Noita

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 78,372 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • humor
Noita Game Cover
If the worst thing you can say about a rougelite is that it kills you, then Noita can’t be that bad. I’m a big fan of this game and can’t wait to play some more.
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"Noita is a magical action roguelite where every pixel is physically simulated, allowing for destructible environments and unique interactions. Create your own spells to fight enemies and manipulate the world, as you explore procedurally generated environments in search of unknown mysteries. Death is permanent, so use your knowledge and skills to delve deeper in each playthrough."

  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 78,372 reviews
gameplay2,413 positive mentions
grinding354 negative mentions
  • gameplay6,656 mentions

    Noita's gameplay is characterized by its intricate mechanics, particularly the wand crafting system, which allows for a vast array of spell combinations and emergent gameplay. Players experience a steep learning curve, as the game offers minimal guidance, requiring them to learn through trial and error, which can lead to frustrating yet rewarding moments. The combination of a fully simulated pixel environment and a roguelike structure creates a unique and challenging experience, where each run feels distinct due to procedural generation and the unpredictability of interactions within the game world.

    • “Noita is an incredibly complex and fascinating game where you play as a sorcerer navigating through a procedurally generated world full of enemies, traps, and treasures, using a variety of spells that you can customize on your wands to create unique and powerful combinations. The game's pixel-based physics engine means that almost everything in the environment can be interacted with or destroyed, leading to endless possibilities and strategies.”
    • “The wand-building mechanic is a deep and complex system that allows for a wide variety of playstyles. The thrill of experimenting with different combinations and discovering potent synergies is a core part of the experience, making each run feel unique and engaging.”
    • “The gameplay loop is incredibly satisfying, as you explore new biomes filled with challenges and secrets. Each death teaches you something new about the game's mechanics, encouraging you to adapt and improve your strategies, which keeps you coming back for more.”
    • “Overall the gameplay feels too simplistic: jump, point and shoot through a randomly generated cave complex.”
    • “The gameplay loop is this: you go down into the mountain to get a good wand and spells then you spend 15 minutes digging up to get out of the mountain to fight the 'secret bosses' and find the orbs since that is like 70% of the game's content which is annoying by itself since you can edit wands only in select places which bars you from editing the stronger wand you got from the boss or trying out new spells unless you wanna take a 20-minute journey again to one of the editing areas.”
    • “The game is very challenging, and has a unique permadeath mechanic. Even as you learn mechanics, it does not feel like your increasing skill is allowing further progression, rather it feels more like you just need to get the right resources and hope it works out.”
  • graphics1,417 mentions

    The graphics of Noita are characterized by a charming pixel art style that effectively complements its complex gameplay mechanics. Players appreciate the detailed environmental interactions and the impressive physics engine, which allows for dynamic destruction and unique spell effects, creating a visually engaging experience. While some users find the low-resolution graphics challenging at times, many agree that the overall aesthetic and artistic direction enhance the game's immersive qualities.

    • “Great graphics, engine, and sense of discovery.”
    • “The art style is incredible.”
    • “Noita has a lot of great things going for it: gorgeous pixel-style graphics, tight controls, and great enemy design.”
    • “I did enjoy level 1 and 2 but after that, it just became a shit show and with the unknown reasons of getting completely stuck (no flight power) and mixing of graphics, it makes it hard to know what's happening and when you die by it, you don't know what to 'improve' so you are stuck with 'well you can't improve' in which case, there is no reason for me to play.”
    • “While noita has pretty and shiny pixel graphics, its steep learning curve makes it hard to enjoy for the average player.”
    • “There is no fun in dying to a pixel you can't even see because the graphics are bad.”
  • humor1,350 mentions

    The humor in "Noita" is a standout feature, characterized by its chaotic and unpredictable nature, leading to countless hilarious deaths that players often find more amusing than frustrating. The game encourages experimentation with spells and wands, resulting in absurd and comical outcomes, such as dying from one's own creations or unexpected environmental interactions. Overall, players appreciate the blend of dark humor and slapstick moments, making each run a unique and entertaining experience filled with laughter.

    • “So much fun, had me laughing when I died in so many different ways.”
    • “There's a billion ways to die in this game in astonishing and hilarious ways.”
    • “You will get shot, burned, blown up, polymorphed into a worm, get stuck in walls, killed by your own wand or die in any of the hundreds of other unexpected, insane and hilariously frustrating ways.”
    • “There are so many secrets in this game, it's not funny.”
  • replayability1,332 mentions

    The game "Noita" boasts exceptionally high replayability, with many players praising its procedural world generation, diverse spell and wand customization, and the multitude of secrets to discover. The combination of challenging gameplay, randomization, and an active modding community contributes to an experience that feels fresh and engaging with each playthrough. While some users noted a steep learning curve, the overall consensus is that the game offers nearly infinite replay value, making it a standout title in the roguelike genre.

    • “It is almost endlessly replayable, with many secrets to discover.”
    • “The infinite replayability and so many mods that exist make this one of my favorite games.”
    • “Noita has amazing replayability, you will practically never run out of new content to find and every run will be unique.”
    • “This game has no replayability.”
    • “However, after that initial noob hurdling of constant absurd deaths, I quickly realized this was not the replayability I was looking for.”
    • “For me, there is no replayability to this at all, which is quite important for me in these types of games.”
  • music878 mentions

    The music in Noita has received widespread acclaim for its unique and immersive qualities, with many praising the dynamic and psychedelic soundtrack created by the band From Grotto. Players appreciate how the music adapts to gameplay events, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience, although some note that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's enchanting and mysterious vibe.

    • “The dynamic psychedelic music works really well and adjusts appropriately with what's happening on screen, and the overall pixel-art graphic and sound design is also fantastic.”
    • “The soundtrack is amazing and puts you into a trance - as soon as you know it, what was intended as a 10 min play session turned into an hour.”
    • “The music is incredible, the wands are fascinating, and combat controls are great.”
    • “Game has no music to speak of.”
    • “Oh and the OST sucks, so load up your personal playlist, cause it's all bongos and trippy clarinets.”
    • “The only thing I really don't like is the music, feels like there isn't any at all but the game has an OST.”
  • story803 mentions

    The story in Noita is largely minimal and cryptic, with many players noting that it lacks a traditional narrative structure. Instead, the game offers a rich tapestry of environmental storytelling and hidden lore that requires exploration and often external resources, like wikis, to fully understand. While some players appreciate the emergent storytelling and the challenge of piecing together the lore, others find the lack of clear objectives and guidance frustrating, leading to a mixed reception regarding its narrative depth.

    • “Gameplay mechanics, graphics, and sound/music all come together to create a unique experience of environmental storytelling about hubris, greed, futility, and the ridiculousness of amassing riches, sudden and deeply unfair death, Faustian quests, the supernatural, and so much more - all done without any dialogue.”
    • “Noita is one of those games that doesn't tell you its story; it hides the lore throughout the world and waits for you to discover it and attempt to interpret it.”
    • “The story is hidden and fractured, making piecing together all the lore snippets feel like trying to solve a puzzle.”
    • “No story, no instructions, slow progression - I love roguelikes but this is trash. After 1 hour, I can tell I'm not going to like this.”
    • “There's a story and lore, but most of it is actually more indiscernible than FromSoftware's games.”
    • “The quests you can complete are optional and mostly very cryptic; you just need to follow clues that could be anywhere in the world.”
  • grinding390 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players expressing frustration over the need to repeatedly navigate the same early levels to progress. While some find enjoyment in the chaotic gameplay and wand experimentation, the overwhelming majority feel that the grind detracts from the overall experience, often leading to boredom and a lack of motivation to continue. The permadeath mechanic exacerbates this issue, as players frequently lose progress after long runs, making the grind feel even more punishing and unfulfilling.

    • “Great play if you want something with no grinding, just hop down in the dungeon and enter the action, mind the worms.”
    • “(No grinding for your character, which is nice, just play to have fun.)”
    • “There are also a lot of roguelikes that are considerably more compelling, which make repeat play not tedious.”
    • “All this might seem amazing on paper but it just turns out being really tedious and guess what when 70% of the game's content is a 'secret' it's not really a secret it's just a bunch of extra steps I have to take to actually play the game and it's not really that rewarding or cool when the only reason I even know about the secret is because some guy that data mined your game.”
    • “The gameplay loop is super fun, but the overall experience is simply not rewarding enough for me to give a recommendation - you spend most of the time on the first 2-3 levels grinding for gold and HP boosts, to get wrecked in level 4, 5 or 6 as creatures bum rush you the moment you step in the level.”
    • “After enough endless grinding and completion runs this game has become incredibly boring, I have no incentive to browse the wiki for weeks just to progress a tiny bit further and max out orbs, just for everything to do 10x base damage.”
  • atmosphere322 mentions

    The atmosphere in Noita is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack and detailed pixel art. Players appreciate the game's unique blend of mystery, tension, and environmental interaction, which creates a rich, dynamic world filled with secrets and challenges. The combination of procedural generation and a physics-based environment contributes to a sense of discovery and unpredictability, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.

    • “The atmosphere, the variety, the sound... it's all so well put together that I never tire of returning to this game.”
    • “The game's atmosphere, with its detailed pixel art and hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, creates a world that feels alive and immersive, drawing you into its depths and keeping you engaged even as you face seemingly insurmountable challenges.”
    • “The atmosphere is just about perfect, especially if you like retro style pixel art.”
    • “However, it is an atmosphere that you might very well hate.”
    • “At first glance, the game appears charming, but step through the mouth of that cave and you're quickly made aware that this is a very violent, unforgiving place - the very atmosphere of it as you delve deeper seems more claustrophobic and hostile with each gold nugget you wrench from your fallen foes.”
    • “Interesting concept but awkward controls and little atmosphere.”
  • optimization254 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players praising its ability to run smoothly even on lower-end hardware, while others report severe stuttering, crashes, and performance issues, particularly in resource-intensive scenarios. Many users express a desire for further optimization, especially given the game's complex physics engine, which can lead to significant performance drops during chaotic gameplay. Overall, while some players find it well-optimized for its ambitious design, others struggle with inconsistent performance that detracts from the experience.

    • “A beautiful work of art, the development process and the optimization process behind this game is honestly one of the most incredible things I've ever witnessed in a game.”
    • “Every single pixel is simulated, and yet the game runs fine on my laptop due to Finnish optimization wizardry.”
    • “This game is so good, and I find it incredible how optimized it must be to run smoothly on my low-quality laptop.”
    • “It is poorly optimized, leading to extreme latency spikes in routine gameplay (this PC was built in 2021 and upgraded in 2022).”
    • “Extreme performance issues make the game unplayable.”
    • “But the problem is that it's early access in its worst way - the game is very bad in terms of technical optimization at the moment - from low FPS (I play on a potato, of course, but other players also mentioned FPS drops) to literally full inability to play the game.”
  • stability202 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting significant bugs and frequent freezes that disrupt gameplay. While some users appreciate the unique mechanics and overall performance, they also highlight that the game can be unplayable at times due to crashes and glitches. Overall, it appears that while the game has potential, its current state is marred by instability issues that detract from the experience.

    • “The environment really is fully destructible, and it runs great considering how much there is to compute.”
    • “I play on garbage hardware and it runs great.”
    • “Runs great on Linux, by the way, if you use Proton.”
    • “The game is very buggy and FPS drops to almost zero constantly, even though my computer has requirements much higher than the recommended.”
    • “Game is too broken and buggy to be remotely playable.”
    • “The game freezes up (hard freeze) every couple of minutes for about 20-30 seconds at a time.”
  • emotional168 mentions

    The emotional experience of playing Noita is described as a tumultuous journey filled with frustration, joy, and heartbreak. Players often feel a deep investment in their runs, only to be met with sudden, unexpected deaths that evoke strong feelings of incompetence and emotional pain, leading some to express a desire to cry or take breaks from the game. Despite its brutal difficulty, many find the emotional highs and lows, coupled with the game's intricate mechanics, to be both rewarding and uniquely engaging, making it a memorable experience.

    • “This is the first game ever that made me feel like crying.”
    • “Noita is an emotional roller coaster and I love it.”
    • “I don't know if I will ever have the emotional fortitude to run this application again - but maybe in a few years, once I've recovered from the trauma inflicted by this game, I'll be ready to dive back in and explore all of the parallel worlds and secret realms that it has to offer.”
  • monetization22 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the absence of microtransactions and time sinks, while others criticize the reliance on ads and the feeling that the game is designed more for streaming revenue than player experience. Despite these concerns, many reviewers express hope that the game represents a shift away from typical cash grabs in the industry, though they note that its early access status leaves some features, like permanent upgrades, still unfulfilled. Overall, the monetization approach seems to detract from the game's potential as a creative and engaging experience.

    • “There's no time sink or microtransactions.”
    • “This game just feels like streamer bait, where it's only fun when a Twitch chat can decide whether you live or die, whilst you make money from ads watched by those that are gracious enough to sit through the ads in order to watch your downfall.”
    • “But their implementation is not graceful; it feels like something that's not purely a design decision but also a business decision to create free advertisement.”
    • “For a game that seemed to be advertising itself as a sandgame roguelike, it's really missing out on the freedom and creativity that one expects from classic sandgames.”
  • character development8 mentions

    Character development in the game is perceived as slow, especially in relation to its difficulty, leading to a sense of imbalance. In contrast, another game, Noita, lacks any form of character progression, resulting in repetitive gameplay despite its varied environments and physics. Overall, the reviews highlight a desire for more meaningful character growth to enhance the gaming experience.

    • “The gameplay is great and entertaining, the constant twists of the environment fighting back, and the diversity of the wands and magic of the character design all come together in an amazingly streamlined experience of game design.”
    • “Every run is a clean slate in terms of character development, which makes the game feel repetitive despite the randomness of environments and wonderful physics.”
    • “The rate of character development is kind of slow, at least when compared to the difficulty level.”
    • “The rate of character development is kinda slow, at least when compared to the difficulty level.”
    • “In Noita, every run is a clean slate in terms of character development, which makes the game terribly repetitive despite all the randomness of environments and wonderful physics.”
    • “There's no level progression or character development.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

Buy Noita

Play time

59hMedian play time
119hAverage play time
23hMain story
80hCompletionist
20-133hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 594 analyzed playthroughs

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