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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has great graphics and a beautiful environment, making exploration enjoyable.
- The crafting system is intricate and rewarding, allowing for a deep gameplay experience.
- 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 unplayable in its current state.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with saving progress and disappearing items.
- The user interface and controls are clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration for players.
- graphics98 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reviews, with some players praising the beautiful visuals and realistic environments, while others criticize them as outdated or inconsistent, particularly on lower settings. Many users note that while the graphics can be stunning, they are marred by technical issues such as lag and glitches. Overall, the game shows potential in its graphical presentation, but it requires further development and optimization to fully realize that potential.
“The graphics are beautiful and on the whole the game is well made.”
“Feel of the game, graphics and weather effects are fantastic.”
“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.”
“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.”
“The graphics are patchy, even on the 'ultra' settings.”
“Besides all that, I was pretty disappointed in the graphics even maxed out at ultra.”
- gameplay56 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this survival-crafting game has potential, featuring in-depth crafting mechanics and enjoyable building elements, but suffers from clunky mechanics, a lack of intuitive guidance, and frustrating glitches. Players appreciate the realism and diversity, yet many find the absence of clear progression goals and frequent technical issues detract from the overall experience. While the foundation is solid, significant polishing and updates are needed to enhance gameplay satisfaction.
“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.”
“But the crafting/building and progression gameplay is very fun and has huge potential.”
“The building mechanics are a lot of fun with mechanical elements that actually link together through gears and operate various pieces of equipment.”
“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.”
“If the developers want constructive criticism, they need to realize that when the save function is so glitchy, the only feedback they get is on the first couple of hours of gameplay.”
- stability44 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game is currently in early access and is described as being quite buggy and clunky, 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 lost progress and the overall lack of polish. Overall, stability remains a significant concern, with players hoping for improvements as development continues.
“That depends on what you are looking for... do you want a polished, finished game that's just as nice looking, smooth, and bug-free as some great big-budget games?”
“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.”
- story24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is currently lacking, with players noting the absence of a real narrative or cinematic elements, which diminishes immersion. Many reviewers express hope for future story content and suggest the addition of introductory quests to guide players. Overall, while the game shows potential, it is criticized for its current state of bugs and minimal storytelling.
“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.”
“Proceed at a near normal pace... hopefully these devs will stick to the story line posted in the description of this game... just more immersion and inclusion of opposite gender.”
“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.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is polarizing; while some players find it tedious and overly complex, others appreciate the depth it adds to crafting and base building. The grind can feel excessive due to limited inventory space and the time required to learn crafting, but many enjoy the exploration and hunting elements that accompany it. Overall, the game appeals to those who relish grinding for materials, though some aspects, like farming, may feel unnecessary or broken.
“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.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's optimization remains a significant issue, with players reporting severe performance problems, especially when using unlimited FPS settings or during specific weather conditions like rain. Many recommend waiting for future updates before playing, as the current state leads to stuttering and high GPU load, resulting in an unplayable experience. Overall, performance ratings are low, averaging around 5/10, indicating a pressing need for optimization 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 to 100% load and started to lag so hard the game was not playable.”
“Optimization starts to be a problem if you choose unlimited fps and it starts to rain - my GPU went 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.”
- monetization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a growing frustration with the game's monetization strategy, with many players feeling it has shifted towards a cash grab mentality rather than focusing on gameplay improvements. Despite initial potential and unique crafting elements, the development team's prioritization of aesthetics over functionality has led to a decline in quality, leaving players skeptical about the game's future.
“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.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for improved gameplay mechanics to enhance replayability, indicating that the current state of the game limits their enjoyment and willingness to replay. 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.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express that the game evokes a strong sense of nostalgia and emotional connection, reminiscent of the engaging content found in primitive-themed YouTube channels. This emotional resonance contributes to a captivating and immersive experience.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers consistently highlight the game's atmosphere as exceptional, noting it as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience.
“Great atmosphere”
“Great atmosphere”
