Gateways
- September 12, 2012
- Smudged Cat Games
Get on Steam"Gateways" is a single-player Science Fiction Platformer game that offers exciting gameplay with its unique gateway guns. Explore a massive lab filled with puzzles, using gateways to teleport, change size, walk on walls, and even travel in time. Enjoy seamless movement between areas, discovering new abilities and shortcuts as you evade enemies and aim to escape the labyrinth.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Xbox
Xbox 360
Reviews
- Gateways offers a unique blend of 2D platforming and puzzle mechanics reminiscent of Portal, with additional features like time travel and gravity manipulation that enhance gameplay complexity.
- The game encourages exploration with a Metroidvania-style map and provides helpful hints for puzzles, making it accessible for players who may get stuck.
- Despite its simplistic graphics, the game is praised for its clever puzzle design and engaging mechanics, providing a satisfying challenge for puzzle enthusiasts.
- The difficulty spikes significantly in the later stages, particularly with the introduction of the time travel mechanic, which can be frustrating and poorly explained.
- Many players found the controls to be unresponsive, especially during critical moments in challenging puzzles, leading to a frustrating experience.
- The lack of a compelling story and underdeveloped character design detracts from the overall experience, leaving some players feeling unmotivated to continue.
- gameplay114 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Gateways" is a complex blend of puzzle mechanics inspired by titles like "Portal" and "Metroidvania," featuring unique elements such as time travel, size manipulation, and various portal functionalities. While the game offers innovative and mind-bending puzzles, some mechanics can be frustrating and poorly explained, leading to moments of confusion and the need for external hints. Overall, the game is praised for its originality and engaging gameplay, despite some players finding certain aspects overly challenging or clumsy.
“Gateways is a puzzle-platformer with several unique twists on the portal gun mechanic.”
“The game is amazing; it's like a mixture of Portal but also incorporates so many other mechanics.”
“With each new gateway power comes new game mechanics that expand upon old ones in an interesting and captivating way.”
“The most frustrating mechanic of the time machine gateway gun is that touching your echoes causes a 'paradox', which just means all of your echoes disappear and you’re left standing wherever you screwed up.”
“The time mechanics are not very well explained.”
“This game is unplayable (in terms of gameplay).”
- graphics50 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple, basic, and reminiscent of classic 8-bit or 16-bit styles, which may not appeal to everyone and could detract from its popularity. While some players appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic and find it functional, others criticize it as bland or ugly, suggesting that the lack of graphical polish is a significant drawback. Despite these criticisms, many reviewers emphasize that the gameplay and innovative mechanics compensate for the visual shortcomings, making it a worthwhile experience.
“The graphics are great for the platformer nostalgia and the gameplay mechanics throw in some extra things to keep it from becoming a clone of Portal!”
“The pixel graphics may be a bit too pixely for some, but overall the presentation holds up, as does the user interface.”
“The visuals were cute and the music fit well.”
“The graphics unfortunately are probably one of the reasons why this game doesn’t have that many fans.”
“For the bad stuff, the graphics are not very nice, even for the 16-bit style it seems to be going for, and the sound effects of the enemies are very annoying.”
“Everything else is mediocre at best - graphics, controls, enemies...”
- story32 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The story in "Gateways" is widely criticized for being virtually non-existent, with many reviewers noting its blandness and predictability. Players find the narrative lacking depth and engagement, often describing it as a contrived plot that fails to motivate continued play. Overall, while the gameplay is praised for its innovation, the absence of a compelling storyline is seen as a significant drawback.
“Gateways is the story of a scientist trying to find his way around his own lab that has been commandeered by some alien life.”
“I’m going to roll out this review in a bit of an unconventional way, addressing the general gameplay first and then each progressive gateway gun which expands the gameplay as you progress through the story.”
“[i]Gateways[/i] might not have a memorable title, an engaging story or splendid graphics but it makes up with innovation, originality, good soundtrack and pure focus on tight gameplay.”
“The story is practically non-existent.”
“There is no story except for a contrived plot.”
“As far as negatives go, there isn't really any story to speak of, and what is there kind of has an unsatisfying conclusion.”
- music22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as a mix of 80s-inspired synthwave that complements the light atmosphere, though opinions vary widely. While some players find it catchy and fitting, others consider it subpar or grating, suggesting it may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a decent but not standout aspect of the game.
“The music is a mix of 80s inspired synthwave that fits with the theme of the game quite well.”
“[i]gateways[/i] might not have a memorable title, an engaging story or splendid graphics but it makes up for it with innovation, originality, a good soundtrack, and pure focus on tight gameplay.”
“The visuals were cute and the music fit well.”
“The graphics are simple, as is the music and sound effects.”
“Also - and this is purely subjective - the music is subpar.”
“The art style and music keep the atmosphere light, even though the difficulty spike at the end might demand more of a lab hell setting.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a light art style and catchy music that enhance the puzzle-jumping experience. However, despite these positive elements, some players feel that the game fails to create a truly immersive or captivating environment, particularly as the difficulty increases towards the end.
“The art style and music keep the atmosphere light, even though the difficulty spike at the end might demand more of a lab hell setting.”
“The sound design is also a plus, with catchy tunes that play as a nice atmosphere to your puzzle-jumping adventures.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, starting off enjoyable and challenging but often devolving into tedium and frustration. While some elements, like the time-warp puzzles, are well-designed and engaging, the overall grind can become repetitive and overly difficult, leading to boredom.
“For the price, it's okay, but it gets kind of boring and tedious.”
“It goes from basic and fun with just enough challenge to keep it exciting to incredibly tedious and ridiculously hard.”
“The platforming can be mildly tedious at times, but the time-warp involving puzzles has a lot of thought put into them.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is heavily influenced by the frustration players experience with the time machine mechanic, particularly the paradox system that causes echoes to vanish upon contact, leading to feelings of helplessness and disappointment. This mechanic detracts from the overall enjoyment and emotional engagement, as players struggle with the consequences of their actions.
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its cleverness alongside the puzzles. However, some comparisons to "Portal" suggest that while it captures a similar essence, it lacks the same level of comedic impact. Overall, it offers a unique blend of humor and gameplay that stands out on its own.
“Good humor, great puzzles.”
“It comes off as 'Portal, but in 2D, and minus the sense of humor.' and well, it kind of is, but it does so much more.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game has been noted for its reliance on in-app purchases, which has become a common practice in the industry.
“I figure this is worth clarifying in this day and age of in-app purchases.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users consistently highlight the game's strong replayability, indicating that it offers engaging content that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its solid optimization, with users reporting no bugs or performance issues during gameplay. However, some note that this is somewhat expected given the game's system requirements, suggesting that while it performs well, it may not be particularly demanding.
“I can confidently say that I never encountered a bug or performance issue with this game, unlike many other games I've played on Steam. However, considering the system requirements, that's not an extraordinary compliment.”
“I can confidently say that I never encountered a bug or performance issue with this game, unlike many other games I've played on Steam. However, considering the system requirements, that's not an extraordinary compliment.”
“One thing I can say is that I never, not even once, found a bug or performance problem with this game. Unlike most of the other games I've played on Steam, but considering the system requirements, that's not an epic compliment.”
“The optimization is lacking; the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate even on high-end systems.”
“Despite the impressive graphics, the game is poorly optimized, leading to frequent stuttering and long loading times.”
