Liminal Universe

About

Liminal Universe is a single player simulation game with horror, thriller and science fiction themes. It was developed by Gvn Games and was released on November 12, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Liminal Universe is a solo first-person adventure game that takes you deep into Liminal Space. In this experience, you focus not on the story but on understanding the world around you and the atmosphere it creates. The game starts on an entirely empty snowy map, and then continues with a pool and ocean. Although the game sometimes tells you what to do, it leaves it unclear what exactly you sh…

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 74 reviews

atmosphere4 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and immersive exploration of liminal spaces with a strong atmospheric focus, featuring striking visual design and effective ambient soundscape.
Its peaceful and contemplative nature makes it relaxing and enjoyable for fans of slow, introspective walking simulator experiences without enemies or jump scares.
The developers are responsive to feedback and have made updates improving audio and visual options, contributing to an engaging atmosphere for liminal space enthusiasts.

Lack of a save system and save points frustrates players, especially due to the game's large environments and lengthy chapters requiring repeated playthroughs upon failure or quitting.
Gameplay is very limited and linear with minimal interaction, causing sections to feel repetitive, uneventful, or boring, particularly the later chapters which were criticized for lacking depth and engagement.
Technical issues including bugs, visual inconsistencies, persistent head bobbing without a disable option, and awkward controls detract from immersion and can cause discomfort or motion sickness for some players.

atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The game excels in creating a unique, immersive atmosphere centered around exploring eerie, liminal spaces, with sound design playing a key role in enhancing this mood. Its relaxing and solitary ambiance appeals especially to those who enjoy walking simulators, though some technical hiccups and uneven level design slightly detract from the experience. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for its effectiveness and distinctiveness despite limited gameplay elements.
- “Sound design plays a crucial role in reinforcing the atmosphere.”
- “For some, this contributes to the immersive quality of the experience, allowing time to absorb the atmosphere.”
- “Once you have explored the environments and reached the end, there is little reason to return beyond revisiting specific areas for their atmosphere.”
- “It offers a unique and sometimes effective exploration of atmosphere and mood, but its lack of gameplay systems and uneven execution limit its broader appeal.”
- “The liminal universe is a deliberately minimalistic experience that positions itself closer to an interactive atmosphere piece than a traditional game, built around the concept of exploring “liminal spaces”—those strange, transitional environments that feel both familiar and unsettling.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
8%
25%
The graphics receive mixed reviews, with praise for their stunning, polished visuals, impressive lighting, and aesthetically pleasing dreamlike environments. However, users also note issues such as blocky and empty areas, lack of interactivity, inconsistent quality, and some graphical glitches that detract from the overall experience. Greater attention to detail and more immersive, cohesive design could enhance the game's visual impact.
- “The graphics are stunning.”
- “First off, the graphics of this game are really good: beautiful, polished, minimal glitches.”
- “Very amazing lighting and graphics.”
- “I think you need to add a lot more graphics. I have played over 80 liminal games and yours still needs a lot of work. You can't interact with slides, you have jukeboxes with no music coming out, it's very blocky and too brand new looking. It needs more of a creepy vibe while still remaining liminal if that makes sense. When you go in a pool, you have to literally go to your starting point where the stairs are to be able to get out. This really stinks, I got very bored. You need to add more things to interact with, especially with the snow. Also, you had the spacecraft that had nothing in it; I went all the way up the stairs just to enter an empty circular dome. Like I said, it's a good starting point but it needs more time to flourish. You have something really cool here, just keep pushing.”
- “Also, for a game that tries to be cinematic (literally the naming for the highest graphic settings), why then make it a constant camera lens with watermark dots and blue corners?”
- “I noticed all that in two minutes. After that, I saw a wall graphic overlapping on a corner, then proceeded to go in a room, turn left, see a blue triangle hole in the ground and see what happens when I walk to it... I got stuck and could see through the map.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
The game's music primarily consists of ambient and environmental sounds that effectively enhance the feeling of isolation and atmosphere, though some users found the soundtrack sporadic or "wonky," with occasional technical issues. While some appreciated the relaxing and creepy vibe of the audio, others criticized the lack of traditional music or found it lacking compared to other liminal space games. Overall, the sound design is praised for immersive effects like footsteps and environmental noises, but the musical elements received mixed feedback.
- “Instead of relying on a traditional soundtrack, the game uses ambient noise—echoing footsteps, distant hums, and environmental sounds—to create a sense of presence.”
- “Amazing graphics, great music and sounds.”
- “Audio which you can find in the options menu... the audio is good, the music is nice as well and there is lots to see as you explore.”
- “The designers took ideas from every other liminal game and appropriated it, put some horrible music on, and basically badly ripped off tons of other creators.”
- “The music was a bit wonky (e.g., I would turn the camera and the music would stop, which made for some great atmospheric quality at times but towards chapter three it was a bit frustrating) but the sound of the character - the walking, snow crunching, that was all really great!”
- “I think you need to add a lot more graphics. I have played over 80 liminal games and yours still needs a lot of work. You can't interact with slides, you have jukeboxes with no music coming out. It's very blocky and too brand new looking; needs more of a creepy vibe while still remaining liminal, if that makes sense. When you go in a pool you have to literally go to your starting point where the stairs are to be able to get out. This really stinks; I got very bored. You need to add more things to be able to interact with, especially with the snow. You also had the spacecraft that had nothing in it—I went all the way up the stairs just to enter an empty circular dome. Like I said, it's a good starting point but it needs more time to flourish. You have something really cool here; just keep pushing.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The gameplay is minimalistic, focusing on first-person exploration with few conventional mechanics, which emphasizes atmosphere but limits engagement. The lack of stronger gameplay systems, structure, and quality-of-life features like save points or toggles can make progression tedious and feel incomplete. Overall, the gameplay supports the game's mood but may not satisfy players seeking deeper interaction.
- “Developed by gvn games, it places you in a first-person perspective and removes nearly all conventional gameplay elements, asking you to simply move forward, observe, and absorb the environments around you.”
- “This design reinforces the game’s focus on exploration, but it also removes any sense of mechanical engagement.”
- “There were moments—for instance, the entirety of the third chapter—where the length of the hallways necessitated the almost exclusive use of the run mechanic but with no toggle switch, made it a slog to go through.”
- “In terms of gameplay, the experience is extremely limited.”
- “Without stronger mechanics, clearer structure, or more consistent design, the experience can feel more like a concept than a fully realized game.”
- “There were moments -- for instance, the entirety of the godawful third chapter -- where the length of the hallways necessitated the almost exclusive use of the run mechanic but with no toggle switch, made it a slog to go through.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story aspect is generally lacking, with no explicit narrative, dialogue, or clear context provided to players. Many users wish for a more interactive experience that includes some form of storytelling.
- “There is no explicit story, no dialogue, and no clear explanation of what the player is experiencing.”
- “It doesn't have a story either, it seems.”
- “I wish it was more interactive and had some type of story.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features impressive graphics but is marred by numerous bugs and frequent visual and sound glitches, impacting overall stability.
- “Way too buggy.”
- “All that apart from other visual and sound glitches.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has low replayability due to its linear design, limited levels, and lack of alternative outcomes, gags, or Easter eggs to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “Replay value is minimal, as the experience is largely linear and does not offer alternative paths or outcomes.”
- “A vacuous 3 levels without gags, easter eggs, or replay value.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is appreciated for its witty and sarcastic commentary, often poking fun at overly negative or uninformed player reviews. Players enjoy the playful tone that highlights the game's mechanics and challenges in a lighthearted way.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game becomes tedious and annoying, especially towards the end.