating at times) and most of the 'hidden' stuff is too cryptic with mechanics that are never explained, requiring external help or real patience in trying many different things until one works.”
music
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
22%
11%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its catchy and varied soundtrack, which enhances the overall atmosphere and complements the gameplay. While some players noted that certain tracks can become repetitive, many found the music engaging and fitting for the game's themes, with styles ranging from rock to experimental blues. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.
“A charming puzzle platformer with an interesting story and a great soundtrack.”
“The music is also very good, catchy and varied, with the theme reflecting the mood of the location.”
“Adorable boar miners, huge world to explore, plenty of secrets, and one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a long time.”
“The music is depressing.”
“As a side note and unrelated to my overall experience of the game (because I turned it off), the music was god awful.”
“Furthermore, the music is a tad bit on the repetitive side and sometimes doesn't work well when you need to think straight.”
graphics
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
44%
4%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their charming pixel art style, enhanced by modern lighting effects that create a captivating atmosphere. Many reviewers noted the visuals as cute and well-crafted, contributing positively to the overall gameplay experience, despite some occasional confusion in aesthetic choices. Overall, the combination of retro and contemporary design elements, along with effective use of color and lighting, has left a strong impression on players.
“The art style is great, combining a retro pixel art look with modern touches like dynamic lighting and water effects.”
“The artist did a truly wonderful job, and the music and sound design complement the visuals nicely, too.”
“Full Bore has lovely 2D 16-bit pixelated graphics that not only add a retro feel, but also a degree of both humor and charm to the title.”
“The visuals get a bit confusing here.”
“There's a lot of atmosphere in this game, and I'll admit I was a little put off by the aesthetic in some areas, which is not to say that it isn't well-crafted!”
“It looks great sometimes, but sometimes it looks like prerendered graphics from late 16-bit early 32-bit era stuff.”
atmosphere
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
22%
10%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging and distinctive qualities, blending elements of chill and creepiness that enhance the exploration experience. Players appreciate the well-crafted pixel art, lighting, and sound design, which create a dark and sometimes oppressive ambiance, while the varied soundtrack complements the atmosphere, despite some repetitiveness. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both intriguing and immersive, contributing significantly to the game's appeal as a puzzle platformer.
“The pixel art, lighting, and sound create a superb dark and sometimes foreboding atmosphere.”
“And the atmosphere and bizarre story are engaging and distinctive, with just the right amount of creepy.”
“This creates moments in the game where the atmosphere is oppressive and uncertain because you keep descending into deeper layers of this world with no way to return.”
“The soundtrack can get repetitive at times, and it is definitely quite odd, but I think it works well with the atmosphere.”
“At least there is no music spoiling the atmosphere in the game.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with some elements like navigation and certain boss fights described as tedious and frustrating. However, the presence of a portal system alleviates some of the travel-related grind, and most puzzles are engaging rather than tedious. Overall, while some grinding moments can detract from enjoyment, they are not pervasive throughout the game.
“Looking at YouTube, the actual fight is equally tedious and frustrating, so it's not worth it to me.”
“Navigation from area to area can be quite tedious and confusing though.”
“Or [spoiler]fighting the final/only boss[/spoiler], which is tricky in its first part, rough in its second, and downright tedious and not very fun at all in its last.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is described as subtle yet effective, complementing its aesthetic and enhancing the overall experience. Players find the interactions with various elements, such as characters and objects, to be both intriguing and amusing, with specific moments, like a boar's antics, eliciting laughter. Overall, the humor is a standout feature that adds to the game's charm and encourages exploration.
“Developer is pretty subtle in their humor and on point with the aesthetic they are trying to create.”
“As you explore you'll come across computer control panels, books, and characters, all of which you can interact with, which will progress the game's story, offer information, and some funny jokes.”
“I can't continue playing, the boar smashing its little face into the floor is just too funny.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report minor glitches and typos in the game, but these issues are not considered game-breaking, indicating a generally stable experience.
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration with the emotional impact of the game's checkpoint system in an open-world format, as getting stuck on puzzles can lead to feelings of helplessness and the need to restart, detracting from the overall experience.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is noted for having very low replayability, primarily due to its nature as a puzzle game, which limits the variety of experiences upon subsequent playthroughs.
“It also has very low replay value, being a puzzle game and all.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight a strong appreciation for the character design, indicating that players find the visual representation of characters appealing. However, there is no specific mention of character development in terms of growth or narrative depth.