Heavy Burden

About

In Heavy Burden, a thought-provoking game inspired by Albert Camus' essay "The Myth of Sisyphus," players ponder existential questions and make life-altering decisions. Navigate challenging paths, face consequences, and reflect on the essence of existence as you journey with Sisyphus, experiencing the consequences of his arrogance in this engaging philosophical narrative.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 92 reviews

gameplay7 positive mentions

optimization2 negative mentions

The game offers a unique philosophical experience, encouraging players to reflect on life and choices through its narrative and gameplay.
It features two different endings, providing some replayability and a chance to explore different philosophical themes.
The graphics and atmosphere are praised for their beauty, creating an immersive environment despite some visual issues.

The gameplay is often described as tedious and frustrating, with mechanics that can lead to frequent restarts and a lack of clear direction.
Many players report severe visual discomfort due to overly bright graphics, chromatic aberration, and motion blur, making it hard to enjoy the game.
The game is criticized for its high price relative to its short playtime and lack of substantial content, leading many to feel it is not worth the investment.

gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
58%
13%
The gameplay is characterized by a unique mechanic of carrying a large block, which significantly obstructs the player's view and hinders platforming elements, leading to a mixed reception. While some players appreciate the clean execution of its limited mechanics and the thematic depth, many find the overall experience tedious and unengaging, with a lack of challenge and excitement. The game's presentation and gameplay choices have been criticized for not effectively leveraging its innovative ideas, resulting in a disconnect between the intended message and player enjoyment.
- “The little mechanics it does use, it uses well and is clean and smooth.”
- “Heavy burden is a beautiful game with interesting gameplay.”
- “Beautiful and detailed environments, accompanied by immersive sound effects, provide maximum enjoyment of the gameplay.”
- “As gameplay goes, it's a questionable mix of walking sim and a (light?) precision platformer, which is a really weird choice as you constantly have to carry the stone in front of you, blocking quite a bit of the platforms you have to land on.”
- “The main mechanic, that of having to hold a large block in front of you at all times, is certainly unique, but is not leveraged into interesting gameplay.”
- “Boring aesthetic, boring gameplay, you'll spend almost the entirety of your time bored.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
41%
29%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful visuals and atmospheric effects, while others criticize the simplistic and sometimes headache-inducing design choices, particularly the overuse of a washed-out color palette. While there are moments of interesting visual style, many find the overall aesthetic to be boring and lacking innovation. Overall, the graphics range from excellent to underwhelming, depending on individual perspectives.
- “The graphics of the game are excellent, the atmosphere becomes more realistic.”
- “A cool adventure game with beautiful graphics and interesting puzzles.”
- “Good graphics and good concept.”
- “Saying that, graphically it can be a bit (literally) headache-inducing when the horizon goes fuzzy once you're carrying the brick.”
- “The visuals are nothing to write home about either; flat-textured geometric landscapes, kaleidoscope skyboxes, and what I assume are pre-existing assets aren't really pleasing to the eyes, not to mention the overindulgent use of post-processing effects.”
- “Boring aesthetic, there was nothing new or innovative or interesting.”
story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The game's story is generally viewed as simplistic and underdeveloped, with many players suggesting that it lacks depth and meaningful engagement. While some appreciate the interesting premise and thematic elements, such as references to Sisyphus and philosophical quotes, the overall narrative fails to provide a compelling experience, leading to mixed feelings about its execution. Players recommend focusing on gameplay rather than expecting a rich story.
- “It's kind of ironic that a pointless virtual trophy led me to a story route that, in some ways, lampoons the idea of a meaningless reward for finishing.”
- “The game's premise is interesting, but I felt like the story could have been more developed.”
- “A more fleshed-out story.”
- “I wouldn't recommend this game if you're looking for an in-depth story, but if you want a game where you can walk around exactly how you want, and like literally exactly how you want, down to the strides you do at the pace you choose, then this game is as close to perfect as it gets.”
- “The 'story' of this game, arguably its main selling point, consists of scattered quotes from the Bible and Albert Camus's 'Myth of Sisyphus'.”
- “This, incidentally, removes all challenge or opportunities for fun mechanics from the game, because the whole idea behind the story of Sisyphus was that his boulder keeps rolling downhill, which I think could have had fun and thematically appropriate gameplay ramifications if the developers actually cared.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
14%
14%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its combination of excellent graphics and sound, which create a realistic and immersive experience. Players describe it as a philosophical journey set in a beautifully crafted world, where the blend of realism and fantasy enhances the overall ambiance. The atmosphere is further enriched by the tension created through challenging puzzles and light platforming elements.
- “This was an atmospheric and philosophical walking simulator with light platforming elements.”
- “The graphics of the game are excellent, and the atmosphere becomes more realistic.”
- “The visual style of the game combines realism and fantasy, creating a unique atmosphere.”
- “Graphics and sound create an atmosphere of tension.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its pleasant and fitting soundtrack, which includes ethereal elements. While some describe it as simple, others highlight its effectiveness in enhancing the gaming experience, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere.
- “The game's soundtrack is simply amazing and pleasant to the ears.”
- “The music is good, there are several endings.”
- “The sounds and soundtrack are simple enough.”
- “As for the music... well... it fit the game but was mostly just ethereal sort of... I dunno... humming, maybe?”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization, with users reporting significant performance issues and a lack of polish.
- “Very badly optimized.”
- “Completely unoptimized.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate the game's replayability due to the availability of alternate achievements and the opportunity for speedrunning, as it seems to be free of significant bugs that could hinder repeated playthroughs.
- “There is also replayability for the alternate achievements, as well as the potential to speedrun this game since it doesn't appear to have any game-breaking bugs on the surface.”
- “Once you complete the game, there isn't much incentive to go back. The story doesn't change, and the side quests feel repetitive.”
- “While the game offers multiple endings, the differences are minimal, making it hard to justify replaying.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be extremely tedious and uninteresting, often exacerbated by overwhelming visual effects that detract from the experience.
- “Extremely tedious and uninteresting gameplay coupled with nauseating visual effects.”
- “The grinding feels endless and lacks any meaningful rewards.”
- “Repetitive tasks that offer little to no progression make the experience frustrating.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight that the game effectively promotes both intellectual and emotional growth, making it a profound experience that challenges them on multiple levels.
- “The essence of the game is to challenge the player for intellectual and emotional growth.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game exhibits a few minor bugs and glitches that can lead to some frustration for players, but these issues do not significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “There are a few minor bugs and glitches in the game, which can be frustrating.”