PANORAMICAL
- September 17, 2015
- David Kanaga
Panoramical is a single-player musical game known for its spectacular visuals and good music. The game allows you to manipulate and explore over a dozen mesmerizing landscapes, each with 18 different audio-visual dimensions, creating a unique and immersive musical adventure. It's an easy-to-learn and accessible experience, perfect for relaxing or chasing the perfect beat, and compatible with various controllers, including keyboard, mouse, gamepad, and MIDI controllers.
Reviews
- Panoramical offers a unique and mesmerizing interactive art experience, combining stunning visuals and ambient music that can evoke deep emotional responses.
- The game allows for creative exploration, enabling players to manipulate various parameters to create their own audio-visual landscapes, making it a relaxing and meditative experience.
- It's highly recommended for fans of abstract art and electronic music, providing a captivating sensory journey that can be revisited for inspiration or relaxation.
- Many players feel that Panoramical lacks substantial gameplay, often describing it more as an interactive visualizer or art piece rather than a traditional game, leading to a sense of repetitiveness.
- The price point is considered steep by some, especially given the limited content and short playtime, which may not justify the cost for all players.
- Some users have reported technical issues, such as controls being chaotic or the game crashing, which detracts from the overall experience.
- music88 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in "Panoramical" is a polarizing aspect, with some players appreciating its experimental and immersive qualities, while others find it chaotic and disjointed. Many reviewers highlight the interactive nature of the music, allowing players to manipulate sounds and visuals, creating a unique audio-visual experience akin to a musical instrument. However, the overall reception varies, with some enjoying the ambient and evolving soundscapes, while others criticize it for being overwhelming or lacking structure.
“The visuals and the music are very beautiful and it opens the door to a new kind of interactive experiences, halfway between art and video games.”
“The music goes from angelic to stomping to racing and back again; it's mellow and then it's intense.”
“This team didn't create a game, or an experiment, or a musical experience; they created the concept of a new instrument, which I truly believe will be the future of musical experience.”
“The 'music' is also a disjointed mess.”
“I was expecting there to be music, but it really is just a cacophony of noises that gets on my nerves really quickly.”
“Music is mostly overwhelming and feels more like a noise experiment that you'd encounter in modern art museums.”
- graphics39 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning and immersive quality, often described as beautiful and trippy, creating a captivating visual experience that evolves alongside the music. However, some users note that the visuals can become chaotic and overwhelming, particularly for those sensitive to flashing lights. While the integration of visuals and sound is thematically coherent, there are calls for more control over each aspect independently to enhance the overall experience.
“The visuals are stunning.”
“Beautiful visuals and amazing music.”
“The visuals and the music are very beautiful and it opens the door to a new kind of interactive experiences, halfway between art and video games.”
“I feel like the visuals and the sounds don't really match each other.”
“If you go to a museum you might pay ten euros for the entrance and look at still lives of similar visuals.”
“Also, the graphics are so 1980s.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its vibrant colors and customizable elements, creating an engaging environment. The electronic music enhances the experience, though some tracks can feel chaotic and randomly generated. Players enjoy experimenting with controls to manipulate the atmospheric sounds, leading to a unique but sometimes unsatisfying musical experience.
“Love how messing with controls alters the atmospheric music.”
“+1 incredibly enhanced atmosphere... +1 customizable atmosphere...”
“The music (entirely electronic, of course) fits very well and adds to the atmosphere, although some of the tracks are pretty chaotic and feel entirely randomly generated (I believe to some extent they are).”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with players noting its immersive experience that evokes deep feelings and introspection. Many describe it as a transformative journey that resonates on a personal level, using themes of life cycles and psychological depth to create a poignant narrative that leaves a lasting impact. Overall, it is seen as more than just a game, but rather an emotional experience that engages the heart and mind.
“But it also succeeded in touching the player’s heart with its psychological and complex structure, based in the recurrent art theme of using a seasons cycle as a metaphor to express an entire human life.”
“And a final cycle of ascension to an elevated and deeper plane of reality, full of hope, where you finally close your eyes, with an emotional fade to black conclusion.”
“The point is that you and your emotional response are the 'content'?”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being lackluster and unengaging, with some players feeling it resembles an interactive video rather than a traditional game, as it lacks clear goals or objectives. Controls received a mediocre rating of 6/10, indicating that the overall experience fails to captivate players.
“I've owned this game for years but still only managed to get about 25 minutes of gameplay out of it, because every time I boot it up I get bored or want to tear my ears out 20 seconds later.”
“- Not a whole lot of 'gameplay' to this 'game'... I'd almost want to consider this more as an interactive video rather than a game, as there aren't any goals or objectives.”
- story2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The story is noted for its engaging narrative arc and unique interface, setting it apart from traditional games that follow a linear leveling and completion structure. Players appreciate the innovative approach that allows for a different storytelling experience.
“The story you are led through has an arc and an incredibly inventive interface.”
“I think it works differently than a regular game where you level up, go through the story, and then finish after 50 hours.”
“The story you are led through has an arc, but it feels disjointed and lacks depth.”
“The narrative structure is confusing and doesn't provide a satisfying progression.”
“The story feels incomplete and leaves many questions unanswered.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews suggest that the humor in the game is quirky and entertaining, characterized by amusing sound effects and visuals. However, some users question whether the experience justifies its price, implying that the humor may not be substantial enough to warrant a ten-dollar investment.
“Is it worth ten bucks to stare at a screen as it makes interesting visuals for you and makes funny beeps and boops?”