Pavilion
- September 22, 2016
- Visiontrick Media
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Pavilion is a single-player Mystery Point and Click game with stunning visuals and masterful music, immersing you in a very atmospheric fourth-person puzzling adventure. Interact with the environment and guide the main character through 28 dream-like levels, with Chapter 2 releasing in 2018 as DLC. Experience innovative Eye-Tracker support for Tobii EyeX Eye-Tracker, allowing for gaze interaction within the game."
Mac OS
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Linux
PlayStation
Playstation Vita
Reviews
- The game features stunning visuals and a beautiful atmosphere, creating an immersive experience.
- Puzzles are interesting and varied, providing a satisfying challenge without being overly difficult.
- The soundtrack complements the gameplay well, enhancing the overall ambiance of the game.
- The game is very short, with many players completing it in just 2-3 hours, leaving them wanting more.
- There are significant control issues, particularly with mouse support and inconsistent settings that reset between sessions.
- The game ends abruptly without a satisfying conclusion, as it is only Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 has not been released.
- gameplay25 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of intuitive mechanics and frustrating bugs, leading to a trial-and-error experience for players. While the puzzles can be engaging and visually stunning, they often rely on a limited set of mechanics that can become repetitive and confusing, particularly due to unclear instructions and linear progression. Overall, the game offers a relaxing atmosphere but suffers from gameplay issues that detract from the overall experience.
“The puzzle mechanics are not too difficult to decipher, guiding the player along his journey through impressive, immersive surreal locales.”
“Pavillon is a very unique and stunning puzzle game both in the visual and the gameplay.”
“Beautiful environment, inspiring game design, and great gameplay!”
“It's a puzzler, but a lot of the mechanics aren't clear, so you have to use trial and error.”
“Many puzzles are cheap tricks or rely on obscure mechanics.”
“There is at least one gameplay bug (at the end of the game) where some event doesn't trigger properly, rendering the game uncompletable.”
- music23 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create an immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience with its beautiful, chill, and ambient qualities. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack complements the unique art style and psychological themes, contributing to a surreal and engaging world. However, some players mentioned issues with the volume being too loud and the music occasionally becoming repetitive during gameplay.
“When I want to play a game, I want to feel like I'm in its world, and this completely achieves that, through the music, detailed textures, rain effects, and all.”
“It has beautiful music and the art style is so pretty.”
“The soundtrack is very chill and pretty great.”
“The music is quite loud and there's no way to turn it down.”
“However, as well done as they are, my attention glided primarily towards the music and the art style.”
“They were all pretty harmless, but having the ladder climbing sound effect repeated until I found another ladder to climb had me convinced that the sewer level's music was a blunder, but once I touched another ladder, I was able to go back to enjoying the ambience.”
- graphics19 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 16 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their fantastic atmosphere, unique art style, and surreal beauty, effectively immersing players in a mysterious world. While the visuals are described as detailed and intriguing, some users noted minor glitches that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the combination of stunning graphics and ambient music creates a captivating aesthetic, despite some execution flaws.
“The visuals are amazing and do a fantastic job immersing you in a mysterious world of decay, shadows, and regrets.”
“Let me start with the good things about Pavilion: it has very atmospheric graphics, and it captures a nice surreal feeling.”
“Beautiful artwork and atmosphere; the surrealism of this game kind of reminds me of Twin Peaks.”
“Despite the extraordinary, dreamlike visuals, this game has quite a few flaws potential players should be aware of.”
“There are a number of graphics glitches that cause certain things to not be rendered, or to not be de-rendered.”
“Minor graphics glitch, which I'm sure will be patched out.”
- atmosphere15 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals and unique auditory elements, creating a surreal and intriguing experience reminiscent of works like Twin Peaks. While some reviewers note that the gameplay may be lacking and the game is currently unfinished, the overall presentation and artistic design are described as lush and immersive, making it a compelling experience for fans of atmospheric games.
“Fantastic atmosphere and graphics.”
“The atmosphere is good though, and the presentation is very unique.”
“Beautiful artwork and atmosphere; the surrealism of this game kind of reminds me of Twin Peaks.”
“It's unfinished (only chapter 1 right now) and puzzles are mostly simple, but I'm still recommending it for the surreal art and atmosphere.”
“What it is lacking in gameplay it easily makes up for with atmosphere, but some of the bugs take away from that a little.”
“I recommend Pavilion to all puzzle fans, especially those who appreciate the atmosphere presented.”
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The story is conveyed through symbolic imagery and fragments, creating a haunting and implicit narrative that leaves players with more questions than answers. While the art and music are praised for their beauty, many reviewers feel the story lacks clarity and resolution, often feeling vague and disconnected from the gameplay. Overall, the experience is described as visually captivating but narratively underdeveloped, with a focus on puzzles rather than a cohesive storyline.
“Disturbing story told without saying a word but using symbolism instead.”
“The story is teasing and haunting and unfolds in fragments.”
“I really enjoyed the art, story, music, and the puzzles were simple but a good vehicle to maneuver the protagonist through a world of his mind that hints at an intriguing story, with some psychological themes of anima and shadow concepts, I suppose.”
“The story really just could have concluded and wrapped up where it did; if only there would have been one small cutscene at the end -- so, the cliffhanger was not too bad, I just think it wasn't handled well.”
“There's not much story, just a guy who you're trying to send through cool scenery.”
“The story is implicit rather than explicit -- but this means you're wandering around the ruins without a strong sense of who you are, why you are here, and what you want.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players report significant stability issues, including game-breaking glitches and numerous graphics problems that disrupt gameplay. While some aspects of the game run smoothly, the prevalence of bugs has led to frustration among users who expected a polished final product.
“Game-breaking glitches.”
“There are a number of graphics glitches that cause certain things to not be rendered, or to not be de-rendered.”
“I paid for the finished product, not for the buggy beta!”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, with some puzzles contributing to a sense of monotony.
“It hit the point of tedious.”
“Some puzzles are a bit tedious.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game has received criticism for its poor optimization, particularly affecting players with older computers, leading some users to seek refunds despite finding the game itself fairly enjoyable.
“Verdict: fairly good game, but not optimized well enough for people with older computers to play it.”
