Metamorphosis

75%
Game Brain Score Based on 442 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Metamorphosis Game Cover
Inspired by Franz Kafka and mixing a healthy dose of surrealist visuals.
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Metamorphosis is a first-person puzzle platforming adventure. Wake up as Gregor, turned into a tiny bug, and use your newfound abilities and nimble legs to uncover the truth behind your mysterious transformation.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

75%
Audience ScoreBased on 442 reviews
story84 positive mentions
stability9 negative mentions
  • Unique and creative gameplay that immerses players in a surreal world from the perspective of a bug.
  • Gorgeous artwork and a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • Interesting story elements inspired by Kafka's works, providing a fresh take on classic literature.
  • The game is quite short, typically taking only 2-4 hours to complete, which may not justify the price for some players.
  • Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with simple puzzles and limited character interactions.
  • Technical issues such as bugs, glitches, and performance drops can detract from the overall experience.
  • story251 mentions

    The game's story, inspired by Franz Kafka's works, particularly "Metamorphosis" and "The Trial," presents a unique narrative that explores themes of personal agency and bureaucratic absurdity through the lens of a character transformed into a bug. While some players appreciated the intriguing world-building and humor, others found the plot confusing, linear, and lacking depth, with a rushed conclusion that left many unsatisfied. Overall, the story is seen as a mixed bag, appealing primarily to those familiar with Kafka's themes, but it struggles to fully engage players outside that context.

    • “The platforming is very responsive, the story is fascinating, a re-imagination of Kafka's most famous texts (The Trial and Metamorphosis, with others such as Hunger Artist thrown in as side quests).”
    • “I'm a huge fan of the book this game is based on, and actually really enjoyed how this game added more to that universe and story.”
    • “Interesting story of a man turned into a bug and dealing with otherworldly bureaucracy to try and rectify his situation.”
    • “The story here is so highbrow and academic that it ruins what could have been a great adventure in the fantasy/dream world.”
    • “The game felt short and the story didn't make much sense.”
    • “The story was confusing and hard to follow, and then the game ended unexpectedly and I just didn't get it.”
  • gameplay91 mentions

    The gameplay of "Metamorphosis" is characterized by basic platforming mechanics and simple puzzles, often described as linear and lacking depth. While the visuals and world design are praised, many reviewers find the gameplay repetitive and overly reliant on dialogue and fetch quests, leading to a somewhat shallow experience. Overall, it offers a unique narrative twist but may not satisfy players seeking more complex or varied gameplay.

    • “I'm a casual enjoyer of some of Kafka's works, and I adored the visuals and gameplay!”
    • “Simple but fun gameplay, supported by amazing artwork.”
    • “Metamorphosis is a fun adventure-style game with a surreal twist and parkour movement mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay is pure 3D platform via first person view, dialoguing with NPCs for fetching missions (to unlock a go talk to B, but B tells you to unlock C, to unlock C you need to talk to D, etc... bad mission design), and the overall content is very short.”
    • “When I say 'well designed levels' I mean it almost exclusively from a visual point of view, since the gameplay itself is always pretty dull.”
    • “This game is very overpriced for the 3 hours of gameplay it gives you.”
  • graphics90 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals, charming art style, and effective surrealism that enhances the gameplay experience. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful environments and the unique perspective of being a bug, although some note issues with texture quality and occasional glitches. Overall, the aesthetic and artwork are considered standout features, making the game visually appealing despite some inconsistencies.

    • “Stunning visuals and the sense of scale you get is amazing.”
    • “The graphics are absolutely beautiful, and the storyline is on point.”
    • “Amazing platformer game, visuals are beautiful, the story is wonderfully trippy and the setting is out of this world.”
    • “The level design was nice enough, if not amazing by any means, but I did find the often poor quality of the textures fairly disappointing, especially since you spend all of your time so close to the ground that it really would have warranted more attention to detail, even with the stylized art style.”
    • “Metamorphosis spins a bittersweet, intriguing web of mystery and humour that, albeit brief, is often an utter joy to crawl through, if you’re willing to brace a disappointing final stretch, inconsistent graphics, and myriad technical issues.”
    • “[too short, outdated graphics, dull gameplay]”
  • music54 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the detailed visuals. While some found the soundtrack to be innovative and fitting, others described it as eccentric or forgettable, with a few dissonant parts that detracted from the experience. Overall, the sound design, including voice acting and sound effects, was generally well-received, contributing to the game's unique and immersive environment.

    • “The background music is really well fitting and enhances the atmosphere created by the nice and detailed scene design.”
    • “The atmosphere is great, a lot of the books and documents are (accurately to Kafka) in German as the game takes place in Vienna and the smooth orchestral soundtrack is outstanding for this type of game and also features German vocals whenever it uses vocals.”
    • “Visually stunning, with great sound design and music to par.”
    • “The music is very forgettable (literally: I couldn't remember it and I heard it a few minutes ago) except for a few dissonant parts that I'll gladly never listen to ever again.”
    • “Music didn't stand out to me, but the environment did.”
    • “The music is a bit too eccentric (very arty/university kind of), but the voices and sound effects are good.”
  • atmosphere37 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its unique blend of Kafkaesque elements, detailed scene design, and fitting background music that enhances the overall experience. The unsettling and bureaucratic insect world, combined with solid voice acting and orchestral soundtracks, creates a captivating and eerie ambiance that resonates well with fans of Kafka's works. However, some players note that those unfamiliar with Kafka may find the atmosphere less impactful, and the gameplay can sometimes lack variety.

    • “The background music is really well fitting and enhances the atmosphere created by the nice and detailed scene design.”
    • “The unsettling atmosphere of the strangely bureaucratic insect world, unusual music, solid voice-acting, and dialogues full of legal gibberish that illustrates said bureaucracy make the game unique.”
    • “Overall, Metamorphosis does a tremendous job in bringing to life the atmosphere characteristic to the works of Kafka, toning somewhat down the depressive and trying to put some fun into it.”
    • “While it is overall well done and does capture hints of Kafka's absurdism, I doubt someone who isn't acquainted with the subtleties of his writing will find much unique about the superficial social critique on offer, and whoever has read either of the two stories this game is mostly based on will find the despondent and vaguely dystopian atmosphere largely missing.”
    • “I find it quite enjoyable, controls/movement are fluid - which is your main mechanic in this game, the atmosphere is sometimes more, sometimes less interesting.”
    • “Metamorphosis lacks variety and cohesive gameplay, focusing too much on the story and the atmosphere.”
  • humor22 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and subtlety, featuring smart dialogue filled with philosophical and legal jokes that resonate well with players. Many reviewers enjoyed the quirky interactions with bug characters and found the writing consistently funny, contributing to an overall lighthearted experience despite the game's short length. The handcrafted environment and creative NPCs enhance the comedic elements, making conversations enjoyable and engaging.

    • “Smart and funny dialogue with lots of philosophy and legal jokes.”
    • “I found myself laughing at much of the writing.”
    • “Actually, there was a lot of good humor scattered throughout the game, so overall it's not really that depressing.”
  • emotional12 mentions

    The emotional impact of the game is mixed; while some players found it beautiful and moving, leading to tears by the end, others criticized the lack of emotional depth and catharsis, citing a boring story and poor controls that detracted from the experience. The soundtrack and level design received praise for evoking nostalgia, but overall, the emotional engagement varied significantly among players.

    • “This is so beautiful and so short... I cried in the end.”
    • “It's like these old-school wholesome non-violent adventure games where you get to roam levels and do some jumping puzzles to progress with the story, but with a modern twist to it.”
    • “The soundtrack and level design made me feel like I'm playing a level from Psychonauts.”
  • stability9 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, crashes, and problematic keyboard controls that can lead to lost progress. While the graphics are generally appealing, the presence of glitches detracts from the overall experience, making gameplay feel inconsistent and occasionally frustrating.

    • “Sadly, pretty buggy at the end -- three or four times I lost progress to a bad save/crash/game bug.”
    • “One complaint is about buggy keyboard controls.”
    • “The lack of direction at times and the buggy controls tend to disrupt the flow of the game.”
  • optimization7 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing severe performance issues that rendered it nearly unplayable, regardless of settings. Additionally, problems such as poor lip-syncing, subpar voice acting, and distracting translation errors further detracted from the overall experience. While performance may vary based on individual hardware, many users reported significant hitches and audio synchronization problems.

    • “Finally, the performance of Unreal Engine games seems to be hit or miss from player to player, but for me it was so utterly atrocious as to be nearly unplayable no matter the settings, which unfortunately detracted a good amount of enjoyment as well.”
    • “[Performance hitches hurt badly, characters sometimes talk over each other, and bad English translations can be distracting.]”
    • “And for me at least, the game also had issues with performance, though I will have to check this once I have a more up-to-date PC.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and at times frustrating, particularly due to challenging platforming elements. While the game offers a rich fantastical experience, it may not appeal to those seeking a more streamlined gameplay without complex systems.

    • “In spite of these positives, it's not something I want to 100% simply because it can be tedious and the platforming can be very frustrating at times.”
    • “If you like experiencing fantastical worlds and don't want to bother with complex combat systems, skill trees, inventory systems, and long tedious conversations, this is the game for you.”
    • “It should be tedious just like every Kafka story.”
  • character development2 mentions

    The game places a strong emphasis on narrative and character development, which is appreciated by players, although some feel that the linear gameplay mechanics detract from the overall experience.

    • “I really appreciate how the game emphasizes narrative and character development, while keeping the gameplay and mechanics easy and linear.”
    • “The character development is one of the standout features, making the story feel more engaging and immersive.”
    • “I love how the game allows characters to evolve throughout the story, adding depth and making the player feel more connected.”
    • “It's a shame; otherwise I kind of liked how they emphasize narrative and character development, keeping the gameplay and mechanics easy and linear.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Many users feel that the game's replayability is limited, which diminishes its value at full price, as they expected more content and playtime for their investment.

    • “However, I must say that for the full price, I do not think it holds up to what you'd expect for playtime, especially since replayability is limited.”
    • “For the price, the game lacks the depth needed for significant replayability.”
    • “Once you finish the game, there isn't much incentive to play through it again.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

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Play time

5hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
3-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs

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