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Metaphobia is a dark mystery detective story, inspired by classic adventure games from the 90's. The game has been created with passion not credit cards so it is completely FREE TO PLAY.

Metaphobia screenshot
Metaphobia screenshot
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83%
Audience ScoreBased on 602 reviews
story150 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions

  • The game features impressive rotoscoped animations and a nostalgic pixel art style that captures the essence of classic 90s point-and-click adventures.
  • The voice acting is well done, adding depth to the characters and enhancing the overall storytelling experience.
  • Despite some minor flaws, the game offers an engaging story with interesting twists, making it a worthwhile experience, especially considering it's free.
  • The puzzles can be unintuitive and sometimes rely on pixel hunting, which can lead to frustration and unnecessary clicking.
  • The story takes a bizarre turn towards conspiracy theories, which may not resonate with all players and can detract from the initial intrigue.
  • The ending feels rushed and unsatisfying, leaving many plot threads unresolved and disappointing players who invested time in the narrative.
  • story
    388 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it intriguing and well-presented, particularly for a free title, while others criticize it for being predictable, cliché-ridden, and poorly executed in its latter stages. Many appreciated the engaging premise involving conspiracy theories and character backstories, but felt that the narrative often fell flat, especially towards the ending, which left several loose ends and a sense of dissatisfaction. Overall, while the story has its merits, it struggles with pacing and depth, leading to a varied reception among players.

    • “The story is interesting, and I really enjoy how the game feels like it has distinct sections with their own themes and tones.”
    • “The plot reveals that the protagonist’s pure, humanist and for-the-people politician of a father has been murdered as a part of the scheme set in place by the ancient race of reptilians that rule the world, killing powerful people by either replacing them with a reptilian puppet or turning them into one outright as a means of controlling them, and ultimately the entire world.”
    • “Awesome game, amazing voice acting and an extremely deep and intriguing storyline.”
    • “The story isn't anything special, goofy at some points.”
    • “The writing on this is pretty bad, I get a sense of naivete from the story; it's also ridden with clichés.”
    • “The story is the game's weakest point and how much it will affect the player depends on his/her expectations.”
  • graphics
    106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a nostalgic pixel art style that effectively captures the essence of 1990s computer games, enhanced by impressive rotoscoped animations. While many players appreciate the retro aesthetic and the overall visual quality, some note that the low-resolution graphics can make interactions less intuitive. Overall, the visuals are well-received, contributing positively to the game's immersive atmosphere and storytelling.

    • “The graphics and art style capture the feel of 1990's computer games.”
    • “I really enjoyed the tone, the retro-inspired graphics, the music and the voice acting creating a wonderfully immersive mystery narrative.”
    • “The graphics are very nice; pixel art might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this game is a neat example of how one can create precious things with this kind of style.”
    • “The graphics are very pixelated, but quite impressive for a free game.”
    • “The voice acting is okay, the graphics so-so and while the dialogue is passable, the story and puzzles are naive and unimaginative.”
    • “Metaphobia just doesn't deliver in any category - from gameplay to graphics to storyline - and even though it pays very close homage to the games that shaped me as a young person, I would never recommend this game to anyone lest it sour their opinion of my favourite genre of game.”
  • music
    70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising its ability to set the mood and enhance the overall experience. While some found the soundtrack to be forgettable or intrusive at times, others highlighted its effectiveness in building tension and complementing the game's atmosphere. Overall, the music, along with the voice acting and graphics, contributes significantly to the game's immersive narrative, leading some players to express a desire to purchase the soundtrack as a show of appreciation for the developers.

    • “The sound and music set the tone and round out the experience.”
    • “I really enjoyed the tone, the retro-inspired graphics, the music and the voice acting creating a wonderfully immersive mystery narrative.”
    • “The music and sounds worked very well for setting the mood in numerous scenes.”
    • “I played with the music turned off.”
    • “The art style is nice if you're into adventure game studio graphics, music is mostly forgettable, the audio levels were off during the last dialog, I could barely hear what they were saying because the music was so loud.”
    • “And while there wasn't much music, it was very effective when it showed up.”
  • gameplay
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its nostalgic charm and simple mechanics, while others criticize it for being linear, outdated, and occasionally frustrating. Puzzles are generally easy and lack diversity, leading to a short experience of around 3 to 6 hours, which some found enjoyable despite its flaws. Overall, while the atmosphere and storytelling elements are praised, the gameplay mechanics may not appeal to everyone, particularly those seeking more depth and challenge.

    • “Dated, sure, but in a very charming and nostalgic way that doesn’t detract from gameplay (and is a plus if, like me, you prefer retro mystery gaming).”
    • “I love the style, gameplay, and thematic elements of the game!”
    • “The kind of story and gameplay that makes you want to keep playing.”
    • “Metaphobia just doesn't deliver in any category - from gameplay to graphics to storyline - and even though it pays very close homage to the games that shaped me as a young person, I would never recommend this game to anyone lest it sour their opinion of my favorite genre of game.”
    • “On the gameplay front, Metaphobia is bogged down by some outdated and time-consuming mechanics.”
    • “I can safely assume at least 1 of those 4.5 hours of gameplay was me trying to guess what the game wants me to do.”
  • atmosphere
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its suspenseful pacing, immersive sound design, and high production value, effectively drawing players into its mysterious world. With well-executed voice acting, distinctive characters, and atmospheric settings, it successfully evokes nostalgia for classic adventure games. However, some critiques note that the story lacks depth and the puzzles can detract from the otherwise engaging atmosphere.

    • “It's a very atmospheric adventure game with a surprisingly good production value.”
    • “The game, albeit short (with an aloof pace and much exploring, approximately 5 hours to finish), is an exceptional attempt to bring back the mysterious atmosphere of old (yet golden) classics.”
    • “Nicely pixelated visuals, immersive story, lots of complex characters, well written dialogues and great voice acting, creative, medium difficulty puzzles, deep dark atmosphere based on conspiracies and secret powers.”
    • “The atmosphere reminds me of The Dig for some reason.”
  • humor
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it consistently hilarious and filled with unexpected twists. Many enjoyed the comedic elements in the story and puzzles, often laughing out loud at the character's unimpressed demeanor and the absurdity of certain situations. While some players noted minor issues, such as needing a walkthrough, the overall comedic experience significantly enhanced their enjoyment of the game.

    • “This game is hilarious!”
    • “Some of the explanations (back alley - before the island) that brought the story forward made me laugh out loud.”
    • “Even his unimpressed voice would make sense because then it would be funny that he's never impressed by any earth-shattering discoveries.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly criticizing the repetitive "find the symbol!" puzzles at the end, which detract from the overall enjoyment. The puzzles are generally not challenging, but their monotonous nature makes the experience feel less engaging.

    • “It's tedious and not a very fun process.”
    • “To the point where it's tedious.”
    • “The puzzles are not that hard, just a few tedious 'find the symbol!' puzzles at the end that I dislike.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development received mixed reviews, with some praising it as superb, while others criticized the overall lack of character and story development, leading to a less favorable impression.

    • “Character development was superb.”
    • “The lack of character development and understandable story progression left a negative impression.”
    • “The characters felt one-dimensional, making it hard to connect with their journeys.”
    • “I was disappointed by the shallow character arcs that failed to evolve throughout the game.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users have reported issues with the game's resolution optimization, indicating that it may not perform well across different display settings. This suggests that the game could benefit from further refinement in its graphical performance.

    • “The main thing I had an issue with is probably the game's resolution optimization.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers noted that the characters' emotional responses in the game were frequently perceived as lacking depth and credibility, undermining the overall emotional impact of the narrative.

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5h Median play time
5h Average play time
4-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs
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