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NaissanceE

There will definitely be people who sync with NaissanceE and its weird stark dreamlike world, which will probably be entirely down to that world itself rather than the gameplay. It truly is a beautiful place to look at and make your way through, with the cute inhabitants and excellent uses of light and shadow adding to the loveliness. Unfortunately the gameplay itself is lacking, comprised as it is of badly-thought-out first-person platforming and mostly uninteresting trial-and-error puzzles. Exploration of the compelling world only ever results in dead ends, getting stuck or straight death, the save system is broken, the “breathing” mechanic gets tedious fast, and just to add to the misery V-Sync doesn’t work (and the game suffers for it with regular screen-tearing). NaissanceE could’ve been a neat game but Limasse Five should’ve just stuck with making a cool artistic world and left the actual gameplay at home. I may have then complained that there wasn’t enough game in it, but at least I would have actually enjoyed it.
NaissanceE Game Cover
80%Game Brain Score
gameplay, atmosphere
story, grinding
85% User Score Based on 2,790 reviews
Critic Score 65%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
NaissanceE Game Cover

About

NaissanceE is a single player platformer game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by Limasse Five and was released on February 13, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

NaissanceE is a first person exploration PC game developed on UDK by Limasse Five with the participation of Pauline Oliveros, Patricia Dallio and Thierry Zaboitzeff. The adventure takes place in a primitive mysterious structure and the game mainly consists to explore and feel the deep and strong ambiance of this atemporal world but platforming and puzzles areas will also enrich the experience.

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85%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,790 reviews
gameplay93 positive mentions
story59 negative mentions

  • Amazing and unique atmosphere evoking feelings of awe, loneliness, and cosmic indifference with stunning brutalist megastructure environments.
  • Engaging exploration with fascinating architectural design and impressive scale that makes the player feel both insignificant and curious.
  • Complimentary soundtrack and sound design that enhances the eerie, unsettling, and immersive experience.
  • Gameplay is often frustrating due to clunky controls, annoying sprinting/breathing mechanic, and difficult first-person platforming sections.
  • Some parts are poorly signposted or overly dark/bright, causing disorientation and confusion in navigation.
  • Contains seizure-inducing flashing lights and no proper epilepsy warnings, making it unsuitable for photosensitive players.
  • gameplay
    574 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in this game is largely focused on exploration, light puzzles, and first-person platforming, featuring a unique but divisive breathing mechanic tied to sprinting that requires timed inputs. While some find this mechanic immersive and atmospheric, many players describe it as tedious, frustrating, and disruptive to the experience. Overall, the gameplay is often seen as simplistic, clunky, or inconsistent, with challenging platforming sections and poor controls detracting from the otherwise striking visuals and mood.

    • “The gameplay is a combination of first person platforming, that rarely becomes irritating, and a few standard puzzles.”
    • “The breathing mechanic is ingenious; it simultaneously adds challenge on top of already challenging sequences and helps you time your moves by creating a rhythm.”
    • “Naissancee juggles a number of curious gameplay mechanics (breathing to run; the treacherousness of light creating challenges in otherwise straightforward locations).”
    • “It really pains me to not recommend a free game that clearly has some effort and care put into it, but after the initial wave of wonder and intrigue wears off about the strangely beautiful architecture you are wandering through and the novelty of a breathing mechanic, all that's left is the frustration of managing said breathing mechanic while parkouring through the giant structures with inconsistent path hinting.”
    • “With such fan favourite tropes as: timed platforming, trial and error platforming, trial and error 1 hit kill mechanics, changing your character's movement parameters without warning from one level to the next, literal seizure rooms, atrocious mesh edge detection, the amazingly original endless staircase with nothing but walking while a 3 minute song plays, dead end sections, unskippable lengthy cutscenes playing out before every retry, no quicksaves and just a few hours of gameplay to finish this landfill.”
    • “Because of the name (and a certain mechanic) there are some speculations that it's some kind of origin story/karma/pre-existence, or maybe post-mortem state of being, but I think this interpretation is just too crude, literal and far-fetched.”
  • atmosphere
    555 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised as its strongest and most captivating element, characterized by a haunting, eerie, and surreal vibe that blends stark brutalist architecture with imposing megastructures and minimalistic design. The sound design and soundtrack significantly enhance this immersive experience, creating feelings of loneliness, tension, and wonder. While some gameplay aspects like platforming or pacing occasionally disrupt the mood, the rich, unsettling atmosphere consistently draws players into its mysterious and otherworldly world.

    • “Naissancee is an atmospheric masterpiece.”
    • “The atmosphere, the colors, the lighting, the gigantic, sterile megastructures, and the soundtrack; all blend together into an incredibly unique journey and experience.”
    • “Beautiful environment, great atmosphere, feels like art that can only exist in video games.”
    • “Unfortunately, all this praise about the atmosphere unfortunately comes with a warning - the aforementioned sections of gameplay can sometimes be very unpleasant.”
    • “The developers seem to really want you to not enjoy naissancee... from the floaty, sluggish controls to the frustrating 'am I supposed to go over here?' level design, this game will impress you with its atmosphere and tone, but frustrate you just as much with its rage-inducing platform gameplay.”
    • “Ruins any sense of atmosphere with bad checkpointing.”
  • music
    447 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in this game is widely praised for its atmospheric, haunting, and evocative qualities, perfectly complementing the surreal visuals and enhancing the player's sense of isolation, mystery, and unease. Composed mostly of experimental, minimalist, and sometimes dissonant tracks, the soundtrack is noted for its ability to shift moods from serene to intense, deeply immersing players in the game's abstract world. However, some find parts of the music unsettling or overly intense, with no in-game option to adjust volume, which can be frustrating for sensitive players.

    • “The music plays a huge role in that; beautiful and dissonant, reverberating and clean otherworldly soundscapes.”
    • “The soundtrack is incredible and throughout the entire game you're constantly overwhelmed by how insignificant you are in this labyrinth.”
    • “The soundtrack carries the game at any point where it may become tedious and also provides cues to let the player know when he's on track in the often-baffling puzzle sections.”
    • “The developer started with a solid idea and apparently had some kind of psycho break and/or went on a bender and decided terrible platforming, bumbling around in the dark or in a room so bright and flashing that my non-epileptic ass felt sick, and migraine-inducing music while doing frustrating platforming was a better way to go than continuing the really cool atmospheric descent through a megastructure the game started as.”
    • “The music can sometimes be so obnoxious to have to listen to that getting away from it might be the main motivating factor in getting through the current area or puzzle, since there's no way to turn it down or off in the game.”
    • “The soundtrack is even worse and the background music is often extremely annoying.”
  • graphics
    369 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are minimalist yet striking, featuring austere, brutalist architecture rendered mostly in monochrome with clever use of lighting that creates a deeply atmospheric and immersive world. While the visuals are widely praised for their scale, unique art style, and ability to evoke strong emotions, some players report issues like harsh lighting contrasts, limited graphics settings, performance problems, and occasional visual glitches. Overall, the game's aesthetic is its standout feature, delivering a surreal, haunting experience that many describe more as interactive art than traditional gameplay.

    • “The visuals and atmosphere are top-tier, with some excellent sound design, and the crushing vastness of the city that makes up the game's world is a surreal brutalist nightmare that has to be seen to be believed.”
    • “The visuals and sound design feels like a modern interpretation of an ancient long-lost Lovecraftian cityscape.”
    • “The visuals are kept simple and the music and sound design are not overpowering except in few places where it feels intentional and designed as such.”
    • “The graphics are simple and harsh, the lights are too bright or too dark, the movement unintuitive, even having to manage your character's breathing.”
    • “The game also refused to run in good fullscreen quality for me, so I had to play it windowed, grainy, and with anti-aliasing off; it took away from the intended aesthetics of clean geometry significantly.”
    • “The graphics options are way too lacking; the game was too laggy in the last section and impossible to complete unless you turn the resolution down.”
  • story
    280 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers minimal to no traditional story, relying heavily on abstract, environmental storytelling and player interpretation to convey meaning. While some players appreciate its haunting atmosphere and surreal journey, others find the lack of clear narrative, character motivation, or plot resolution frustrating or unsatisfying. Overall, the story is sparse and cryptic, serving more as a mood-setting backdrop than a structured narrative experience.

    • “Naissancee is a masterwork of visual storytelling with breathtaking environments that say a lot through projection, rather than explicit narrative.”
    • “The story, or lack thereof, is best experienced firsthand and left to interpretation, creating a unique, atmospheric journey rather than a traditional plot.”
    • “Most of the lore is told through environmental storytelling, leaving interpretation up to the player, which complements the game's abstract and surreal setting.”
    • “All that remains is all the tedium of a walking simulator combined with all the frustrations of a first-person platformer, with the moldering cherry on top being a stub of a story that has one setup cutscene and zero payoff.”
    • “End-of-game spoilers ahead: the finale was unfortunately so unenjoyable for me that I never finished it, especially after finding out there was no story-line conclusion to reward me for my troubles.”
    • “Some environment puzzles are annoying, or outright hostile to do (pulsing lights); game decides to create some kind of story half way through, but the "story" and the ending are pretty bad.”
  • emotional
    53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a profoundly emotional experience marked by feelings of isolation, existential dread, and smallness in a vast, alien world. Its minimalistic design and haunting atmosphere evoke intense anxiety, loneliness, and awe, creating an unforgettable and deeply personal journey that resonates beyond typical gameplay. While some players experienced discomfort or nausea, many found its emotional impact powerful, poignant, and uniquely moving.

    • “Certain sections of this game made me feel like nothing ever has before, except maybe one singular moment at the end of Outer Wilds.”
    • “Existentially terrifying at parts, and incredibly touching at others, the game is so incredibly versatile and poignant.”
    • “Just an impeccable vibe, S tier environmental storytelling and an incredible, if inexplicable emotional impact.”
  • grinding
    53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious and sometimes frustrating, featuring repetitive platforming, trial-and-error deaths, and a demanding breathing mechanic that interrupts flow. While some find occasional puzzles and atmospheric exploration rewarding, many players feel the gameplay elements hinder immersion and feel like padding rather than engaging challenges. Overall, the grinding detracts from the experience for those not already inclined toward exploration-heavy, artsy walking simulators.

    • “You will spend more of that time being annoyed by bugs, graphical glitches, unbearably boring puzzles, and the worst and most tedious platforming physics you'll ever set your grubby little mitts on, than you will actually exploring the game's environments.”
    • “Naissancee is one of the most tedious games I have ever played.”
    • “Once that's gone, it's tedious FPS platforming in the dark with plenty of backtracking, getting lost, and restarting from checkpoints that are waaaay too far apart.”
  • stability
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Stability in the game is a significant issue, with frequent bugs, glitches, and freezing that disrupt gameplay, especially during platforming and physics-based segments. Performance problems, including low FPS and graphical glitches, are common unless running on high-end hardware, and the automatic save system can cause frustrating pauses. While some players manage to play without crashes, the overall buggy experience and inconsistent physics often hinder enjoyment.

    • “I was surprised to see that it ran pretty well on my potato laptop, no lag, no freezes, no abysmal loading times, quite a good start.”
    • “The automatic saving system sometimes initiates way before the actual difficult part starts, and the game freezes for several seconds each time you load into the save (although save points are abundant and even the hardest parts aren’t that hard—even my incredibly impatient self wasn’t bothered too much).”
    • “Great graphics, atmosphere and music, but your GPU and eyes are going to suffer (low FPS and freezes all the time, even when the game is just a pile of cubes. Get at least GTX 1060 to play this on 720p; I play it on 1050 Ti and it's barely playable. Don't trust the requirements on the Steam page).”
    • “You will spend more time being annoyed by bugs, graphical glitches, unbearably boring "puzzles", and the worst and most tedious platforming physics you'll ever set your grubby little mitts on, than you will actually exploring the game's environments.”
  • optimization
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from poor optimization, with frequent lag, stuttering, and inconsistent performance even on high-end PCs, leading to frustrating gameplay especially during demanding sections. Several users report issues like low FPS, platforming difficulties, and unresponsive settings, which detract from the otherwise impressive artistic and atmospheric experience.

    • “This game has an amazing presence, it makes you feel isolated in the largest spaces ever; I wish I could continuously feel that if the performance was not so spotty.”
    • “Also, if the game does not run smoothly (game laggy and fps are in the 20s), some platform sequences are nearly impossible to do.”
    • “[*]PC performance: nicely optimized.”
    • “The game might have a good vibe and all, but it is very poorly optimized; the options menu is one of the worst I have ever seen, and the gameplay is not intuitive.”
    • “I run a pretty high spec PC with a 2060 that should be able to run most games, but this game just is so unoptimized.”
    • “Very atmospheric, but seems to be poorly optimized (<30fps and/or vsync doesn't work, lots of tearing), and feels very untested.”
  • replayability
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability for this game is generally low, with most players noting its short length and limited reason to replay beyond exploration or minor variations. However, some appreciate the atmospheric environments and social play aspects that add occasional extra value. Overall, it’s recommended mainly for a single playthrough, often at a discounted price.

    • “Definitely a great replay value, would recommend playing this game with your friends while in a dark room, adds a lot of extra fun.”
    • “It can be a long trek, or a shorter one depending on if you get lost a lot (whether literally getting lost, or just admiring the expansiveness and beauty of the environments.) There is some replay value to it just because of the environment and ambience, but if you've got the puzzles down it can lose its appeal fast, like other puzzle games.”
    • “As for replayability, trying to speed run it could be quite entertaining.”
    • “Not replayable.”
    • “I think it would be worth 9.99 tops, there is zero replay value to the game.”
    • “8.5/10.. wonderful indie game... not for everyone and really don't have any replay value.”
  • humor
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users appreciate the game's humor for its clever and amusing ideas, such as playful environmental details and developer jokes that add lighthearted moments amid a mostly tense atmosphere. While not heavily dialogue-driven like some titles, the humor shines through in unexpected touches and creative scenarios.

    • “This is where they go when they're deleted, and now they are getting their revenge on you – honestly, a fantastic idea, both funny and makes a lot of sense lol.”
    • “While the game has you feeling on edge and unsettled throughout most of it, there were times that made me laugh or smile too.”
    • “I liked the developer's sense of humor, including a 'Curiosity Killed the Cat' area.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect is divisive, with some appreciating the game as a free, no-purchase experience from an independent developer, while others criticize it as an unfinished, cash-grab product despite its puzzle game labeling.

    • “I think people should consider this is a free game from one developer with no monetization whatsoever just to share an experience.”
    • “This is not creativity, this is an alpha version of an unfinished idea and a cash grab, nothing more.”
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5h Median play time
4h Average play time
3-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 11 analyzed playthroughs
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NaissanceE is a platformer game with horror and science fiction themes.

NaissanceE is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing NaissanceE.

NaissanceE was released on February 13, 2014.

NaissanceE was developed by Limasse Five.

NaissanceE has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked NaissanceE for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

NaissanceE is a single player game.

Similar games include Kairo, Manifold Garden, BLACKSHARD, Antichamber, Lifeless Planet and others.