Liminal Universe

About

Liminal Universe is a single player simulation game. 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 set in eerie, empty spaces where exploration and atmosphere take center stage. Without dialogue, music, or UI, you navigate snowy landscapes, pools, and endless corridors, uncovering the story of a forgotten place at your own pace. The experience relies on ambient sounds and subtle guidance rather than puzzles or enemies.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 67 reviews

graphics8 positive mentions

gameplay2 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and immersive exploration experience through beautifully designed liminal spaces, evoking a range of emotions from fear to joy.
The sound design, including footsteps and ambient noises, enhances the atmosphere, making it a relaxing experience for players who enjoy walking simulators.
The developer shows promise with creative environments and is responsive to player feedback, indicating potential for future improvements and updates.

The lack of a save system and checkpoints makes the game frustrating, as players must restart entire chapters if they stop playing mid-way.
Many areas feel empty and repetitive, with issues like low-quality textures, bugs, and a lack of interactivity that detracts from the overall experience.
The game suffers from pacing issues, particularly in the later chapters, which can feel monotonous and overly long without engaging content.

graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
9%
18%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals, beautiful aesthetics, and polished design, contributing to a relaxing experience. However, some users noted inconsistencies, such as glitches and uneven quality in certain areas, which detracted from the overall cinematic experience. Despite these issues, the game's lighting and artistic elements are highlighted as standout features.
- “The graphics are stunning.”
- “First off, the graphics of this game are really good: beautiful, polished, minimal glitches.”
- “Very amazing lighting and graphics.”
- “Also, for a game that tries to be cinematic (literally the name 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 in a corner, then proceeded to go into a room, turned left, saw a blue triangle hole in the ground, and got stuck. I could see through the map.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
12%
38%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it relaxing and atmospheric, while others criticize it for being derivative and poorly executed. While the audio quality is generally praised, issues such as music stopping when turning the camera can detract from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack contributes to the game's nostalgic and immersive qualities, though it may not reach the heights of other liminal or dreamcore titles.
- “Amazing graphics, great music, and sounds.”
- “The audio is good, the music is nice as well, and there is lots to see as you explore. If you're like me, you will find some cool creepy little things that I would like to see in my VR.”
- “Other than that, it gets better as you play and features some epic dream visuals and music from time to time, despite wildly uneven graphics.”
- “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.”
- “This nostalgic music, this facade, it's bullshit.”
- “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).”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, particularly appealing to fans of liminal space and walking simulators. Players appreciate the variety of atmospheres throughout the levels, with some finding beauty in the contrast between the eerie earlier levels and the more serene third level. While the music has received mixed feedback, the sound design, including ambient noises like snow crunching, enhances the overall atmospheric experience.
- “It was so relaxing and atmospheric, and the gameplay was very smooth.”
- “A short and chill game that has a great solitude atmosphere.”
- “What made me love these games was the atmosphere.”
- “Lots of different atmospheres to take in.”
- “(PS: Most people said the 3rd level was bad, but I actually thought it was pretty good. It's a beautiful place that's supposed to be a break from the scary atmosphere of the first and second levels.)”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The gameplay has been criticized for its lack of quality, with players expressing a desire for better mechanics, such as a save system or checkpoints, to enhance the overall experience.
- “While I'm glad I made it through the game and saw everything, or at least what I could, the quality of the gameplay is a bit lacking.”
- “A save mechanic should really be implemented, checkpoints or something.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is mixed, with some users praising its polished graphics and minimal glitches, while others report significant bugs and various visual and sound issues. Overall, the experience can vary greatly depending on the player's encounter with these stability problems.
- “Way too buggy.”
- “All that apart from other visual and sound glitches.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the reviews stems from the author's amusement at the absurdity of some players' complaints, particularly regarding the game's darkness and navigation issues. The author finds the comments hilariously misguided, highlighting a disconnect between the game's mechanics and the players' understanding, which adds a layer of comedic relief to the overall experience.
- “I was reading comments on this very nice game that not only looked good but had nice controls. Some comments made me die laughing, like one person saying, 'I refunded the game because it was too dark and when you get into the dark parts you start over.' It's hilarious how some people just don't get it!”
- “One of the best comments I saw was from someone who said, 'I refunded this game because it did not show where to go.' I mean, come on! It's called using the flashlight! Just press the ESC key to open up options and look at the controls. It's funny how some players miss the obvious!”
- “I never died in the dark, and it's amusing to see how some players struggle with the simplest mechanics. The humor in the comments section really adds to the experience of this game!”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Many users find the grinding aspect of the game to be enjoyable initially, but it tends to become tedious and annoying as they progress, particularly towards the end.
- “But towards the end, it got a bit tedious and annoying in my honest opinion.”
- “The grinding feels endless and becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
- “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which made the experience feel monotonous.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game lacks a compelling story, with users expressing a desire for more interactivity and narrative depth.
- “It doesn't have a story either, it seems.”
- “I wish it was more interactive and had some type of story.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its lack of replayability, featuring only three levels that offer no engaging content such as gags or easter eggs, making it feel empty and uninviting for repeated playthroughs.
- “A vacuous three levels without gags, easter eggs, or replay value.”