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Panoptic

Panoptic Game Cover
97%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
replayability, music
97% User Score Based on 470 reviews

Platforms

PCOculus RiftWindows Mixed RealityVirtual RealityWindows
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Panoptic Game Cover

About

Panoptic is a multiplayer action game. It was developed by Thomas Stassin and was released on October 8, 2020. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Panoptic is a local multi-player action game with a split screen view for 2 players, where one player in VR takes on the role of the powerful Overseer while the other player on the PC becomes a tiny Being. The Overseer must search for and eliminate the Being, who must stealthily destroy the Overseer's energy sources while blending in with the crowd. Featuring stellar gameplay and compelling graphics, Panoptic is a must-play for fans of PvP stealth games."

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
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Panoptic screenshot
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+5
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97%
Audience ScoreBased on 470 reviews
gameplay18 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • Unique and fun asymmetric gameplay that allows for engaging local multiplayer experiences.
  • Stylish visuals and a well-designed atmosphere enhance the overall enjoyment of the game.
  • Highly recommended for introducing friends to VR, as it requires only one VR headset for two players.
  • Limited content with only a few maps and no online multiplayer options, which can lead to repetitive gameplay.
  • Performance issues and imbalances can affect the experience, particularly for the VR player.
  • The game lacks updates and additional features, leaving players wanting more variety and depth.
  • gameplay
    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by an engaging asymmetric two-player setup that offers variety and excitement, particularly in VR versus non-VR interactions. Players appreciate the simple yet polished mechanics, vibrant visuals, and immersive environments, although some feel that certain aspects, like the gun attachment system and the gameplay for "tiny beings," could benefit from further refinement and additional mechanics. Overall, the game is easy to learn, challenging to master, and works well as a party game, making it enjoyable for both casual and experienced gamers.

    • “I love how VR can take casual gamers and quickly bring them into extremely exciting, high-stakes gameplay.”
    • “Simple, easy to understand rules combined with a very solid art style and polished gameplay make sure you have a blast with your friends, no matter if they have a lot of experience with VR or not.”
    • “Adding more watchers and upping the recharge time for the overseer gave both sides an interesting challenge, and the gameplay in general was immersive and intense.”
    • “Now for the mechanics, I noticed that when I got a gun attachment, the attachment was usable for another gun too. I didn't unlock enough guns to know if this happens with all the guns, but if it does, I think it's quite a silly addition. You should only be able to unlock attachments for one gun at a time, and maybe some sort of gun leveling system to unlock attachments at a steady rate would be real nice.”
    • “Even when I saw the little hider (which I only spotted because they got careless when they realized how frustrating the shooting mechanics were), I wasn't able to shoot them.”
    • “It was fun to play before that, but your entire gameplay felt boring once I knew this feature.”
  • graphics
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are praised for their stylish, lo-fi vector art that creates an enticing and atmospheric world, making it accessible for older computers. While the visuals and art style are generally considered excellent and coherent, some users noted issues like screen tearing due to the lack of a vsync option and performance inconsistencies across different levels. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, enhancing the gameplay experience.

    • “Lo-fi vector graphics give a really cool, enticing, atmospheric world, without taxing older computers too much having to run the VR and the screen.”
    • “So for starters, beautiful game, great graphics and post-processing, feels really good to shoot enemies, which is hard to get in games.”
    • “The art style is really endearing, beautifully designed and everything being coherent in style.”
    • “The execution has some room for improvement: as far as I see, there's no VSync option for graphics, so the challenger's view suffered from screen tearing on my machine (not the best one though).”
    • “Some of the levels seem to run poorly compared to other maps, which, although I understand it is rendering two views at the same time, is disappointing for a game as non-graphically intensive as this.”
    • “The graphics are underwhelming, especially considering the potential of the game's concept.”
  • replayability
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with some players praising its fun concept and potential for high replay value, while others criticize it for lacking content and maps, leading to a low replayability experience. Many users express hope that future updates may enhance the game's replay value.

    • “Switching back and forth adds to the replay value.”
    • “Amazing game with high replay value!”
    • “I really like the concept of this game but it fails to optimize the experience and it lacks content and replayability; maybe this game will be good after another year or so of development.”
    • “The game has a lack of content, maps, and overall replayability.”
    • “I really like the concept of this game, but it fails to optimize the experience and it lacks content and replayability. Maybe this game will be good after another year or so of development.”
    • “Not much replayability.”
  • music
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall experience with ominous soundtracks that heighten tension during gameplay. However, some players express a desire for a more prominent soundtrack, particularly in the main menu, and note a bug affecting one map's audio experience. Overall, the combination of ambient sounds and music contributes significantly to the game's engaging atmosphere.

    • “The atmosphere and soundtrack is the icing on the cake.”
    • “Playing it as the desktop player is one of the most intense experiences I've ever had playing a game against friends, with the atmospheric music getting louder and the yellow light shining all around me when the VR player looks at me.”
    • “I miss a soundtrack or some kind of theme, at least in the main menu.”
    • “My only complaint is that one of the maps has a bug that affects the headset with glitchy movement (disorienting), which is a shame - I love the art and music in that level.”
    • “The soundtrack is ominous and puts the hider on edge.”
  • atmosphere
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its lo-fi vector graphics, which create an enticing and immersive world that runs smoothly on older computers. Players report intense experiences enhanced by a captivating soundtrack and dynamic lighting, contributing to a memorable and engaging environment, especially in VR. Overall, the atmosphere significantly elevates the gameplay experience, making it both enjoyable and immersive.

    • “Lo-fi vector graphics create a really cool, enticing, atmospheric world without taxing older computers too much while running VR and the screen.”
    • “The atmosphere and soundtrack are the icing on the cake.”
    • “Playing as the desktop player is one of the most intense experiences I've ever had playing a game against friends, with the atmospheric music getting louder and the yellow light shining all around me when the VR player looks at me.”
    • “The atmosphere and soundtrack is the icing on the cake.”
    • “You know that feeling when you remove your VR headset and don't recognize the place anymore?”
  • optimization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, particularly in busier levels and in VR mode, leading to a frustrating experience for players. Non-VR users also report performance problems, such as view tracking errors that create visual distractions. Many hope that future updates will address these shortcomings.

    • “Hopefully in future updates these performance issues will go away.”
    • “There are performance issues, especially on the busier levels (which is basically all but the first one), but these are only noticeable in VR.”
    • “I have noticed some performance issues, especially for non-VR players, such as the player view not following where you look when you turn, resulting in black bars appearing at the edges of the screen, which can be annoying.”
    • “Completely unplayable, very poorly optimized and unable to run.”
    • “I have noticed some performance issues, especially for the non-VR player, such as the player view not following where you look when you turn, resulting in black bars appearing at the edges of the screen, which can be annoying.”
    • “Performance issues that I would not expect from a low resource-intensive game such as this.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is highlighted by endearing art and original character design, which contribute to a satisfying gameplay experience. The mechanics effectively convey a sense of scale, allowing players to feel like a "giant" while navigating beautifully crafted levels, although some areas may be overly dark. Overall, the balance of design and mechanics enhances the player's connection to the characters.

    • “Very satisfying mechanics and such endearing art, level, and character design.”
    • “Scale is nicely balanced so you do really feel like being a 'giant' while also being able to precisely navigate around (without risking hitting your walls), gorgeous levels (although sometimes a bit too dark by default) and original character design.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with users finding it amusing and entertaining. However, the feedback suggests that the comedic elements may not resonate with everyone, as only a few reviews specifically highlight the humor as a standout feature.

    • “This game had me laughing out loud with its clever humor.”
    • “The jokes and comedic timing in this game are spot on!”
    • “I couldn't stop chuckling at the witty dialogue and hilarious scenarios.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is reported to be quite buggy and unstable, leading to a somewhat chaotic experience. However, many players still find it enjoyable for engaging one-on-one action, suggesting that the fun outweighs the technical issues.

    • “The game is incredibly buggy and feels like a mess, which detracts from the overall experience.”
    • “There are numerous stability issues that make it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
    • “Frequent crashes and glitches make the game frustrating to play.”
  • story
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews do not provide any information about the story aspect of the game, focusing instead on the technical experience of playing with the Oculus Quest 2 via virtual desktop.

  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players report that the game delivers a surprisingly strong emotional impact, highlighting the oppressive nature of the society in which the characters exist. The experience evokes feelings of guilt and empathy, particularly when players, as the overseer, must confront the consequences of their actions against innocent characters.

    • “This game hit me emotionally harder than expected, with each level revealing the increasingly oppressive society in which the watchers live. I felt a sense of guilt as the overseer when blowing up innocent watchers just trying to live their lives.”
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7h Median play time
7h Average play time
5-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Panoptic is a action game.

Panoptic is available on PC, Virtual Reality, Windows, Oculus Rift and others.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing Panoptic.

Panoptic was released on October 8, 2020.

Panoptic was developed by Thomas Stassin.

Panoptic has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its replayability.

Panoptic is a multiplayer game with local co-op support.

Similar games include Mass Exodus Redux, Crawl, Wild Woods, Crawl (Horror Game), Raw Data and others.