Impulsion

About

"Impulsion" is a single-player shooter game with sensational gameplay that takes about 80 hours to beat. It features 25 challenging levels, a story mode with science-fiction elements and funny dialogues, as well as competitive and speedrun modes with Steam leaderboards. The game requires a 64-bit processor and operating system, 2 GB RAM, a Nvidia GTX 660 or equivalent, and 4 GB of available space.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 180 reviews

gameplay19 positive mentions

story7 negative mentions

Impulsion offers a unique and challenging fast-paced platforming experience that combines elements of parkour and first-person shooter mechanics.
The game features smooth controls and satisfying movement, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate skill-based gameplay and speedrunning.
Despite its short length, the game provides replayability through competitive modes and leaderboards, appealing to those who enjoy improving their times.

The voice acting and dialogue are often criticized as annoying and poorly written, detracting from the overall experience.
Many players find the game to be repetitive, with some levels lacking creativity and presenting inconsistent difficulty spikes.
Technical issues, such as resolution bugs and hitbox problems, can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially for those playing on devices like the Steam Deck.

gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
62%
5%
The gameplay of the game is highly praised for its fast-paced, engaging mechanics that blend elements of parkour and first-person shooter genres, particularly through the innovative use of the forcefield gun. While the movement mechanics are smooth and enjoyable, some players noted inconsistencies in obstacles and a lack of puzzle-solving elements, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite its shortcomings in narrative and community engagement, the game offers a solid platforming experience that is fun to optimize and master.
- “Overall a really good, fast FPS speedrunning game; the gameplay made up for the story, which was a bit over the top for me.”
- “One of the game's strengths is its fast-paced platformer gameplay that combines elements of parkour and first-person shooter genres.”
- “This game is great fun; the mechanics are very easy to learn and hard to master, as there is always a way to complete most levels faster.”
- “I think the mechanics are a bit too wonky for me to feel like this is something I can self-challenge and try to get better in.”
- “And on and on it goes without ever introducing any new mechanics past the 10-minute playtime mark.”
- “The speed/slow down mechanic is not used in any clever way to act as a puzzle; it purely facilitates jumping.”
story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
68%
23%
The story in the game is generally considered minimal and underdeveloped, serving primarily as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a focal point. Many reviewers noted that the voice acting is lackluster and the narrative lacks depth, with a generic sci-fi premise that feels confusing and forgettable. While some players found enjoyment in the gameplay itself, the consensus is that the story does not significantly enhance the overall experience.
- “The game's story mode features an intriguing science-fiction story filled with witty dialogues.”
- “Well done dev team, I was blown away by the experience and story mode.”
- “You can complete the story in a couple of hours and then spend however long you feel like perfecting and optimizing your speedruns.”
- “The story feels undercooked, as there is very little to the dynamic between the player and the overseeing AI.”
- “The voice acting and writing are lackluster, and the story is confusing and forgettable.”
- “Currently, the game suffers from a lack of content (only 25 levels and an extremely brief, confusing story).”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
33%
20%
The graphics of the game, powered by the Unreal Engine 4, are generally praised for their simplicity and quality, with many reviewers noting the appealing art design and level craftsmanship. While the visuals are considered good, some players feel that the aesthetics lack variety and originality. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's fast-paced platforming experience, enhancing its enjoyable gameplay.
- “The game's graphics, which use the UE4 engine, are simple but great, and the soundtrack is enjoyable, especially for those who like DnB and electronic music.”
- “The futuristic graphics are nice and the controls are easy and work fluently, which is very important for a fast-paced platformer.”
- “Overall, a very fun and challenging FPS platformer, the graphics also look really good and it runs very well!”
- “The aesthetic does feel alright for what it's going for, but it isn't anything spectacular.”
- “One of the game's most significant drawbacks is its lack of puzzle-solving elements despite its aesthetic and game mechanics' similarity to those in Portal and Antichamber.”
- “But if you're going to do that, make sure to have some aspect of the game (level design, graphics, dialog, game mechanics, voice acting... anything) better than the original.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game offers moderate replayability primarily through its competitive and speedrun modes, encouraging players to improve their times and climb leaderboards. While the narrative campaign is short and features only 25 levels, the focus on speedrunning provides an addictive challenge for those seeking to enhance their scores. Overall, it is best enjoyed at a lower price, as the replay value largely hinges on the desire to beat personal and community records.
- “The narrative campaign is short, but it promotes replayability through graded scores and timed leaderboards.”
- “While it is rather short, the game shines with the replayability it offers in both a competitive and a speedrun mode, and I more than recommend giving it a shot if you can acquire it at a lower price or on sale.”
- “It is addicting going for better times and better slots on the leaderboards; this gives the game so much replay value.”
- “The game's content is limited, with only 25 levels, and its replay value comes mainly from speedrunning.”
- “While it is rather short, the game shines with the replayability it offers in both a competitive and a speedrun mode.”
- “Realistically, the only replay value in the game comes with speedrunning.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally perceived as lacking depth and originality, with many players finding the AI voiceover and narrator's commentary initially amusing but quickly becoming repetitive and annoying. While some appreciate the attempt at humor reminiscent of titles like Portal, it ultimately falls short, overshadowed by the gameplay experience. Overall, the humor does not significantly enhance the game, leaving players wanting more in terms of wit and variety.
- “Which is funny due to the fact that I love skill-based movement in video games.”
- “Also, the sassy narrator is really funny the first 10 times you hear him when you die, but after a while, it's just the same voice lines over and over again.”
- “Jokes aside, Impulsion is an incredible fast-paced platformer that takes quite a few cues from Portal, including its physics-based puzzles and creates something amazing that will have you hooked from the start.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
13%
25%
The game's soundtrack, particularly appealing to fans of drum and bass and electronic music, is generally well-received, described as enjoyable and not tiresome. Players appreciate the original music for enhancing the gaming experience, especially during challenging moments, although some suggest muting the game in favor of their own playlists. Overall, the sound design contributes positively to the atmosphere of the game.
- “Listening back to the soundtrack, it's actually nice.”
- “The game's graphics, which use the UE4 engine, are simple but great, and the soundtrack is enjoyable, especially for those who like DnB and electronic music.”
- “The original soundtrack is lovely and creates a great atmosphere during your countless retries.”
- “But that can always be remedied by muting the game and listening to music in the background.”
- “The music track is actually amusing and entertaining, and the games are quite challenging in a 'crescendo' way.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that grinding is essential for overcoming the challenging later levels, often requiring numerous attempts and significant time investment. While this can be frustrating, the game offers replayability through competitive and speedrun modes, which provide an adrenaline rush for those willing to invest time in improving their leaderboard standings.
- “Some parts of the later levels are stupidly difficult and can only be beaten through hundreds of deaths and hours of grinding.”
- “There's some replayability after you finish the game with a competitive mode as well as a speedrun mode, which are great if you don't mind spending time grinding leaderboards.”
- “Grinding for good times on individual levels as well as the entire speedrun is challenging and gives you a good adrenaline rush.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express that the emotional impact of the game is diminished by technical issues, such as unresponsive controls, which contribute to a feeling of incompleteness. This undermines the overall experience and connection to the game.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Overall, players report a stable experience with no significant glitches or unfair deaths, attributing failures to personal mistakes rather than technical issues. However, some levels, particularly level 25, present notable challenges that can lead to increased deaths.
- “I didn't notice any unfair deaths or glitches; every death is your own fault. It's easier if you go in knowing the routes. I died many more times on level 25 than on any other level combined (those damn fans). I got in the top 100,000, where most of my runs in other levels were well up in the 4 digits.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it frustrating to progress. I lost several hours of gameplay due to these stability issues.”
- “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, especially during intense moments, which ruined the overall experience.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's optimization is highly praised, with users noting that even mid-tier GPUs can achieve frame rates exceeding 120 fps, indicating efficient performance across a range of hardware.
- “Performance is great; any mid-tier GPU should be able to push above 120 FPS.”
- “The game runs smoothly even on lower-end hardware, making it accessible to a wider audience.”
- “I appreciate the extensive graphics settings that allow for fine-tuning performance based on my system's capabilities.”