Never Again
- August 31, 2017
- Primary Games
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Never Again" is a narrative-driven first-person shooter set in an alternative 1960s world. The game follows the story of a member of a resistance group fighting against a totalitarian regime. Players will engage in thrilling gunfights, solve puzzles, and make decisions that impact the narrative outcome. It offers a unique blend of action, adventure, and stealth, with a profound story that explores themes of freedom, oppression, and morality.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a captivating and emotional story that resonates deeply with players, making it a memorable experience.
- The atmosphere, music, and art style are beautifully crafted, enhancing the horror elements and immersing players in the game world.
- The puzzles are challenging and engaging, providing a good mix of difficulty that keeps players invested in the gameplay.
- The controls can be clunky and frustrating, making certain gameplay mechanics difficult to navigate, especially during tense moments.
- Some puzzles are overly obscure or require excessive trial and error, leading to frustration and a feeling of being stuck.
- The game can feel short and may leave players wanting more content, as well as having some bugs that affect the overall experience.
- story97 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story is a complex and emotional narrative centered around a young girl named Sasha Anders, exploring themes of trauma and personal struggle, particularly related to her asthma. While some players found the storytelling engaging and impactful, others criticized its clarity and pacing, noting that key plot points are often revealed only at the end, leaving the narrative feeling opaque. Overall, the game is praised for its atmosphere and depth, though it may require players to piece together the story through environmental cues and collectibles.
“The story is deep, emotional, exceptional, dark, and important.”
“The storyline starts off cryptic with subtle hints but the ending reveal is excellent and hard-hitting.”
“The story-telling, the graphics, and some sections were lovely.”
“The story kind of sucked and the ending felt like they just needed to come up with a way to explain away a lot of nonsense, and instead of just coming up with something straightforward, they decided to tie it into a WWII story.”
“You can't really feel connected to the story; they tried to tell the dramatic story of a little girl who suffers from asthma, but they are far away from depicting it well.”
“However, the entire lead-up to the end is very opaque; some major plot points are left out until the very end, and this is all taking into account that you've read the in-game memories and notes.”
- gameplay41 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique mechanics and puzzle-solving elements, while others criticize the controls and overall execution as frustrating and janky. Many found the atmosphere and story compelling, but felt that the gameplay often detracted from immersion, with some puzzles being buggy or poorly designed. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects, the gameplay experience can be inconsistent and may not appeal to everyone.
“The gameplay was pretty good; I liked some of the puzzles and the extra secrets you can find throughout.”
“The controls and mechanics are great, and the puzzles are really cool.”
“Gameplay: I liked a lot the combination of puzzles and wandering with the mix of suspense and creepy moments.”
“The controls were difficult and the gameplay was weak.”
“Cons: the controls and overall mechanics were super janky and frustrating.”
“It was so irritating and the mechanics were so unfit for it that I lost the whole immersion and that last beautiful scene wasn't as intense as it was supposed to be for me.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful and atmospheric visuals that enhance the gameplay experience. However, some players find the graphics to be mediocre or disappointing, citing inconsistencies in design quality across different areas. Despite these criticisms, several users highlight the attention to detail and the effective use of lighting, contributing to a generally positive perception of the game's visual presentation.
“The graphics are great and there are plenty of scary moments.”
“The visuals are gorgeous and play very nicely in developing the atmosphere.”
“Amazing graphics, attention to detail, and music; I cannot wait for the full release to stream!”
“The visuals are just... well... I would say 'disappointing' if I were 20 years in the past, so maybe let's not word it out even more harshly.”
“I think it's simply mediocre with atrocious visuals.”
“- graphics are terrible.”
- music27 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a mixed response, with many praising its atmospheric and beautiful qualities that enhance the overall experience, while others criticize the sound mixing and repetitive background tracks that detract from immersion. Some players found the soundtrack to be a standout feature, contributing to the game's emotional depth, though there were suggestions for better integration with gameplay to maintain suspense. Overall, the music is often highlighted as a strong point, despite some technical flaws.
“A nice touch that helps set a tender, melancholic atmosphere when playing alongside the gentle music in the background.”
“Ratchet up the tension to a cortex-frying shock with a finely executed audio presentation that features excellent atmospheric ambiance, foreboding piano-leaned music, and reserved voice acting from the main character.”
“The soundtrack was beautiful and I really loved the mechanics of the game.”
“Continuous background music was really annoying; it also takes away the immersion effect.”
“They tell us to play with headphones for a more immersive experience when the sound design is extremely low quality, with looping music, voices too low, enemies that sound far away but they're right around the corner, and sections that are too awkwardly silent.”
“Some shoddy sound mixing towards the end - in which the voice-over is almost completely submerged by overzealous music - doesn't help matters either.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its compelling and immersive qualities, effectively blending grim visuals with haunting music to create a melancholic and suspenseful experience. Reviewers noted that the atmosphere enhances the horror elements, with well-executed scares and a captivating ambiance that keeps players engaged, despite some gameplay and puzzle design criticisms. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“There is a certain atmosphere with the game environment that compels me to uncover what the story is really about.”
“A nice touch that helps set a tender, melancholic atmosphere when playing alongside the gentle music in the background.”
“Ratchet up the tension to a cortex-frying shock with a finely executed audio presentation that features excellent atmospheric ambiance, foreboding piano-leaned music, and reserved voice acting from the main character.”
“The horror elements were more based on the atmosphere than anything, but also chase sequences and good use of jump scares.”
“But overall, the game has a decent storyline and horror atmosphere, and the puzzling level is neither too different nor too easy.”
“I thought the atmosphere is very well done.”
- emotional11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a deeply impactful and often heartbreaking narrative that evokes strong feelings, ranging from terror to profound sadness. While some players felt a lack of connection to the protagonist, many praised the story's exceptional depth and its ability to deliver a powerful message, culminating in a heart-wrenching conclusion that resonates long after the game ends. Overall, the experience is described as both unsettling and moving, leaving a lasting emotional impression.
“The story is deep, emotional, exceptional, dark, and important.”
“Never before has a game gone from spooky to weapons-grade heart-wrenching like the way this game did.”
“The message is very clearly delivered at the end of the game, a concise statement held in mutual agreement with the player after the emotional ending.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overwhelmingly tedious and frustrating, with repetitive puzzles, annoying monsters, and unpredictable boss AI contributing to a lack of enjoyment. Overall, the experience is marked by a sense of monotony and difficulty that detracts from the gameplay.
“Although, oh boy, that section got super tedious super fast...”
“The puzzles are tedious, the monsters are annoying, and the stealth is nonexistent.”
“It was tedious, it was boring, it was frustrating.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in this game is minimal and not suited for those seeking lightheartedness or comedic relief, as it leans heavily into horror themes rather than offering laughs or a cheerful conclusion.
“Although if you're looking for a game that'll give you some laughs, inside humor, and a happy ending... this isn't the horror trip you are after.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game experiences some stability issues, particularly with buggy pickup physics that can be frustrating for players. Despite these problems, the engaging storyline and eerie atmosphere keep players invested as they anticipate future chapters.
“It's a little bit frustrating at times due to the pickup physics, and it is buggy, which affects the overall experience.”
“The game suffers from frequent crashes and stability issues that make it hard to enjoy the storyline.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted gameplay, making it difficult to stay immersed in the experience.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the quality of character design.
“The character development is incredibly rich and engaging, making each character feel unique and memorable.”
“I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, with their backstories and motivations being deeply explored.”
“The depth of character arcs adds a layer of emotional investment that keeps me hooked from start to finish.”
