Insurmountable

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 434 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • replayability
Insurmountable Game Cover
Cerebral and engrossing, Insurmountable succeeds at making a tactical mountain-climbing rogue-lite. No frostbite required.
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"Insurmountable is a permadeath roguelike adventure game with a procedurally generated mountain climbing environment, dynamic weather system, and tough decisions that impact your climber's survival. Choose from three characters, each with unique skills and backgrounds, and scavenge for equipment while dealing with randomly generated events. As time passes, your climber will grow stronger through a sophisticated skill system, but one mistake could lead to your last."

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 434 reviews
story27 positive mentions
grinding11 negative mentions
  • Unique and engaging gameplay that combines strategy and resource management.
  • Beautiful graphics and atmosphere that enhance the mountain climbing experience.
  • High replayability with different characters and randomized events.
  • Repetitive events and lack of variety can diminish long-term enjoyment.
  • Camera controls can be frustrating and hinder navigation.
  • Limited content with only three mountains and no significant story payoff.
  • story183 mentions

    The story in the game is often described as vague and lacking depth, with many players feeling it fails to engage or provide a compelling narrative. While some appreciate the unique elements and writing style, others criticize the repetitive missions and a plot that feels disconnected from the gameplay, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the climbing mechanics rather than a driving force, leaving many players unsatisfied with its execution.

    • “To be fair, the story is what kept me playing till the end; otherwise, I would have quit pretty early on.”
    • “At first, I thought it was just a mountain climbing game, but once you get into it, the story makes it much more interesting than just a thrilling climb to the top of a mountain for bragging rights; it's a fight for your life and your freedom.”
    • “They added more variability to events, a cool storyline to follow.”
    • “The story is very vague; even after playing to the end, it's somewhat up in the air what happens. It's up to you to decide, which, to be fair, I didn't expect from this kind of storyline in the first place. I thought it'd just be climbing for the sake of it, so it was an interesting surprise.”
    • “The story is also 100% unskippable, even in subsequent playthroughs, so there is an excessive amount of extraneous clicking at the end of and between each mission.”
    • “The story falls flat, as others say, eluding to a grand mystery, only for the game to shrug and say, 'actually, I guess nothing really interesting happened up here.' This makes the game feel unfinished and unsatisfying.”
  • gameplay124 mentions

    The gameplay of this mountain climbing game features a strategic resource management system where players navigate a procedurally generated hexagonal map while balancing five key resources: sanity, warmth, oxygen, energy, and health. While the mechanics are generally easy to grasp and offer a unique experience, many players find the gameplay loop repetitive and lacking depth, with some expressing a desire for more engaging content and better quality of life adjustments. Overall, the game is enjoyable for those who appreciate casual strategy but may disappoint players seeking a more challenging or immersive mountaineering simulation.

    • “The gameplay sequence is to climb a randomly generated map of a mountain in the form of hexes with different types of terrains, using resource management (you have 5 resources: sanity, warmth, oxygen, energy, and health) and interacting with encounters.”
    • “Text adventure and exploration-driven gameplay married with survival and resource management makes for a unique and novel experience that I have yet to see, especially for mountaineering.”
    • “Interesting mechanics and gameplay keep it fresh and have me shooting to hit the next peak.”
    • “Sadly, the game mechanics don't come together to create an enjoyable experience.”
    • “The gameplay loop is far too repetitive and simply just tedious at some point.”
    • “But the gameplay is dull, the balance seems off, and the content is abyssimally shallow.”
  • replayability39 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the variety offered by three distinct characters and their unique builds, while others find the overall content limited and repetitive. Although there are elements like procedural generation and random events that enhance replay value, many reviewers feel that the game lacks sufficient depth and variety to sustain long-term engagement. Overall, while there is potential for replayability, particularly with updates and character diversity, it currently falls short for some players.

    • “The different characters, starting paths, and difficulties make for enjoyable variety and what I imagine will be plenty of replayability, and I can see opportunities for DLC or simply expanded updates in the future to boost that longevity even further.”
    • “This title offers a very high replay value, since the mountains are procedurally created with ever-changing environments from terrain, weather, and randomly generated events.”
    • “The right levels of skill, strategy, and chaos for high levels of replay value.”
    • “There is not so much content though, so replayability is not that big.”
    • “If once you beat the game you beat it, case closed, then I'm not sure how replayable this game will be.”
    • “Replayability is quite limited at the moment.”
  • graphics35 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising the unique and beautiful visuals, atmospheric landscapes, and high-quality animations. While some find the art style simplistic and lacking in realism, others appreciate its charm and immersive qualities, particularly in the context of the game's setting. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's appeal, creating a captivating experience despite some critiques regarding sound design and environmental storytelling.

    • “The visuals and atmosphere are wonderful, haunting and at times breathtaking.”
    • “I love the graphics and how they made use of hexagonal blocks to create these vast mountains.”
    • “Graphically beautiful.”
    • “The visuals are bland, the sound design is lackluster, and there’s a general absence of the environmental storytelling that could have brought the game to life.”
    • “I personally had no issue 'immersing' myself into the game, however if you are expecting a Skyrim-type graphical experience you need to watch the videos provided and the images a bit more before purchasing.”
    • “So while not a visual feast, the graphics are decent enough especially if you love mountains like I do.”
  • atmosphere28 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its immersive and relaxing qualities, with many players highlighting the effective use of music and visuals to create a sense of loneliness and awe during mountain climbing. While some reviews note a lack of atmosphere in certain areas, the overall sentiment leans towards appreciation for the game's ability to evoke feelings of both beauty and foreboding, making it a unique and atmospheric experience. Players recommend it for those seeking a calming yet engaging adventure in a beautifully crafted environment.

    • “The atmosphere is great and I've been really enjoying the game so far.”
    • “A unique game with a relaxing and immersive atmosphere that you should definitely give a try.”
    • “The visuals and atmosphere are wonderful, haunting, and at times breathtaking.”
    • “Adding to the list of disappointments is the lack of atmosphere, which is crucial for this type of game.”
    • “However, Insurmountable fails to create any of this atmosphere.”
    • “They try to create atmosphere, but in the end all that remains of them is the question 'was that it?'”
  • music22 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as calming and atmospheric, effectively complementing the visuals and overall theme of loneliness in a mountainous setting. While some players appreciate its subtlety and integration with environmental sounds, others find it too muted or repetitive, suggesting a need for more dynamic and tense compositions to enhance the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a polished but understated element that contributes to the game's ambiance.

    • “The soundtrack and soundscape complement the game quite well.”
    • “The music is very calming and soothing and adds a lot of polish to what the devs were going for.”
    • “The minimalist music fits the scene and mood, while the sound effects work well also.”
    • “The game's sound is limited to serviceable movement & event focused sound effects, music, and some ambient environmental sounds.”
    • “There's barely any music; the climbing animations take frustratingly long even at max speed.”
    • “The music and sound effects are rather understated and perhaps the least interesting part of the game, being rather quiet and unobtrusive, but they are by no means bad.”
  • grinding11 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be overly repetitive and tedious, with many expressing frustration over the lack of unique options and the need for constant equipment swapping. While some enjoy the investment-to-payout style of gameplay, the frequent and necessary adjustments to gear can detract from the overall experience, making it feel like a slog. Overall, the grinding mechanics may hinder enjoyment for those seeking a more streamlined experience.

    • “Very repetitive and tedious.”
    • “The gameplay loop is far too repetitive and simply just tedious at some point.”
    • “I guess I had enough fun playing it once to not feel ripped off, but it's a tedious slog and I can't recommend it due to that.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant bugs, such as freezing and camera glitches, particularly when using specific shortcuts. While a few users report a generally stable experience, others highlight frustrating issues that detract from gameplay, suggesting that the game's design may not be fully polished.

    • “Bug-free, stable, and basically faultless, but I do question why we set off with zero provisions?”
    • “But the feeling I get as a player is buggy behavior instead of clear implemented design restrictions.”
    • “For me, it freezes after some time and can't be properly closed.”
    • “Every time I use the 'v' shortcut for the camera, it breaks the game as the screen freezes eternally.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    While the game effectively evokes emotional reactions through its gameplay mechanics, it falls short in delivering a deeper emotional resonance that the setting could provide. Players appreciate the sense of achievement and immersion, particularly in the metaphorical experience of climbing a mountain.

    • “This game really made me feel like I was climbing a mountain.”
    • “Sure, the stimulus given by getting stuff never failed to incite at least some kind of an emotional reaction in me.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted for its simplicity and effectiveness, with a funny storyline that contrasts sharply with the nonsensical world-building. Players appreciate the comedic elements, particularly how they highlight the absurdity of the game's construction.

    • “While we have a funny and simple story, the world-building makes no sense at all.”
    • “It's funny just how efficiently one can summarize the construction of insurmountable.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy includes in-game advertisements, which some users find ironic as they often receive ads for games they already own on Steam.

    • “The irony is, I get ads for games I already own on Steam.”
    • “There are ads in the game.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization is generally praised for its excellent performance, running smoothly even on lower-end hardware. However, the design choices regarding inventory management and gear switching can lead to repetitive gameplay, particularly at higher difficulty levels, where such optimization may become necessary.

    • “Performance-wise, it's excellent. I'm running it on 'high' settings on a low-end gaming laptop (1050m/3550h/16GB RAM) and having a very smooth experience with this game.”
    • “So, instead of queuing a long move order and waiting for it to finish, the actual gameplay consists of taking 2 steps, opening the inventory, switching two pieces of gear, closing the inventory, taking 2 steps, opening the inventory, switching two pieces of gear... Admittedly, that optimization probably wouldn't be necessary to beat the game on normal difficulty (given the complete non-relevance of resource management), but this is bad design that will probably hit hard (by becoming mandatory) during higher difficulties.”
    • “Instead of queuing a long move order and waiting for it to finish, the actual gameplay consists of taking 2 steps, opening the inventory, switching two pieces of gear, closing the inventory, taking 2 steps, opening the inventory, switching two pieces of gear. Admittedly, that optimization probably wouldn't be necessary to beat the game on normal difficulty (given the complete non-relevance of resource management), but this is bad design that will probably hit hard (by becoming mandatory) during higher difficulties.”
    • “The optimization mechanics feel clunky and unnecessary, making the gameplay more tedious than engaging. It often feels like I'm spending more time managing my inventory than actually playing the game.”
    • “The lack of proper optimization leads to frustrating gameplay experiences, where players are forced to micromanage every little detail instead of enjoying the core mechanics.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

Buy Insurmountable

Play time

9hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
5-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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