Otherskin

About

Otherskin is a single player shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Game Atelier and was released on September 2, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Otherskin is a single-player science fiction shooter where you play as Alex, the 13th volunteer on a deadly mission to uncover the source of a universal Corruption on Planet Vandermire. Equipped with a unique AI-powered suit, you absorb alien morphs to gain new abilities and upgrade your gear while striving to survive and gather crucial data. The intense, fast-paced campaign takes about two hours to complete.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

atmosphere3 positive mentions

story4 negative mentions

Otherskin features a unique morph ability system that enhances gameplay variety and exploration, allowing players to absorb powers from defeated enemies.
The game offers creative level design with diverse environments and engaging puzzles, providing a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic action-adventure titles.
Combat is enjoyable, with a smooth transition between ranged and melee attacks, and an upgrade system that encourages exploration and resource collection.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including frequent crashes, stuttering, and poor optimization, which can disrupt the gameplay experience.
The story lacks depth and immersion, with minimal character development and a simplistic narrative that fails to engage players fully.
Some gameplay mechanics feel unrefined, with clunky combat and navigation, as well as a lack of meaningful backtracking or exploration typical of the metroidvania genre.

gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
Otherskin features a mix of solid and enjoyable gameplay mechanics, including a unique morph ability system and various environmental interactions that enhance exploration and puzzle-solving. While the game offers a variety of themes and creative mechanics, some players feel it lacks innovation and cohesion due to its segmented level design and reliance on borrowed concepts. Overall, it has received positive feedback for its ambition and atmosphere, though some players note the need for refinement in gameplay mechanics.
- “I love the morph mechanic and the upgrades, like how you have to upgrade to have an attack combo.”
- “These range from fairly standard things like high jump and glide (via insect wings) and grapple (using a toad-like tongue), to more exotic things like time manipulation to restore destroyed structures and platforms, or manipulating the environment with things like electricity, acid, sonic pulses, etc. Each level is designed around a specific theme, and there's quite a bit of variety and unique mechanics in each, being used in both traversal and puzzle-solving.”
- “The AI-powered suit guiding Alex enhances gameplay with environmental scanning and adaptive combat support.”
- “So, suffice to say that going into this game I had some high expectations on the gameplay side of things at least, and unfortunately the game utterly failed to live up to them.”
- “Almost every game mechanic or level design is borrowed from another game and the gameplay doesn't really feel creative or innovative.”
- “I stopped playing because neither the story nor the gameplay hooked me.”
story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
70%
17%
The story centers on Alex, a soldier/researcher on a mission to combat a mysterious corruption threatening humanity, but it suffers from a lack of depth and character development, with minimal world-building and dialogue issues. While the premise is intriguing and the narrative delivery is professional, many players find the execution lacking, with bugs and crashes detracting from immersion. Overall, the straightforward plot may appeal to some, but it leaves others wanting more in terms of engagement and polish.
- “The story places you directly in the role of a volunteer who knowingly accepts a mission that will almost certainly claim her life.”
- “Humanity’s survival depends on learning how to fight it, and your mission is to secure that knowledge, even if it costs you everything.”
- “Players control Alex, a space explorer on a solo mission to investigate the mysterious corruption spreading on the alien planet Vandermire.”
- “The story exists, but it lacks deeper lore and world-building details.”
- “Plus, outside of her and her AI companion, there are literally no other characters, so there is basically no story despite the premise.”
- “Dialogue is bad and I'm not sure what's actually going on story-wise.”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
58%
24%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting various glitches, stuttering, and performance issues that worsen as they progress. While some users noted improvements in later levels, many recommend waiting for patches, especially for those with lower-end hardware. Overall, the consensus is that the game requires better testing and optimization to enhance the overall experience.
- “However, it seems that the performance improved over the next few levels, as the game was running mostly smooth at my 60 fps cap for the last few levels that I have played through.”
- “At least for the time being, I can only recommend this game to players who have some beefy gaming hardware at their disposal, and if you're stuck with some potato hardware, I recommend waiting and checking back in a few weeks or months to see if the devs managed to improve the performance issues that are present right after the game's release.”
- “Assuming the bugs and performance get patched though, it's otherwise just a good bit of fun.”
- “The downside is: this game badly needs better testing and optimization.”
- “The further into the game you get, the worse it gets (performance and bugs) meaning your first two hours will be stuttery and maybe the odd bug, but the remaining 3-4 hours will be rough as hell.”
- “So, yes to get it out of the way, this game does have a fair bit of the jank, and some pretty serious performance problems in a few select spots where the game literally hung for a couple seconds frequently until I could maneuver out of the zone.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The atmosphere of "otherskin" is highly praised for its immersive alien biomes and diverse enemy designs, offering a visually appealing experience that surpasses many indie titles. The game effectively combines atmospheric storytelling with innovative gameplay mechanics, making it a strong recommendation for fans of sci-fi shooters. While it may not reach AAA polish, its ambition and strategic gameplay contribute to a compelling overall atmosphere.
- “If you’re a gamer who values atmosphere, storytelling, and mechanics that reward strategy over mindless grinding, then this game deserves a spot on your list.”
- “Visually, Otherskin offers atmospheric alien biomes and diverse enemy designs with a mid-budget polish that surpasses many indie titles.”
- “Immersive atmospheric alien worlds and narrative drive.”
- “Overall, Otherskin has received mostly positive feedback for its ambition, mechanics, and atmosphere, though it sits slightly below AAA polish.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The graphics received mixed reviews, with some players finding them decent but outdated, reminiscent of games from 15 years ago, while others praised the visuals and lighting as gorgeous, contributing to an enjoyable experience. There are mentions of glitches and a desire for future upgrades, indicating that while the graphics are satisfactory, they could benefit from enhancements.
- “The visuals and the lighting are gorgeous, the combat is somewhat fun, and the world design is genuinely sublime.”
- “The visuals are decent — not impressive, but they get the job done.”
- “Boring game and the graphics are from 15 years ago!”
- “Slightly glitchy, but still an enjoyable game that desperately needs new game plus or DLC in the future along with some graphics upgrades.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including glitches like clipping, enemies continuing to attack post-mortem, and frequent performance stutters, even on high-end hardware. While players find the gameplay enjoyable, the overall optimization is criticized as poor, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “The main issue I have is really with some of the jank and glitches I encountered, such as clipping into objects, enemies still attacking after death, and poor performance at times for seemingly no reason (thankfully no crashes).”
- “I know UE5 has a reputation for poor optimization, but there's no excuse for 3-4 second stutters and freezes while parkouring in combat with an RTX 4090 and i9 13900K.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is extremely buggy and janky.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while the game features impressive stage design and unique monster bosses, the grinding aspect can feel tedious, particularly with humanoid enemies. Players who prefer strategic gameplay and immersive storytelling may find the grinding less appealing, as it often involves repetitive actions rather than engaging mechanics.
- “The monster bosses are pretty unique (though typically you need to aim for weak spots to stun & whale on them), while more humanoid ones can feel a bit tedious.”
- “If you’re a gamer who values atmosphere, storytelling, and mechanics that reward strategy over mindless grinding, then this game deserves a spot on your list.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The music and voice levels in the game are reported to be too low, leading players to feel they missed out on the soundtrack and important dialogue, which they only noticed through subtitles.
- “I feel like I missed out on the soundtrack and some of the voice dialogue, which I only became aware of because of the subtitles.”
- “The voices are very low, and the music is very low.”
- “I sort of feel like I missed out on the soundtrack and some of the voice dialogue, which I only became aware of because of the subtitles.”