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Parallax

Parallax Game Cover
84%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, atmosphere
87% User Score Based on 123 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 1 reviews

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Parallax Game Cover

About

Parallax is a single player platformer game. It was developed by Toasty Games and was released on March 10, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Parallax is a first-person puzzle game with two overlapping worlds. Weave back and forth between black and white as you try to be in the right place, in the right dimension, at the right time. Use switches, boosters and gravity to help you reach the exit. Can you conquer every mind-bending level?

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Parallax screenshot
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Parallax screenshot
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87%
Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews
gameplay12 positive mentions
story6 negative mentions
  • Unique and mind-bending puzzle mechanics involving portals between two contrasting worlds, requiring spatial reasoning and logical thought.
  • Minimalistic, stylish black-and-white (customizable color schemes available) visual design that enhances clarity and focus on gameplay.
  • Well-paced difficulty curve with clever level design that gradually introduces new mechanics, providing satisfying and rewarding puzzle experiences.
  • Lack of narrative or story, which may reduce player motivation and immersion for some.
  • Certain puzzles and mechanics can be repetitive or feel more like busywork, with some levels causing frustration due to complexity or confusing elements.
  • Movement and physics issues such as narrow platforms, slippery edges, or slow walking speed; potentially causing discomfort or motion sickness for sensitive players.
  • gameplay
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay features simple yet elegant mechanics that gradually increase in complexity, delivering challenging and mind-bending puzzles with a satisfying difficulty curve. While some find the pacing slow and certain late-game mechanics frustrating or disorienting, many appreciate the smooth, polished experience and creative level design that emphasizes thoughtful puzzle-solving over busywork. Overall, it offers a solid first-person puzzle platformer experience with a minimalistic but effective approach to gameplay.

    • “Very satisfying how complex the puzzles can be with only a few simple mechanics.”
    • “The puzzles start from easy and slowly introduce new mechanics and by the end I found myself disoriented in last 4 puzzles, so there are some very challenging puzzles.”
    • “Just the right amount of mindbending -- the mechanics are introduced nicely and the level designs are challenging but not cruel.”
    • “I hate to say it, it's very polished looking (and I didn't get very far, maybe it switches it up later on), but the gameplay thus far is extremely dull.”
    • “The gameplay is your regular first person puzzle game: puzzles take a long amount of time and the character walks like a turtle with a controller stuck up its arse.”
    • “Additionally, many of the mechanics introduced later in the game are player-hostile, such as the laser walls (which are functionally identical to normal walls, but deadly) and the gravity changing (which only serve to obscure otherwise simple puzzles for the sake of confusion).”
  • graphics
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics feature a striking, minimalist black-and-white art style with a clear, lucid aesthetic that enhances puzzle clarity. While simple and limited to two colors, the visuals are stylish, smooth, and thoughtfully designed with customizable palettes, creating a futuristic and pleasant atmosphere without unnecessary complexity. This minimalism, combined with fluid mechanics and portals, results in distinctive, effective graphics that support the gameplay and stand out in the puzzle genre.

    • “The art style is very minimalistic, even more so than Antichamber: just two colors in the entire game, menu and all.”
    • “The level designs are deliberate, the controls are excellent (vodka notwithstanding), and the aesthetic is fantastically minimalistic, with multiple paler palettes if the black-white contrast is too bright for you.”
    • “Even though there are only two colours ever used [not even shades of colours], the game never seems to lack detail in the graphics.”
    • “Graphics sometimes seem more "bare" than "minimalist."”
    • “There's not much to it though, no story, no graphics beyond black and white.”
    • “The graphics are simple and you can change the two colours involved, but you are still limited to only two colours.”
  • story
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game lacks a traditional story or plot, focusing primarily on puzzle-solving without narrative depth or character development. While some players enjoy the pure puzzle challenge and atmospheric mood, others feel the experience could be enhanced with more storytelling or a larger exploratory world to increase engagement. Overall, it appeals to those who prioritize gameplay over story.

    • “Ttp is immersed in a story which drives and motivates the player (much like Myst or Portal) with its mystery and philosophical ideas.”
    • “Otherwise for the semi-short story it makes for a great game!”
    • “There's not really a story, but it does a good job of gradually introducing content until you get a mind-bending four-dimensional sludge of trippy puzzle solving.”
    • “There doesn't appear to be any resemblance of plot or story.”
    • “There is no story, no environments or landscapes to explore, nothing—just level after level of puzzles.”
    • “Good game overall but I would have enjoyed it more if it was a bit more like Antichamber with some kind of "story" or at least some more getting in character; not that Antichamber had any story, but you get more involved when there is a larger world to explore, and the levels format beats that feeling somehow.”
  • music
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally calming and ambient, complementing the monochrome visuals and enhancing the game's reflective, inter-dimensional atmosphere. While the soundtrack is praised for its relaxing and fitting mood, some players find it repetitive and limited in variety, with minimal thematic variation especially on the darker levels. Overall, the music effectively supports the puzzle-solving experience without being overly energetic or distracting.

    • “The music is calming, which adds to the monotone atmosphere and lessens the pain of falling off the edge you weren't paying attention to.”
    • “The pure black/white visuals work surprisingly well, along with the musical changes between dimensions.”
    • “The soundtrack provides an excellent mood, relaxing and zen.”
    • “Music can become a little bit repetitive because it really is just another one of those simplified instrumental tunes, featuring approximately 4 or 5 of them.”
    • “Really my only complaints would be that there aren't customizable color schemes and there's no thematic music on the dark side of all the puzzles.”
    • “No real music, just ambience.”
  • replayability
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers moderate replayability, mainly driven by players striving for perfect scores and faster completion times after initially mastering the puzzles. While it may lack depth once all levels are fully understood, the scoring system and challenge of improving performance provide ongoing motivation for replay. Overall, fans of well-designed first-person puzzle games will find satisfying replay value in its challenges.

    • “Overall, it's a very satisfying puzzle game, with just that little bit of replay value for the perfect runs to help you get more out of it.”
    • “The first time you play any level is generally a struggle to understand what's going on, but scoring through the number of actions adds another level of depth and some replayability for a perfect score.”
    • “The game's price is perfect for its length of 4 chapters with 8 levels each, and it still has a lot of replayability to offer after completion.”
    • “X3 although I must say, after mastering all the puzzles, there isn't much replay value.”
  • atmosphere
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere is characterized by calming, mood-enhancing music that shifts between downtempo electronic and ambient sounds, creating a distinct interplay between light and dark zones. Its minimalist design, lacking story or enemies, fosters a unique, contemplative inter-dimensional vibe.

    • “And the music adds to the atmosphere, playing downtempo electronic music in the 'light' zone and ambient noise in the 'dark' zone.”
    • “Music is calming as well which adds to the monotone atmosphere which lessens the pain of falling off the edge you weren't paying attention to.”
    • “There's no story or enemies in the game, although it does have a weird inter-dimensional atmosphere and some mood music.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Parrallax is generally well-optimized, running smoothly with minimal frame rate drops during new level transitions. The game has improved its in-game timer and speedrun tracking, though it still lacks a feature to display best level performance.

    • “Parallax runs smoothly with only a few frame rate drops when you enter a new level.”
    • “While it still doesn't keep track of best performance, the game now has a much more detailed in-game timer and in speedrun mode there's a timer for your full run as well.”
  • grinding
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding is minimal in this game, as it maintains a concise and engaging experience without becoming overly long or tedious.

  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game demonstrates excellent stability with no bugs or glitches, providing a smooth and polished experience.

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Parallax is a platformer game.

Parallax is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

Parallax was released on March 10, 2015.

Parallax was developed by Toasty Games.

Parallax has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Parallax for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Parallax is a single player game.

Similar games include The Bridge, Hue, Disoriented, Hook, Hook and others.