Influent

About Influent

Influent is a single player casual strategy game with a kids theme. It was developed by Rob Howland and was released on March 20, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Inspired by Dreamcast titles of old (namely Shenmue and Toy Commander) Influent immerses players in a fully interactive 3D environment where the names for absolutely every object in the game can be gleaned with a single click! In fact, even more information can be learned with a double-click! Every door, drawer, and cabinet can be opened with a right-click here and a right-click there, revealing m…

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Reviews

73%Audience ScoreBased on 1,158 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

story5 negative mentions

Effective and fun tool for building vocabulary in various languages with clear pronunciation by native speakers.
Offers immersion and interactive learning by associating words with household objects in a 3D environment.
Affordable way to supplement language learning alongside other resources such as classes or apps.

Limited content confined to a small apartment with only around 400 words, lacking grammar, sentence structure, and conversational practice.
Clunky and unintuitive controls, frustrating object selection, and repetitive gameplay reduce engagement.
Audio and translation inconsistencies and lack of customization features hinder optimal learning experience.

gameplay
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16% positive mentions, 77% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions
The gameplay primarily revolves around exploring limited environments to click on objects, learning their names via visual and audio cues, and self-quizzing, which some find effective for vocabulary memorization but repetitive and slow. While the scavenger-hunt style and achievement system appeal to certain learners, many criticize the lack of depth, interactivity, engaging mechanics, and grammar content, resulting in a gameplay experience that's simple, buggy in parts, and less efficient or fun compared to free language learning alternatives.
- “The gameplay involves learning the name of each object (with some synonym options) and then quizzing yourself in five different ways: two for text recognition, two for audio recognition, and one for combined audio+text.”
- “The gameplay is very replayable as practicing is important, and you get the effects of visual, audible, and interactive learning which can be very effective for memorization.”
- “The general mechanic of the game is that you click on objects to hear the name spoken out loud and displayed on the screen, combining exploration with language learning.”
- “They changed to third person and there are first person elements but they are buggy, the gameplay is all over the place, interface is glitchy and not operating well.”
- “Core mechanics of the game are sort of broken - just trying to get through the tutorial was a slog - moving around was the left analog stick, but moving the camera was click & hold RT, & move right analog stick.”
- “Answer: skip this game if you're looking for something different expecting to have fun, this game is not for you unless you are capable to endure the lack (zero) of story, gameplay and graphics.”
music
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21% positive mentions, 65% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions
The game's music, primarily featuring tracks by lifeformed, is generally praised for being pleasant and relaxing, contributing positively to the atmosphere. However, many users find the soundtrack repetitive, overly loud, and intrusive, noting the lack of volume controls or a mute option as a significant drawback during language learning. Additional variety in music and better sound management options are recommended to improve the overall experience.
- “Oh, and did I mention the soundtrack features songs by Lifeformed?”
- “It is the soundtrack from the game Dustforce and it is truly excellent.”
- “From music 'so chill', to effective learning techniques that address kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learning styles, to just being pleasant as a whole to experience and easy to operate with a shallow learning curve that anyone with patience can learn (even if they don't 'game'), this game excels.”
- “Ah yes a language learning program that has freaking annoying elevator music at 300% volume so you can't understand the pronunciations in the tutorial and blocks you from accessing options to turn it down for what feels like 45 minutes while playing a tutorial that promotes our new robot... oh no sorry droid overlords.”
- “Movement through the "apartment" is clunky and annoying, the music is loud, intrusive and has no off button anywhere.”
- “It is the soundtrack from the game Dustforce and it is truly excellent. However, one thing I have to point out: music sliders and a mute button for the music/sound effects are missing from the options menu.”
story
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7% positive mentions, 84% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions
The game's story is minimal and largely static, limited to an introductory segment with little to no progression or character development throughout gameplay. Many users found the story underwhelming or unnecessary, often interrupting gameplay with repetitive dialogue and lacking meaningful narrative or contextual language practice. While the concept of including a backstory is appreciated, the execution is seen as superficial, leaving the game feeling more like a vocabulary trainer without a compelling or evolving storyline.
- “The game had a simple plot to follow; I was interested enough to see what happens next even if it wasn’t anything special.”
- “While I really like the 'intro-story', the game doesn't build up on the story at all.”
- “The story makes no sense, hence it gets a low rating; however, the fact that they even thought as far as to give it a bit of a backstory besides 'randomly get words in another language' deserves cookie points in my book.”
- “I was excited that there appeared to be some sort of story building that would progress as you play - at least the introduction to the game introduces characters and motivation, but be warned there is no story or character progression. The dialogue you get when you load up the game is the dialogue you'll get every time from there on.”
- “The only story in this game is the opening cutscene with some guy rambling on about his not-kickstarter project for an object called the Sanjigenjiten. It’s a cute cutscene but completely unnecessary due to the complete lack of story after it.”
- “There is a little story in the beginning, but there is no resolution upon mastering all 420 words.”
graphics
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27% positive mentions, 63% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a charming, simple, and cartoonish art style that effectively supports language learning by associating visuals with words, though some users find the visuals minimal or occasionally problematic with layering and object clarity. While generally praised for being clear, non-demanding, and fitting the game's concept, the graphics lack advanced options like anti-aliasing, shadows, and texture detail, with occasional performance issues reported. Overall, the visuals are adequate and endearing for this educational tool but may feel underwhelming or flawed to those expecting more polished or immersive graphical experiences.
- “Good graphics, nice art style, really well done and fun.”
- “The connection of graphics (you see things around you), hearing (you hear the pronunciation) and classic text (you see the words written) is just proven and it works perfectly.”
- “For the most part, the graphics are clear and concise enough that you should know what everything is just by looking at it, which is an important thing for this type of game.”
- “The graphics are utter garbage.”
- “Visuals are not that good, and it's hard to distinguish one object from another at times; furthermore, some objects are not even selectable, which is very strange.”
- “Even with lowering the few settings available to adjust the graphics, the game is still frustratingly laggy.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game's humor is praised for being clever, educational, and occasionally hilarious, especially through funny word associations, quirky pronunciations, and entertaining language DLCs. Some transcription errors and unexpected pronunciations add to the amusement, while Easter eggs and developers' wit further enhance the comedic appeal. Although the humor is appreciated, users note the game feels somewhat early-stage, leaving room for future improvements in delivering a funnier experience.
- “Excellent, interesting and very well developed game, providing an efficient and funny way to enrich one's vocabulary.”
- “Some of the associations the game offers are funny; all of them make sense, in their own way.”
- “This game has also made me laugh quite a few times; the developers have a great sense of humor!”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game suffers from numerous stability issues, including buggy tutorials, frequent glitches, control problems, and occasional black screens that impede progress. While some players found workarounds, persistent bugs, memory leaks, and poor interface performance significantly impact the overall gameplay experience.
- “In the absence of a working tutorial, I encountered a buggy tutorial that left me stuck on a black screen with music blaring and no way to proceed.”
- “They switched to third person with some first-person elements that are buggy; gameplay is inconsistent, and the interface is glitchy and poorly functioning.”
- “Additionally, serious glitches and bugs are scattered throughout the game, including severe memory leaks, slowdowns, and poor design decisions.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Grinding in the game is often seen as tedious and repetitive, with many users finding the vocabulary learning process slow and confined to a limited space. While the game presents flashcard-style repetition in a 3D environment, this approach can feel more tiresome than engaging, leading to frustration rather than fun. However, some appreciate the attempt to make vocabulary practice less dull compared to traditional methods.
- “More tedious than fun or helpful and largely broken.”
- “There are hundreds of them, so if you want to get the full (pitiful) 450 word vocabulary, you're going to be grinding out item locations in the same little virtual corner for quite a while.”
- “It's just flashcards disguised as a 3D application, which makes it much more tedious since you have to rummage through a messy house trying to figure out where you saw that wristwatch.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game includes ads, which some users find intrusive, but offers multiple free language options, indicating a genuine educational intent rather than purely a cash grab. However, some criticize misleading advertising and the initial release lacking substantial content despite early profitability.
- “They also put ads in the game which is cheeky.”
- “The game raised enough money to be profitable before it was available, so it was released without content and doesn't do anything but look good on an advertisement.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 33% negative mentions
Replayability is high for users who are practicing and engaging with the multi-sensory learning approach, but it diminishes once all content is mastered or if the chosen language is too unfamiliar, making the experience less effective for some.
- “It has high replayability until you get everything correct, but may be challenging if one of the 20+ languages you choose to learn is too foreign for you.”
- “This style of gameplay is very replayable as practicing is important and you get the effects of visual, audible, and interactive learning which can be very effective for memorization.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Users highlight a surprising emotional retention and attachment to the game despite time away, though some frustration arises from control difficulties and challenging gameplay mechanics. Overall, the emotional impact is a mix of positive surprise and occasional irritation.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly with minimal performance issues, and provides a pleasant overall experience.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Users find the atmosphere lacking and feel the game relies too much on simple point-and-click mechanics rather than creating an immersive or engaging environment.