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Induction

86%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, replayability
89% User Score Based on 114 reviews
Critic Score 75%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindowsNintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchLinuxLinuxMac OSMac OSSteam DeckSteam Deck
Buy Nowfrom $4
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About

"Induction is a single-player puzzle game focusing on time travel and logic. Its 50+ meticulously designed puzzles introduce players to the concept of choreographing actions across timelines and creating time loops, with an elegant internal logic that challenges players to master its rules. The game features a minimalist visual style and a rich ambient soundtrack."

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Induction screenshot
Induction screenshot
Induction screenshot
Induction screenshot
Induction screenshot
Induction screenshot

89%
Audience ScoreBased on 115 reviews
gameplay21 positive mentions
story2 negative mentions
  • Induction features mind-bending puzzles that creatively explore time travel mechanics, providing a unique and satisfying challenge.
  • The minimalist design and atmospheric music enhance the gameplay experience, allowing players to focus on the intricate puzzle-solving without distractions.
  • The game encourages deep thinking and experimentation, rewarding players with a sense of accomplishment when they successfully navigate its complex levels.
  • The lack of explicit tutorials and guidance can lead to confusion and frustration, especially in later levels where mechanics are not clearly explained.
  • Some players may find the difficulty spikes overwhelming, as the game can become excessively challenging without providing alternative paths or solutions.
  • The isometric perspective and minimalist visuals can make it difficult to gauge spatial relationships, leading to trial-and-error gameplay that may detract from the overall experience.
  • gameplay
    67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Induction" is characterized by its elegant mechanics and intricate level design, focusing on time travel puzzles that challenge players to explore and understand the rules without explicit tutorials. While many players appreciate the satisfaction of piecing together complex mechanics, some find the lack of guidance can lead to confusion and frustration, particularly when new mechanics are introduced in already challenging levels. Overall, the game is praised for its innovative approach to puzzle-solving, though it may require patience and persistence to fully grasp its intricacies.

    • “A masterpiece of a puzzle game with great gameplay and fascinating level engineering.”
    • “The game does a great job of teaching you its mechanics and then having you apply that mechanic in a more complex situation.”
    • “Great puzzle game with a unique time-traveling mechanic: instead of time traveling yourself, you make the world around you travel back in time and create a clone of yourself in the process.”
    • “The game comes across as obtuse or inscrutable at times, given that it never explicitly explains the intricacies of its mechanics.”
    • “I’m all for mind-bending puzzle games, but besides not explaining new concepts or mechanics, Induction doesn’t even try to introduce them smoothly with simple levels: they just show up in already complex levels and you’re by yourself to figure them out.”
    • “The only problem I would say this game has is that there are 2 levels that expect you to time your actions well and take a very long time to execute the solution, making those more of a mechanically difficult puzzle, making you suffer immediately after you get to find the solution.”
  • graphics
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a striking minimalist and abstract style that effectively complements its challenging puzzles. While the visuals are aesthetically pleasing and enhance the overall ambiance, some players find them initially difficult to interpret, particularly in terms of navigation and spatial orientation. Overall, the combination of simple yet colorful graphics and a non-intrusive soundtrack creates a focused environment for engaging with the game's complex mechanics.

    • “I also like the minimalistic graphics; it definitely suits the game.”
    • “The striking minimalist graphics and music are quite effective as well.”
    • “The graphics are minimal yet effective; the music is outstanding; and the puzzles are amazing.”
    • “The downside is that its graphics make it hard to figure out where things are, especially vertically, and it's a bit hard to understand which direction is which.”
    • “A difficult puzzle game with a very simple art style.”
    • “The graphics are simple, and maybe a bit tricky to read at first, but once you understand the language of the game, the puzzle design and mechanics are really phenomenal.”
  • music
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its outstanding quality, with many reviewers highlighting its ambient and atmospheric nature that complements the minimalist visuals. The soundtrack is described as engaging and responsive to gameplay, enhancing the overall experience without being intrusive. While some find the background music to be bland, it is generally considered effective in creating a meditative ambiance that supports the game's challenging puzzles.

    • “Tim Shiel has created a wonderfully ambient soundtrack that responds to your progress in an equally seamless way as the shifting colors of the levels.”
    • “The further you spiral into the rotating selection of levels, the more beats and rhythm are added to the meditative soundtrack.”
    • “Not the visuals or soundtrack, though these are aesthetically pleasing as well.”
    • “The music of induction also deserves a specific mention.”
    • “The graphics and soundtrack are both minimalistic, which works well for focusing on the abstract concepts of the game's puzzles.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a relaxing and immersive environment, enhanced by excellent music and sound effects. Players appreciate the combination of a colorful, minimal visual aesthetic with cleverly designed puzzles, creating a captivating and engaging experience throughout the various levels.

    • “With its chill atmosphere, players begin a peaceful trip of logical reasoning.”
    • “Excellent atmospheric music and sound effects.”
    • “Great atmosphere and a lot of amazing puzzles.”
  • story
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is primarily focused on abstract puzzles rather than a traditional narrative, with no plot or character development. However, players appreciate the feeling of being immersed in a time travel experience through the cleverly designed puzzles, highlighting the game's strength in puzzle elegance over storytelling.

    • “Bryan Gale has done an excellent job honing in on those moments where you feel like a character in a time travel story.”
    • “Induction is all about puzzles, no plot or action.”
    • “Other games have different strengths (e.g. the story/themes in Talos Principle are incredible) but in terms of sheer elegance of puzzles, I've never seen anything like Induction.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers express concerns about the game's replayability, noting the absence of user-designed levels and limited puzzle-solving options, which may lead to a lack of incentive to revisit the game. Additionally, the relatively short playtime of 2-4 hours raises questions about its overall value, especially given the asking price.

    • “The game offers a variety of choices and paths, making each playthrough feel unique and encouraging multiple runs.”
    • “With different character builds and strategies to explore, the replayability is high and keeps the experience fresh.”
    • “The dynamic events and random elements ensure that no two playthroughs are the same, adding to the game's longevity.”
    • “There aren't user-designed levels, so replay value is tied to revisiting the same levels.”
    • “The asking price is slightly high for me, especially considering there is no replay value.”
    • “I am concerned about replayability as I didn't see any puzzles that had more than one way to solve them, and it looked to be a 2-4 hour playthrough, which is a bit light on content considering the price.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly during the re-recording of timelines and the execution of certain puzzles. However, this process also provides a chance for strategic thinking and planning, which some users appreciate.

    • “The only complaint I have is that the actual execution of some of the puzzles can be tedious.”
    • “You'll need some patience as the process of re-recording timelines can get a little tedious at times, but it's a good opportunity to think and plan your next move.”
  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary significantly across different hardware configurations.

    • “The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
    • “I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, which ruined the immersion.”
    • “The optimization is so bad that loading times are unacceptably long, even for simple tasks.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report a high level of stability, noting the absence of glitches or any annoying issues during gameplay.

75%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

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