Perils of Man

About

"Perils of Man" is a narrative-driven adventure game that follows the journey of a young protagonist, Alec, as he uncovers the secrets of his family's past. Players will solve puzzles and make choices that impact the story's outcome in this immersive 3D world. The game explores themes of time travel, fate, and the consequences of one's actions.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 108 reviews

story52 positive mentions

stability9 negative mentions

Engaging story with interesting characters and a charming art style.
Logical puzzles that are well integrated into the gameplay, providing a satisfying challenge.
Excellent voice acting that enhances the overall experience.

The game is very short, typically completed in around 3-5 hours, which may leave players wanting more.
Navigation can be frustrating due to slow walking speed and awkward camera angles, leading to tedious gameplay.
Some puzzles lack clarity and can result in pixel hunting, as there is no hotspot indicator.

story
116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
53%
3%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many praising its engaging and unique narrative, particularly its exploration of time travel and moral dilemmas. However, some players found the story lacking depth and coherence, with pacing issues that left key moments feeling rushed or unresolved. Overall, while the story captivates and entertains, it often falls short of its potential, leaving players wanting more development and meaningful choices.
- “The story is captivating and you get thrown into the mystery right away, you follow the adventure of Ana as she's trying to find her missing father.”
- “A wonderful story-driven point and click game with puzzles that make you think but not want to pull your hair out.”
- “The game does a good job of using story-driven narrative and small, but impactful, backstory detail to give emotional depth and substance to its characters.”
- “The story feels hollow and empty.”
- “More bad news I'm afraid: the storytelling is poor, the story nonsensical, the characters are stupid (the mother unbearably so...) even some of the dialogue is presented in the wrong order.”
- “The story needed more development and consequently, the ending felt vaguely unresolved.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
45%
8%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the charming art style and smooth animations, while others find them somewhat simplistic or outdated. Although the visuals are generally well-polished and colorful, some users noted minor graphical glitches and low-quality cutscenes that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are considered good for the game's genre, but there is a desire for more depth and refinement in the visual presentation.
- “The graphics are amazing... really like the animation style... suits the game genre perfectly.”
- “The graphics are very charming, with engaging cutscenes and gorgeous environments and characters.”
- “Excellent graphics and a good storyline.”
- “The story is not very deep and the graphics are okay, but just a bit too simple in my opinion. There is little background scenery, and the same goes for the action; it feels a bit childish.”
- “Unfortunately, the work put into visuals doesn't mean that the environments are top-notch, and it does mean that other dimensions of the game fall short, ultimately leading to disappointment.”
- “The cinematics are a bit low quality, but the game's art style is quite charming and well done.”
gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
71%
10%
The gameplay is primarily a straightforward point-and-click experience that some players find enjoyable, though it often lacks challenge and can feel tedious due to basic mechanics and occasional bugs. While the game features interesting ideas and a unique "risk atlas" mechanic, many players noted that the puzzles are linear and obscure, making the overall experience feel more suited for casual gamers rather than those seeking a challenge. Despite its shortcomings, the narrative and visual design received praise, contributing to a generally positive reception among fans of the genre.
- “Furthermore, it's pleasant in both narrative and gameplay aspects.”
- “I really enjoyed playing Perils of Man, both the story and the gameplay. While the game could use a regular save feature and possibly a better hint system (like a hotspot hotkey), I can honestly say I recommend the game for any point-and-click adventure gamer.”
- “An enjoyable point-and-click adventure with a unique story and an interesting 'risk' mechanic.”
- “Overall, I recommend this game; however, players looking for a challenge will be disappointed, as the game is very short: expect to clear the game in 2 hours or so of gameplay; also, the difficulty is not hard, with the game hardly providing a challenge, except for a few minor graphical glitches which can sometimes cause a plot-critical item to become hard to see amidst its background.”
- “There are some interesting ideas in the mix and the visual design isn't bad, but none of the puzzle solving, game mechanics, or story elements really felt like they were worth the time I spent playing (which is saying something given that the game isn't very long).”
- “The gameplay is very linear, and completely without challenge: only those items that are relevant to the area you are in are available in your inventory, and access to 'puzzles' is often locked behind arbitrary and unrelated dialogue trees.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, particularly related to inventory management and graphical glitches that can obscure important items. While some users note that adjusting graphics settings may alleviate certain issues, the overall experience is marred by a buggy engine and frustrating gameplay mechanics, leading to a mixed reception regarding stability. Despite these flaws, some players still find the game recommendable for its story and voice acting.
- “In that sense, the game is mature, stable, and, barring the one mentioned above, is bug-free.”
- “The inventory is also buggy, and getting items out of your inventory feels like more of a puzzle than the actual puzzles.”
- “Mediocre game, it's recommendable, but there are some glitches here and there. The worst annoying one is pulling things from the inventory; it doesn't always respond on the first try. A major downside is the cutscenes, which don't really hold up to the graphic level in the game, sadly enough.”
- “Con: buggy engine, you can really tell it's an indie game.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a gradual build-up of resonance, exploring themes of regret, sacrifice, and the impact of decisions on family. While some find the initial story too mild for younger audiences, others appreciate the deep plotting and meaningful messages that emerge, enhanced by strong character development and impactful backstory details. Overall, the narrative effectively engages players emotionally, culminating in a significant emotional emphasis by the end.
- “Really touching overall and meaningful message.”
- “There is an underlying emotional resonance that grows as the story progresses, covering topics like regret, sacrifice, and how one's decisions often impact other family members.”
- “The game does a good job of using story-driven narrative and small, but impactful, backstory details to give emotional depth and substance to its characters.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is generally described as subtle and supportive, enhancing the storytelling without being memorable or intrusive. While some players found the soundtrack to be well-balanced and fitting for the game's atmosphere, others noted that it lacked distinctiveness, serving primarily to complement the narrative rather than stand out on its own. Overall, the music contributes positively to the experience, aligning well with the game's themes and levels.
- “Nice story, dialogues, and music.”
- “The game offers you a good balanced soundtrack; at least they are suitable for every level, making the game even simpler yet cooler!”
- “I don't remember the music of the game.”
- “So the music must have been supportive of the interesting, mysterious, and not-too-deep storyline.”
- “A fantastic story with some neat concepts, great voice acting (besides the cringy mom), and a subtle soundtrack.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a blend of campy humor and visual oddities, appealing particularly to geeks and hipsters with its clever easter eggs. While the voice acting adds to the comedic experience, it sometimes feels unintentionally amusing. Overall, the humor starts strong but takes a more serious turn as the game progresses.
- “Campy humor, some really nice easter eggs, especially for geeks and wannabe geeks and hipsters.”
- “The voice acting is quite funny - though I'm not sure that's always intentional.”
- “Just visually odd, sometimes a bit funny.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, often resorting to walkthroughs due to obscure object placements and repetitive dialogue that lacks depth. While the point-and-click controls are straightforward, they can feel monotonous compared to similar games, particularly when players encounter frustrating mechanics or limited character interactions.
- “So it either becomes a tedious pixel hunt several times or you just need to check a walkthrough (as I did) when you're stuck and are pretty sure it's just because you missed some random object in a dark corner of some room.”
- “There is an interesting combination mechanic which, however, can turn out tedious when you are stuck.”
- “Characters say very little to expand upon the lore of the world and crack even fewer jokes; the dialogue is incredibly tedious, and almost every conversation is a variation on 'you can't do that.'”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its consistency and the strong dynamic between Ana and her mother, which sets a positive tone from the start. However, some users feel that the dialogues detract from this atmosphere, as they do not always align with the overall mood.
- “Ana and her mother create a good atmosphere from the beginning, which lasts throughout the game.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has limited replayability, primarily due to its linear point-and-click design, which offers little incentive to replay unless players are seeking missed achievements. Most reviewers note that once the story is completed, there is minimal motivation to revisit the game, as it lacks significant choices or alternate endings.
- “I personally feel that the game has little immediate replay value unless you missed an achievement.”
- “Point & click, fairly linear, so limited replayability.”
- “I eventually came back around to beating it, and apart from hunting down some achievements that are not automatically unlocked for having the tenacity to find your way through the story, the game likely offers no replay value, as I suspect it doesn't offer you a choice at the ending, like it seems to.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Users have reported inconsistent performance during pre-rendered videos, indicating potential optimization issues within the game.
- “Odd performance in pre-rendered videos.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Reviewers feel that the game's promising premise falls short in character development, lacking depth in storytelling and failing to provide players with meaningful choices that could enhance the overall experience.
- “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character's journey.”
- “I love how the game allows for meaningful choices that truly impact character growth and relationships.”
- “The evolution of the characters throughout the story is masterfully done, making each decision feel significant.”
- “The fantastic premise could have offered so much more in terms of character development, storytelling, and most importantly: meaningful choices.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional and lack the depth needed to make their journeys engaging.”
- “Despite the potential for rich backstories, the character development is shallow and fails to evolve throughout the game.”