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"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."

Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
Garbage screenshot
+4

62%
Audience ScoreBased on 594 reviews
story22 positive mentions
grinding32 negative mentions

  • The game features a unique and humorous premise that effectively portrays the struggles of homelessness.
  • It combines elements of survival management and autobattler gameplay, offering deep mechanics and various builds.
  • The art style and soundtrack are engaging, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, making it frustrating and sometimes unplayable.
  • The tutorial is lacking, leaving players confused about controls and game mechanics.
  • Gameplay can feel repetitive and unbalanced, with difficulty spikes that can lead to frustrating experiences.
  • story
    132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is often described as shallow and incomplete, with many players feeling that it lacks depth and coherence, relying heavily on repetitive quests and vague dialogue. While some appreciate the humor and quirky elements interwoven into the narrative, others criticize the lack of meaningful progression and the frustrating quest mechanics that can lead to confusion. Overall, the story seems to be an afterthought, overshadowed by grind-heavy gameplay and a sense of incompleteness.

    • “The humor is cleverly interwoven into the storyline, making it impossible not to chuckle at the protagonist's antics.”
    • “Its unique blend of humor, simulation, and storytelling is a breath of fresh air in the gaming world.”
    • “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.”
    • “But this game has no story.”
    • “There's some kind of story, but it feels like it was added as an afterthought.”
    • “Lack of story - a couple of mini cinematics that mean nothing, the rest feels like a bad mobile game.”
  • gameplay
    96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some players enjoying the deep mechanics and addictive nature, while others criticize it for being repetitive, buggy, and lacking engaging depth. Many found the auto-mechanic style and grinding elements frustrating, particularly due to unclear mechanics and poor quest design. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects and potential for fun, significant improvements are needed to enhance the overall experience.

    • “This game doesn't get as much credit; in my opinion, it gets addictive. I love it so much and wish there was more content or more room to play after the ending. I'm loving the game mechanics, and although I had problems with the game crashing at first, a RAM upgrade fixed it perfectly. Developers, if you read this, thank you for making such a great game. I'm definitely looking forward to updates, DLC, or even a sequel in the future!”
    • “Must try for everyone: chilled fighting mechanics, good-looking graphics, a big skill tree, and quite challenging and interesting gameplay.”
    • “After about 2 hours of gameplay, I can say that the game is enjoyable!”
    • “While its humor and style stand out, repetitive gameplay and limited depth leave it feeling underwhelming.”
    • “It is made up of mobile game-styled grind and auto-mechanic gameplay that is simply not fun.”
    • “However, the lack of consequences for battles, obtuse gameplay mechanics, and questionable AI instead turn the game into an exercise in frustrating grind.”
  • humor
    86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its clever and satirical take on sensitive topics, while others find it reliant on lowbrow jokes and pop culture references. Some reviews highlight the game's ability to provoke laughter through its quirky characters and absurd situations, though a significant number of players feel that the humor often misses the mark or feels awkward. Overall, the game's comedic elements are seen as a standout feature, despite some criticisms regarding execution and depth.

    • “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.”
    • “Each interaction is as unexpected as the last, and I found myself either gasping at the ridiculousness of it all or laughing and questioning who the heck wrote this.”
    • “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
    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the art style and overall aesthetic as excellent and fitting for the game's theme, while others criticize them as simple, messy, or boring. Many players appreciate the visual presentation, noting it enhances the atmosphere, but some feel the graphics are not a strong selling point and could benefit from further optimization. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered decent to good, they are overshadowed by gameplay issues and a sense of being rushed.

    • “Graphics are way better than I thought they'd be, even from looking at the screenshots.”
    • “Awesome indie game, especially graphics and music!”
    • “Great graphics and music that will take your breath away during a fight.”
    • “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.”
    • “An interesting homeless simulator with average graphics, average music.”
  • music
    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives largely positive feedback, 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 game's standout features, contributing significantly to the player's experience. Overall, the soundtrack is described as enjoyable, with a blend of chill beats and engaging themes that resonate well with the game's art style.

    • “Art style and music blend together very well to create the atmosphere.”
    • “The soundtrack is composed of 'chill beats to study to' we're all familiar with and it's ear-catching.”
    • “Awesome indie game, especially graphics and music!”
    • “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
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding it tedious and unbalanced, particularly in the mid to late game where progression becomes overly reliant on grinding for levels and abilities. While some appreciate the challenge and thematic elements of the grind, others criticize the lack of helpful tutorials and the overall enjoyment diminishing after a few hours. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant flaw, detracting from the game's potential fun and engagement.

    • “After spending many hours grinding to get around several bugs, it screams unfinished.”
    • “Barely any explanations, controls are awful, characters keep going on autopilot with zero explanation, so grindy for barely any payout... just not fun or worth the time.”
    • “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
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of bugs, awkward controls, and graphical issues reminiscent of early releases like Skyrim. Players have experienced frequent freezes, particularly on harder difficulties, and a lack of optimization has led to inconsistent performance across different systems. While some users noted fewer bugs during their playthroughs, the overall consensus highlights significant stability concerns that detract from the gaming experience.

    • “The game is super buggy.”
    • “Super buggy for a finished game.”
    • “Not the worst game of the year, sure, but very limited by the combination of not-so-cool humor 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
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive qualities, blending humor and detailed scenarios that create a light-hearted yet engaging urban survival experience. The art style and music complement each other effectively, enhancing the overall ambiance and making players feel truly part of the world. Overall, the atmosphere is described as unique and enjoyable, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “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 he really is part of that world!”
  • optimization
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization, with players reporting significant performance issues, including freezes even on high-end systems. Many reviewers express a strong need for a major optimization patch to improve gameplay experience and balance. Overall, the consensus is that the game requires substantial improvements in this area to meet player expectations.

    • “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 GTX new PC, experience freezes.”
  • emotional
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game "Garbage" is praised for its emotional depth, offering a heartwarming and unique exploration of the life of a homeless man, which resonates with themes of social justice. Players report feeling a sense of gratitude and empathy as they engage with the narrative, highlighting the absurdity and challenges faced by marginalized individuals in society. Overall, the game successfully combines humor and poignant storytelling to create an impactful emotional 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.”
    • “These comics provide a delightful backdrop to the silliness of the garbage world, immersing you in a tale that is as heartwarming as it is absurd.”
  • replayability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally perceive the game as having some replay value, particularly due to its RPG elements, which suggest potential for varied experiences. However, some users express uncertainty about the extent of replayability, indicating that it may not be fully realized yet.

    • “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.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users appreciate the character development in the game, highlighting it as a strong aspect alongside the story and combat mechanics. The development branch is particularly noted for enhancing the overall experience.

    • “I like the story, I like the combat mechanics, I like the character development branch.”

Buy Garbage

7h Median play time
6h Average play time
2-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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