Peripeteia

About

Peripeteia is a single player role playing shooter game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by HIROTONFA and was released on February 21, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Peripeteia is a first-person game mixing shooter, stealth and RPG mechanics, placing it within the elusive and ephemeral "immersive sim" genre, heavily inspired by the greats such as Deus Ex, it expands upon the formula with original ideas and an unexplored alternative history post-soviet setting.

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,909 reviews

story82 positive mentions

stability82 negative mentions

Unique and immersive cyberpunk atmosphere with a bleak, dystopian Eastern European setting.
Huge open, interconnected levels that reward exploration and multiple approaches to objectives.
Freedom of player choice in combat, stealth, and quest completion with satisfying gunplay and parkour mechanics.
Interesting narrative and worldbuilding with engaging characters, enhanced by a fitting breakcore soundtrack.
Intuitive hacking mechanic and modular augmentations add depth and tactical options.
Fluid movement and climbing system allow creative traversal and exploration.

Game is very janky and bug-ridden with glitches, inconsistent AI, and occasional softlocks.
Lack of clear objectives, maps, or in-game directional assistance causes frustration and frequent getting lost.
Huge level design features vast empty areas that feel sterile or pointless, leading to tedious backtracking.
Disjointed inventory system with gear resetting between levels reduces progression satisfaction.
Some combat and stealth mechanics and audio balance feel unpolished or inconsistent.
Some animations and visual effects need polish; performance can be poor on some hardware.

story
521 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
81%
3%
The story in this game is praised for its intriguing, complex world-building and strong atmosphere, with multiple ways to approach missions and discover lore through exploration and NPC interaction. However, many players find the narrative disjointed, incomplete, and sometimes confusing due to unclear quest directions, repetitive or broken dialogue, and technical bugs that disrupt progression. Despite these issues, the unique setting, memorable characters, and open-ended mission structure provide a compelling if rough early access experience that shows great potential.
- “The story is very interesting and I really like the characters.”
- “The story is awesome, with different details presented to you depending on how you tackle an objective and who you side with for a level.”
- “This game took me on a journey I really wasn't expecting to go on, giving me these expansive, deeply realised locations to play in and explore while almost never feeling like it forced me to roleplay in a way I didn't want to, tied to an avant-garde and engaging story that didn't feel like it got shoved down my throat or was overbearing with its references or perspectives.”
- “The story is disjointed, the characters are forgettable and the "jank" of the game can't be overlooked.”
- “Absolutely messy quest system where you have no clear objectives so you just end up walking until random story stuff happens which ends up being incredibly incoherent.”
- “The quest dialogue loops a lot meaning quest items can be duplicated, and the paths to get somewhere are sometimes very unclear or nonexistent, and reclamation has to be my least favorite level by far.”
gameplay
335 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The gameplay is ambitious and rich in exploration, offering a variety of weapons, augments, and stealth options that provide player freedom reminiscent of classic immersive sims like Deus Ex. However, it suffers from significant jankiness, confusing level design, inconsistent mechanics (notably hacking, climbing, and inventory), and numerous bugs that can hinder flow and immersion. Despite these issues, many players appreciate its unique atmosphere and core mechanics, finding the experience engaging once they acclimate to its learning curve and rough edges.
- “This game has rapidly become one of my favorite games in my whole library; its atmosphere, music, and gameplay are phenomenal and a must-buy for any immersive sim fan who doesn't mind a little indie jank.”
- “Found it very fun; generally isn't too bad, a little rough but that's to be expected from a game like this. The inventory system and ability to scale just about everything combined with the implants make gameplay and exploration very engaging.”
- “Moment-to-moment gameplay is also strong, with a real sense of freedom and hackability in how you approach sections.”
- “I wish there were more upgrades to weapons and some body upgrades; I found none after 5 missions. The hacking mechanic is so bad it should be illegal to claim in the game description that you can hack something.”
- “As such, you end up with an immersive sim where the core gameplay mechanics are broken jank, content is spread extremely thin over the megastructural loaf of incoherent ('dream-like') level design, exploring which is mechanically unrewarding.”
- “Downsides: incredibly inconsistent texture sizes, large and empty environments with lots of walking but little to see or do, not quite dynamic music, deafeningly loud rain noises at almost all times, abhorrently bad grabbing mechanics where the player drops whatever is held by bumping into stuff (including air) or turning too fast/slowly, assault guns suck in accuracy, aiming down sights is poor as the weapon model flies all over the screen and the sights are poorly modeled, I have yet to decipher what half of the UI tries to tell me, a non-functional midair jump ability, weird climbing mechanics.”
music
251 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
55%
3%
The music in this game, heavily featuring breakcore and tracks by artists like sewerslvt, is widely praised for perfectly complementing its gloomy, cyberpunk atmosphere and immersive worldbuilding. While many find the soundtrack phenomenal and a key part of the experience, some note issues with repetitive or poorly timed combat music that can detract from immersion, alongside inconsistent audio triggers and mixing. Overall, the soundtrack is recognized as a standout element, though its integration and variety could benefit from refinement.
- “This game has rapidly become one of my favorite games in my whole library, its atmosphere, music and gameplay are phenomenal and is a must buy for any immersive sim fan who doesn't mind a little indie jank.”
- “The soundtrack is also so beautifully integrated, and one particular song, 'Sunday Summer' by ruruyousei, you find on the first level has stuck with me due to the context of how it's found and the serene beauty of it.”
- “The music and atmosphere are top-notch, great ambient tracks for exploring paired with upbeat combat bangers when stuff hits the fan.”
- “Music triggers won't turn off after all enemies in an area are dead so as you're backtracking through levels to explore or finish the mission you'll just have the fight theme come on randomly.”
- “-audio mixing is awful, some sounds overlap others and cause confusion on what's actually playing and happening, the music isn't well implemented, it's too loud at times and it plays a song on its entirety without properly looping it.”
- “The music of this game being mainly breakcore is not a bad pick, i do enjoy that genre in itself, but when it comes to said music, it really chooses some very unfortunate timing to be played. For example, im going to be walking in a completely empty hallway or take an elevator, and suddenly a turbo hyper breakcore song is gonna start to play. It wouldve been better if these songs would play during actual fights rather than being area-triggered.”
atmosphere
238 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
39%
1%
The game’s atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of dark, dystopian, cyberpunk, and post-Soviet aesthetics, enriched by immersive worldbuilding, haunting music, and richly detailed environments. Reviewers highlight its ability to evoke feelings of melancholy, unease, and fascination, making exploration deeply engaging despite some gameplay jank and empty spaces. Overall, the atmosphere is considered the standout feature, often compared to classics like Stalker and Deus Ex, and a core reason players become engrossed in the experience.
- “This game has rapidly become one of my favorite games in my whole library; its atmosphere, music, and gameplay are phenomenal and it’s a must buy for any immersive sim fan who doesn’t mind a little indie jank.”
- “The atmosphere is probably the best I’ve ever seen; it’s dreadful yet beautifully industrial and Soviet-styled, which to me is stunning.”
- “Peripeteia is a fantastic immersive sim; the atmosphere is so thick, it’s gonna grab you right away. It’s the result of the perfect combination between art direction, lighting, and sound design.”
- “I mentioned there being a grime to everything earlier which helps with the atmosphere but it can make things feel pretty samey after a while since everything is dirty in a similar way, just makes your eyes glaze over.”
- “The atmosphere is impeccable and each level definitely gives the feeling of being in a place that wasn't built for people; the levels are way too large and makes poor use of the space in the level but i imagine this is intentional to drive the dystopian feeling, but it does mean you can walk down a hallway for 5 minutes, find out it leads nowhere, and have to walk back, or load a save, and load you will.”
- “The atmosphere is cool but not cool enough to warrant seeing the same location 15+ times (and climbing a certain set of stairs for a single fairly mediocre weapon).”
graphics
236 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
64%
2%
The game's graphics are defined by a distinctive, gritty, post-Soviet cyberpunk aesthetic that many players find immersive and visually captivating, evoking late 90s and early 2000s retro styles with intentional low-resolution textures and unapologetic jank. While the art style, lighting, and atmosphere receive high praise for contributing to the unique vibe and mood, technical issues like inconsistent lighting, graphical glitches, poor optimization, and repetitive visuals sometimes detract from the experience. Overall, the visuals are considered the game's strongest aspect, creating a richly atmospheric world that appeals strongly to fans of immersive sims and niche cyberpunk aesthetics despite its rough edges.
- “Beautiful game with an amazing atmosphere and aesthetic.”
- “The art direction is wonderful and novel; I love the mix of clashing art styles and am mystified by how cohesive they feel in-game.”
- “The atmosphere, the graphics, the music, the environment are amazing and stunning; just walking around the game feels like an experience of its own.”
- “There is a lot of walking, which might put off some people, but I personally love it because of the visuals and the atmosphere, and even then, it's a lot of walking only the first time you play a level. One part of the magic of this game is that you usually have multiple ways to end the levels, ranging from taking a few hours to a mere minutes; best example of that is the first level of the game which is so far IMO the best one, and best of all, it's included in the demo of the game.”
- “Currently on 6700xt and 3700x on 1440p display, this graphic style is abysmal - on lowest settings I couldn't even reach 100fps when I started the game and it was still jumpy between 70 and 100.”
- “The graphics should not demand nearly as much for what it's putting out; simply disappointing.”
stability
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from pervasive stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, softlocks, janky physics, and inconsistent AI behavior, which often disrupt gameplay and cause frustration. While many reviewers acknowledge its potential and unique charm, the overall unpolished and unstable state—typical for early access—makes the experience unreliable and sometimes game-breaking. Players seeking a smoother, more stable playthrough are advised to wait for future updates and patches.
- “It's buggy, it's kinda a mess, you can get softlocked quite easily; there is a flight of stairs where one stair is just too high to walk so you have to jump. The geometry is janky, platforming is janky, and for $25 in this state, it's a tough sell.”
- “First off, the game is horribly unoptimized—any significant action has a considerable chance of being accompanied by several second-long stutters and freezes. Even with a high-end device, that degree of performance is unacceptable for a game that looks like this.”
- “I absolutely applaud the dev for making the maps large and detailed, but some levels break down hard with how buggy it can get, to the point of soft locking and having to reload the entire game just to get a save file working again.”
humor
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is a mix of dark, cynical, and often surreal comedy, with witty dialogue, quirky characters, and amusing situations that can elicit genuine chuckles despite numerous bugs and jankiness. It contains ironic and controversial elements tied to the developer's attitudes and community interactions, which some find funny while others see as problematic. Overall, humor is a significant part of its charm, blending bleak post-apocalyptic tone with unexpected levity and meme-like moments.
- “I recommend this game if you have a strong sense of exploration, wonder and a dark sense of humor.”
- “If you get lost in bleak post-apocalyptic stories with colorful chuckling cynicism, you'll probably get a kick out of this one.”
- “There's also lots of humor sprinkled in the game and it had me chuckling quite a few times.”
optimization
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
59%
26%
Optimization is a major concern for this game, with many players experiencing severe performance issues such as low and unstable frame rates, stuttering, and crashes—even on high-end hardware. Certain levels are particularly unoptimized, causing significant FPS drops and overheating. While some improvements have been noted, especially on Linux, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization to deliver a smooth and stable experience.
- “That one unoptimized level and chuddy creator aside though, amazing game, especially after its latest major updates.”
- “Performance wise the game isn't like running at 500fps of course but it's more than playable at least on my PC (120ish fps, 3440x1440).”
- “The game is still in a very early access stage and most of the problems I've experienced so far were the lack of directions to go, performance issues, and good god the game is ridiculously so dark, NV is already at your disposal but consumes your energy.”
- “There are some complaints to keep in mind though, the second to last level in the game is to this game as Blighttown was for Dark Souls 1: it's massive, ridiculously hard, and most importantly terribly optimized. If you have a 3060 like me, your framerate will probably dip to 18fps throughout the level.”
- “First off, the game is horribly unoptimized - any significant action has a considerable chance of being accompanied with several second long stutters and freezes. Even if I did not have a high-end device, I don't think I should have to explain why that degree of performance is unacceptable for a game that looks like this.”
- “At a certain point, the levels are so poorly optimized and designed with all these unneeded models that have collision I genuinely feel my GPU and CPU crying. This game should not get my GPU and CPU hotter than modded Skyrim with raytracing when it looks so bad.”
replayability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The game offers strong replayability through multiple branching paths, diverse mission approaches, and extensive exploration that uncovers secrets and side quests. With various augmentations supporting different playstyles and numerous ways to complete each level, players find new discoveries and experiences on repeated playthroughs. Overall, the substantial content and multiple endings provide many hours of engaging and satisfying replay value.
- “I got almost 50 hours of gameplay with the 5 current levels, with significantly more replay value; the game was well worth the price.”
- “Each level has several ways to be finished, offering different paths for you to pick and go in order to achieve them, increasing the replayability, always having something new to discover each time you replay it.”
- “My first review was long, but this one is definitely shorter and I think more coherent. As someone who put over 60+ hours into this (22+ hours in the demo and 40+ for this), please get it for its immense replayability; each time I go through, I find something new in the world and learn something about it.”
- “-replay value”
- “Hoping for more replayability value in the future.”
- “You get replayability in the form of doing the different branching paths, exploring the map and trying new augments.”
emotional
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes a wide range of strong emotions, from nostalgia and wonder to sadness and anger, with moments that truly move players to tears. Its unique atmosphere, emotional storytelling, and intriguing characters create a heartfelt experience reminiscent of classic titles like Deus Ex, despite some unpolished elements. Overall, it stands out as an emotionally impactful and distinctive piece of interactive art.
- “This game legitimately made me cry not even an hour into it, just from standing in the rain, looking out at the skybox, and listening to the music.”
- “It made my heart melt, it made me angry, it made me cry several times.”
- “No other game made me feel things like this one does and I love it.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
87%
Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and unrewarding due to large, empty levels that cause frequent backtracking and confusion about objectives. Inventory limitations and the need for repetitive item management, like selling weapons across vast maps, exacerbate the monotonous feel. While some find features like free climbing and inventory "tetris" unique, overall the extensive exploration and resource farming contribute to a laborious experience.
- “The levels are huge and empty and often can become tedious.”
- “All these factors combined make exploration feel tedious and unrewarding but completely non-optional.”
- “The game lacks some general QoL things, like why can't you close menus by just hitting ESC, some more inventory space or a way to carry more things at once. Being given so many weapons from enemies or lockers you'd think you'll have a bigger place to store them but if you carry 2 weapons, their ammo, some recovery items and your augments, half of your inventory is gone and each enemy drops their own weapon, that means doing multiple runs to the vendor from 1 side of the map to the other to be able to sell them which takes a lot of time and considering the empty space between where you are and where you're going, it becomes tedious really fast.”
character development
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The character development is praised primarily through its strong and unique character designs that enhance the game's immersive atmosphere. The integration of character growth via new skills and items aligns well with the overall art style and world design, creating a cohesive and engaging experience. Fans appreciate the detailed, era-appropriate aesthetic that enriches both story and gameplay.
- “The character design and story also impressed me a lot.”
- “One of the key design choices considered core to immersive sims is the sense of character development as you gain new skills and items.”
- “The character designs are great, at least the unique ones are.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Users find the game's monetization misleading, feeling the $25 price does not match the current incomplete and janky gameplay experience characterized by poor aiming mechanics and animation issues. While hopeful for future updates, they caution that the game leans heavily on hype and aesthetics without delivering a polished product, making it hard to recommend at its current cost.
- “Overall, I'm excited for the game's development if it continues, and will look forward to coming back if it receives updates, but I cannot recommend it to others for $25. The advertising of the game makes it seem like a more complete and less janky experience, which feels somewhat misleading and kind of like one of those scam games carried 100% by hype and aesthetic. Unlike games like Signalis and The Citadel, which have actual working games to stand on despite their fanbases, this game does not.”
- “Your ADS (aim down sights) feels way too floaty, and you can miss easy headshots on stationary enemies just because the ADS is so janky. The hipfire aiming has an inhuman amount of spread even with the cursor completely still on a still enemy's head while crouched. Also, the silencer on some weapons obstructs the view in ADS, making it hard to see the enemy.”
- “Also, some guns your character doesn't even hold correctly while using ADS.”