Insurmountable

About Insurmountable

Insurmountable is a single player survival management game. It was developed by ByteRockers' Games and was released on April 29, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Insurmountable is a strategic adventure game with roguelike elements, in which you have to overcome a dangerous randomly generated mountain. Confront the differing terrains as a lonely mountaineer and make your way through Ice, Snow and Stone. Use items to keep up your steadily sinking stats, while making your way up and down the insurmountable heights. The dynamic and ever-changing weather system…

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Reviews

78%Audience ScoreBased on 460 reviews

story29 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Unique concept that combines roguelike mechanics with mountain climbing, providing a fresh gameplay experience.
Engaging resource management system that requires careful planning and decision-making to succeed.
Beautiful visuals and atmospheric sound design that enhance the immersive experience of climbing mountains.

Repetitive events and encounters that can diminish replayability after a few runs.
Camera controls can be frustrating, making it difficult to navigate certain terrains effectively.
Lack of variety in character abilities and equipment, leading to a feeling of sameness across playthroughs.

story
192 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15% positive mentions, 81% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The game's story is described as vague and often unengaging, with many players feeling it lacks depth and coherence, despite some interesting sci-fi elements. While the narrative attempts to tie together various gameplay mechanics, it often feels disconnected and repetitive, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the climbing mechanics rather than a compelling driving force, leaving many players wishing for a more substantial and immersive narrative experience.
- “The story is very vague, even after playing to the end it's somewhat up in the air what happens, up to you to decide, which to be fair I didn't expect this kind of storyline in the first place, I thought it'd just be climbing just cause, so it was an interesting surprise.”
- “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 just 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 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.”
- “While there's a story, it's pretty much non-existent and feels unimportant.”
gameplay
131 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30% positive mentions, 63% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions
The gameplay of the game features a unique blend of resource management and strategic decision-making as players navigate procedurally generated mountain terrains, but it often suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of depth. While the mechanics are generally easy to grasp and provide a satisfying experience, many players find the core loop tedious and the camera restrictive, which can detract from immersion. Overall, the game offers a casual strategic experience that may appeal to some, but it requires improvements in variety and engagement to maintain long-term interest.
- “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.”
- “Interesting mechanics and gameplay keep it fresh and have me shooting to hit the next peak.”
- “The inventory and resource management added another level of interest to the gameplay without being too difficult to manage.”
- “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.”
- “Gameplay sucks any, and all, enjoyment from progressing in the game...only buy if you'd like to climb mountain 1 (1 of 3 mountains) over...and over...and over again.”
replayability
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15% positive mentions, 77% neutral mentions, 8% negative 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 feel that the overall content is limited and repetitive. Although there are elements like procedural generation and random events that enhance replay value, many reviewers express a desire for more diverse content and challenges to sustain long-term engagement. Overall, while there is potential for replayability, it currently varies significantly among players' experiences and expectations.
- “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.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69% positive mentions, 22% neutral mentions, 9% negative 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 compared to other titles, the overall aesthetic and immersive environments are appreciated, particularly for those who enjoy a stylized approach. However, players seeking cutting-edge realism may find the graphics less satisfying.
- “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.”
atmosphere
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 11% negative 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 strong 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?'”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27% positive mentions, 59% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as calming and atmospheric, enhancing the sense of loneliness and preservation in the mountainous setting. While some players appreciate its subtlety and integration with the environment, others find it too muted or repetitive, suggesting that more dynamic and tense music could better reflect the game's harsh conditions. Overall, the soundtrack complements the visuals and gameplay, though it may not stand out as a highlight.
- “The music is very calming and soothing and adds a lot of polish to what the devs were going for.”
- “The soundtrack and sound effects soundscape complement the game quite well.”
- “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.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Players 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 overall consensus is that the grind detracts from the experience, making it hard to recommend.
- “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.”
- “Swapping out equipment, especially shoes and hand tools, every few tiles to minimize stamina/energy cost got a bit tedious.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 83% negative 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, the presence of these issues raises concerns about the game's overall reliability.
- “Bug-free, stable, and basically faultless; however, I do question why we started 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 then.”
- “Every time I use the 'v' shortcut for the camera, it breaks the game as the screen freezes eternally.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game receives mixed feedback. While some users report excellent performance on lower-end hardware, others criticize the camera controls and the cumbersome inventory management system, which detracts from the gameplay experience, especially at higher difficulty levels.
- “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 time with this game.”
- “So, instead of queueing 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.”
- “I just wish the camera was slightly less rubbish, and that performance was optimized.”
- “So, instead of queueing 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.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
While the game effectively evokes emotional responses through its gameplay mechanics, some players feel it misses deeper emotional nuances that the setting could provide. Overall, it successfully creates a sense of achievement and connection, particularly in moments that simulate the 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.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a funny and straightforward story, though it is undermined by nonsensical world-building. Players appreciate the efficiency of the humor, which often highlights absurdities in the game's construction.
- “It's funny just how efficiently one can summarize the construction of insurmountable challenges.”
- “While we have a funny and simple story, the world-building adds an unexpected layer of humor.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Players have noted the presence of in-game ads, which can be ironic as they often promote games that users already own on Steam. This has led to mixed feelings about the monetization strategy employed.
- “The irony is, I get ads for games I already own on Steam.”
- “There are ads in the game.”