Lifeless

About

Lifeless is a multiplayer action game. It was developed by Desync Donkeys and was released on June 16, 2016. It received negative reviews from players.

Embark on an immersive journey in post-apocalyptic Stillwater Bay, where narrative-driven gameplay unfolds through interactions with engaging NPCs and missions. Gear up for a challenge, where you'll navigate through intense encounters that promise an adrenaline-fueled experience, requiring a perfect blend of skill and strategy. Get ready for each encounter to put you on the edge of your seat. …

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39%

Audience ScoreBased on 317 reviews

graphics15 positive mentions

optimization13 negative mentions

The game has a lot of potential and offers a unique faction system that encourages teamwork.
The graphics are decent, and the game runs well after recent optimizations.
The gameplay is enjoyable, with engaging mechanics for combat and looting.

The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to low frame rates and crashes.
There is a lack of content and player base, making it feel empty and lifeless.
Many players have experienced bugs and glitches that hinder the overall experience.

graphics
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
53%
10%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals as decent to good, particularly in comparison to other titles in the genre, while others criticize the optimization and performance issues, leading to low frame rates even on high settings. Many users note that the character creator is bland and that the game still feels like it's in alpha, lacking polish and detail in certain areas. Overall, while the graphics show potential, significant improvements in optimization and feature completeness are needed for a better experience.
- “The graphics are pretty amazing.”
- “The graphics in this game are really well done.”
- “Nice, polished graphics so far and I enjoy the tense atmosphere.”
- “In-game graphics are weak compared to the screenshots despite playing it maxed out.”
- “Graphics are okayish, but the game isn't optimized well so my fps were worse than in other survival games with higher settings.”
- “This game really looks good but they really need to work on everything: game engine, texture, fps, and zombies. They spawn randomly sometimes right behind you like 2m away. The game engine needs to be smoother and they need to fix fps; the game really has bad graphics but still lags.”
gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring a simple zombie survival concept with crafting mechanics that can be enjoyable once mastered, but marred by performance issues such as frame rate drops and clunky combat. While some players appreciate the potential for cooperative play and RPG-like progression, many criticize the lack of content, optimization, and overall polish, suggesting that the game is still in need of significant improvements. Despite these drawbacks, there are glimpses of fun and engaging mechanics, indicating potential for future development.
- “The idea of two in-game factions was great as it would encourage cooperative gameplay instead of just kill-on-sight style gameplay like DayZ.”
- “The devs have really listened to the community, and they are working hard to improve and expand the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is really fun and funny as well.”
- “Gameplay: the gameplay is decent, except the performance is pretty bad, it's not optimized at all, frame rate drops, the zombies are very quick and the performance drops right when they attack, which can kill you.”
- “Not very good and very clunky mechanics.”
- “Interesting game concept, horrible optimization and unreliable mechanics; it's simply not ready to even be considered as an early access product at this point.”
optimization
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
53%
36%
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting severe performance issues, including frequent frame rate drops, crashes, and unresponsive controls. While some users noted improvements following patches, many still find the game unplayable in its current state, particularly for those with lower-end hardware or in regions with high ping. Overall, significant optimization work is needed to make the game enjoyable and worthy of its price.
- “Optimization improves as the game progresses and the devs are very helpful and friendly.”
- “Within a week of release they patched the majority of performance issues and have patched twice since then fixing even more; the game hasn't been out a month.”
- “There was a really good patch today fixing a lot of performance issues and I can safely say it runs very well now.”
- “The game needs massive optimization to make it at least testable worthy, so let's hope it gets that done with the new devs. I can't recommend it at all, and not for 20 dollars; this game is not worth it in its current state.”
- “Optimization is really bad with random crashes on my AMD hardware. Multiplayer is only with servers in Europe, and I live in Southeast Asia, so that makes the game unplayable for me with really high ping.”
- “Interesting game concept, horrible optimization and unreliable mechanics; it's simply not ready to even be considered as an early access product at this point.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for being plagued with numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with shooting mechanics, screen freezes when joining servers, and graphical problems. While some players report a steady frame rate, they also experience lag spikes and animation glitches, indicating that the game is still in need of significant improvements. Overall, the stability is considered poor, with many users expressing frustration over the game's performance.
- “When this came out, I played it for less than two hours and it was a buggy mess and really no more than a shell of a game with very little actual content.”
- “The screen freezes once I try to join a server.”
- “It's buggy as hell... has absolutely no situational awareness.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with many users appreciating its atmospheric qualities and ability to evoke nostalgia, reminiscent of titles like "The Last of Us." It enhances the overall experience, contributing to a sense of loneliness and tension, although some players noted that technical issues, such as low frame rates, detracted from the gameplay experience. Overall, while the music stands out as a highlight, players recommend waiting for performance improvements before diving in.
- “The soundtrack reminds me of The Last of Us and has a great atmosphere.”
- “Sound effects are perfect and the music enhances the creepy feeling.”
- “The music is good, and the zombies are a challenge (which I enjoy).”
- “The music is the only positive aspect, as it really gives you that 'look back' sensation.”
- “The soundtrack reminds me of The Last of Us and creates a strong atmosphere.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
40%
40%
The game's story aspect is criticized for lacking quests and depth, leading to a disappointing experience for players. While some express hope for future updates that could introduce a more varied quest system, concerns remain about the game's limited map size and overall engagement. Additionally, technical issues, such as unexpected enemy spawns and weapon mechanics, detract from the narrative experience.
- “But the roadmap looks promising to me, and with the implementation of quests and different features, I hope the player base will grow!”
- “I just don't see how varied and diverse a quest system will be able to be on what feels like a relatively small map compared to other games in the zombie survival genre.”
- “My brother told me and showed me an older version of the game on the Unity engine where they had missions and a crafting system, but later switched to Unreal Engine because who wants to play on the Unity engine anyways?”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its tense and immersive qualities, reminiscent of titles like "The Last of Us." Players appreciate the polished graphics and the harrowing environment, particularly during community events, which enhance the overall survival experience.
- “The soundtrack reminds me of The Last of Us and creates a captivating atmosphere.”
- “Nice, polished graphics so far, and I enjoy the tense atmosphere.”
- “The foundation of the game, focusing on PvE and survival, is harrowing and creates a tense atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack reminds me of The Last of Us and contributes to the atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is tense.”
- “The foundation of the game focusing on PvE and survival is harrowing and creates a tense atmosphere.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The monetization strategy is currently non-intrusive, with no forced microtransactions, and any future monetization plans will focus on optional cosmetics or DLC. However, some users perceive the game as a potential cash grab, suggesting that more effort is needed to enhance its quality and attract new players.
- “In its current state, it is a good free zombie game without forced microtransactions.”
- “It looks like a cash grab with minimal effort put in, a la War Z.”
- “If we do introduce monetization, we promise it'll be non-intrusive, focusing solely on optional cosmetics or DLC.”
- “Please, developers, the game is great; just work on it a little bit, make some ads or something to bring new people in...”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game's quirks, such as the absurdity of broken weapons and the small map size, which adds a comedic element to gameplay. The unexpected moments, like enemies appearing from unusual places, contribute to a lighthearted experience, making the game enjoyable despite its flaws. Overall, the fun and funny aspects of gameplay are appreciated by users.
- “It's also hilarious how broken weapons work.”
- “The map is so ridiculously small, it's almost funny.”
- “The devs care about this game, and that's almost enough for me; gameplay is really fun and funny as well.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
Users highlight that "Unturned" offers significant replayability, comparing it favorably to larger titles like "DayZ" due to its accessibility and engaging gameplay. The potential for future content updates further encourages players to revisit the game, making it a worthwhile experience for both solo and multiplayer sessions.
- “It's already 10 times more playable than DayZ.”
- “This game doesn't even come close to the funding of some bigger titles, yet it's much more playable than those big titles.”
- “I'll probably end up trying to get my buddies to buy it in 1-3 months depending on content updates.”
- “But seeing as how this game doesn't even come close to the funding of some bigger titles and is much more playable than those big titles, I'll probably end up trying to get my buddies to buy it in 1-3 months depending on content updates.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized, with players noting a lack of engaging content beyond a few hours of repetitive item farming. The PvE experience is described as shallow, with minimal challenge from enemies, leading to a monotonous gameplay loop that detracts from overall enjoyment.
- “Typical early access issue; I don't recommend buying this game because there are simply no players online, and the PvE part doesn't deliver content for more than 3 hours of brainless farming of items to convert them into cash to convert this into XP to level up the character.”
- “The zombies pose no threat; they can't enter houses at this point, but you can hit them through the windows/walls with melee, which makes for easy farming, I guess.”