Motherland

About

Motherland is a single player action game. It was developed by Andreev Worlds and was released on November 11, 2021. It received negative reviews from players.

"Motherland" is a sad fairytale indie-game set in a provincial Russian town during an epidemic. As a tourist unable to return home, you'll explore the town's traditions and culture while navigating a non-linear narrative with fully-voiced characters. Brave the damp apartments, buy medicine, and face an everlasting sense of sadness in this vast open world, while stumbling upon nonsense and jokes along the way.

Genres & Tags

Indie

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

33%

Audience ScoreBased on 24 reviews

atmosphere9 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features a great atmosphere with a dark and depressing winter night setting, enhanced by a phenomenal soundtrack.
The environment is beautifully designed, showcasing a unique Russian aesthetic that adds depth to the experience.
There are interesting themes and commentary related to contemporary issues, which some players found engaging.

The gameplay is shallow and monotonous, primarily involving wandering around to find switches with little direction or purpose.
The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to low frame rates and various bugs that hinder the experience.
There is a lack of plot and meaningful interaction, making the game feel empty and unfulfilling.

atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, featuring a haunting soundtrack and a chilling snowy, foggy environment that enhances the sense of dread, particularly with the presence of quarantine enforcers. Reviewers appreciate the unique Russian aesthetic and the soulful, melancholic tone, noting that it stands out in the gaming landscape for its atmospheric depth, despite some critiques of the overall gameplay.
- “The game is very atmospheric, and having quarantine enforcers hunting you is frightening, especially with the snowy and foggy environment.”
- “The atmosphere of this game is absolutely great; I love the Russian aesthetic, and the music is a phenomenal fit.”
- “Overall a good game; its main draw is a unique atmosphere. Not many games showcase a Russian/Soviet environment.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
50%
The music in the game is highly praised for its cool soundtrack and ability to create a captivating atmosphere, particularly with its fitting Russian aesthetic. However, some users have reported issues with sound options, leading to overlapping audio from music and dialogue. Overall, the sound design is considered a strong point of the game.
- “The soundtrack is also very cool, and creates a great atmosphere.”
- “Amazing music kit.”
- “The atmosphere of this game is absolutely great; I love the Russian aesthetic, and the music is a phenomenal fit.”
- “The sound options do not work, so eventually you will have music and a dozen people talking all at once in Russian.”
- “The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after a short time.”
- “The audio mixing is poor, resulting in music that often drowns out important sound effects and dialogue.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's story is criticized for being nearly nonexistent, lacking direction and coherence, with an expansive but empty world that fails to engage players. In contrast, another title, "Motherland," is praised for its atmospheric setting and intriguing non-linear narrative, highlighting the importance of a compelling story in open-world games.
- “In this game, I liked that there is an open world as well as an interesting story.”
- “Motherland is a good, atmospheric indie game with an interesting non-linear story, open world, and good voice acting.”
- “The game has almost zero plot and story, with no direction on what to do or where to go, and a huge—and I mean huge—open map/world that is empty as hell, filled only with random people chasing you.”
- “Lack of plot and logic.”
- “No plot or story to follow.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for being dull and lacking engagement, with players noting lifeless NPCs and repetitive tasks like searching for switches. Despite strong worldbuilding, the overall experience is seen as a significant missed opportunity due to its woeful execution.
- “However, the gameplay is not good.”
- “The NPCs are lifeless and very janky, and the gameplay is just wandering around looking for switches.”
- “Unfortunately, gameplay is very boring or rather almost non-existent.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with users reporting clunky controls, poor audio quality, and an overall lack of purpose or direction. Many reviews highlight it as poorly optimized, detracting from the overall experience.
- “It seems to serve no real purpose or goal; the audio is terrible, the controls are clunky, and it's an unoptimized piece of software.”
- “Also, the game is horribly optimized.”
- “I would also like to point out a minus: the game has problems with optimization.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The graphics of the game are generally considered acceptable, though some users find the overall presentation clunky. However, the atmospheric elements, particularly the Russian aesthetic and accompanying music, are highly praised and enhance the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere of this game is absolutely great; I love the Russian aesthetic, and the music is a phenomenal fit.”
- “The graphics are very clunky and not appealing.”
- “The visuals lack polish and feel outdated.”
- “The art style is inconsistent and detracts from the overall experience.”