GNOG

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.

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"Gnog" is a single-player computer puzzle game with compelling visuals and a beautiful soundtrack. Players explore monstrous virtual toys by poking, spinning, and pulling them to uncover secrets in 3D, hand-crafted worlds. The game features nine musical levels and a dynamic soundtrack. Reviewers describe it as "weird and wonderful," "joyful," and full of "style and verve." Play with optional VR support, seamlessly switching between VR and standard play.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 274 reviews

graphics40 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Charming visuals and a delightful soundtrack create a relaxing and enjoyable experience.
The puzzles are engaging and intuitive, making it accessible for both kids and adults.
The game offers a unique and whimsical atmosphere, reminiscent of a colorful art piece.

The game is very short, typically taking around 2 hours to complete, leaving players wanting more.
Controls can be awkward and unintuitive, especially when using VR or trying to manipulate certain objects.
Some puzzles lack clear logic, leading to frustration as players may resort to random clicking to progress.

graphics
81 mentions
49 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique, colorful, and trippy art style, which many players find visually stunning and charming. While some users note that the vibrant colors can be overwhelming, the overall aesthetic, combined with a captivating soundtrack, creates an enjoyable and immersive experience. The game is particularly recommended for those who appreciate creative visuals and sound design, especially in VR, where the graphics shine even more.
- “The graphics are unique and fit the game perfectly, so does the soundtrack.”
- “The visuals are very striking (lots of solid colors and strong shapes), and the music and sounds are tied very nicely to your actions.”
- “Absolutely great calming game with fantastic graphic design and amazing music.”
- “The art style is unique, but the eye-searing colors get exhausting to look at.”
- “I did run into a few graphical glitches.”
- “You should definitely play this in VR, as on a flat screen the visuals are not that impressive.”
music
73 mentions
53 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and engaging qualities, often described as soothing, relaxing, and beautifully integrated with the gameplay. Reviewers highlight the unique sound design and how the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, making it feel immersive and enjoyable. Many players find themselves captivated by the music, often listening to it outside of the game, and appreciate how it complements the vibrant visuals and quirky aesthetics.
- “I have had this game ever since I saw Jacksepticeye play it, and I just love it to death. The calming music mixed with the weird aesthetic makes this game a 10/10 in my book.”
- “The art style is breathtaking, and the music is tunes I could listen to for hours.”
- “The music and art, omg <333 it feels so surreal.”
- “Due to the above, the music went from relaxing to quite annoying after a while.”
- “The soundtrack is very well integrated into the game's interactive mechanisms, quite often reacting positively to player actions – fits the game nicely but does not offer any particularly memorable moment.”
- “Charming visuals and music overall but had mixed experience - would put a neutral recommendation (6 out of 10) rather than negative it was possible as it was experienced.”
gameplay
28 mentions
21 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Gnog is characterized as a unique and visually appealing puzzle experience, featuring simple and intuitive mechanics that encourage exploration and discovery. However, many players find the gameplay shallow, with limited solutions and a lack of complexity, leading to a perception of poor value given the short playtime. While the game is praised for its vibrant aesthetics and light-hearted approach, it may not satisfy those seeking deeper or more varied puzzle mechanics.
- “Gnog is a really unique and bizarre puzzle game where you try and solve a bunch of unique mechanical boxes.”
- “Amazing colors, unique gameplay, puzzling mechanics, and fun music.”
- “Although these diorama-inspired puzzles are fairly simple and intuitive, they vary significantly from one another, making each level feel unique despite sharing aesthetic and mechanical similarities.”
- “It's an ok game, even at $4.99 on sale it's still way over-priced for only an hour of gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is pretty shallow as there is only ever one solution to any problem with no fail state, and too many of the puzzles involve inputting 'codes' revealed through environmental clues.”
- “I really wanted to enjoy this game because the concept seemed good, and maybe I'm not the target audience in the end, but I was very disappointed by the gameplay of Gnog.”
story
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The game features a minimal overarching story, focusing instead on self-contained levels that offer distinct themes and a sense of exploration. While some players appreciate the adventure and style, others find the lack of a cohesive narrative disappointing, leading to a desire for more content. Overall, the story aspect is seen as secondary to the gameplay experience.
- “It's a point-and-click adventure game with a fantastic style, good music, and an engaging story.”
- “As for the story, I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but there's a cool sense of exploration and adventure with the level themes explored.”
- “With no main story arc, each self-contained level has its own distinct theme, making it easy to play in short bursts.”
- “☑ no story”
- “I couldn’t really get an overarching story, but maybe I'm just not understanding it.”
- “Other than the lack of a story, my biggest complaint is the length, as I really wanted more levels by the end.”
grinding
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, often requiring significant time investment to progress. Many express frustration with certain puzzles that lack clarity and variety, leading to a sense of monotony that detracts from the overall experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I would love to see the rest of the puzzles just for the art, but the tedious process to get there is not worth it.”
- “The entire log puzzle is really tedious and repetitive; the last section of the lab puzzle makes no sense, and there are one or two 'code' segments throughout the game that are a bit indirect compared to everything else here.”
stability
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally good, with smooth performance reported by many users. However, some players have experienced issues with buggy touch controllers, occasional graphical glitches, and minor freezes that can lead to discomfort, such as nausea.
- “Runs great.”
- “The game maintains a smooth performance without any noticeable lag.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs during my playthrough.”
- “Touch controllers (Rift) are buggy.”
- “I did run into a few graphical glitches.”
- “This was the first game that made me feel nauseous due to occasional freezes and other minor glitches, like suddenly shifting your position.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its charm, enhanced by captivating sound design and an engaging soundtrack, as well as delightful interactions with its quirky characters.
- “Everything about this game is charming, from its atmospheric sounds and OST to the little characters that you poke and interact with.”
humor
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players often find the humor in the game unexpectedly delightful, with some initially skeptical about its quirky nature but ultimately appreciating its comedic elements after giving it a chance.
- “And the funny thing is, at first I didn't even want to buy it. I thought, what the hell is this weird game? But it was on sale for 2.04 euros, so in the end, I just added it to the cart, and I'm so glad I did that.”
replayability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is considered enjoyable, but many reviewers note that its limited content significantly hampers its replayability, suggesting it is only worth a low price point of $2-3.
- “It's a fun game to be sure, but I wouldn't recommend it at anything above $2-3 given its lack of content and replayability.”
optimization
1 mentions
200 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its stability and strong performance, with no significant technical issues reported. However, some users expressed a desire for more adjustable viewing distances, particularly noting that certain elements appeared too small on the Oculus Rift.
- “The performance was great and the game was stable with no technical issues.”
- “I would have liked to be able to adjust the distance of the game slightly, as the shapes on the red barrel in the 'sub-01' level were quite small on the Oculus Rift.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players report that the game evokes strong emotions, but some experience discomfort due to technical issues like freezes and position shifts, which can detract from the overall emotional impact.