Pretentious Game

About

"The Pretentious Game" is a unique platformer where levels represent riddles and puzzles that symbolize life's complex emotions and relationships. Players control a cube that falls in love with a square, facing challenges and heartaches as they navigate through abstract stages. The game explores themes of love, loss, and self-realization, delivering a profound and introspective experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 175 reviews

story28 positive mentions

gameplay7 negative mentions

The game features a touching story that evokes strong emotions, making players feel attached to the characters.
The minimalist graphics and clever use of text enhance the storytelling, creating a unique narrative experience.
Despite its short length, the game is enjoyable and worth playing, especially when on sale.

The gameplay is often criticized for being overly simplistic and lacking challenge, with some puzzles being frustratingly pixel-perfect.
Many players feel the game is too short for its price, with some suggesting it should be free or heavily discounted.
The later chapters are seen as weaker than the first, leading to a decline in overall enjoyment and engagement.

story
130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
76%
2%
The game's story is described as touching and deep, focusing on themes of love and loss among four characters, though some reviewers found it to be somewhat cliché and lacking innovation as it progressed. While the narrative is effectively integrated with gameplay mechanics, enhancing the overall experience, many noted that the story feels short and incomplete, leaving players wanting more. Overall, it is appreciated for its emotional resonance and clever storytelling, despite some criticisms regarding its execution and length.
- “The story itself was very deep and real, and I liked how the writing shows the powerful emotions between the characters.”
- “Not only is this game fun, it's also creative and tells a deep story without any cut-scenes or character names.”
- “The puzzles are tied to plot narration in pretty clever ways, and several times surprised me and made me laugh.”
- “I guess I was pretty moved by the first chapter, but as the later chapters developed it wasn't as touching as I thought it'd be (in terms of the storytelling), so the game turned out more like a puzzle game in the end.”
- “While a few of the puzzles are somewhat interesting, the game mechanics are rudimentary and the storytelling is outright bland, bordering on awful.”
- “The storyline feels frankly rather bland until quite late in the game and it ends incomplete with the promise of adding more later, which is okay on mobile but it feels very unsatisfying when played on the PC.”
gameplay
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
81%
10%
The gameplay of "Pretentious Game" is characterized by its simplistic mechanics and straightforward platforming, which some players find tedious and lacking depth. While the game attempts to intertwine its narrative with gameplay through metaphorical mechanics, many reviewers feel that the execution is clunky and the storytelling is bland. Overall, it offers about an hour of playtime with minimal replay value, leaving players divided on its effectiveness in delivering a meaningful experience.
- “But between games like these and even Hook, what Pretentious Game intends to tell a story, and uses its mechanics not only to teach the player what they need to do to beat a level, but also to tell them the context of what's going on.”
- “The narrative, short as it was, gives a greater meaning to the gameplay as well as serves as instruction while still being a story that doesn't break the fourth wall, and the gameplay boosts the story as it feels like we're enacting the story ourselves.”
- “Meanwhile, this game's presentation of narrative and gameplay really boosts each other up.”
- “The game was completely unplayable for the first month it was out (it even went on sale while it was still unplayable!) and with boring, extremely short gameplay (under an hour), the game is exactly what it says: pretentious.”
- “Block styled (simple) gameplay, average music as well as a short playthrough is what has made me initially thumbs down.”
- “You'll only get about an hour's worth of gameplay (and there is little replay value), but if a fifth chapter were released, I'd still install it again just to find out what happens next.”
emotional
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its touching and emotionally evocative story, particularly in its early chapters, which resonate deeply with players despite its simplicity. While some feel that the emotional impact diminishes in later chapters, many still find it surprisingly intense and engaging, making it a memorable experience overall. The combination of heartfelt storytelling and puzzle mechanics creates a unique emotional journey that players appreciate.
- “Surprisingly emotional retro game :)”
- “A very short and simple but brilliant puzzle game that tells a short and touching story about love.”
- “It's uncluttered and emotionally evocative without being, oddly, pretentious about it.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The music in the game is described as soft, simple, and melodic, fitting the overall tone but lacking variety, with some reviewers noting it can feel repetitive due to the limited number of tracks. While the soundtrack is considered good, its minimalism and lack of development throughout the game have led to mixed feelings, with some players wishing for more musical diversity across chapters. Additionally, the soundtrack is available for purchase on the mobile version but is not included in the Steam version, which has drawn some criticism.
- “The game is good, the story is interesting, the music is good, also the game is quite short but for its price I think it is fine.”
- “Nice minimalistic style and melodic music.”
- “Accompanying your playthrough is soft, simple, melodic music of a slightly depressing tone.”
- “There is only one music track, no narration/voice acting, and barely any other audio.”
- “The soundtrack can be bought on the mobile version, but that is not present on the Steam version.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The graphics are praised for their godly quality, particularly with ray tracing, while the minimalistic aesthetic draws comparisons to "Thomas Was Alone." This simplicity enhances the storytelling and gameplay, allowing players to focus on the experience rather than complex visuals, although some feel the visuals are less varied than in "Thomas Was Alone." Overall, the graphics effectively support the game's deeper narrative and mechanics.
- “The graphics are godly with ray tracing.”
- “The game’s aesthetic is incredibly minimalistic, reminding me strongly of 'Thomas Was Alone', and I initially thought the game would be a simple go from A to B across numerous levels with increasing levels of infuriating difficulty.”
- “The game is offering less varied visuals than 'Thomas Was Alone'.”
- “Ultimately, it's a representation of a larger story, with the simplistic graphics drastically reducing the complexity of the mechanics and allowing you to focus on the gameplay and storytelling.”
- “I quickly realized, however, that beneath the simple art style there is some depth (and pretentiousness!) to this pretentious game.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game provides approximately an hour of gameplay with minimal replayability, though players express a desire to revisit it if additional content, such as a fifth chapter, were released. Overall, while the experience is brief, the narrative leaves players wanting more.
- “You'll only get about an hour's worth of gameplay, and there is little replay value.”
- “It offers about an hour of gameplay, without any real replayability.”
- “You'll only get about an hour's worth of gameplay, and there is little replay value.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Reviews indicate that "Pretentious Game" features grinding elements that can feel tedious and repetitive, likening it to typical Newgrounds games that rely on monotonous platforming mechanics to convey their narrative. Despite its self-aware title, players may find the gameplay experience frustratingly laborious.
- “The game tries to lure you in with its self-aware title, but don't be fooled; it's just another one of those Newgrounds games that relies on tedious platformer mechanics.”
- “Grinding in this game feels like an endless loop of repetitive tasks that drain the fun out of the experience.”
- “The mechanics are so monotonous that it turns what could be an engaging experience into a chore.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is cleverly integrated with the plot, often surprising players and eliciting genuine laughter through its inventive puzzles.
- “The puzzles are tied to plot narration in pretty clever ways, and several times surprised me and made me laugh.”