Overture

About

"Overture is a single-player Role Playing game that combines action-adventure and roguelike elements for intense and challenging gameplay. Explore vast randomly generated dungeons, engage in difficult boss fights, and collect an arsenal of weapons and loot. With 24 character classes and a chiptune soundtrack, Overture promises a delightful and immersive experience, but be warned: it will 'kick your butt and not apologize'."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 775 reviews

gameplay51 positive mentions

grinding61 negative mentions

Fast-paced and chaotic gameplay that keeps players engaged.
Variety of classes and characters to unlock, each with unique abilities.
Addictive nature encourages repeated playthroughs despite difficulty.

Visual clutter makes it difficult to see projectiles and enemies, leading to cheap deaths.
Grindy nature requires unlocking all characters before upgrades, which can be frustrating.
Difficulty spikes can feel unfair, especially during boss encounters.

gameplay
179 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
65%
7%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a chaotic and fast-paced experience, often described as a blend of roguelite and bullet hell mechanics. While some players appreciate the simplicity and addictive nature of the mechanics, many criticize the repetitive and grindy gameplay loop, leading to frustration and a lack of depth. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable moments and significant challenges, but its chaotic visuals and limited variety can detract from the overall experience.
- “A solid bullet hell roguelite with varied characters and great fluid gameplay.”
- “The gameplay itself is smooth, fast-paced, rewarding, and frustrating (in a good way).”
- “Fast-paced action, tons of deaths, challenging gameplay!”
- “The currency gain is so low, and the gameplay loop is so boring that you will spend a lot of your time trying to optimize getting enough currency per run rather than trying to complete the run itself.”
- “However, the boring gameplay loop and grindy nature of the game makes me feel the need to recommend against playing this game.”
- “The gameplay is so basic you've seen it all in the first minute.”
music
127 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
40%
2%
The music in the game has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising its catchy chiptune soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience. While some find the music repetitive or feel it doesn't match the game's quality, others highlight its high caliber and immersive qualities, making it a standout feature. Overall, the soundtrack is often described as energetic and fitting, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The music is great and varied enough to keep you from getting bored of it.”
- “The soundtrack is absolutely amazing and I hope they add more to it.”
- “Great 16-bit visuals are accompanied by an equally awesome soundtrack, add that with simple but addictive gameplay and you have a great game worthy of your time!”
- “For some reason, this game has music that's way higher caliber than the game.”
- “This game really doesn't deserve this music, and I have no idea how they got someone to compose a whole score for this game unless it was at gunpoint, which it most definitely was.”
- “The whole whopping 3 different loops I've heard in the whole game is kinda a letdown... being someone who is a music producer, I can make 3 cheap loops like the ones in this game in about 20 minutes... put more effort in, devs!”
graphics
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
57%
13%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the retro pixel art style and its ability to convey fast-paced action, while others criticize the cluttered visuals that can obscure gameplay. Many note that the graphics serve their purpose in a chaotic environment, but excessive particle effects and poor design choices can lead to frustration. Overall, the visuals are seen as adequate for the game's mechanics, though they may not appeal to those seeking high-quality graphics.
- “The graphics are clear-cut (which I think is important in 2D games) and the soundtrack is fantastic.”
- “There's nothing fancy going on here - the graphics are your typical 8-bit homage to retro gaming - but, visually, it still manages to dazzle just by the sheer amount of action happening on screen.”
- “Great 16-bit visuals are accompanied by an equally awesome soundtrack, add that with simple but addictive gameplay and you have a great game worthy of your time!”
- “Overture's muddle of sprites, decals, and graphical effects assault the senses and make it entirely too difficult to see what is happening.”
- “The graphics are unbearable; the screen is a constant smear of flashing colors and exploding particles that obscure everything else.”
- “Game graphics are so poor that it's almost impossible to differentiate between gameplay elements.”
grinding
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews overwhelmingly characterize the game as excessively grindy, with many players expressing frustration over the tedious and repetitive gameplay loop that requires significant time investment for minimal rewards. Critics note that the high upgrade costs and lack of engaging content contribute to a sense of monotony, making progression feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience. While some players appreciate the challenge, the consensus leans towards recommending against the game due to its grind-heavy nature.
- “However, the boring gameplay loop and grindy nature of the game makes me feel the need to recommend against playing this game.”
- “The classes all feel the same, upgrade prices feel too high causing most of the slow grindy feeling, and most of the floors have the same monsters feeling rather repetitive.”
- “But as you play more and more that feeling that you'll never get beyond the first three floors and are stuck grinding more infinitesimal stat increases that you know, deep down, will never give you the edge to win the game, gradually eats the fun out of the experience.”
replayability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
50%
11%
The game offers significant replayability due to its diverse range of characters and classes, each providing unique abilities and playstyles. While many players appreciate the variety and randomly generated dungeons that enhance replay value, some note that the grinding required to unlock characters may detract from long-term engagement. Overall, the consensus is that the game has high replayability, though individual experiences may vary.
- “Tough but extremely replayable.”
- “It's totally as they said: 'infinite replay value'.”
- “Hands down this game is awesome with 24 characters and random dungeons; it has lots of replay value.”
- “What is far worse though is that though the game has 'replay value', a lot of that comes from the large amount of grinding and the idea that each character has that grind.”
- “I would talk about replay value, because this game has a lot of it thanks to the massive amount of characters (many similar, never the same), but from what I have played I see that the amount of time spent to achieve the first victory is already high enough, because upgrades seem essential, so I don't know how many people would play it again with another character, if not just to try it out.”
- “[*] not a lot of replay value”
story
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
76%
12%
The game's story is largely criticized for its absence, with many players noting that there is no compelling narrative or motivation to engage with the gameplay beyond the action itself. While some appreciate the fun and straightforward mechanics, the lack of a meaningful storyline or backstory leaves many feeling uninvested and uninterested in returning to the game. Overall, the consensus is that the game prioritizes action over storytelling, resulting in a monotonous experience for those seeking a richer narrative.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “On the plus side, the action was good and I'd love this game if it had a less steep learning curve and more of a story.”
- “Black Shell's other game is SanctuaryRPG, and my first character's random-gen story/background stated that I 'cry easily over spilt milk, which makes fighting cow warriors particularly difficult.' Isn't that enough?”
- “The biggest drawback here is that there is only one game mode, and it doesn't have any particular story or motivation for the player to continue.”
- “There's no story whatsoever here; you pick a class and you go kill things.”
- “I've stopped playing it as there is nothing that particularly compels you to go back to it; you may find that you'll simply lose interest in the monotonous gameplay, and when that happens, there is nothing else (story, loot, etc.) to draw you back in.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The stability of the game is highly inconsistent, with some players experiencing frequent freezes and bugs that hinder progress, while others report a smooth, bug-free experience. Overall, the reviews reflect a divide between those facing significant technical issues and those who find the game stable and enjoyable.
- “I didn't encounter any glitches during my entire playtime.”
- “The game feels completely bug-free so far.”
- “Game freezes about a minute or two in and I have to alt+F4.”
- “Game seems to be rather buggy, couldn't even progress down the first floor.”
- “How many games regale you with their shiny water and copious offering of exposed breasts and then when you actually play them it's just a buggy, incomplete, boring trainwreck?”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's optimization is a significant issue, with players reporting severe frame rate drops, sometimes plummeting to single digits during intense moments. While some users acknowledge attempts by the developer to improve performance, the overall graphical optimization remains weak, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- “Very well optimized.”
- “The developer has tried fixing this, and it's usually fine but extreme activity will still cause performance problems.”
- “I'm giving this game a pass, not because it's balanced (it's not, 85% of the classes are complete jokes), and not because I think its itemization is well thought out (it's not; armor and rings could use perks like % to dodge or thorn damage to help balance the difficulty in your favor). Definitely not for being 'fair' as far as bullet-hell shooters go (having overhead objects blocking your view from what's coming, really? Oh, and gotta love those instant deaths from stuff that can happen before the stage even finishes loading, before you can move...). Even performance can suffer to single-digit FPS when enough stuff starts happening at once in the game.”
- “Fairly weak graphical optimization.”
- “The developer has tried fixing this, and it's usually fine, but extreme activity will still cause performance problems.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its comically random creature names, such as "Hilda the Disgruntled," and the amusingly unpredictable nature of its randomly generated maps, which keep the experience fresh and entertaining even after numerous playthroughs. Overall, players find the game to be both funny and enjoyable, enhancing its appeal alongside solid gameplay.
- “Each creature has a comically randomly generated name like 'Hilda the Disgruntled' or something of that nature, leaving this bullet hell style game at least a little humorous.”
- “Randomly generated maps make the game funny even after hundreds of replays.”
- “So Overture is pretty much funny to play, and I recommend this game to anyone.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for its frequent random popup ads promoting the developer's other titles, which detracts from the gameplay experience. While it lacks microtransactions, the presence of ads gives it an app-like feel that some players find off-putting.
- “Grindy as hell, random popup ads every so often (for their other games) after you die. It seems like it more belongs on the app store.”
- “Why are there ads for other games they made?”
- “It's very similar to Realm of the Mad God, but single-player and without microtransactions.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is generally viewed as lacking, with users expressing disappointment in its execution across various elements such as plot, graphics, and progression. The stages of character development are seen as underwhelming and fail to meet expectations.
- “It is not a masterwork of plot, graphics, character design, progression, or sound.”
- “Whatever these +5 stages in character development are, they're more disappointing than anything I could compare to.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration with the emotional impact of gameplay, noting that poor visibility during intense moments detracts from their experience. The constant threat of damage from enemies, even without direct attacks, adds to the stress and can lead to feelings of helplessness.