Pattern
- April 7, 2020
- Badru
Get on Steam"Pattern" is a video game about creating video games and tells a story about the process of making art. Explore an endless procedurally generated world with diverse environments and a changing soundtrack. Document your journey with an in-game camera and discover a journal-like story through play, all alongside a beautiful day/night cycle.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful and immersive graphics, with rich colors and stunning environments that create a surreal dreamscape.
- The procedural music and sound design enhance the experience, providing a calming and evocative atmosphere as players explore.
- The open-ended nature of the game allows for relaxed exploration, making it a great choice for players looking for a low-stakes, meditative experience.
- The game lacks substantial gameplay and direction, often feeling more like a tech demo than a fully realized experience, with limited interactivity and repetitive environments.
- The narrative is poorly executed, with non-diegetic text that disrupts immersion and lacks depth, leaving players confused about the story's purpose.
- The game is considered overpriced for the amount of content it offers, leading many to recommend purchasing it only on sale.
- music17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and relaxing qualities, with some players appreciating the immersive experience created by its procedural generation. However, critiques highlight that while the music is evocative, it often lacks variety and surprise, leading to a somewhat monotonous soundscape that may not fully engage players. Overall, the music enhances the game's atmosphere but may not be enough to elevate the experience significantly.
“The music is relaxing and the environments are appeasing.”
“Adventuring through the procedurally-generated worlds (with procedurally-generated music!) is an absolute treat.”
“The environment to explore, the messages to read, and the music to hear grants amazing immersion.”
“That being said, I think the constraints used to prevent anything from sounding 'wrong' ultimately led to music which is very one-note.”
“I was emotionally affected by the music, but there was nothing particularly surprising to me about it.”
“There was never that moment that we all search for when making procedural music where we say 'oh man, I didn't know it could do that!', which ultimately leaves the whole thing feeling a bit wanting.”
- story10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around the artistic process and the challenges of creativity, presented through a brief walking simulator format. While some players appreciate its introspective narrative, others find it lacking in depth and immersion, feeling that the personal storytelling detracts from the gaming experience. Overall, the story is seen as an interesting concept but may not resonate with all players.
“There's a lot more to this game than meets the eye (both in terms of story and imagery).”
“A nice and short walking simulator with an interesting story about the creative process of making art.”
“The story is about the artistic process of making a game, and the difficulties one experiences when engaging in crafting... well, really any art.”
“For $15, you get a walking simulator with a core story that can be completed in 30 minutes, no achievements, trading cards, points items, and no menu to adjust graphics settings or controls.”
“I want to like them, but when they start telling their personal story with it, breaking you out of your immersion as a gamer... well... the experience (for me) is ruined.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some users criticizing the limited color palettes and poor performance, noting significant frame rate issues. However, others appreciate the art style and visual design, highlighting the breathtaking color changes and cohesive model choices. Overall, the visuals seem to evoke a polarized response, with some finding them uninteresting while others are captivated by their beauty.
“My time with the game is still ongoing, but I'm enthralled by the visuals and the Michael Bell audio (a favorite of mine, and whose entire Bandcamp repertoire I own--even games I've not yet played).”
“The graphics, the color changing throughout the game, the nighttime is truly breathtaking!”
“The graphics/visual design: 2/10 - a lot of 3D objects with limited color palettes.”
“For $15, you get a walking simulator with a core story that can be completed in 30 minutes, no achievements, trading cards, points items, and no menu to adjust graphics settings or controls.”
“The art style and model choices were well-founded and all make sense together.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Gameplay is criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with mechanics that feel repetitive and uninteresting. Players note the smooth movement and climbing abilities but find the overall experience lacking due to poor visuals, minimal sound, and significant performance issues, leading to a sense of underwhelming value for the price.
“There is a small stamina mechanic, but you are mostly just able to explore the environment.”
“$15 will seem like rather pricey for those looking for hours upon hours of immersive gameplay.”
“The walking sim: 4/10 - there are some neat mechanics where you can climb anything and jump pretty far, but the movement is too smooth and there is no sound for any of it.”
“The mechanics: 3/10 - you go from campfire to campfire sleeping.”
“I've gotten about 15 minutes of gameplay out of it and there's nothing to bring back for more.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's soundscape is noted for being evocative and emotionally charged, effectively enhancing the player's experience, though some users found the music to lack surprising elements despite its emotional impact.
“The soundscape is, as I said, very evocative and emotionally charged, which is quite impressive for procedural generation.”
“I was emotionally affected by the music, but there was nothing particularly surprising to me about it.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find the humor in the game to be genuinely hilarious, with one reviewer noting that the full price of £11.39 is a great value for the comedic experience it offers, suggesting that it may even be more enjoyable when obtained through a bundle.
“The full price of £11.39 for this game is genuinely hilarious; I think I obtained it in a bundle at some point.”
“The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever writing that had me laughing out loud.”
“I love how the game uses absurd situations to create humor; it keeps the gameplay light and entertaining.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for noticeable pop-in of rendered objects, suggesting a need for better rendering techniques or visual effects to mitigate this issue. Additionally, the abrupt changes in lighting between day and night are jarring and appear unintentional, further detracting from the overall experience.
“The game's optimization is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even in graphically intense scenes.”
“I appreciate how the developers have focused on optimizing performance, resulting in minimal lag and quick load times.”
“The optimization efforts really shine through, making the game run seamlessly on a variety of hardware configurations.”
“From a technical perspective, there is a noticeable amount of pop-in for objects being rendered, which should have been avoided through more optimized rendering or visual effects to soften the blow. The sudden shift in lighting conditions when moving from day to night or vice versa is startling and does not appear intentional.”
“The game's optimization is severely lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“I encountered numerous performance issues, including long loading times and inconsistent frame rates, making it difficult to fully enjoy the game.”
