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GNOG

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
83%Game Brain Score
music, graphics
story, stability
91% User Score Based on 717 reviews
Critic Score 75%Based on 17 reviews

Platforms

PCPCOculus RiftOculus RiftiPhoneiPhonePlaystation 5Playstation 5Playstation 4Playstation 4WindowsWindowsPlayStationPlayStationVirtual RealityVirtual RealityPlayStation VRPlayStation VRLinuxLinuxMac OSMac OSMobile PlatformMobile PlatformiPadiPadPhonePhoneTabletTabletSteam DeckSteam Deck
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About

"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
GNOG screenshot
GNOG screenshot
GNOG screenshot
GNOG screenshot
GNOG screenshot
GNOG screenshot
GNOG screenshot
GNOG screenshot
GNOG screenshot
GNOG screenshot
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+8

91%
Audience ScoreBased on 734 reviews
music119 positive mentions
story4 negative mentions
  • GNOG features charming graphics and a vibrant art style that creates a delightful visual experience.
  • The sound design and music are exceptional, enhancing the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of the game.
  • The puzzles are engaging and encourage exploration, providing a satisfying sense of discovery as players interact with the environments.
  • The game is quite short, typically taking only 2-3 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more content.
  • Some puzzles can be frustrating due to a lack of clear direction, leading to trial-and-error gameplay that may not appeal to everyone.
  • Controls can be finicky, especially when using a mouse, making certain interactions less intuitive and potentially detracting from the overall experience.
  • music
    221 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in Gnog is widely praised for its soothing and engaging qualities, enhancing the overall gameplay experience with dynamic soundtracks that react to player interactions. Many players appreciate the integration of music with the puzzles, noting that completing levels rewards them with delightful musical performances. While some users mention issues with volume inconsistencies, the general consensus is that the soundtrack is a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charming and immersive atmosphere.

    • “The top-notch music enhances the experience, making it as soothing as it is engaging.”
    • “The visuals are so joyful and stunning, the soundtrack is incredibly well done (especially when paired with the respective levels), and the gameplay is an absolute treat.”
    • “The music is superb, the visual design was utterly charming, and the puzzles were always engaging, albeit not as challenging as I personally would have liked.”
    • “I turned my volume quite low as the title screen music was deafening, and while usually the volume would stay low, at the end of some levels it shot back up to deafening for some reason.”
    • “Honestly, I wasn't that impressed by the music and I think it is overplayed.”
    • “The music doesn't really factor into the puzzle-solving aspect either.”
  • graphics
    174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of Gnog are widely praised for their unique, vibrant, and charming art style, which enhances the overall puzzle-solving experience. While many players appreciate the colorful and creative visuals, some note that certain color palettes can be overwhelming or lead to eye strain. Overall, the game's aesthetic, combined with its engaging sound design, creates a delightful and immersive atmosphere that stands out in the puzzle genre.

    • “The visuals and music really make this game stand out, with its colorful and creative art style that just grabs your attention.”
    • “The graphics are unique and fit the game perfectly, and the soundtrack is equally impressive.”
    • “Gnog is a whimsical puzzle game with amazing visuals and sounds.”
    • “The art style is unique, but the eye-searing colors get exhausting to look at.”
    • “The lack of textures is a method that lazy devs often use to disguise their lack of talent or interest in doing the graphics properly, which really isn't something gamers should have to put up with.”
    • “I did run into a few graphical glitches.”
  • gameplay
    65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in Gnog is characterized by its unique and whimsical puzzle mechanics, where players interact with various "puzzle heads" through trial and error, often leading to a light-hearted and engaging experience. While the sound design and visuals are praised, some players find the mechanics clunky and the puzzles either too simple or unintuitive, resulting in a gameplay experience that can feel shallow and frustrating at times. Overall, the game offers a charming aesthetic and enjoyable moments, but its short duration and lack of depth may leave some players wanting more.

    • “The gameplay consists of experimenting with switches, buttons, levers, etc. inside of monster heads to solve puzzles.”
    • “The visuals and audio are stunning, the gameplay itself is quirky and somewhat adorable.”
    • “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.”
    • “The actual mechanics of interacting with things is often clunky, with things often needing to be dragged around in strange and particular ways in order to work, and lots of knobs and dials which either require only left-right movement or up-down movement but don't indicate at all which, so you might try to turn something, fail, get stuck, and then come back and realize you were turning it on the wrong axis.”
    • “The gameplay consists entirely of either comically simple or completely unintuitive puzzles, and lasts a grand total of maybe 45 minutes.”
    • “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.”
  • story
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is characterized by mini narratives tied to each puzzle box, with a light overarching theme, but it is not the main focus of the experience. Players seeking a fully developed storyline may find it lacking, as the game emphasizes puzzles over narrative depth. While the individual stories within puzzles are creatively presented, many reviewers expressed a desire for more context and additional levels to enhance the overall experience.

    • “The progression of the levels is really story-like as well, which is cool.”
    • “Over the course of each puzzle, you're peeling back new layers to reveal more of the story, and it's often hilarious to boot (this is Double Fine, after all).”
    • “Each box (a set of puzzles) tells you a different story, and it delivers it in an implicit way.”
    • “Players looking for a fully developed story might be disappointed.”
    • “Other than the lack of a story, my biggest complaint is the length as I really wanted more levels by the end.”
    • “There is no storyline to be assessed in this review because each puzzle is independent of one another.”
  • replayability
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is generally considered low, with many players noting its short playtime of 1.5 to 3 hours and minimal content beyond initial completion. While some mention optional achievements as a slight incentive for replay, the consensus is that once puzzles are solved, they lose their challenge, making the game less appealing for repeated playthroughs.

    • “With a short playtime of 2-3 hours and optional achievements for added replay value, it’s a delightful little game perfect for unwinding.”
    • “This one is short, sweet, and very replayable.”
    • “It can be completed in one sitting and has little replay value, but is extremely enjoyable.”
    • “Not much content or replay value like a lot of puzzle games on Steam.”
    • “The only major downsides are that it is very short (I completed it in under two hours) and lack replayability.”
    • “There is not much replayability in these levels, however, because once you solve a puzzle it is hard to forget how you solved it.”
  • atmosphere
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its charm, rich visuals, and captivating music, creating an immersive experience that enhances gameplay. Many reviewers noted that the combination of sound and art style makes the game enjoyable, even for those who may not typically prefer this genre. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature, drawing players in and making it a delightful experience.

    • “Awesome game, even if it's a kind of short game, the atmosphere and sounds make it worth it.”
    • “The visuals are clean and colorful, and I loved the music and the general atmosphere of the game.”
    • “What really made this game for me was the music and atmosphere; I could almost just sit and listen to it instead of working on the puzzles.”
  • stability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with users reporting various bugs affecting achievements, motion controls, and audio consistency. While some players experienced smooth gameplay, others encountered frustrating glitches, graphical issues, and control problems that impacted their experience, particularly in specific levels. Occasional freezes and positional shifts also contributed to discomfort for some users.

    • “Runs great.”
    • “Touch controllers (Rift) are buggy.”
    • “I did run into a few graphical glitches.”
    • “Plus, this was the first game that made me feel nauseous, due to occasional freezes and other minor glitches like suddenly shifting your position.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly due to repetitive puzzles and unintuitive controls on PC. Many express that the effort required to progress detracts from the enjoyment of the game's artistic elements, leading to a desire for a more streamlined experience. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant drawback that overshadows the game's potential.

    • “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.”
    • “Uses a lot of knobs and wheels and sliding objects that probably worked fine in the mobile version, but become very tedious and frustrating when playing with a mouse or controller. More effort should have been put into making this more intuitive and less frustrating for the PC to justify a release.”
    • “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.”
  • emotional
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game evokes a mix of emotions, offering a whimsical and soothing experience through its beautiful visuals and engaging puzzles. However, the sluggish movement and control issues detract from the overall enjoyment, leading to feelings of nausea and frustration for some players. Despite these drawbacks, the variety of activities, such as interacting with frogs and exploring in a submarine, contributes to a wholesome atmosphere.

    • “You solve puzzle boxes, kind of like the lament configuration from the film Hellraiser, but more wholesome and soothing.”
    • “You go from touching frogs, to pulling levers, to a submarine to hunt for treasure, to name just a few things.”
    • “So wholesome!”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is praised for its excellent performance, allowing it to run smoothly on a variety of gaming rigs with decent CPU/GPU specifications. Players noted stability with no significant technical issues, although some expressed a desire for improved camera controls to enhance visibility in certain levels.

    • “The tracks start out subdued at the start of each level, but solving the level's central puzzle will net you a heavily synthesized vocal performance from the puzzle head and send the song into its crescendo.”
    • “Performance was excellent, and I expect that you should be able to run this game on any gaming rig with a half-decent CPU/GPU.”
    • “Other than that, the performance was great and the game was stable with no other technical issues.”
    • “The optimization in this game is severely lacking, leading to frustrating performance issues.”
    • “I encountered numerous bugs that hindered my progress, making the overall experience feel unpolished.”
    • “The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, especially during intense moments, which detracts from the enjoyment.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is consistently praised for its cleverness and universal appeal, with players finding the unfolding storylines both hilarious and engaging. Many users express surprise at how much they enjoyed the humor, often leading to a positive reassessment of their initial skepticism about the game.

    • “Over the course of each puzzle, you're peeling back new layers to reveal more of the story, and it's often hilarious to boot (this is Double Fine, after all).”
    • “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.”
    • “I believe that the stories of the worlds are so funny and the narratives are so clear and universal that everyone will enjoy them.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of Gnog has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that it is a poorly ported mobile app masquerading as a PC game. The game is perceived as targeting casual gamers with simplistic puzzles, leading to disappointment among players expecting a more substantial experience.

    • “Gnog is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game (it's not). It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is sold as a 'tactile puzzle' game, which really means it's where a puzzle box meets a toddler's Fisher-Price activity set, except designed for iPhone gamers instead of toddlers.”

75%Critics’ scoreBased on 17 critic reviews

Buy GNOG

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

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