Illuminascii
- August 11, 2015
- DDD Wares
Get on Steam"Illuminascii" is a first-person shooter with a unique ascii text-based visual style. In this roguelike game, players take on the role of the @ symbol and navigate through procedurally generated levels, facing off against randomly generated monsters and seeking out weapons and armor. The game features permadeath and randomized cutscenes, providing a fresh challenge in each playthrough. The aesthetics of a classic roguelike are brought to life in a modern engine.
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Reviews
- Illuminascii features a unique and visually appealing ASCII art style that stands out in modern gaming.
- The game offers a humorous and quirky experience with entertaining references and funny tidbits throughout.
- Despite its flaws, some players find the gameplay enjoyable in short bursts, making it a decent time-waster.
- The game suffers from repetitive level design and lacks variety in gameplay, leading to a monotonous experience.
- Controls and menu navigation are clunky, making interactions frustrating and detracting from the overall experience.
- Many players report game-breaking bugs, poor AI, and a lack of polish, making it feel unfinished and unworthy of its price.
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it decent but ultimately flawed due to its clunky mechanics and reliance on clichés. While it incorporates a blend of roguelike and RPG elements, many feel that it lacks depth and can become boring, despite its appealing visuals and nostalgic references. Overall, it may appeal to fans of older roguelikes, but the gameplay experience is often described as cheap and unsatisfying.
“The gameplay itself is a mix of some roguelike and RPG elements (random levels and names, hunger, etc. + experience points and stat points) and FPS.”
“I recommend this game to anyone who liked older roguelikes, maybe not for the gameplay, but for the neat visuals and references.”
“Decent gameplay.”
“Unfortunately, the gameplay is quite poor, making it difficult to enjoy the good bits.”
“I like the style of the game, but it's a bit dark and hard to see, and the gameplay feels a bit cheap or flimsy.”
“The gameplay ends up being boring.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of Illuminascii are praised for their unique blend of ASCII symbols and simple 3D models, evoking nostalgia for classic roguelikes and old screensavers. However, some players feel the game would benefit from a more cohesive art style, either fully embracing ASCII or enhancing it with animated sprites for enemies. Overall, while the visuals are appreciated, they are seen as a highlight in an otherwise lacking gameplay experience.
“I love the visuals! :)”
“The visuals are an odd combination of ASCII symbols and simple 3D models, the latter of which reminds me of that old 3D Windows maze screensaver.”
“I recommend this game to anyone who liked older roguelikes, maybe not for the gameplay, but for the neat visuals and references.”
“Visuals are an odd combination of ASCII symbols and simple 3D models, the latter of which reminds me of that old 3D Windows maze screensaver.”
“I found myself wishing this game stuck with a single one of these art styles, or at least fully committed to using ASCII only for important objects.”
“I still would've liked it more if at least some of the enemies would have had some kind of animated sprite made with ASCII graphics.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the sound effects, many find the music underwhelming or even unappealing, often opting to play their own soundtracks instead. Overall, the game's musical score seems to lack engagement for a significant portion of the audience.
“This game brings realization, with top notch sound/music effects.”
“Maybe someone else will like the music though!”
“I usually disable the music and just set the Hotline Miami soundtrack on the background.”
“The music is kinda... blergh.”
“I usually disable the music and just set the Hotline Miami soundtrack in the background.”
“There's like, no music.”
- story5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely absent, with players noting a lack of plot development and engaging narrative elements. Instead, the gameplay revolves around repetitive missions in procedurally generated environments, leading to a sparse and uninspired experience. Overall, the narrative aspect is criticized for being non-existent and failing to provide a cohesive or compelling storyline.
“There's more to it than that; with only an office and city area (that I've seen), items will disappear from your inventory screen, enemies sometimes shoot through walls, sometimes you can't shoot enemies, and sometimes the doors that hold key items to progress will be unavailable because another building blocks the door. The lack of different missions (there is find 5 clues, kill a target, and 1 bomb piece mission) just overall should not be sold as a finished project.”
“The game is overall pretty sparse; you run about completing three different types of missions on procedurally generated levels, whilst leveling up your similarly randomly generated character.”
“You wander around procedurally generated (read: poor quality) environments, trying to find 5 quest items so you can go to the next level and do the same thing.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in Illuminascii is a standout feature, with players appreciating its funny tidbits and comedic texts that enhance the overall experience, compensating for the game's simplicity and limited variety. The unique visual style also contributes to its charm, making the humor a key highlight.
“Illuminascii is a very simple and barebones game with not a ton of variety, but the humor and interesting visual look of it more than made up for that.”
“This game has a basic combat system, but it makes up for that in its comedic and funny texts.”
“Funny little tidbits.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is reported to be poorly optimized, leading to performance issues that detract from the overall experience.
“It is badly optimized.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its impressive visuals and immersive feel, creating a captivating environment. However, some players criticize the lack of variety in weapon mechanics and the simplistic AI behavior of enemies, which detracts from the overall experience.
“The game's atmosphere is fantastic; I love the way it looks and feels.”
