Out of Line

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 81 reviews

story15 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The hand-drawn art style is beautiful and creates a charming atmosphere, reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films.
The spear mechanic is unique and adds depth to the gameplay, allowing for creative puzzle-solving and platforming.
The game offers a relaxing experience with simple controls, making it accessible for non-gamers while still being enjoyable for seasoned players.

The game is very short, typically completed in under 3 hours, which may leave players wanting more content.
Puzzles are often too easy and lack challenge, which may disappoint players looking for a more engaging experience.
The story is vague and relies heavily on player interpretation, leaving many questions unanswered and potentially feeling incomplete.

story
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The game's story is primarily conveyed through visual elements and environmental storytelling, allowing players to interpret its themes of growth, hope, and rebirth in a post-apocalyptic setting. While some players appreciate the whimsical and vague narrative, others feel it lacks depth and clarity, serving more as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a fully fleshed-out tale. Overall, the narrative is engaging yet open to interpretation, with a unique art style that enhances the experience despite its minimalistic approach.
- “The story is told without words, only by the beautiful hand-drawn graphics of the game and all the paintings you see when playing.”
- “The story pushes you in and asks you to interpret it without too much handholding while completely avoiding text.”
- “For a 2-3 hour game, this is a fun straightforward puzzle platformer filled with relaxing scenery, innovative puzzles, gorgeous art design, and a vague but intriguing story.”
- “The story is textless and vague, as usual.”
- “It's hard to tell a story with no voice acting or text at all, not to mention when it involves elements like the ones portrayed here.”
- “Unfortunately, the story is told solely using artwork, which makes it feel incomplete.”
gameplay
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
67%
7%
The gameplay in "Out of Line" is characterized by its unique spear mechanics, which allow players to creatively navigate puzzles and platforming challenges in a visually appealing environment. While the game features a gentle learning curve and introduces mechanics organically, some players noted that certain mechanics feel underdeveloped or abandoned later on. Overall, the gameplay is engaging and accessible, making it suitable for both seasoned gamers and newcomers.
- “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.”
- “The game does a great job of adding mechanics to the game naturally and teaching the player each of them organically.”
- “Out of line is an incredibly good platforming game, the mechanic of using the spear to help you platform is a fun and unique idea making the game more enjoyable than other platformers.”
- “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.”
- “It ends too abruptly, it's a real shame, especially at the last part of the game where a new mechanic is introduced so you expect more challenging puzzles from then on.”
graphics
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
31%
10%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the charming hand-drawn art style and vibrant colors that create an engaging atmosphere. However, some users criticize the quality of the 2D visuals as amateurish and lacking in resolution options, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the unique aesthetic and smooth animations are highlighted as strong points, contributing to the game's appeal.
- “It's an adorable side-scroller with a hand-painted art style and a very nice soundtrack.”
- “The graphics are a joy to look at and the gameplay is not too hard, nor too easy.”
- “The hand-painted art style of the game is wonderful, reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films at times.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “Some complaints I would have is that giving a 2D platform game a 3D art style made some confusing elements for myself as a beginner.”
- “Unfortunately, the story is told solely using artwork, which makes it feel incomplete.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
32%
16%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming, atmospheric qualities, enhancing the emotional and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to complement the hand-painted art style and gameplay, with a mix of serene ambient pieces and more ominous tones that effectively convey the game's themes. Overall, the sound design, including sound effects, adds significant personality and depth to the gaming experience.
- “It's an adorable side-scroller with a hand-painted art style and a very nice soundtrack.”
- “The music is also really nice and calming and creates a really nice atmospheric and emotional vibe throughout.”
- “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 music is quite ominous and threatening, heightening the feeling of danger and desperation whilst trying to flee your prisoners.”
- “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, that while being comprised of mostly ambient pieces, it imbues them with a very personal feeling, preventing them from feeling like your typical generic ambient drone.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
8%
23%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful hand-drawn graphics, calming and immersive soundtrack, and emotional depth, creating a captivating and sometimes oppressive environment. Reviewers note the effective use of aesthetics to enhance the gameplay experience, with a mix of mysterious and dystopian elements that contribute to its overall appeal. However, some players feel that the focus on atmosphere may occasionally overshadow the challenge of the puzzles.
- “The music is also really nice and calming and creates a really nice atmospheric and emotional vibe throughout.”
- “Amazing atmosphere and wonderful art.”
- “Puzzle-platformer with beautiful hand-drawn 2D graphics, smooth animations, an atmospheric soundtrack that matches the gameplay, and a variety of different puzzles.”
- “Games that tend to take their own atmosphere too seriously always bother me.”
- “This creates a threatening, oppressive atmosphere.”
- “Specifically in the first chapter/stage, I often found myself unsure of where to go and sometimes jumping over obstacles that were simply there to add more atmosphere.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its calming and atmospheric music, which enhances the overall experience, despite some moments lacking inherent emotional depth. Players find "Out of Line" to be a beautiful and heartfelt platform adventure, making it a recommended choice for those seeking a casual yet emotionally resonant experience.
- “The music is also really nice and calming, creating a beautiful atmospheric and emotional vibe throughout.”
- “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 experience.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers minimal replayability, primarily limited to collecting achievements and trophies, with little incentive for players to revisit once completed. Overall, expectations for replay value should be low.
- “Even with achievements, there's not a lot of replayability.”
- “Other than to gather all collectibles for the trophy achievement, there is little to no replayability for this game.”
- “Don't expect any replayability.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization of "out of line" is criticized for its high price of around $8 USD, which many users feel is unjustified due to the game's defects and shortcomings, especially when compared to the abundance of free, higher-quality games available on Steam.
- “The monetization is out of line; the greedy cash grab price of around $8 USD is not worth it given the defects and shortcomings of the product, especially considering the sheer number of completely free, much higher quality games on Steam.”
- “The in-game purchases feel exploitative and detract from the overall experience, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “It's frustrating to see a game that could be great being held back by aggressive monetization strategies that prioritize profit over player satisfaction.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game has been criticized for its stability, with users noting that it is plagued by numerous bugs, which detracts from the overall experience and makes it difficult to recommend.
- “The game is a very by-the-numbers limbo-type experience, but it's hard to recommend due to its numerous bugs.”
- “It's unfortunate that the game is plagued with bugs, making it difficult to enjoy the otherwise interesting gameplay.”
- “The stability issues are a major drawback, overshadowing the game's potential and making it frustrating to play.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
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.”