GNOSIA

76%
Game Brain Score Based on 472 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
GNOSIA Game Cover
A hugely innovative single player social game, Gnosia blends Among Us with visual novels to create an entertaining (if slightly repetitive) experience.
Starting at $16.09Buy now
Get on Steam

"Gnosia" is a single-player Mystery Role Playing game with an intriguing story and masterful gameplay. As a member of a drifting spaceship crew, you must identify and put into "cold sleep" the shapeshifting alien enemies known as Gnosia, in a Sci-Fi Social Deduction RPG setting. With improved abilities and increasing difficulty, the game becomes a highly emotional and grinding experience as you never know who is truly human or Gnosia.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station Vita
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 472 reviews
story104 positive mentions
grinding20 negative mentions
  • Engaging gameplay that combines social deduction mechanics with a compelling narrative.
  • Diverse and well-developed characters, each with unique personalities and backstories that enhance the overall experience.
  • Beautiful art style and a captivating soundtrack that complement the game's atmosphere.
  • Repetitive gameplay loop that can become tedious after many rounds, especially when trying to unlock specific story events.
  • Some story events and character interactions rely heavily on RNG, making it frustrating to progress at times.
  • The pacing can feel slow, with significant time spent on gameplay before meaningful story developments occur.
  • story313 mentions

    The story in Gnosia is a unique blend of social deduction and visual novel elements, set within a time loop that gradually reveals character backstories and overarching mysteries. While some players appreciate the depth and emotional impact of the narrative, others find the pacing slow and the progression frustratingly reliant on random gameplay outcomes. Overall, the game is praised for its compelling characters and intriguing plot, though it may not satisfy those seeking a purely story-driven experience.

    • “The story is very clever and well thought-out, with great characters to back it up.”
    • “A surprisingly gripping story with some really fun twists.”
    • “The gameplay loop is fun, only problem being that it can take too long to trigger certain events causing you to halt on story progress.”
    • “The story here is just a background for an absolutely randomly generated game.”
    • “The main story is almost completely absent and drip-fed to you extremely slowly.”
    • “The actual story is, for lack of a better term, drip-fed, and you may not learn anything new for several loops at a time.”
  • gameplay196 mentions

    The gameplay of Gnosia is primarily centered around a unique blend of social deduction mechanics reminiscent of werewolf or mafia games, where players must identify hidden threats among NPCs through strategic discussions and voting. While the core gameplay loop is engaging and offers depth through character interactions and RPG elements, many players note that it can become repetitive over time, especially after numerous loops. Overall, the game successfully integrates its mechanics with character development and storytelling, making it a compelling experience for fans of the genre, despite some frustrations with grind and pacing.

    • “The gameplay is fun and the AI is mostly logical, with each character having unique tactics.”
    • “The core gameplay is very fun and I absolutely loved the story.”
    • “An amazing visual novel with strong social deduction gameplay and a very lovable cast.”
    • “Gnosia just simply isn't for me; while it started fairly strong, the gameplay loop became old for me pretty fast.”
    • “The gameplay can very easily get repetitive since you have to play through many times over to get every necessary scene for the ending.”
    • “The gameplay loop can potentially get pretty boring, especially when you need to unlock the final few notes.”
  • music65 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its uniqueness and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers noting its soothing, eerie, and immersive qualities. While some found the soundtrack to be repetitive or occasionally jarring, the majority praised its high quality and how well it complements the game's art and narrative. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and emotional impact.

    • “The art and character design is bright and colorful and neat, and the music is gorgeous and strange with just a hint of friction.”
    • “The very emotional story is accompanied by great characters and an unbelievable soundtrack.”
    • “The soundtrack is a banger, and getting to know all of the character's personalities by getting scammed over a hundred times is a blast.”
    • “The game is a good game, but the production team is too lazy, a lot of repetitive text, NPCs say believe you in front, say doubt you in the back, repetitive music, doomed this game late boring, and no late detail updates, do not expect too much from this game, praise is only its play novelty.”
    • “The music is very calming during matches; however, the game has some sound effects that play too often and are a bit jarring.”
    • “In terms of music, there are only around 5-6 tracks, but each and every one of them is not only special, but high-quality as well.”
  • graphics44 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful and unique art style, which enhances the overall experience and character development. Players appreciate the visually distinct characters and the atmospheric integration of the soundtrack, creating a captivating aesthetic that complements the gameplay. While some character designs may be considered provocative, the overall artistic direction is seen as a significant strength, contributing to the game's charm and appeal.

    • “The characters are fun to get to know, the mechanics are satisfying, and the artwork is beautiful.”
    • “It is a gorgeous piece of work with very pretty visuals and even prettier writing, with me slowly growing attached to each character with every piece of info I learned.”
    • “Gnosia elegantly combines the session-based nature of Among Us with the story-driven, single-player experience of Danganronpa, with a gorgeous art style and great soundtrack to boot.”
    • “The art style and music are indescribably 'dirty'; I don't think I've ever seen or heard something like this, and I enjoyed it quite a lot.”
    • “There's also a kind of a glimmer of personality from a few others, but basically they're just there to be pieces of artwork to look at while selecting a response.”
    • “The only pros are its art style and soundtrack.”
  • emotional25 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with many players reporting that it evoked strong feelings, including tears, through its heartfelt moments and character-driven narrative. The story balances humor and seriousness, creating a memorable experience that deepens players' connections to the unique characters. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to blend emotional storytelling with engaging gameplay, leaving a lasting impact on players.

    • “The very emotional story is accompanied by great characters and an unbelievable soundtrack.”
    • “The game made me cry a few times; it was an incredibly memorable experience.”
    • “Characters are interesting, and getting to know them is an awesome half of the game; the story is pretty good, and the ending is emotional.”
  • grinding21 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is frequently criticized for becoming tedious and repetitive, especially towards the end, where players must farm experience or manipulate stats to unlock character events and story elements. While some players find the gameplay addictive and engaging initially, the low story-to-gameplay ratio and reliance on grinding can lead to frustration, particularly when trying to complete the final pieces of the narrative. Overall, the grind can detract from the enjoyment, making it feel like a chore rather than a rewarding experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “As a roguelike, its gameplay is repetitive and grinding.”
    • “It has a low story-to-gameplay ratio and is quite grindy to unlock the various story and lore bits.”
    • “It gets ridiculously grindy and the story payoffs are just not worth it because they make barely any sense.”
  • character development14 mentions

    Character development in the game is a standout feature, with unique and vibrant character designs that contribute to their distinct personalities and interactions. Players appreciate the creative art style and the depth of each character, although some feel that the initial focus on mechanics overshadows deeper world-building. Overall, the characters are well-crafted, making the gameplay engaging and immersive, despite some minor design critiques.

    • “The highlight of the game for me is the creative character designs and their distinctive behaviors throughout the game.”
    • “This brings me to the character design; each character feels unique and has their own personality.”
    • “Their character design is quite original and they all have unique personalities that somehow mesh well during the dialogues.”
    • “The developers actually acknowledged this - at the beginning there is little focus on world building and character development, letting you familiarize yourself with the main mechanics.”
    • “They are a few iffy designs or eye-rolling moments (mainly Comet, I think), but the general art and other character designs are great, along with some bad endings that are brief and subtle but maybe uncomfortable.”
    • “One of the game's biggest strengths to me was the art style, the futuristic colorful and also some strange character designs, but the main gameplay loop falls a little flat deep into the loops due to it feeling a little grindy at that point with me trying to get the last of the character notes.”
  • atmosphere11 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its brilliant tone, engaging story, and well-developed characters, creating a captivating and immersive experience. The integration of music, art style, and gameplay elements enhances the eerie and tense ambiance, making players feel the weight of deception and strategy. Overall, the unique setting and character dynamics contribute to a memorable and atmospheric journey.

    • “Excellent writing, wonderful characters, splendid atmosphere, a gameplay loop that will make you lose sense of the time.”
    • “The music, absolutely outstanding, creates a varied and eerie vibe that fits the theme of the unknown and unsettling atmosphere of the world.”
    • “Very unique experience that plays on your expectations, with great atmosphere, characters, and music.”
    • “The music is absolutely outstanding, creating a varied and eerie vibe that fits the theme of the unknown and unsettling atmosphere of the world.”
    • “This game is different from Raging Loop, which uses Ultimate Werewolf as a story background to render the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “A crew of offbeat, likable (and dislikable) weirdos adds to the atmosphere.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is a blend of light-hearted and serious moments, featuring unexpected funny scenes and quirky characters that add personality to the narrative. While some jokes, like references to popular memes, may resonate with players, the overall comedic impact is described as inconsistent, with a mix of genuinely funny moments and more unsettling or touching themes.

    • “It's funny, unsettling, touching, and heart-rending, in turn.”
    • “A game with great artwork, characters, unexpected funny moments, and an interesting great story that really goes full circle.”
    • “Tone ranges from light-hearted and funny to serious and touching.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its deep character exploration and randomized loops, encouraging players to uncover lore and learn more about their favorite characters. Players can customize their roles and game sessions, enhancing the experience and providing fresh challenges with each playthrough. However, some users noted a lack of replay value, suggesting that the experience may not appeal to everyone.

    • “Setsu's mindset is explored in detail, about how she wants the loops to end but has no clue how to end them. All characters have much to learn about themselves, which unveils why they act the way they do, adding replayability as players seek to find out everything they can about their favorite characters.”
    • “There is a lot going on underneath the hood here, and it culminates in a unique experience that definitely leaves room for replayability.”
    • “No replayability value at all.”
    • “The loops being randomized definitely let it keep much replay value; in the end, I do recommend this game if you want something to keep you entertained in a 'I want to pick apart the lore' kind of way; just be wary, it'll take some time for it to make sense.”
    • “There's a lot of replay value: once a session ends, you're given the opportunity to start a new one, and as you progress through the game, you'll unlock new options to customize the session to your liking.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    Players report a well-optimized experience with no performance issues during gameplay, allowing for a high degree of customization in character stats and playstyle. The game's mechanics support various approaches, enabling players to focus on different attributes like intuition, performance, and charisma to influence outcomes effectively.

    • “I had zero performance issues during my playthrough.”
    • “This ties into the fact that you get to choose your own stats and build and decide the approach you want to take; I went extremely high in intuition (spotting lies), performance (telling lies), and logic, but was generally weak in terms of keeping below the radar and lost a bunch of sessions because I made too many folks angry even when I was right about something.”
    • “For example, you can level up your performance, making your lies hard to spot, or you can opt into charisma, making it easier to convince others into believing you.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The stability of the game is mixed; while some users report it as a buggy port, others have experienced no glitches or issues during gameplay. Overall, opinions vary significantly among players.

    • “This is an unfortunately buggy port of an otherwise fantastic visual novel.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

Buy GNOSIA

Play time

24hMedian play time
18hAverage play time
4-26hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games