OLDTV

About

"OLDTV" is a unique gaming experience, with a rating of 9.5/10 on Steam, that challenges your cognitive abilities. As a genius child, you must switch through every channel on the planet in a gamified stroop test, distinguishing between words and colors to the beat of a nostalgic soundtrack. The immersive gameplay promises a remarkable and exciting adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,475 reviews

music265 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

The game features a simple yet addictive gameplay mechanic that tests reaction times and cognitive skills.
The soundtrack is highly praised, enhancing the overall experience and keeping players engaged.
It's free to play, making it accessible to a wide audience, and offers a variety of achievements to unlock.

The game can be visually overwhelming, with flashing lights and effects that may cause discomfort or trigger seizures for some players.
There are complaints about the lack of clear instructions and tutorials, leading to confusion about gameplay mechanics.
Some players find the colorblind modes ineffective, making the game unplayable for those with color vision deficiencies.

music
395 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
32%
1%
The music in the game has been widely praised for its exceptional quality, with many reviewers highlighting the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. Described as catchy, immersive, and fitting for the gameplay, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's aesthetic and addictive nature. Overall, players appreciate the combination of engaging music and visuals, making it a memorable aspect of the game.
- “The soundtrack is absolutely wonderful.”
- “The music is beautiful, the gameplay, again while simple, is hard to really get used to.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing and the gameplay is simple to understand.”
- “The soundtrack is absurd.”
- “I played for less than an hour and the soundtrack was already feeling overly repetitive.”
- “The music is way too loud so I want to adjust the volume.”
gameplay
167 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
56%
4%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and addictive nature, requiring quick reflexes and concentration as players navigate through progressively challenging levels with new mechanics introduced over time. While the mechanics are easy to learn, they can become frustratingly complex, creating a satisfying balance of challenge and engagement. The game's aesthetic, soundtrack, and unique twists on basic gameplay elements enhance the overall experience, making it enjoyable despite its repetitive nature.
- “The DLC itself is fine, adds another bit of difficulty so going from the main game to the DLC is a steady climb which is nice, and it adds some more gameplay mechanics which round out the overall experience.”
- “Really fun in an infuriating way, tests your reaction times and adds weird mechanics that will surprise you and irritate you but it's actually really satisfying trying to beat the game and get through all the challenges it throws at you.”
- “The gameplay is fast-paced for sure that will get your brain running; I highly recommend playing this game, it's just 3 MB to download.”
- “The single worst gameplay idea I've ever seen.”
- “Overall it's a very well polished game and the mechanics and ways it tries to trick you are very clever, but in a skill-based game that relies on player speed the player should never fail because they were cheated, e.g. the game displayed information after the player had made a decision, or because the player was unaware of what was required to progress.”
- “But the gameplay is more annoying for me than it is addictive.”
graphics
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
42%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and aesthetically pleasing design, often described as glitchy and reminiscent of retro styles. While many players appreciate the immersive visuals and how they complement the gameplay and soundtrack, some have noted that the visuals can be overwhelming or headache-inducing at times. Overall, the combination of art style, music, and engaging visuals contributes to a fun and rewarding gaming experience.
- “The aesthetic is amazing and it's free; definitely recommend it.”
- “Amazing visuals and amazing music!”
- “The graphics are unique and phenomenal.”
- “But be warned, the visuals can be hard on the eyes.”
- “Purposefully disorienting visuals made me queasy and stressed.”
- “I wish I were able to play more of this game, but my computer isn't able to run it very well without it crashing, and by turning down the graphic features I feel would dilute the challenge it poses as well as the overview of the game itself.”
humor
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting the amusing achievements and quirky elements that enhance the overall experience. Many find the gameplay both challenging and entertaining, often leading to laughter, while the soundtrack and personality infused in the game contribute to its comedic charm. Overall, the blend of humor and engaging mechanics makes it a delightful and memorable experience.
- “There is also a lot of personality within the achievements, it adds humor and flair to the game.”
- “The sense of humor (especially on the achievements) is a nice touch.”
- “It's brilliant, funny, and addictive.”
story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
67%
14%
The game's story is minimal and often overshadowed by gameplay, with some players noting a lack of character development and narrative depth. While there are hints of a backstory and some intriguing elements revealed at the end, many reviewers feel that the story is either confusing or not fully fleshed out, leaving them wanting more context and coherence. Overall, the narrative is described as simplistic and mysterious, with some players appreciating the subtlety but others finding it lacking.
- “Although I wish there was a little more backstory with the girl that spoke when beating Africa, did she lose her mom?”
- “Although it got a lot of achievements and it's free to play, it is hard as hell and I was surprised to find out that it has a whole story behind it, not a long one but still cool.”
- “The game is very challenging and has a very simplistic and kind of mysterious story, which lured me to the game in the first place.”
- “Well, the game uses probably less than 50 words to give you a 'story' or label progression in the game, and it uses a solid amount of those to be racist when labeling continents.”
- “There's not really a storyline to it from what I've seen, but I've seen an audio clip that appears at the end from some research.”
- “No characters, story, just a game about mouse 1 and mouse 2 while looking at the glitching old TV screen.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
78%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort to achieve progress or unlock achievements. While some players find it manageable, many express that the repetitive nature of grinding can lead to boredom and fatigue, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Both aren’t the best thing, especially the grinding gets boring after a short time since it’s such a simplistic game.”
- “Not bad, but gets dull after a while as you just end up grinding for CP so you can skip channels to get the frequency achievements.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
13%
38%
Overall, the game is noted for its high replayability, particularly due to features like endless modes, additional paid DLC levels, and the potential for multilingual play. While some users mention limited replayability, many appreciate the challenge and enjoyment that encourages multiple playthroughs, especially for a free game. The combination of engaging music and visuals further enhances the replay value.
- “Great music, visuals, and replayability.”
- “Somewhat short but has plenty of replayability; there isn't much more I can ask of a free game.”
- “Tiny game with a ton of replayability.”
- “Free-to-play, lots of fun for at least 3-5 hours, endless mode, additional levels as paid DLC, maximum replayability.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with users highlighting its engaging soundtrack and immersive sound design that enhance the overall experience. The combination of lo-fi elements and nostalgic visuals contributes to a unique and enjoyable ambiance, making it stand out as more than just a typical mobile game. Players appreciate how the atmosphere fosters a competitive spirit, adding to the game's appeal.
- “The atmosphere and music really makes this game enjoyable.”
- “The atmosphere you set is perfect with the lo-fi and the old TV screen.”
- “This game takes a very simple concept that normally would be a crappy mobile game and turns it into a fun, atmospheric, and unique experience with a wonderful soundtrack.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game elicits strong feelings of frustration and self-doubt, with players expressing a sense of vulnerability and introspection. Many reviews highlight a mix of sadness and confusion, suggesting that the game effectively taps into deeper emotional struggles, leaving players feeling both special and inadequate. Overall, it resonates powerfully, prompting a cathartic experience that may lead to tears.
- “10/10 would recommend if you want to cry at how dumb you are.”
- “Simple controls, great music, and made me feel like I'm special, but not in a good way.”
- “This game made me feel like I might be color blind and stupid.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The monetization model of the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the absence of intrusive microtransactions and ads, especially for a free-to-play title. The downloadable content (DLC) is viewed positively, as it appears to enhance the experience without feeling exploitative. Overall, the game is considered enjoyable and fair in its monetization approach.
- “Well, a good one definitely was made to be enjoyable and it also doesn't have these annoying microtransactions.”
- “No microtransactions.”
- “My only problem with the app is that it has ads.”
- “A fun time considering that it is free-to-play and it's not shoving microtransactions down your throat.”
- “Well, a good one definitely was made to be enjoyable and it also doesn't have this hogwash microtransactions.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from notable performance issues, particularly on Mac systems, which detracts from the overall experience. Unlike similar titles, it lacks effective zoning options that could potentially enhance performance.
- “The only issues I have with the game are the poor performance.”
- “It definitely has performance issues on Mac, though.”
- “With other similar games, zoning out is possible and may lead to better performance.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game "oldtv" is noted for its stability issues, particularly visual glitches and distractions that can increase difficulty. Despite these flaws, players find the experience engaging and enjoyable, often appreciating the unique challenge it presents.
- “Increasing the difficulty with visual glitches and distractions while pumping catchy beats, it didn't take long for oldtv to be one of my favorite games to fill empty pockets of time.”
- “The human brain is filled with bugs and glitches, and you just found a way to beta test it for your preferred creationism, for free!”