PANELKI

About

PANELKI is a single player and multiplayer open world simulation game. It was developed by Alexander Gromyko and was released on March 4, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

A utility worker earns for a ticket to leave the endless Siberian city of panel houses. Permafrost, day/night cycle, dynamic weather and open world. Feel the atmosphere of the northern city, having been in the role of a handyman.

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 179 reviews

atmosphere19 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game offers a unique, immersive atmosphere capturing the bleak, cold, and nostalgic essence of post-Soviet Siberian cities, with impressive graphics and detailed environmental sound design.
The gameplay loop, while simple, is solid and relaxing, involving maintenance tasks like shoveling snow, fixing light bulbs, and cleaning, which many find comforting and meditative.
It features a dynamic day-night cycle, weather effects, random procedural generation of buildings, and multiplayer co-op mode which adds to replayability and enjoyment.

The game suffers from technical issues including bugs, frequent crashes, poor optimization, and some frustrating mechanics like getting stuck in snow or malfunctioning intercoms that hinder gameplay.
It can become repetitive and monotonous quickly due to limited gameplay variety and lack of meaningful progression or objectives beyond earning money to leave the city.
The game has insufficient UI/UX clarity and lack of guidance, making it confusing for new players, and some content including achievements or DLC is locked behind paywalls, detracting from the overall experience.

atmosphere
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
15%
12%
The game excels in creating a distinctive, immersive atmosphere that captures the bleak yet captivating essence of a post-Soviet, northern city with dynamic weather, ambient sound design, and evocative visuals. Its melancholic, cozy, and sometimes spooky mood resonates deeply, offering a unique and stylish experience that stands out for fans of atmospheric, contemplative gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is widely praised as a core strength, enhancing immersion and emotional impact.
- “Amazing atmospheric representation of a post-Soviet deprived city.”
- “The atmospheric sound design further complements the setting, with the howling wind and distant echoes adding to the immersion.”
- “Pankeli is a cozy little game with a calm snowy atmosphere that’s perfect for late night play.”
- “Though after my first hour I realized I'd do well to have an auto-clicker, it's still a fantastic liminal experience that doesn't tell you much, with very light cold-survival mechanics, and otherwise a very potent atmosphere.”
- “Yeah, I want to live in panelki especially in Norilsk. I just want to see how polar night goes on and I want to face the difficult windy snow. That's why I bought that game—I just wanted to see atmosphere in a computer game a bit.”
- “+ The shoveling mechanics are quite funny and can really add a light comedic element to the otherwise depressing atmosphere.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The gameplay in "Panelki" offers a slow-paced, atmospheric experience centered on simple mechanics like shoveling snow, equipment maintenance, and minimal survival elements, creating a calming yet realistic loop. While some bugs and limited player support affect the experience, the gameplay's unique, artistic focus and subtle humor make it engaging for those who appreciate its understated, immersive style. However, repetitive tasks and obscure achievements may limit appeal for players seeking more dynamic or action-oriented gameplay.
- “Its atmospheric world, engaging gameplay, and unique setting provide a refreshing departure from more action-oriented titles.”
- “The soundtrack just won't let me go, the gameplay loop is as simple and depressing as it is motivating and realistic, every gameplay or design choice made sense, and the awesome, unexpectedly polished snow shovel feature allows for the construction of eerie, mystical snow creatures, miles high, that entwine around the abandoned, shabby old tenement housing estates, from which only a cough or a soft conversation can be heard at night.”
- “Gameplay consists of shoveling snow, fixing and maintaining equipment and dealing with unusual encounters.”
- “Unfortunately, during gameplay, there is a problem with the 'panelki' intercom, which prevents you from entering the building by entering a code (it is possible using RFID).”
- “Buggy gameplay, says for 4 players, but only for 2 players.”
- “Speaking of achievements, since there is only one goal and limited mechanics, they are the next biggest incentive, and some of them, like playing for 30 in-game days or walking 10 kilometers straight, are obscenely bad and unengaging.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
11%
22%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their unique, atmospheric, and beautiful aesthetic, creating a compelling and immersive vibe. However, some users note a lack of polish, limited graphical settings, and occasional design issues affecting certain areas. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's mood despite minor imperfections.
- “As a fan of the doumer aesthetic, I really liked the atmosphere - it's just great.”
- “The game loop is solid and the visuals are stunning.”
- “Pleasant vibe, low price, beautiful graphics.”
- “It lacks tons of polish, bug fixes, graphical options, or common sense in some design aspects.”
- “There's an aesthetic to it, but it's so sad and hopeless.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
The music in the game is highly praised for its atmospheric and nostalgic qualities, effectively enhancing the eerie, calming, and emotional mood throughout the experience. Players find the soundtrack immersive, often evoking feelings of loneliness and nostalgia, and appreciate how it complements the game's quiet, realistic setting. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that deeply enriches the game's ambiance and emotional impact.
- “The atmosphere is on point, 10/10, the scale of everything feels very realistic, the music is insanely good and the feeling when you're inside the block at night and the wind is howling outside is just .”
- “The soundtrack just won't let me go, the gameplay loop is as simple and depressing as it is motivating and realistic, every gameplay or design choice made sense, and the awesome, unexpectedly polished snow shovel feature allows for the construction of eerie, mystical snow creatures, miles high, that entwine around the abandoned, shabby old tenement housing estates, from which only a cough or a soft conversation can be heard at night.”
- “Main point of game is soundtrack that brings feeling of nostalgia and loneliness.”
- “I can say that the songs in this game will drive you crazy.”
- “Sometimes, without a lie, I felt like I'm playing a horror game; a few seconds later, I feel like I'm on the same waves as music that was climatic and for sure niche.”
- “The soundtrack just won't let me go; the gameplay loop is as simple and depressing as it is motivating and realistic.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game's optimization is widely criticized for poor performance, including frequent frame rate drops, stuttering, and an inability to maintain smooth gameplay even on high-end PCs. Players also note that excessive visual effects negatively impact both graphics quality and performance. Overall, optimization issues significantly detract from the experience despite the game's enjoyable content.
- “* Aside from some performance issues and not detecting that I cleared snow correctly (could be my fault, but I did the same thing to some places and I got money for it), it works.”
- “* Audio is not great either, the ambient track is ok, the sounds can be a bit choppy, but I assume that is due to overall performance.”
- “* Some players have reported issues with the game's optimization, citing occasional frame rate drops and minor bugs.”
- “Visually it's mostly ugly as sin, thanks to all of the effects you can't turn off, and terrible performance, due to complete abandonment of optimization.”
- “I have a great PC and can't even get 60 frames on 1080p without stuttering every time the game loads an asset.”
- “Some players have reported issues with the game's optimization, citing occasional frame rate drops and minor bugs.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story is minimalistic but thought-provoking, focusing on the protagonist's goal to leave the city, with player choices influencing slightly different endings. While some find the narrative impactful and emotionally resonant, others feel it lacks a clear or developed storyline. Overall, the story offers a slow-paced, subtle experience that may appeal to those who appreciate introspective themes.
- “First of all, I want to thank the developer for such a story that really made me think.”
- “I'm not sure what it is about this game but it has been one of the greatest slow-paced (kinda story) games that I have played in a long time. 10/10 would shovel again.”
- “Story-wise, the game features an interesting mindset: while the main character is just a janitor, every day he remembers his goal: to leave the city.”
- “The story exists, surprisingly, but the plotline itself is just a choice (upon hitting 50k) of whether you stay in the city or board the plane, with the ending slides differing slightly based on that choice.”
- “No story, I don't know if there is an ending or how.”
- “I've just ended the story (if you can call it that) and damn, it hits hard.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has significant stability issues, with frequent crashes and bugs that limit multiplayer functionality and overall playability. While the concept is praised, the pervasive technical problems hinder the experience.
- “Too buggy, can't play the game without it crashing multiple times.”
- “While I do love the idea for this game and find it actually kind of relaxing to explore the world, pick up trash, and fix things, the game is too buggy to recommend.”
- “It's a really interesting concept, definitely really buggy.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is light and situational, often stemming from quirky mechanics like shoveling and the unusual premise of a street cleaner simulator. It adds a comedic touch that contrasts with the otherwise somber atmosphere.
- “Funny street cleaner simulator with procedurally generated panel houses.”
- “The shoveling mechanics are quite funny and add a light comedic element to the otherwise depressing atmosphere.”
- “Funny thing is, right after I bought this game another one came on my radar called: шхд: зима / it's winter.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's replayability receives mixed feedback, with some users finding it limited, while others appreciate features like achievements and community elements that encourage repeated play, especially in an open-world setting.
- “This feature enhances the game's replayability and fosters a sense of community among players.”
- “Achievements enable some form of replayability to the game, which is always good for open-world games like this.”
- “A good game with bad replayability.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features emotionally impactful music that deeply engages players, culminating in a heartwarming and meaningful ending.
- “I can say that the songs in this game will drive you crazy, and the game ends with a heartwarming and meaningful ending.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is widely regarded as tedious and unrewarding, making it an unenjoyable experience for players.
- “This is not fun or enjoyable, it's tedious and unrewarding.”