Odyssey - The Story of Science | Game Brain

Odyssey - The Story of Science Game Cover

Starting at $2.99Buy now

Odyssey is an enchanting and innovative science adventure game. Help Kai and her family escape their captors on the Wretched Islands - and learn the history of astronomy, mechanics, and scientific reasoning as you read Kai's journal and solve puzzles along the way!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 165 reviews

story15 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique educational experience, teaching players about astronomy and physics through engaging puzzles and a well-written journal.
The graphics and atmosphere are visually appealing, reminiscent of classic adventure games like Myst, creating an immersive environment.
The puzzles, while sometimes simple, are well-integrated with the narrative and provide a satisfying sense of progression as players solve them.

The game is quite short, with many players completing it in under three hours, leading to a feeling of an incomplete experience.
There is an excessive amount of reading required, with the journal often providing direct answers to puzzles, reducing the challenge and engagement.
The controls can be clunky and unintuitive, making navigation frustrating at times, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.

story
66 mentions
23 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's story is primarily conveyed through a diary with extensive entries, offering a mix of educational content and narrative, though many players find it lacking in depth and coherence. While some appreciate the charming and intriguing elements of the plot, others criticize it for being underdeveloped, implausible, or abruptly cut off, leading to a sense of incompleteness. Overall, the integration of puzzles with the story is noted as a positive aspect, but the execution leaves room for improvement.
- “The story is told through a diary, which has over 270 pages.”
- “The puzzles and ideas discussed are so well integrated into the story that it feels organic.”
- “Awesome story that integrates seamlessly with the puzzles.”
- “Boring story (if it can be called a story).”
- “Lastly, the main story that pulls you onto this island (suspected criminals potentially holding a girl and her family hostage) seems implausible the further you go along, just due to the way everything on the island is set up and the direction the main story suggests things were heading in prior to your arrival.”
- “The story had some tension, but it could be better if it were conveyed in other places than the journals.”
graphics
41 mentions
49 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their beauty and charm, particularly for an indie title, while others criticize them as mediocre or lacking polish. Some players find the visuals atmospheric and well-matched to the game's theme, while others note performance issues and primitive graphical structures. Overall, the graphics are generally considered good to very good, but there is a consensus that they could be improved further.
- “The developers combined the beautiful aesthetic of an island paradise with a charming story of a girl retracing some of the most important scientific discoveries in history.”
- “The graphics are beautiful (especially for such a small development team), and I really liked that the story was written from a child's perspective.”
- “It's extremely atmospheric and soothing, and the graphics are outstanding.”
- “The graphics are not good, and the movement/looking is janky.”
- “Mediocre graphics.”
- “I don't know what engine the game runs on but some of the graphical structures, like bushes and trees, are a bit primitive, and there's some audio errors where you sound like you're walking on sand wherever you go.”
gameplay
18 mentions
17 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is heavily criticized for being overly focused on reading and educational content, with many players feeling that it lacks substantial interactive elements and challenging puzzles. While the game offers an interesting premise reminiscent of Myst, the reliance on journal entries for puzzle solutions diminishes the overall gameplay experience, leading to a sense of frustration and disinterest among players. Some users appreciate the educational aspects and the integration of scientific concepts, but overall, the gameplay is seen as lacking depth and engagement.
- “To solve pretty much every puzzle, you’ll be using geography, mathematics, mechanics, physics, and primarily astronomy.”
- “If the mechanics of the game are nothing new to you, it’s still an interesting way of figuring out puzzles, and if these areas of science are something you’re new to, you’ll likely enjoy reading all about the real-world history everything is based on, from Aristotle to Ptolemy.”
- “The gameplay is reminiscent of Myst, though it is aimed at conceptualizing scientific ideas in an interactive way, rather than being a series of puzzles to be solved in a fictitious world.”
- “I appreciate the scientific and philosophical approach to games, but so far there's too little gameplay and too much reading.”
- “A Myst-like game with an educational twist is an interesting premise on the surface, but the educational aspect is too heavy-handed, with a journal that basically gives you the answer to each puzzle outright, resulting in gameplay that may as well not even be called 'gameplay'.”
- “I was reluctant but still willing to look past the fact that 90% of the 'gameplay' is reading journal entries.”
music
14 mentions
79 % positive mentions
7 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for being beautiful, relaxing, and well-suited to the exploration and puzzle-solving experience, enhancing the overall atmosphere. However, some players noted issues with the music cutting out abruptly when transitioning between areas and suggested that it could benefit from more variety and dynamic changes. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated, it may not stand out as exceptional compared to other elements of the game.
- “It was really pretty and the music was amazing.”
- “The game is beautiful, the music is relaxing and the puzzles are entertaining.”
- “Beautiful soundtrack wonderfully accompanies exploration and puzzle solving.”
- “It could have benefited from music changes, seeing the pirates or other things trapped behind you, and easter eggs hidden throughout the game, and possibly more than one option of tasks to complete instead of the linear strategy.”
- “What's bad is the lack of an index or page selection for the expedition diary book and quite sleepy music in places for reading and absorbing the missed knowledge.”
atmosphere
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its delightful and soothing qualities, enhanced by outstanding graphics and beautiful scenery. While it draws favorable comparisons to titles like Quern and the Myst series, some players feel that the overall experience is diminished by a lack of difficulty and content, impacting its value.
- “This is a delightful, atmospheric science-based puzzle adventure.”
- “It's extremely atmospheric and soothing, and the graphics are outstanding.”
- “I loved playing the game with its atmosphere and beautiful scenery.”
stability
4 mentions
25 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is mixed; while some players report a generally smooth experience with no crashes or glitches, others encounter bugs, including game-breaking issues and stuck characters, necessitating reloads. Frequent checkpoints help mitigate these problems, allowing players to resolve minor glitches by restarting.
- “A little bit buggy at times, but it has checkpoints that save relatively often, so quitting and re-entering will fix most of the glitches.”
- “And all of this is ignoring the occasional game-breaking glitches and clunky inventory controls that also plague this game.”
- “No bugs, no crashes, no glitches I observed; everything is running smoothly.”
optimization
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for inconsistent mouse sensitivity and micro-stuttering issues, leading to a mediocre overall performance. However, players on Linux report a smoother experience when using Steam Play tools.
- “Oh, by the way, if you play on Linux, this game runs smoothly using the Steam Play tools.”
- “There are constant odd inconsistencies with mouse sensitivity and micro-stuttering.”
- “Mediocre in performance, graphics, user interface, and storyline.”
grinding
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the extensive reading required, which can feel overwhelming, especially for non-native speakers. While some appreciate the educational value and engaging content, the slow pace of gameplay—averaging one minute for every 20 pages read—can detract from the overall experience.
- “Not necessarily bad, but for me very tedious since the gameplay is about 1 minute per 20 pages of book read.”
- “That means a lot of reading, which can be tedious, especially if you are a non-native speaker.”
emotional
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a mixed emotional response, with some players finding the story lacking and boring, while others appreciate the deep emotional investment and personal challenge that comes from engaging with the game's concepts, leading to a lasting understanding.
- “The emotional investment in the story, personal challenge to find an answer, and time spent on experimentation all leave you with such a thorough understanding of the concepts that they will be permanently ingrained in your mind.”
- “The game takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, making you feel deeply connected to the characters and their struggles.”
- “Every choice you make feels significant, and the emotional weight of those decisions lingers long after you've finished playing.”
- “The story is incredibly boring, if it can even be called a story.”
- “I felt no emotional connection to the characters or their struggles.”
- “The game failed to evoke any real feelings; it felt flat and uninspired.”
character development
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a lack of character development, as players note that there are currently no other characters on the island to interact with, resulting in a stagnant narrative experience.
- “There is no character development.”
- “As of now, there is no one on the island except yourself, so there is no character development yet.”