Proteus

Exceptionally imaginative and deeply mysterious, Proteus isn't for everyone, but explorers and those looking for a change of pace will fall in love.

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Proteus is a single-player, open world exploration game with outstanding visuals and a wonderful dynamic soundtrack, creating a unique and highly emotional atmosphere. The game procedurally generates islands, providing a distinctive 2D-but-3D graphical style and a different experience with every playthrough. The lack of text or hints encourages meditative play and immersion, making it a perfect fit for fans of games like Minecraft or Abzu.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,136 reviews

music80 positive mentions

story8 negative mentions

Proteus offers a unique and calming experience, allowing players to explore a procedurally generated island filled with beautiful visuals and a dynamic soundtrack that changes based on the environment.
The game creates a sense of wonder and nostalgia, evoking emotions and memories through its serene atmosphere and artistic design.
It's a great way to unwind and relax, making it perfect for players looking for a peaceful escape from the stresses of everyday life.

Many players feel that the game lacks substantial content and interactivity, as it primarily involves wandering around without clear objectives or gameplay mechanics.
The price point is considered steep by some, especially given the short playtime of around 30-60 minutes, leading to concerns about its overall value.
The simplistic graphics and minimal gameplay may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who prefer more traditional gaming experiences with goals and challenges.

music
277 mentions
29 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The music in Proteus is a standout feature, dynamically generated based on the player's surroundings and interactions, creating a soothing and immersive experience. Many players appreciate the calming, ambient soundtrack that evolves with the changing seasons and environments, enhancing the game's dreamlike quality. However, some users found certain high-pitched sounds annoying or felt that the music could become repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The music builds and changes as the environment shifts and randomised island features are encountered.”
- “Explore its mysteries and relax... the sounds and music work with the environment to create a soothing musical harmony and is just a downright awesome way to chill.”
- “The music adapts to the season and time of day, and it always sounds serene and tranquil.”
- “There's obnoxious high-pitched music that kinda started to hurt my ears; when I was just starting to feel some kind of vibe, the 'level' was over and it was time to move on.”
- “Lot's of people say they really like the visuals and the soundtrack, but I found the whole thing to be really drab and boring.”
- “The music changed into a dull string of nothingness.”
graphics
145 mentions
35 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a simplistic, retro aesthetic that some players find charming and visually appealing, while others consider them drab and lacking depth. Despite the low-resolution, pixelated style, many reviews highlight the vibrant color palette and the harmonious integration of visuals with the calming soundtrack, creating an immersive atmosphere. Overall, while the graphics may not be technically impressive, they contribute significantly to the game's unique, artistic experience.
- “Proteus is a beautiful, emotionally rewarding game with wonderful graphics and beautiful music; any discussion of its status as a 'game' is an academic one at best, a distraction at worst.”
- “The aesthetics are very well executed and the audio and visuals work very well together to give it a sense of charm.”
- “The graphics are simplistic, but there is a strength in their simplicity.”
- “Exploration gets dull quickly, and the graphics are bad to the point of wondering if I'd somehow accidentally plugged in an Atari 2600 instead of a PC.”
- “The graphics and the sounds - which try to be the asset of the game - are neither artistic, creative, nor in the slightest way interesting.”
- “Maybe if they wanted some cool immersive casual world where you just explore, they could scrap the shitty 'old school' graphics gimmick and actually make it visually appealing, and actually have experiences in the game be cool and have meaning.”
gameplay
71 mentions
8 % positive mentions
87 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Proteus" is characterized by its simplicity and minimalism, primarily revolving around exploration and passive observation rather than traditional mechanics or objectives. Players can wander through a visually stunning environment, enjoying the art and sound, but should not expect deep gameplay or significant content, as much of the experience is over within a short time. While some appreciate its meditative quality, others find the lack of engaging gameplay elements disappointing, making it more of an art piece than a conventional game.
- “The simple game mechanics, controls, and elements allow you to be immersed in a variety of eye-popping experiences.”
- “Being an exploration game, it gives you very simple mechanics that allow you to just focus on soaking in the visual and auditory details the game provides.”
- “There is beauty in simplicity, and sparse mechanics executed well can be better than feature-rich experiences with less polish, to the right person.”
- “In terms of gameplay, Proteus is nothing more than a relaxing walking simulator.”
- “Don't buy this game if you need stimulating gameplay.”
- “There is no gameplay at all.”
story
59 mentions
10 % positive mentions
76 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The story aspect of "Proteus" is largely characterized by its absence of traditional narrative elements, with many reviewers noting that it lacks a clear plot, objectives, or structured gameplay. Instead, players are encouraged to explore a visually and audibly rich environment, creating their own interpretations and emotional responses to the experience. While some appreciate the game's artistic qualities and the subtle storytelling conveyed through its changing seasons, others find it lacking in depth and engagement, describing it as more of an interactive experience than a conventional game.
- “Very cool experience that I would definitely recommend to people who really like visual and audio-based storytelling.”
- “Going in with zero knowledge of the game's story is my recommendation as well.”
- “I surrendered to the magic and let my own story unfold.”
- “Proteus is not telling a story.”
- “Nothing really ever happens per se: you explore randomly generated islands with no plot or purpose.”
- “This game has no goal or story whatsoever.”
atmosphere
56 mentions
61 % positive mentions
34 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in Proteus is widely praised for its stunning audio-visual design, creating a relaxing and immersive experience that encourages exploration. Players appreciate the game's unique, dreamlike quality, enhanced by a dynamic day-night cycle and diverse weather effects, which contribute to a calming and meditative environment. While some critics feel the game lacks depth and content, those who enjoy atmospheric exploration find it captivating and worth revisiting.
- “The atmosphere of the world you are loaded into, the surprises that you may come across amongst the nature and wildlife is just stunning.”
- “Proteus has a day and night cycle with different weather and a magical atmosphere which you will discover upon exploring the various parts of the island.”
- “The art style, sound design, and overall atmosphere come together perfectly to create an amazingly immersive game that will make you wish it lasted longer.”
- “I understand this is supposed to be an experience/atmosphere sort of game... but it still needed more stuff going on.”
- “Personally, I quite enjoy this game; I can see why others wouldn't, but I just like the calm atmosphere. It is a small bit pricey, however.”
- “The simple graphics and soundscape add a truly trippy atmosphere to melt in and relax.”
emotional
20 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its ability to evoke deep feelings through its beautiful graphics, music, and immersive landscapes. Players describe it as a relaxing and wholesome experience that can lead to unexpected emotional responses, including tears and introspection. Overall, it is seen as a unique and moving journey that transcends traditional gaming experiences, offering a profound sense of emotional reflection.
- “Proteus is a beautiful, emotionally rewarding game with wonderful graphics and beautiful music; any discussion of its status as a 'game' is an academic one at best, a distraction at worst.”
- “One of the only games to make me emotional from the sheer beauty of the world it creates.”
- “Every time it feels emotionally impactful in a different way and never fails to leave me with head tingling and life pondering.”
replayability
15 mentions
20 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the atmospheric experience and randomization aspects that offer a degree of replay value, many others find it lacking due to its short length and minimal interaction. Most reviews suggest that once the game is completed, there is little incentive to return, making it more of a one-time experience rather than a game with high replayability.
- “I would say it's replayable for more than a couple of runs if you really like the atmosphere and want to spend more time in the world of the game.”
- “Proteus is a fairly short, but highly replayable game.”
- “Its audio and visuals interact very neatly with each other, and the random island creator adds some replayability.”
- “Not very replayable - once you've experienced it, there's nothing else to go back for unless you just want to experience it again.”
- “However, replayability is rather low since there is no objective and no interactions.”
- “After only about 7 minutes of gameplay, you'll have seen most of what the game has to offer, which makes it lack both replayability and actual gameplay; you just walk around, admiring the admittedly gorgeous music and scenery, but don't do anything other than that.”
stability
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game features vibrant graphics but is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, which some players find distracting. While these issues can affect gameplay, they do not significantly hinder the overall experience, especially in the context of its procedurally generated world. However, the stability remains a concern for many users, with reports of frustrating control issues.
- “Number one; this is an intensely buggy game.”
- “The game also suffers from some weird bugs and glitches which the developer seemed to have overlooked, but they don't hinder the game at all.”
- “Since it's a procedurally generated world, and at least in my experience, it can potentially be rather buggy.”
optimization
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users highlighting severe performance issues that detract from the overall experience, particularly on lower-end systems. While a few players find the optimization satisfactory, many feel that the game's performance problems significantly undermine its enjoyment.
- “The optimization is frankly outrageous.”
- “It barely works, and the inexplicably terrible performance completely ruins any mood.”
- “Performance issues with non-top-of-the-line computers make the game feel expensive for what little it provides.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its lighthearted and whimsical elements, with players enjoying the amusing interactions with the island's wildlife and vibrant visuals. However, some reviewers note that the humor may not sustain engagement beyond a brief exploration, likening the experience to a colorful, amusing walkabout simulator.
- “But then a funny thing happened: as I began to explore the island and interact with its wildlife and landscape, I became swept away in it.”
- “But really, it is just a walkabout simulator with pretty colors and funny noises for about 30 minutes.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players note that while many games require grinding to progress, Proteus stands out by not having a traditional "beatable" structure, making grinding less relevant in its gameplay experience.
- “Most games are easily beatable with a lot of grinding and the help of a Google search, a wiki, or a friend, but the thing about Proteus is you don't 'beat' it.”
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I found myself spending hours grinding for resources, which quickly became a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”