Journey Of Life
- February 1, 2021
- Hyperion Studio Limited
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"Journey of Life" is a narrative-driven adventure game that explores the meaning of existence through the eyes of various creatures. Players traverse diverse ecosystems, solving puzzles and making choices that impact the world around them. Through a stunning visual and musical journey, the game encourages self-reflection and understanding of the interconnectivity of all life.
Reviews
- The game has a lot of potential with a unique crafting and building system that feels immersive.
- The graphics are beautiful, creating an engaging environment for exploration and survival.
- The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, showing commitment to improving the game.
- The game has been abandoned, with no updates since 2022, making it feel incomplete and unplayable.
- Many mechanics are buggy, such as crafting and inventory management, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for players to understand how to progress.
- graphics49 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful visuals and realistic environments, while others criticize them as outdated or glitchy. Many users note that despite the appealing aesthetics, issues like lag and poor interface detract from the overall experience. Overall, while there are commendable aspects to the graphics, significant improvements are still needed to meet player expectations.
“The graphics are beautiful and on the whole the game is well made.”
“The graphics look stunning and the gameplay is really smooth, no problems as yet.”
“You are thrust into a game that has the graphics of Far Cry 4, pretty awesome for a survival crafting game; most are voxel blocky in some way or another, there's no cubes here that I've seen yet, everything is modeled to look very realistic.”
“Outdated graphics.”
“Graphically it's not great; in fact, on many assets, it looks as if it was drawn in 16-bit. The textures are quite literally on par with some Sega games I've played.”
“Besides all that, I was pretty disappointed in the graphics even maxed out at ultra.”
- gameplay28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this survival-crafting game shows promise with its in-depth crafting mechanics and engaging building elements, but suffers from clunky mechanics, a lack of intuitive guidance, and significant performance issues. Players appreciate the potential for progression and creativity, yet many express frustration over the game's steep learning curve and glitches, particularly with saving progress. Overall, while the foundation is solid, the execution needs considerable refinement to enhance the player experience.
“It has very good crafting mechanics.”
“Having been searching for a survival-crafting game that wasn't an endless slog of dying every five minutes to zombies or a hunger bar that's about 30 seconds long, Jol was a pleasant surprise with some in-depth crafting mechanics and technology/settlement/progression options.”
“The building mechanics are a lot of fun with mechanical elements that actually link together through gears and operate various pieces of equipment.”
“This game could be huge, but the developer does not seem to understand that making the basic mechanics work well is far more important than adding new recipes or other features.”
“Some of the mechanics are obnoxious as you don't really know how to do them and have to kind of just guess.”
“The game mechanics are a bit clunky and need polishing.”
- stability22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- -9 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game is currently in early access and is described as being quite buggy, with numerous glitches affecting gameplay, such as item duplication, freezing, and issues with cooking. While some players find it enjoyable despite these problems, many express frustration over the instability and lack of polish compared to previous versions. Overall, stability remains a significant concern, with players advised to expect ongoing issues as the game continues to develop.
“The game runs incredibly smoothly, with minimal bugs and a polished finish that rivals big-budget titles.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it feels refined and well-crafted, making for an enjoyable experience.”
“The overall stability of the game enhances immersion, allowing me to focus on the story and gameplay without distractions.”
“This game is buggy as hell.”
“Can't recommend this game in its current state, it's way too buggy and low FPS on high-end PC.”
“I've wasted three 6-hour game sessions and many, many short-lived ones and lost all progress; it is filled with its own different various bugs and glitches within each session.”
- story12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is currently underdeveloped, with players expressing a desire for a more structured narrative and quests to enhance immersion. While there is potential for a compelling storyline, many users feel that the lack of content, bugs, and poor animations detract from the experience. Players hope for future updates that will introduce a more engaging story mode and quests to guide them through the gameplay.
“I hope the devs will look at it, for it is really a game with great potential and I cannot wait for the story mode.”
“Story is also coming soon and is being worked on as we speak.”
“Hopefully these devs will stick to the storyline posted in the description of this game...would be more immersive for females to have a female avatar.”
“The only complaint I have is there is no real storyline or cinematic trailer.”
“I love survival games; this one has great potential, but people need to know that this game is still full of bugs, and no content, no story, poor animation, sounds are horrible.”
“I thought they had a lot more story, but you can't progress when the game is full of bugs.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players find the crafting and resource gathering enjoyable and rewarding, others view it as tedious and overly complex. The game offers opportunities for exploration and base building, but issues like limited inventory space and challenging terrain can make the experience feel cumbersome. Overall, those who appreciate grinding and crafting may find value in the game, especially when playing with friends.
“I suppose you can say there's some depth in the crafting, but it's really an overbloated and tedious chore that chews up your valuable time—an arbitrary system for the sake of existing in a crafting game. In fact, it's borderline arrogant.”
“The game for a lot of people will feel grindy with its small backpack slots, and crafting takes time to learn. But once you learn it, there are some pretty cool things you can build.”
“It is a shame the game doesn't have a larger following; this can be a good game to play with friends as well, since the game can get a little grindy.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization remains a significant issue, with players reporting severe performance problems, especially under certain conditions like high frame rates and weather effects. Many recommend waiting for future updates before playing, as the current state leads to lag and stuttering, impacting overall enjoyment. Ratings for performance are notably low, indicating a pressing need for improvements.
“I recommend the game, but I would stay away until a few optimization updates are released, as the game begins to stutter heavily after visiting the main menu.”
“Optimization starts to be a problem if you choose unlimited FPS and it starts to rain - my GPU went mental to 100% load and started to lag so hard the game was not playable.”
“I hope that I bought the game for a reason, because everything from optimization to the look of the interface requires deep development.”
“I recommend the game but I would stay away until a few optimization updates are put out, as the game begins to stutter heavily after visiting the main menu.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a growing frustration with the game's monetization strategy, with some players feeling that it has shifted towards a cash grab mentality rather than focusing on gameplay improvements. While the crafting system shows promise, many believe the development team prioritizes aesthetics over functionality, leading to a decline in overall game quality.
“I have been playing and following this game for a while now. All I will say is it has great potential but has the wrong dev team making it. The game has been out for almost 2 years and played better 6 months ago than it does now. The dev team seems to be more concerned with making it look pretty rather than making it work. At this point, the game is more of a cash grab than anything. At the rate this team is going, it might be ready in 1 or 2 years, maybe.”
“Yet I was giving this a shot, in spite of knowing exactly what it was... a cash grab based on loosely assembled game assets.”
“It's also clear too much work was put in to make the crafting unique for it to be a cash grab.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for improved gameplay to enhance replayability, indicating that the current state of the game limits their enjoyment and willingness to revisit it. They suggest that allowing access to previous content could increase engagement until the game becomes more playable.
“I am very much looking forward to when it is a bit more playable.”
“I think they should let us use the old island until they make this more playable.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find the emotional aspect of the game to evoke a strong sense of nostalgia and connection, reminiscent of engaging with primitive content on platforms like YouTube. This emotional resonance contributes to a compelling and immersive experience.
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers consistently highlight the game's atmosphere as exceptional, contributing significantly to the overall experience. The immersive environment enhances engagement and draws players into the game's world.
“The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the game's world.”
“Every detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you on edge.”
“The game's atmosphere is rich and layered, making exploration feel rewarding and engaging.”
