P.A.M.E.L.A
- June 18, 2020
- NVYVE® Studios
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"P.A.M.E.L.A. is a single-player, open-world horror game set in the decaying utopian city of Eden. As a Sleeper, scavenge for resources, build and upgrade equipment, and navigate relationships with various factions to survive. Experience a dense atmosphere, stunning graphics, and a good plot, but be prepared for numerous bugs, grinding, and subpar optimization."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics and a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in a dystopian sci-fi world.
- The crafting and base-building mechanics allow for a unique gameplay experience, encouraging exploration and resource management.
- The game has a compelling narrative that unfolds through environmental storytelling and audio logs, keeping players engaged.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and memory leaks, making it frustrating to play.
- Combat mechanics are clunky and unresponsive, leading to a lack of satisfaction in encounters with enemies.
- There is a steep learning curve with little guidance, leaving players feeling lost and unsure of their objectives.
- story274 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is often described as underdeveloped and lacking direction, with many players expressing disappointment over its reliance on fetch quests and vague objectives. While some find the lore and environmental storytelling intriguing, the overall narrative feels disjointed and incomplete, leaving players wanting more depth and clarity. Despite its potential, the story's execution has led to mixed feelings, with many players feeling that it detracts from the otherwise engaging gameplay and exploration.
“The story itself, found through the various recordings and such, offers a lovely glimpse into a controlled utopia turned calamity.”
“The atmosphere, lore, and storytelling (visual and not) are intriguing and it'd be a sad waste to not share that.”
“The story is very well fleshed out, lots of lore and deeper details within the game, it was very interesting to explore.”
“The main story boils down to half a dozen 'fetch 3-4 items from these locations and bring them here' and culminates in the most ridiculous storytelling ass-pull I've ever had the displeasure of playing.”
“The storyline is surprisingly bland for what you're introduced with.”
“The finishing touch to this half-baked story is the lazy and uninspiring ending which will leave anyone disappointed on what the game could have been.”
- gameplay172 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its innovative mechanics and engaging RPG elements, while others criticize it for being clunky, poorly optimized, and riddled with bugs. Many players appreciate the beautiful graphics and potential for fun exploration, but express frustration over confusing controls, unresponsive inputs, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects to the gameplay, significant improvements are needed for a smoother and more satisfying experience.
“The gameplay is innovative, with layouts and controls I've never seen but really enjoyed.”
“The concept, story, setting, and gameplay are all very fun and interesting.”
“The gameplay is solid, and the graphics are stunning.”
“This is a fine example of a game that looks decent, but its gameplay is a dumpster fire.”
“The game mechanics are poor and frustrating - it looks beautiful but you end up wandering around aimlessly and occasionally fighting some pretty poor enemies in the dark and in a fairly clunky way.”
“Extremely clunky controls and combat, bad graphics, and poor gameplay.”
- graphics141 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful art style, immersive atmosphere, and impressive visual details, particularly in open-world settings. However, several users report significant performance issues, including graphical glitches, stuttering, and poor optimization, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as stunning, they can be demanding on hardware, leading to frustration for players with less powerful systems.
“The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, and the 'no-loading screens' concept of loading the whole city, which is massive and detailed, is brilliant.”
“This game is a work of art with incredible visuals and immersion.”
“The graphics are stunning, and the atmosphere fits the storyline perfectly.”
“It's an open-world survival game with little to no story, hard to process objectives, lackluster graphics, bad design...”
“The graphics optimization is the lowest I've seen for any early access game.”
“I have a nice PC, nice enough I can run every VR game and every game I've ever owned on ultra settings, yet I have to run this game on low graphics and I have to make the resolution bad just so I can get above 60 frames. This is really frustrating.”
- optimization121 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and significant performance degradation over time, particularly after extended play sessions. Many players express frustration over the game's poor performance, which often fails to improve even with graphical adjustments, and some suggest that it feels abandoned by the developers. Despite its potential, the game's current state is marred by these optimization issues, making it difficult for players to recommend it until substantial improvements are made.
“The optimization could be better, but updates are constant, and the developers are very responsive to the community's feedback.”
“They just released a patch to optimize performance, and it's been really successful.”
“Buyer beware: at present state it's a bit buggy, but when it does work it works well, and the devs are hard at work on optimization and bug fixes.”
“The optimization is terrible, to put it nicely; it crashes every time I play at different times.”
“This game has so much potential, but is unfortunately riddled with crashes and bugs, has absolutely abysmal performance that gets worse the longer the game is open, and it seems to have just been abandoned in this state.”
“Even after launch, it still suffers from the exact same notorious performance issues that it had from early access, and the last update was several months ago, so there's no point expecting it to be fixed.”
- atmosphere87 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beauty and unsettling qualities, creating an immersive experience that captivates players. Many reviewers highlight the effective use of lighting, sound, and environmental design to evoke a sense of mystery and tension, reminiscent of titles like Dead Space and Dead Island. While some players note issues with gameplay mechanics and bugs, the overall consensus is that the atmospheric elements are the game's strongest feature, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of exploration and survival genres.
“The atmosphere, lore, and storytelling (visual and not) are intriguing and it'd be a sad waste to not share that.”
“The lighting and shadows are well done and create an eerie and haunted atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is perfect to set the mood for a horror survival game.”
“Lack of music and sound undermines the atmosphere on the opening level.”
“I had high hopes for this game; I really hope that they fix and optimize this game and pull a No Man's Sky out of this because the premise and atmosphere of the game is the only part of this game that feels like they put any work into.”
“It's still just so boring...the whole game; the atmosphere, the combat, the crafting, and material collection.”
- stability85 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and performance issues that hinder gameplay. Many players describe it as "buggy" and "unfinished," with some stating it feels abandoned by the developers. While some acknowledge the game's potential and enjoy its atmosphere, the overwhelming consensus is that it requires substantial improvements to reach a stable and playable state.
“Buggy, half-baked game that could grow into a nice System Shock clone... but apparently it is abandoned.”
“The game is extremely buggy and will crash.”
“A buggy, unfinished and unpolished mess that was quickly 'released' in order to abandon the game in its current state with all of its animation clipping, poor world layout, and sloppy mechanics tacked in simply to make the game feel more interesting.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring long hours of resource farming and crafting without sufficient rewards. Combat mechanics are described as buggy and unrefined, contributing to the overall grindiness, while the lack of save points and the need to repeatedly respawn adds to the frustration. While some appreciate the atmosphere and RPG elements, many recommend avoiding the game if they are not fond of extensive grinding.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Every bit of this game is tedious.”
“If you're not into games where you will spend 3-4 hours farming for loot and upgrading your equipment/base, then it's probably best that you avoid this game.”
- music15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, while others criticize the limited variety and repetitive tracks. Many players appreciate the sound design, noting that it effectively complements the gameplay experience, though some feel that a lack of music undermines the overall ambiance. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received, there are calls for more diverse and atmospheric audio elements.
“The music and story are also great.”
“Great music & sound effects.”
“Not only is the game visually stunning, but the sound design is superlative; the background music reminds me of Deus Ex: Human Revolution or Blade Runner, and does not intrude on the player's experience, and the voice acting is top notch.”
“Not much in music; it's the same couple of tracks on a loop, some random ambient noise, and monsters moaning.”
“Lack of music and sound undermines the atmosphere on the opening level.”
“Also, it might feel better adding more atmospheric background sounds and music.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the game to have significant replayability due to features like resurrection mechanics and extensive skill trees and upgrades. However, some express concerns about the lack of a clear endgame, which may affect long-term engagement. While permadeath mode offers an additional layer of replayability, clarity on the game's conclusion is desired.
“The concept of resurrection makes for an interesting chance to learn the game, and it is immensely replayable in that regard.”
“Tons of skill trees and upgrades make this game highly replayable.”
“Skill trees and upgrades make this game highly replayable.”
“The lack of an apparent end game is also concerning for me. I am currently 14 hours in and I expect I have another 20-30 hours of 'first time' experience left in this game, along with a form of replayability with the permadeath mode. However, I feel like the 'endgame' needs to be clearer or dismissed altogether.”
“- no replayability!”
“The concept of resurrection makes for an interesting chance to learn the game, but it ultimately lacks sufficient replayability.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is polarizing; some players find the AI character's inconsistent emotional portrayal frustrating, while others appreciate the profound sense of loneliness evoked by the game's environment. The narrative's lack of engagement is criticized, yet the haunting atmosphere and themes of lost beauty resonate deeply, enhancing the emotional experience for some. Comparisons to other titles highlight the potential for greater emotional impact when AI characters embody complex, ambiguous traits.
“Never has a game made me feel so lonely; walking around the once beautiful city with only hints of its glory remaining just tugs on the heartstrings.”
“I want to be overly careful about comparing this game to System Shock, but I think it's worth noting that SHODAN, and AI in general, carry increased emotional impact when their human qualities and morality are nebulous, alien, and possibly threatening.”
“Simply put, the storyline is incredibly boring.”
“The core gameplay is cool, but the story is boring.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game features a complex and well-integrated character development system that enhances the overall experience, allowing players to explore a vast world filled with mysteries while engaging in upgrades and survival mechanics. The RPG elements are effectively implemented, contributing positively to the gameplay.
“A true exploration game with a big and well-designed world, lots of mysteries to uncover, a complex system of character development and upgrades, base building, survival... and it all works together pretty well, resulting in a very good experience.”
“The game does some things right in terms of the RPG mechanics of character development.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful choices that impact the gameplay.”
“I found the character progression to be uninspired and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Despite the game's potential, the character development system is poorly implemented and fails to offer any real depth.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game often stems from the quirky and unpredictable behavior of zombies, such as their awkward movements and comical interactions with players and other characters. Players find amusement in the bizarre scenarios that arise from these glitches and oddities, creating a lighthearted atmosphere amidst the chaos. However, the humor is sometimes overshadowed by unresolved issues and bugs that contribute to the overall absurdity.
“When you have a zombie walking sideways almost towards you, it’s a weird fear of 'are they actually coming towards me, looking at something else, or just walking funny?' Or if they are looking the wrong way when you attack, is that because you haven't actually aggroed them or because they’re buggy and if you get close, they’ll immediately turn around?”
“Problems with zombie spawn, funny dance-like fights between zombies and sentinels, many more unresolved issues.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization model is viewed positively, as the developers have consistently provided updates and fixes over nearly two years, demonstrating a commitment to the game rather than exploiting early access for quick profits.
