Mesmer

About

Mesmer is a single player open world role playing game. It was developed by Rain Games and was released on October 16, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Mesmer is a single-player, open world social survival game that takes about 7 hours to beat. As a revolution leader, you must influence people and factions in a police state ruled by a king who has failed his citizens. With Paciflowers controlling the minds of dissenters, can you build a revolution and lead the people towards a better future?"

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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72%

Audience ScoreBased on 25 reviews

music4 positive mentions

character development3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and immersive experience with a rich world and interesting storylines that encourage exploration and curiosity.
The atmospheric music and vibrant graphics enhance the overall experience, making the city of Mesmer feel alive and engaging.
Gameplay mechanics allow for a variety of approaches to quests, including negotiation, stealth, and strategic planning, which adds depth to the adventure.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including long load times and glitches that can disrupt gameplay.
A lack of tutorials and clear instructions can make the game feel overwhelming and confusing, especially for new players.
Many quests are fetch-based, which can lead to repetitive gameplay and a sense of dullness over time.

story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The game's story is rich and engaging, featuring interesting characters and a vibrant world that reflects real-life themes. While many quests are fetch-based, they are woven into compelling narratives that add depth, though the gameplay can feel tedious due to poor controls and time management issues. Overall, players appreciate the storytelling and atmosphere, despite some frustrations with quest mechanics.
- “The world feels really alive and there is little handholding after day 1, which fits with the story.”
- “I love the theme, the atmosphere, the story... it's just so unfriendly to the player.”
- “The gameplay is interesting enough, but the real shining star here are the story, characters, and the world, all beautifully crafted and presented.”
- “The game is comprised of fetch quests to collect wealth.”
- “Lack of tutorial is one thing, making the gameplay predominantly fetch quests is another and leaves the gameplay pretty dull.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is bogged down by poor controls and arbitrarily timed quests alongside needless time management.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of innovative mechanics, such as the grapple hook and influence systems, but are marred by issues like a lack of tutorials, repetitive fetch quests, and bugs. While some players appreciate the unique design and nostalgic feel reminiscent of early console games, others find the core mechanics frustrating and in need of significant improvement. Overall, the gameplay is seen as interesting yet flawed, with potential that remains largely untapped.
- “The grapple hook mechanic is also very nifty and is very well outlined by the blue borders on the mini map.”
- “Interesting mix of mechanics.”
- “The mechanics themselves are easy to understand, find ways to influence people to do your bidding and increase your influence in Mesmer.”
- “The core mechanic of spinning dials and trying to quickly click them when they're on the right number, plus spending precious resources to increase the odds and not getting those resources back if you fail, feels bad and needs a complete overhaul.”
- “Lack of tutorial is one thing, making the gameplay predominantly fetch quests is another and leaves the gameplay pretty dull.”
- “The mechanics themselves are easy to understand, but the gameplay lacks depth and variety, making it feel repetitive.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
60%
The music in the game is widely praised for its fantastic quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with some users highlighting its impressive integration with the game's art style. However, there was a notable issue where the music continued to play while the game stalled for several minutes after a specific event.
- “Music is fantastic.”
- “The music is amazing.”
- “An amazing concept spiced with some great art style and music!”
- “The music is forgettable and lacks any real impact.”
- “I found the soundtrack to be repetitive and uninspired.”
- “The audio quality is poor, making it hard to enjoy the music.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The graphics in the game are initially unconventional, but they ultimately create a captivating aesthetic that resonates with players, reminiscent of early-to-mid 2000s console games. While the art style is praised for its uniqueness and charm, some players note issues with visibility and guard detection that can hinder gameplay. Overall, the visuals contribute to an engaging experience, blending interesting design ideas with a nostalgic feel.
- “At first, one might not be used to the more unusual graphics and renditions, but once you look past that, it really sells itself well.”
- “An amazing concept spiced with some great art style and music!”
- “Mesmer is a rough diamond in the best tradition of early-to-mid 2000s console games I remember with great fondness - janky but idea-rich with interesting design ideas that don't neatly fall into pre-existing gameplay formulas.”
- “Graphics?”
- “At first, one might not be used to the more obtuse graphics and renditions compared to other games, but once you look past that, it really sells itself well.”
- “It is very easy to avoid the guards, but sometimes their light source radius isn't telegraphed enough, or it seems as if they see me when I'm several stories down (looking at you canaries area / Aesthetica stairs). Additionally, if I don't have the hog or a grappling hook, I don't think you can escape unless you make it to the under-city, which can be difficult in itself.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is richly crafted, with each district uniquely reflecting the tone and beliefs of its respective faction. While the thematic elements and storytelling are praised, some players find the overall environment to be unwelcoming and challenging.
- “Atmospheric, unique to each district, and definitely carries the tone of each faction and their respective beliefs.”
- “I love the theme, the atmosphere, the story... it's just so unfriendly to the player.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Character development in the game is praised for its strong design and adherence to established world-building, allowing players to connect with the inhabitants of the city. Reviewers appreciate the depth and familiarity of the characters, enhancing the overall narrative experience.
- “I appreciate the character designs and I love how you get to know the people of the city.”
- “Additionally, if you're familiar with Teslagrad and World to the West, the character design is a return to form and stays true to the world-building that Rain Games has done.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, which detracted from the overall experience.”
- “Despite the interesting setting, the characters remain one-dimensional and fail to evolve throughout the game.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report experiencing performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware configurations, such as an i5-6400 paired with a GT 1050 Ti. Overall, optimization appears to be a concern for some players.
- “I did have some performance issues.”
- “Joke aside, there is a little bit of a performance issue on my PC (i5-6400 + GT 1050 Ti).”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent bugs, particularly when accessing the menu during various cutscenes.
- “Unfortunately, the game is very buggy, especially when opening the menu during different cutscenes.”
- “The frequent crashes make it nearly impossible to enjoy the game.”
- “I experienced constant frame drops and glitches that ruined the overall experience.”