Out of Line
- July 7, 2021
- Nerd Monkeys
A simple yet enjoyable puzzle adventure game that will win you over with its charm.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Out of Line" is a 2D puzzle platformer set in a vibrant painted world. As the curious character San, you'll collect memories and help new friends while navigating through artistic challenges. This immersive game experience encourages exploration and self-discovery in a unique, hand-painted environment.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features stunning hand-drawn visuals and a beautiful soundtrack that enhance the overall atmosphere.
- Puzzles are engaging and well-balanced, providing a relaxing experience without being overly challenging.
- The story is conveyed through environmental storytelling, allowing for personal interpretation and adding depth to the gameplay.
- The game is quite short, with a playtime of around 3 hours, leaving some players wanting more content.
- Some mechanics, particularly the spear throwing, can be frustratingly imprecise, leading to occasional gameplay issues.
- The lack of a chapter select feature and auto-saving to a single slot can hinder achievement hunting and replayability.
- story22 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as intriguing and unfolds organically through the environment, offering a unique blend of silent storytelling and world-building. While some players appreciate its minimalistic approach and thematic exploration of life and growth, others feel it lacks depth and clarity, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay. Overall, the narrative is engaging and complements the puzzle mechanics, though some players wished for a richer story experience.
“The story is interesting as it unfolds during the game.”
“Its also a story about seeing and creating life and art in our otherwise numb and dead world wherever you can.”
“The story pushes you in and asks you to interpret it without too much handholding while completely avoiding text.”
“Silent storytelling and world building are present, but nothing groundbreaking.”
“The story mostly serves as context to keep the game going, and since the game is only about 2 and a half hours long, it serves its purpose.”
“The story tackles some themes surrounding growth and aging, although it leaves things a bit too vague to make any particular statement.”
- gameplay21 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by fun and varied mechanics that are easy to learn, making it accessible for newcomers. While some mechanics feel underutilized and there are occasional frustrations, such as an unresponsive rope mechanic, the overall experience is enjoyable and fluid, with a charming atmosphere and creative puzzles. The main spear mechanic is engaging, though players suggest improvements like aim-assist for a more natural feel.
“The learning curve is very small - none of the mechanics are too difficult to figure out - and I think this would be a perfect game to introduce non-gamers to.”
“There were fun mechanics to figure out, sometimes quickly, but never too challenging so the game flowed really well.”
“It's beautiful, relaxing, the fluidity of the motion mechanics is great and you don't even see the time passing while playing.”
“As well as a stupidly unresponsive rope mechanic introduced later in the game that killed me once or twice because of it.”
“Mechanics are introduced only to be abandoned later on, never to be used again, and while they do get developed when it's their time to shine, it never feels like they reach their true potential.”
“- a little short gameplay time”
- music10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and serene qualities, featuring a unique and personal soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the combination of ambient pieces with a strong sense of personality, complemented by excellent sound design and effects. The harmonious integration of music with the game's beautiful hand-painted art style creates an inviting atmosphere that encourages thoughtful gameplay.
“It's an adorable side-scroller with a hand-painted art style and a very nice soundtrack.”
“Sound-wise, the game is also top-notch, with a clear, sharp, and serene soundtrack that, while being comprised of mostly ambient pieces, imbues them with a very personal feeling, preventing them from feeling like your typical generic ambient drone.”
“The visual side is very strong as well as the music, both providing the player with the innerspace that many games discard in benefit of enhancing the aggressiveness ('don't think, shoot!').”
“Sound-wise, the game is also top-notch, with a clear, sharp, and serene soundtrack. While mostly comprised of ambient pieces, it imbues them with a very personal feeling, preventing them from feeling like your typical generic ambient drone.”
“If we come down to it, everything sound-related has a lot of personality, not just the soundtrack, but also the sound effects and sound design.”
“The visual side is very strong, as well as the music, both providing the player with the innerspace that many games discard in favor of enhancing the aggressiveness ('don't think, shoot!').”
- graphics6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a charming hand-painted art style that enhances its overall aesthetic quality, complemented by fantastic animations. While the visuals are generally beautiful, some interactive elements, like breakable branches and gears, lack the same visual impact. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a solid choice for players who appreciate artistic design.
“It's an adorable side-scroller with a hand-painted art style and a very nice soundtrack.”
“Not only do the visuals look charming, but the game also has some interesting concepts thrown in for good measure.”
“The graphic style is very painterly and beautiful, and the animation is fantastic.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beauty and immersive design, with many players highlighting the stunning art and engaging environment. While some feel that overly serious atmospheres can detract from enjoyment, the overall consensus is that the game successfully creates a captivating and enjoyable experience, complemented by interesting puzzles and companions.
“Amazing atmosphere and wonderful art.”
“Played one hour so far and I'm loving it; beautiful design and atmosphere, interesting puzzles, and amazing companions :) highly recommended!”
“Games that tend to take their own atmosphere too seriously always bother me.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
"Out of Line" is praised for its emotional depth, offering a beautiful and heartfelt experience that resonates with players. It is recommended for those seeking a casual yet impactful adventure.
“Out of Line is a great, beautiful, and emotional platform adventure.”
“I highly recommend this game if you're looking for a casual and heartfelt time.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players feel that the introduction of steam/wind activated fans in the later stages of the game leads to overly prolonged puzzles, causing the pacing to suffer and turning experimentation into a frustrating time sink.
“The addition of steam/wind activated fans towards the game's end means simple puzzles become drawn out, and the pacing grinds to a halt, turning experimentation with ideas into a punishing time sink.”
“Grinding in this game feels like an endless chore, where progress is painfully slow and the fun is sucked out of the experience.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes it feel more like a job than a game, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.”
Critic Reviews
Out of Line (Nintendo Switch)
Out of Line is a simple, sweet game with clever puzzles scattered through a beautifully dystopian steampunk setting that suffers only from its short length.
80%Out of Line Review (Switch)
Out of Line has a few strong points that make it an enjoyable experience: gorgeous 2D hand-drawn artwork and a dystopian soundtrack. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t offer a cohesive gameplay experience due to the lack of story or any narrative elements whatsoever. Everything is very vague and left for your interpretation, but not in a good way. The puzzles don’t bring anything innovative into the genre and they’re very easy to solve. Apart from a few that require a bit more attention, there’s nothing really challenging about Out of Line. But what doesn’t work for an average gamer who loves puzzles games may work very well for a younger audience just looking for some fun. Out of Line is a very short experience (it took me two hours to finish it), and while the length of a game shouldn’t define a game’s quality, I would’ve expected Out of Line to be at least a bit more fulfilling. That being said, I would recommend the game to those who aren’t looking for overly complex puzzles and a deep, meaningful story. Out of Line is one of those games that won’t challenge puzzle enthusiasts nor appease players looking for an appealing narrative.
65%Out of Line (Switch) Review
A basic puzzle-platformer with a beautiful hand-drawn style.
65%
