Garbage

About

Garbage is a single player survival strategy game with fantasy and comedy themes. It was developed by Homebased and was released on June 4, 2021. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Garbage is a single-player fantasy strategy game with a humorous twist, following the struggle of a homeless man. Experience primitive life challenges in a grim city environment, presented through hand-drawn comics and unique character voices. While the gameplay, graphics, and music are solid, be prepared for some bugs and heavy grinding."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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60%

Audience ScoreBased on 316 reviews

story13 positive mentions

grinding19 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and humorous take on the struggles of homelessness, providing an engaging narrative and satirical commentary.
The skill tree and character progression system are well-implemented, allowing for diverse builds and strategies.
The pixel art style and detailed environments effectively convey the game's gritty theme, enhancing the overall experience.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and technical issues, including crashes and memory leaks, which significantly detract from the gameplay experience.
Resource management is frustratingly unbalanced, with limited food and materials leading to repetitive grinding and difficulty spikes.
The tutorial is inadequate, leaving players confused about mechanics and objectives, which can lead to early frustration and a steep learning curve.

story
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
74%
8%
The game's story is described as engaging yet uneven, with a mix of humor and hand-drawn comic elements that enhance the narrative experience. However, many players report issues with quest mechanics, including broken or incomplete quests, leading to frustration and a sense of an unfinished game. While some appreciate the gritty urban setting and the potential for deeper storytelling, others feel the overall narrative lacks depth and coherence, often reducing the experience to repetitive tasks and grinding.
- “The narrative unfolds through hand-drawn comics that add a layer of storytelling to the gameplay.”
- “The humor is cleverly interwoven into the storyline, making it impossible not to chuckle at the protagonist's antics.”
- “The story is amusing, and although a bit random, I did find myself wanting to press on to the next chapter to see what they could hit me with next.”
- “This game has no story.”
- “The plot is the sad life of a homeless man, which he has to put up with, but with his own philosophy.”
- “There really is not a storyline and feels a lot like an incomplete game.”
gameplay
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
51%
23%
The gameplay is centered around managing the challenges of homelessness, featuring a mix of survival mechanics and strategic decision-making. While some players appreciate the innovative approach and depth in character development, many criticize the repetitive nature, technical glitches, and poorly implemented mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game has moments of enjoyment and potential for addictive gameplay once players grasp the mechanics.
- “The gameplay centers around managing the daily struggles of homelessness, such as securing warmth, nourishment, and hygiene.”
- “The narrative unfolds through hand-drawn comics that add a layer of storytelling to the gameplay.”
- “Must try for everyone, chilled fighting mechanics, good looking graphics, big skill tree and quite challenging and interesting gameplay.”
- “However, some users have noted that the game's mechanics can feel repetitive, with limited progression and a lack of depth in certain areas.”
- “While its humor and style stand out, repetitive gameplay and limited depth leave it feeling underwhelming.”
- “However, the lack of consequences for battles, obtuse gameplay mechanics, and questionable AI instead turn the game into an exercise in frustrating grind.”
humor
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its satirical take on societal issues and clever references, while others find it relies too heavily on edgy or lowbrow jokes. Some reviews highlight the game's ability to blend humor with serious themes effectively, creating memorable moments, though others criticize it for being unfunny or awkward. Overall, the humor is seen as a standout feature for those who resonate with its style, but it may not appeal to everyone, particularly those unfamiliar with specific cultural references.
- “Released on June 4, 2021, the game offers a unique blend of humor and hardship, presenting a satirical yet thought-provoking exploration of societal issues.”
- “The humor is cleverly interwoven into the storyline, making it impossible not to chuckle at the protagonist's antics.”
- “Garbage is a humorous game where you micro-manage a hobo fight club to save the world.”
- “In addition to being hideous to look at, the game is deeply unfunny, constantly relying on low-hanging fruit pop culture references and mean-spirited edgelord humor that I'm sure must appeal to someone, but was very much not my thing.”
- “Painfully unfunny but fun.”
graphics
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
58%
9%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a pixel art style that aligns well with its gritty theme, though opinions on their appeal vary among players. While some appreciate the art direction and find the visuals decent or even excellent, others criticize them as messy or lacking polish, suggesting that the overall presentation could benefit from refinement. Overall, the graphics are generally seen as fitting for an indie title, but they may not satisfy everyone’s tastes, especially those accustomed to more advanced 3D visuals.
- “The overall art style, music, and environment I do very much like; the concept is also great.”
- “Graphics are way better than I thought they'd be, even from looking at the screenshots.”
- “Awesome indie game, especially graphics and music!”
- “Ui, graphics, controls, text - pretty much everything could use some polish.”
- “Buggy, graphics are messy, controls are awkward, dialogues are nonsense.”
- “But I don't really like the graphics... maybe it's a matter of taste, but I personally find them too boring.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
33%
13%
The music in the game has received a generally positive reception, with many players praising the soundtrack as catchy and well-composed, enhancing the overall atmosphere. While some users noted issues with volume levels and sound quality, the music is often highlighted as one of the standout features, contributing significantly to the game's appeal. Overall, the soundtrack is described as enjoyable, with a blend of chill beats and engaging themes that resonate well with players.
- “The soundtrack is composed of 'chill beats to study to' we're all familiar with and it's ear-catching.”
- “Art style and music blend together very well to create the atmosphere.”
- “Straight away, the music got me into the game; the game seems to be challenging.”
- “The overall art style, music, and environment I do very much like; the concept is also great. However, this seems like a rushed title that should have been in the beta stage for now. I can unfortunately not recommend it at its current state.”
- “The voice acting and stories could be a bit better, but the soundtrack and overall feel of the game seem funny, relaxing, and polished through.”
- “An interesting homeless simulator with average graphics and average music.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players noting that it becomes particularly tedious in the mid to late game, often due to poor balancing and bugs. While some find the grind rewarding and a fitting challenge reflective of the game's themes, others criticize it for being excessively time-consuming and lacking in meaningful progression. Overall, players suggest that while the initial hours can be enjoyable, the grind can quickly lead to frustration and a sense of unfulfillment.
- “I played almost 20 hours, but almost 1/3 of that was grinding levels.”
- “After spending many hours grinding to get around several bugs, it screams unfinished.”
- “I had some fun with the game, but I can't recommend it to anyone; the game has a really slow, boring beginning, the mid-game actually gets better, and then at the end it becomes grindy because of bad balancing and bugs.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The game's stability has received significant criticism, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and technical issues that hinder gameplay. Many describe it as "super buggy," with problems ranging from awkward controls to frequent freezes, particularly on harder difficulty settings. While some players experienced fewer issues, the overall consensus indicates that the game requires substantial optimization and polish before it can be considered stable.
- “The game is not ready to say the least, full of bugs, glitches.”
- “Super buggy for a finished game.”
- “Not the worst game of the year, sure, but very limited by the combination of not-so-cool humour and not-so-attractive visual style and gameplay process... and not too stable to play it on the hard difficulty, because of constant freezes when you need to restart the game to continue with it (no continues on hard).”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive qualities, blending humor and detailed scenarios that draw players into a caricatured urban survival experience. The art style and music complement each other effectively, enhancing the overall ambiance and making the player feel genuinely part of the world. Overall, the atmosphere is described as engaging and enjoyable, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The art style and music blend together very well to create the atmosphere.”
- “If you manage the first hour, there's a light-hearted urban survival experience to be found here with a great atmosphere to it.”
- “Another interesting thing is the humor; after all, you are a beggar fighting for your space in society, and this is shown in a caricatured way. The challenges are diverse, the jokes are funny, and the atmosphere of the game, thanks to the details of the scenarios, is very immersive, leading the player to believe that they really are part of that world!”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to create a deep connection between players and the character's journey, particularly through the unique and heartwarming narrative of a homeless man's life. Players appreciate the blend of humor and social commentary, which evokes feelings of gratitude and empathy towards the struggles faced by marginalized individuals. Overall, the game successfully combines absurdity with poignant themes, leaving a lasting emotional impact.
- “These sequences provide context and depth to the character's journey, enhancing the player's emotional connection to the experience.”
- “Garbage is a brilliantly unique and surprisingly heartwarming game that takes you on an unforgettable journey through the unconventional life of a homeless man.”
- “This game made me feel grateful after I noticed what all homeless people need to go through and how rejected they feel in this cruel world.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
Players generally find the game to have some replay value, particularly due to its RPG elements, which suggest opportunities for varied experiences. However, some users note that they cannot fully assess the replayability yet, indicating a need for more playtime to determine its depth. Overall, the potential for replayability is acknowledged, but it remains somewhat uncertain.
- “For me, this game has replay value too!”
- “I can't speak on the replayability yet, but with the RPG elements, I imagine there is a small bit in there.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game is criticized for its poor optimization, with players experiencing significant performance issues, including freezes even on high-end systems. Many reviewers express a strong need for balancing and optimization patches to improve the overall gameplay experience.
- “I had no issues playing the game, but I imagine there may be performance issues on other systems (but that's just a guess!).”
- “This is pretty poorly optimized.”
- “I was so ready to look past the graphics for a really fun version of Punch Club, but instead I found a game that is severely in need of a major balancing patch, severely in need of an optimization patch, and severely in need of being a better game.”
- “The main cons: the game needs better optimization. Developers, please take care of this because I, a person who has a new GTX PC, experience freezes.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is highlighted as a strong aspect of the game, with detailed character designs that enhance the overall experience and contribute to the narrative. Players appreciate the depth of the story and the mechanics that allow for meaningful character progression.
- “The environments are detailed, capturing the bleakness of urban decay, while character designs add a layer of personality to the experience.”
- “I like the story, I like the combat mechanics, I like the character development branch.”