Oxygen
- April 7, 2023
- Turquoise Revival Games
- 17h median play time
Get on Steam"Oxygen" is a strategy game where players must manage the Oxygen Center, a critical facility that generates oxygen through electrolysis of underground water, powered by coal. With the world's oxygen levels critically low due to a natural disaster, players must sustain humanity by producing and distributing oxygen while transitioning to more sustainable energy sources. The game offers good game mechanics and impressive graphics, ensuring an engaging and visually appealing experience for players.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and engaging concept, focusing on resource management and survival in a post-apocalyptic setting.
- The gameplay mechanics are well-designed, allowing for strategic planning and a satisfying sense of progression.
- The graphics and atmosphere are appealing, creating an immersive experience that keeps players engaged.
- The pacing can be slow, especially in the late game, leading to repetitive gameplay and a lack of clear end goals.
- There are several balance issues, particularly with resource management and the effectiveness of certain mechanics, which can lead to frustration.
- The user interface and some game mechanics are not intuitive, making it difficult for players to manage their settlements effectively.
- gameplay59 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the time management and strategy elements, while others criticize the shallow mechanics and lack of challenge. Key features like the oxygen management and tree mechanics offer strategic depth, but many find them poorly implemented or unbalanced, leading to frustration. Overall, while the game has solid mechanics and an engaging atmosphere, it suffers from repetitive gameplay and a lack of clear objectives, making it less appealing for some players.
“I love the gameplay mechanics; this is a good time management and strategy game.”
“The gameplay is incredibly fun and addictive, with a perfect balance of challenge and reward.”
“The gameplay mechanics are well-designed and intuitive, allowing players to immerse themselves in the game world easily.”
“There's honestly not much to it and the pool of gameplay elements is shallower than a kiddie pool.”
“It is a very basic city-building game with no increasing difficulty, easily obtainable infinite resources, and a lot of unexplained mechanics.”
“There isn't much that is new here and there are a few mechanics that are just frustrating, mostly how the energy scarcity and weirdly annoying production and consumption loops.”
- story26 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many reviewers noting that it consists mainly of an introductory cutscene and minimal narrative elements throughout gameplay. Players express a desire for a more developed storyline or campaign mode, similar to other titles like Frostpunk, which offer richer storytelling experiences. Overall, the absence of a compelling narrative detracts from the game's potential, leaving it feeling incomplete and lacking purpose.
“In addition to its engaging gameplay, the game also boasts a rich storyline that adds an extra layer of depth to the experience.”
“With its immersive atmosphere, innovative gameplay mechanics, and captivating storyline, it's a journey that will keep you coming back for more.”
“The game's storyline is engaging and thought-provoking, with various choices and consequences that keep the player invested in the game.”
“There is no campaign, no story to follow.”
“Finally, there is basically no story other than the introduction (which is... I lack the words honestly).”
“The major flaw is in the fact this game has no campaign and no story; the map pool is low and they don't really offer anything unique besides new landscapes.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the stunning visuals and intricate details that enhance immersion, while others criticize the outdated textures and low-budget design reminiscent of older titles. Technical issues, such as performance problems on certain graphics cards, also detract from the experience for some players. Overall, while the game features appealing art styles and solid visuals, it falls short of modern graphical standards.
“The visuals are stunning, with breathtaking landscapes and intricate details that make every moment feel like an adventure waiting to unfold.”
“The graphics are stunning, with detailed structures and environments that really bring the world to life.”
“The graphics are stunning and really immerse you into the game world.”
“The graphics are fine, including the shadows, but the textures and quality of the game models feel outdated, like games from 2010.”
“The complaints: first of all, this game wouldn't win any graphics award, even if the year was 2010.”
“On top of that, the game's visuals are low budget; there's no redeeming qualities in 2D or 3D design. I dare say the game is ugly.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly as they progress towards the endgame, where resource gathering becomes a chore and side tasks lack variety. While the initial gameplay is engaging, it quickly devolves into a monotonous experience with little incentive to continue building or exploring, leading to a lack of replay value. Overall, the grind can feel excessive, especially for those aiming to advance through the tech tree or manage larger populations.
“Metal and plastic become tedious to obtain near the end game.”
“At first, it seems really interesting, forcing you to balance things around weather, set your priorities, and keep you entertained, but it gets repetitive really quickly; what starts as fun becomes something tedious.”
“It does get a bit grindy waiting for research and materials, and once you reach around 80-100 people, the game kind of runs out of steam - there doesn't seem to be any real endgame or much to keep you building.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, effectively creating a dystopian setting filled with tension and urgency. Players appreciate the innovative gameplay mechanics and the richly detailed environments that enhance the overall experience, making it both engaging and memorable. The chaotic backdrop, marked by poisonous gases and the struggle for survival, adds to the excitement and depth of the game's world.
“From its immersive atmosphere to its challenging gameplay, this game is a breath of fresh air that kept me hooked from the very beginning.”
“With its immersive atmosphere, innovative gameplay mechanics, and captivating storyline, it's a journey that will keep you coming back for more.”
“The ambiance, the locations, the atmosphere, everything about this game is pure goodness and excitement.”
“In our game, the earth is in chaos again and now the atmosphere is full of poisonous gases, so you need to ensure the continuity of oxygen.”
“First and foremost, let's talk about the atmosphere.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with players noting that once the initial content is completed, there is little incentive to return. The limited number of maps and minimal differences between them contribute to a feeling of monotony, making the experience feel tedious rather than engaging.
“This game is just boring and has zero replayability.”
“The game comes with 5 playable maps, no random maps or anything, so this part feels a bit weird, but when you start playing, you realize that the game does not offer much replayability after the first map, since you notice that the map itself barely makes any difference.”
“Game has no replay value at all really as it is an inane tedious chore to get your 'town' started and not have it die out.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally criticized, particularly for players with less powerful PCs, as it requires low settings to achieve acceptable performance, especially in densely populated areas that can cause significant CPU bottlenecks. However, some users note that the overall optimization is decent for the price, with only minor issues like camera performance needing improvement.
“Oxygen may not be a perfect game, but when I look at the price/performance ratio and compare it to other similar games, all I can think of is that it's much better.”
“At first glance, everything is very good; the optimization is very nice.”
“Settlement that can fill your screen is going to bog down your performance big time with a huge CPU bottleneck.”
“Only the camera in the game needs some more optimization.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-crafted and relaxing, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere, though it suffers from repetitiveness and outdated samples. While the voice acting is criticized for its poor execution, the soundtrack stands out as a highlight, especially considering the game's small scale.
“Music is still playing in the background.”
“+ good art and music for how small the game is.”
“+ soundtrack is relaxing.”
“The music, though skillfully made, is repetitive, and some tunes use samples that sound 20 years old.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally strong, with only a few minor glitches reported, such as issues with gas crack interactions. Most users found the experience to be smooth and free of significant technical problems.
“There are a couple of glitches, one of which makes it difficult to figure out if the gas crack is going to blow up in your face or not.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced several bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized for incorporating intrusive advertising directly on the main menu, obscuring the menu buttons and negatively impacting user experience.
“They added advertising to the main menu and made it sit on top of the menu buttons.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is perceived as lacking depth, with players feeling that much of the content is unnecessary and does not significantly enhance the overall experience.
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by a darkly comedic moment when a child emerges from the hospital with the phrase "ready to work," showcasing a blend of absurdity and irony that resonates with players.
“It's hilarious when a child comes out of the hospital and says, 'I'm ready to work!'”
“The witty dialogue and clever puns kept me laughing throughout the game.”
“I love how the game uses absurd situations to create humor that feels fresh and unexpected.”
