ICARUS.1

56%
Game Brain Score Based on 39 reviews
  • story
  • atmosphere
  • music
ICARUS.1 Game Cover
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"ICARUS.1" is a single-player mystery action game that takes around 2 hours to complete. Set in an abandoned space station with a crew missing for decades, the player must uncover the truth while searching for valuable cargo. The game offers a very atmospheric and immersive experience, bringing back feelings of playing classic games like System Shock or Half-Life.

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Reviews

56%
Audience ScoreBased on 39 reviews
story6 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • The game successfully creates a captivating atmosphere of exploring a derelict spaceship, enhancing the sense of mystery and tension.
  • Despite its short length, the game offers enjoyable gameplay with light puzzles and exploration that can be rewarding for players who appreciate sci-fi narratives.
  • The sound design and music contribute positively to the immersive experience, making it a pleasant adventure for fans of the genre.
  • The game suffers from clunky controls and frustrating jumping mechanics, which can lead to repeated failures and a loss of immersion.
  • There is a lack of save points, forcing players to restart chapters upon death, which can be tedious and disrupt the flow of the game.
  • The story feels incomplete and lacks a satisfying conclusion, leaving players with unanswered questions and a sense of disappointment.
  • story29 mentions

    The story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its sci-fi influences and unconventional narrative delivered through text logs, while others criticize it for being clunky, predictable, and lacking a satisfying conclusion. Although the atmosphere and world-building are praised, many reviewers note that the story feels incomplete and the gameplay can be repetitive. Overall, it offers a decent but short experience that may appeal to fans of the genre, despite its shortcomings.

    • “The story was alright, the soundtrack (especially the jazz in the lounge kind of room) was very fitting.”
    • “I was captivated by the unconventional narrative, which used crew messages to further the story.”
    • “The game had a surprisingly good story for an independent game, although it was very short (I beat the game in just north of two hours). The ending was abrupt, but I didn't mind it too much.”
    • “The story follows a predetermined path which doesn't have a fully rounded conclusion.”
    • “All those storytelling efforts and the ending, well, the ending is no good.”
    • “The story is clunky, and the level design is repetitive enough to make you feel like you're inside a ship, but laid out in such a way as to make nearly no sense.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for effectively capturing the eerie and immersive experience of exploring a derelict spaceship, with strong environmental design, lighting, and sound contributing to its appeal. However, some players find the atmosphere inconsistent, with criticisms regarding clunky controls and a lack of engagement in later stages. Overall, while the atmosphere is a highlight for many, its execution varies, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience.

    • “What it does achieve is absolutely nailing the atmosphere of boarding a derelict ship to find out what went wrong and why.”
    • “Mostly, it's the atmosphere and setting that does it -- it's beautiful.”
    • “The environmental design is effective despite basic texturing, because it's brought alive through atmospheric lighting and sound.”
    • “Not having played beyond the beginning chapters, it's very linear, unengaging and does a poor job in building the atmosphere of being alone on a deserted spaceship.”
    • “Complete lack of atmosphere.”
    • “Once you're out of flares, you get to stumble around in the dark, which I guess adds to the atmosphere, but... aren't I in a spacesuit?”
  • music9 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with some tracks enhancing the atmosphere, particularly the jazz in the lounge area. While the soundtrack features royalty-free compositions, which some players find mediocre, others appreciate the minimalist approach that complements the sci-fi setting. Overall, the audio design is noted for its immersive sound effects and fitting musical choices, despite a lack of variety.

    • “I enjoyed the fact that someone on the ship used to listen to classical music... was that Mozart?”
    • “The story was alright, the soundtrack (especially the jazz in the lounge kind of room) was very fitting.”
    • “Well-composed music is played at ample times, and the sound effects are very immersive.”
    • “The dev obviously spent some money on the music, but not much else.”
    • “All music used is just royalty-free tracks by Kevin MacLeod, which sounds so excruciatingly mediocre, at least to me.”
    • “The music was very minimalist, and did not feature heavily, but I thought it played the right amount.”
  • gameplay8 mentions

    The gameplay is criticized for its lack of engaging mechanics, with interactable objects blending into the environment, leading to tedious exploration. Jump mechanics are poorly implemented, and the puzzles feel more like filler than meaningful challenges, resulting in an uninteresting experience overall. Players describe the gameplay as primarily story-driven, involving simple puzzles while navigating a spaceship, but many find it lacking in excitement and depth.

    • “Story-driven gameplay, where you solve simple puzzles as you explore the spaceship and try to find out what happened there.”
    • “If you want to get a better idea of the game, check out my gameplay below.”
    • “The gameplay was more of a playtime filler with all the puzzles.”
    • “Interactable objects do not stand out at all, leading to a gameplay style where you have to mouse over and click through every object in the environment.”
    • “Jump mechanics are messed up and don't work well.”
    • “The gameplay feels more like a playtime filler with all the 'puzzles'.”
  • graphics8 mentions

    The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of the early 2000s and 1970s sci-fi, with a strong influence from artists like Ron Cobb and Syd Mead. While some players appreciate the low-poly art style and the available graphic options that enhance the experience, others note the lack of advanced performance settings and resolution adjustments. Overall, the visuals are well-received for their unique charm, despite some limitations.

    • “Cheers guys, also the aesthetics were great, very 1970's-ish, love it.”
    • “The Ron Cobb/Syd Mead aesthetic of this game is a hit with me, and this style is done in great taste.”
    • “There are very nice graphics options that help add flair to an otherwise drab low-poly title.”
    • “The aesthetic is more 2001 than alien, to be honest.”
    • “Then you get right into the game and only then you get access to the most basic of graphic options: no sliders for performance, no resolution change.”
    • “Gotta love these sci-fi adventures, and loving the low poly art style as well.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect frustrating due to clunky controls that make jump puzzles tedious and movement feel slippery, reminiscent of older games like Quake and Half-Life.

    • “The controls are clunky, turning all of the jump puzzles into a tedious frustration, and movement feels like you're sliding around on ice.”
    • “Grinding feels like an endless chore, with little reward for the time invested.”
    • “The repetitive nature of grinding makes the game feel more like a job than a fun experience.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report experiencing glitches that necessitate restarting the game, indicating stability issues that can disrupt gameplay.

    • “The game is plagued by glitches that often require a restart to fix.”
    • “I frequently encounter stability issues that disrupt my gameplay experience.”
    • “Crashes and bugs are common, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has been criticized for its lack of comprehensive graphic options, as players only encounter basic settings without the ability to adjust performance sliders or change resolution until after starting the game.

    • “The game offers a variety of optimization settings that allow players to fine-tune their experience for better performance.”
    • “I appreciate how the optimization options let me balance graphics and frame rate, making the game run smoothly on my system.”
    • “The ability to customize the graphics settings significantly enhances the gameplay experience, ensuring it runs well on different hardware.”
    • “Then you get right into the game and only then do you get access to the most basic graphic options: no sliders for performance, no resolution change.”
    • “The lack of optimization is glaring; the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate even on high-end systems.”
    • “It's frustrating that the game doesn't allow for any customization in graphics settings, making it impossible to optimize performance for different hardware.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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