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MANDAGON

MANDAGON Game Cover
95%Game Brain Score
graphics, story
replayability, grinding
95% User Score Based on 3,877 reviews

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MANDAGON Game Cover

About

MANDAGON is a single player platformer game with a mystery theme. It was developed by Blind Sky Studios and was released on August 3, 2016. It received very positive reviews from players.

"MANDAGON is a single-player mystery platformer game with an intriguing story, splendid visuals, and a sensational soundtrack. Explore a world inspired by Tibetan theology and philosophy in a non-linear fashion, with an emphasis on in-game storytelling and atmospheric sound design. The DLC includes a digital art book, soundtrack, desktop backgrounds, and a paper cube fella printout for a narrative-led experience."

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MANDAGON screenshot
MANDAGON screenshot
MANDAGON screenshot
MANDAGON screenshot
MANDAGON screenshot
MANDAGON screenshot
MANDAGON screenshot
MANDAGON screenshot
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95%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,877 reviews
graphics605 positive mentions
replayability6 negative mentions
  • Beautiful pixel art and atmospheric design create an immersive experience.
  • Relaxing gameplay with a calming soundtrack, perfect for unwinding.
  • Short playtime of about 30-60 minutes makes it easy to enjoy without a significant time commitment.
  • The game lacks clear direction and objectives, which may confuse some players.
  • Limited gameplay mechanics with no real challenge or enemies.
  • The story is vague and can be difficult to piece together without careful exploration.
  • graphics
    923 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beautiful pixel art style, which effectively creates a calming and immersive atmosphere. Many players appreciate the unique aesthetic inspired by Tibetan culture, noting that the visuals complement the serene soundtrack, enhancing the overall experience. While some critiques mention the simplicity of the graphics, the consensus is that they are visually stunning and contribute significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The graphics are stunning and lend themselves to the tranquil yet haunting atmosphere.”
    • “The art style is beautiful, and the music is eerie and mysterious.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and it has a great scenery.”
    • “The graphics and gameplay feel dated, but have a grim feel about them.”
    • “This features really godawful pixel art instead of real graphics.”
    • “It's hard to say if this was because the developer didn't have the skill to create 3D visuals, or couldn't afford to hire someone who does, but it also doesn't matter.”
  • story
    920 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Mandagon" is a subtle and abstract exploration of themes such as sacrifice and the afterlife, primarily conveyed through cryptic poetry from totems scattered throughout the game. While many players found the narrative intriguing and thought-provoking, others noted its vagueness and difficulty in understanding, leading to mixed feelings about its depth and clarity. Overall, the game's minimalist storytelling approach, combined with its beautiful visuals and calming atmosphere, creates a unique experience that encourages players to piece together the narrative themselves.

    • “The story, told through subtle environmental cues, leaves a lasting impression and encourages reflection long after the game is over.”
    • “A short, immersive little game that is definitely worth the price of 'free.' The game is not challenging; there are no game-over states, nor is there a way to 'lose.' With that being said, the game still intrigues with a touching story that exists beneath the surface.”
    • “The story is one of those braid-type piece togethers that encourages overreading, so I'd rather pretend it doesn't exist at all and this is just an atmospheric, short, free platformer.”
    • “There's no challenge, no story development, just a tedious slog with no direction.”
    • “The gameplay is 'explore this extremely tiny world' and the 'story' (which you can't really call it because there is basically nothing) consists of a few cryptic sentences that aren't interesting or meaningful.”
    • “The totems didn't do a very good job conveying bits and pieces of the story either.”
  • music
    794 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall immersive experience. Many players appreciate the soothing soundtrack that complements the beautiful pixel art, creating a serene environment for exploration. However, some find the music occasionally eerie or repetitive, which can detract from the experience for certain players. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant strength of the game, contributing to its meditative and tranquil vibe.

    • “The soundtrack and art worked together well to create a unique atmosphere.”
    • “Beautiful music and sound design.”
    • “The music is wonderful as well.”
    • “The music is painful, random piano clunks mixed with strange sounds.”
    • “The only thing taking away from the enjoyment is the music; I recommend turning off the shitty game music and putting something of your own instead.”
    • “The soundtrack is ambient and a little creepy, but also pretty flat.”
  • gameplay
    478 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Mandagon is characterized by its simplicity and minimalism, primarily involving basic platforming mechanics such as walking, jumping, and collecting items. While many players appreciate the relaxing atmosphere and beautiful visuals, they often note that the gameplay lacks depth and challenge, making it feel repetitive and short, typically lasting around 30 to 60 minutes. Overall, the game is more focused on exploration and storytelling rather than complex mechanics, appealing to those seeking a calming experience rather than intense gameplay.

    • “The gameplay is fun, good puzzles, very chill overall.”
    • “The gameplay is simple, yet fun.”
    • “Beautiful game, the gameplay is fluid and the art and level design is excellent.”
    • “The gameplay boils down to walking, jumping, and collecting random objects with no clear purpose or payoff.”
    • “The exploration was far less interesting than I was hoping for, and without solid gameplay to back it up, it sort of feels like wasted time despite the game looking pretty.”
    • “The gameplay is very simple, and the story is very light, but it's so worth it.”
  • atmosphere
    358 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful pixel art, calming soundtrack, and immersive environment, creating a serene and contemplative experience. Many players appreciate the game's ability to evoke a sense of mystery and tranquility, often likening it to other atmospheric titles. Despite its short length, the combination of art, sound, and subtle storytelling effectively captivates players, making it a memorable exploration of themes related to Tibetan culture and spirituality.

    • “The sound track and art worked together well to create a unique atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere, graphics, and soundtrack are all great and relaxing.”
    • “The art style and atmosphere of this game are amazing, and make you feel as if something bigger is happening all around you that you simply can't see.”
    • “The story is told by statues sprinkled throughout the level that speak in rhyming couplets, which feels unnecessary and breaks the isolated, contemplative atmosphere the game otherwise maintains through its beautiful art and chill music.”
    • “While it does well fit the atmosphere and the story well, the game experience isn't exciting or fun in the way some other games are.”
    • “It isn't a terribly long game (less than an hour to obtain all achievements), and it doesn't need to be; the atmosphere and few lines of text scattered throughout the world are vague and mysterious without ascending to esotericism.”
  • emotional
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its touching narrative and beautiful visuals, creating a heartfelt experience that resonates with players. Many reviews emphasize the game's ability to evoke feelings of sadness and warmth through its simple yet profound storytelling, often conveyed via ambient music and atmospheric design. While the gameplay is not challenging, the emotional journey and the connections formed throughout the experience leave a lasting impact on those who engage with it.

    • “The gameplay is not overly challenging, but this is more about the character's emotional journey.”
    • “A very simple but touching story unfolds through your exploration of a pleasantly realized pixel-graphic landscape, accompanied by a soothing atmospheric soundtrack.”
    • “This game summarizes what it means to create something great and effective with a short but heartfelt journey.”
    • “The story felt vague and boring, lacking the emotional depth I was hoping for.”
    • “I found the narrative to be quite dull, which made it hard to connect emotionally with the characters.”
    • “The emotional impact was minimal due to a lack of engaging storytelling.”
  • replayability
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game is widely regarded as having minimal to zero replayability, with most players noting its short duration of around 30 to 60 minutes. While some appreciate the experience for its story and soothing elements, the consensus is that there is little incentive to replay once completed, despite its free-to-play model and enjoyable first playthrough.

    • “Though it may be short, it's highly replayable.”
    • “Besides, this game is perfect proof that you don't need a huge, wow-sized game and endless replay value to have an awesome story.”
    • “Very replayable.”
    • “Cons: no replayability appeal (except for the second playthrough if you want to pay more attention to the plot), very short (took me around an hour for my first, no guide playthrough, and barely half an hour for the second)”
    • “Sadly, an exploration game like this has very little replay value, so it's really just very short.”
    • “Like other exploration games, it has little replayability, but it's a neat little game, however short it is.”
  • grinding
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews of the "grinding" aspect highlight a mix of tedium and relaxation, with many players finding the gameplay repetitive and lacking direction. While some appreciate the absence of challenging grind mechanics, others criticize the backtracking and map exploration as tedious, especially when there is little story development or clear goals. Overall, the experience is described as long and exploratory, but often frustratingly monotonous.

    • “It's not tedious like some are.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “There’s no challenge, no story development, just a tedious slog with no direction.”
    • “I can't really find enjoyment in tedious map exploration with no visible goal beyond the next level.”
    • “Very good art, but the gameplay is tedious and the story left vague and told in riddles by finding talking heads littered around the map.”
  • optimization
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on lower-end systems and features impressive map design, players have reported issues such as resolution fitting, controller mapping errors, and occasional stuttering or frame drops, particularly during long horizontal movements. Some users noted that despite the game's visual appeal, it could benefit from further optimization to enhance the overall experience.

    • “Proves that you don't need to have a high-performance rig just to play good games.”
    • “And unsurprisingly, it doesn't skip a beat in terms of performance.”
    • “It plays well, runs smoothly (with maybe one hiccup) and has an interesting story.”
    • “But there should be some optimization for resolution; it doesn't fit well on the screen and sometimes the details cannot be seen.”
    • “Controller optimization was a little messed up as both X and A made you jump, although X was supposed to be the action button, so it made taking elevators pretty much impossible as you would just jump instead of ride, over and over again.”
    • “The last thing I want to mention is performance: while the game ran smoothly, there was a little bit of jerking during long horizontal walks, which is baffling for a 2D game (my PC can run any game on the market on max settings).”
  • stability
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's stability received mixed reviews, with some players noting minor bugs and glitches, particularly when using a controller or in specific scenarios. However, many found the experience largely enjoyable and relaxing, with responsive controls and well-designed maps, suggesting that while there are imperfections, they do not significantly detract from the overall gameplay. The consensus indicates that the game is generally stable, especially considering its free-to-play nature.

    • “With responsive controls, excellent map design (bug-free, which is rare these days), a mysterious atmosphere, and serene background music, it was a pleasure playing as the little totem gathering relics and Tibetan mantras.”
    • “A bit buggy on big picture; but then, can't really complain too much about a free game.”
    • “Only real negatives are there are no volume sliders for sounds at all and there's one or two buggy parts of the level where you can jump onto the top of a lift gate, or land on a ledge above the bottom of a pool of water when first dropping into it.”
    • “I tried playing with a controller and it is a buggy mess, needs a few patches.”
  • humor
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it interesting and funny, complemented by a quirky art style and amusing character designs. However, some reviewers note a level of confusion regarding the game's story, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite this, the game's comedic elements contribute to its charm, making it an enjoyable, albeit brief, experience.

    • “A simple game, very interesting and funny, good mechanics and it's a free game.”
    • “It’s kind of hilarious how most reviewers managed to misunderstand it… but then, I’m not entirely sure of what happened in the game either, so nevermind.”
    • “It's funny and a short game.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is free-to-play (FTP) and does not include in-game purchases, making it a worthwhile download despite its lack of replay value.

    • “It has no replay value, but considering the game is free-to-play with no in-game purchases, it is definitely worth the download.”
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2h Median play time
2h Average play time
1h Main story
1h Completionist
1-2h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

MANDAGON is a platformer game with mystery theme.

MANDAGON is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Xbox.

The main story can be completed in around 1 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 1 hours to finish. On average players spend around 2 hours playing MANDAGON.

MANDAGON was released on August 3, 2016.

MANDAGON was developed by Blind Sky Studios.

MANDAGON has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its replayability.

MANDAGON is a single player game.

Similar games include RiME, Cloud Climber, FAR: Lone Sails, Marie's Room, AER Memories of Old and others.