Pulse

Pulse, if nothing else, doesn't feel finished. It feels like an alpha build that got pushed out so early it may have upset Early Access customers. While it obviously has potential (it's walked away with awards, after all), it feels largely incomplete, and like it should have been pushed through play-testing a bit further. If it gets some more depth, or, at least, if the depth it has gets fixed up and becomes more cohesive, it may live up to a lot of the hype it's generated. Until then, it's a game that exemplifies that just because an idea is good, it doesn't mean the product will be.

45%Game Brain Score

gameplay, story

atmosphere, stability

44% User Score Based on 52 reviews

Critic Score 47%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

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About

Pulse is a single player survival survival game. It was developed by Pixel Pi Games and was released on October 20, 2015. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

"Pulse" is a first-person exploration game featuring a protagonist, Eva, who lost her sight and navigates the world through sound. Players uncover the truth of a collapsing world using Eva's unique ability and with help from forest spirits, all while experiencing a beautiful thematic soundtrack. The game offers a unique visual style with handcrafted environments and a transitent world to explore.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

44%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

Incredible visuals and art direction that create a unique atmosphere in each level.
Lovely soundtrack that adds personality and charm to the experience.
Interesting story concept with a mysterious setting that captivates players.

Very short gameplay length, often leaving players with unanswered questions about the story and mechanics.
Poorly designed narrative with vague dialogue that can be difficult to follow.
Frustrating gameplay mechanics, including imprecise jumping and confusing navigation that can lead to disorientation.

gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by a unique "sight by sound" mechanic that offers an interesting concept but ultimately falls short due to poorly executed mechanics and frustrating controls. While the game features distinct levels and atmospheric design, many players find the experience hindered by a lack of depth in gameplay and accessibility issues, particularly for visually impaired users. Overall, the game presents a novel idea but struggles with cohesion and execution, leading to a mixed reception.
- “Each level has a unique theme, both mechanically and visually, and they really nail the atmosphere of never fully knowing your surroundings, in a good way.”
- “Still a very unique and interesting gameplay concept.”
- “The core mechanic makes the game gorgeous; it changes the way you perceive the game's world and move around it.”
- “A supreme basic irony of this game: for a game about a character who is blind and which attempts to use that blindness as a novelty game mechanic, it's a completely inaccessible and unplayable mess for players with low or no vision.”
- “The gameplay can be extremely frustrating.”
- “There was seemingly no real affection put into the gameplay design, the plot, or the art.”
story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
71%
13%
The game's story features an intriguing concept centered around a crow that provides vague guidance, but many players find it confusing and lacking clarity, often feeling that it doesn't make sense until the end. While some appreciate the mysterious and dark elements, others criticize its brevity and the lack of a cohesive narrative, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution. Despite its shortcomings, the story has moments of engagement and a unique aesthetic that some players enjoy.
- “The story is mysterious, though not completely unexplained.”
- “The story revolves around helping the guide, simply by following its path and finding our way out of the hell of each level, and listening to the guide explain its dreams and memories as we try to piece together what happened.”
- “I really love the concept and the story, and the use of color and sound is so great.”
- “They try to have a deep story, but when you really think about it, the story makes no sense.”
- “There's a crow that gives you vague sentences all throughout the game, and it ends up with a quick written epilogue that makes you feel like you've missed half the story.”
- “The story was a bit nonsensical to me, and the game was very short too.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
42%
16%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the incredible visuals and unique art direction, often likening it to psychedelic experiences. While some players find the aesthetic appealing and visually pretty, others criticize the simplicity and lack of graphical options, suggesting that the visuals may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the game's art style is seen as a strong point, enhancing the gameplay experience despite some technical limitations.
- “Incredible visuals and art direction.”
- “The art style is beautiful!”
- “The visuals work really well with the mechanic as well.”
- “Your blindness is just an excuse to hide the ugly graphics.”
- “I tried changing the graphics settings from glorious all the way down to good, but the FPS didn’t change one bit.”
- “There are people here praising the visuals, but aside from the idea that theoretically a world built around pulsations of movement could be interesting, it just looks like LSD vomited the 70s all over the screen.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
22%
11%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its lovely and calming soundtrack, which enhances the overall atmosphere and is enjoyable enough for players to download. While the soundtrack is a highlight, some players feel that the rest of the game, including its mechanics and story, falls short. Overall, the music stands out as a strong point amidst mixed reviews of other game elements.
- “I enjoyed the echolocation aspect of the game, as well as the changing colors and the soundtrack.”
- “This game gets a gold star, great soundtrack, too!”
- “I have downloaded the soundtrack and like it, it's very chill.”
- “The music itself is very well done and calming, but the rest of the game is a mess.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its unique thematic levels that blend mechanical and visual elements, creating an immersive experience where players often feel disoriented yet engaged. The beautiful visuals, innovative concepts, and stellar soundtrack contribute to a sense of helplessness, enhancing the overall atmospheric impact.
- “Each level has a unique theme, both mechanically and visually, and they really nail the atmosphere of never fully knowing your surroundings, in a good way.”
- “This game is beautiful and very atmospheric.”
- “The game's atmosphere does a really good job of making you feel helpless at times.”
- “The game fails to create a cohesive atmosphere, leaving players feeling disconnected from the world.”
- “Despite the potential for immersion, the atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to engage players.”
- “The environments are visually appealing, but the overall atmosphere is undermined by repetitive sound design and predictable encounters.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, particularly with buggy environments that can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, such as getting stuck or disoriented. The ice level is highlighted as particularly problematic, contributing to an overall negative impression of the game's stability. These issues, combined with other gameplay shortcomings, have led to dissatisfaction among players.
- “What annoyed me the most was that it would seem like you could go somewhere (like a huge forest on the side of the road), but if you tried, it would get all buggy (which made me feel even more sick) and I would get kinda stuck and had to jump and run sightless until I either found my way back to the working map or was killed by the game for going too astray.”
- “The ice level is one to rage out... it's difficult and buggy but possible to beat.”
- “I chose to give it a thumbs-down in the end due to (1) its extremely short length (less than 30 minutes), (2) its weak and confusing story, (3) its poor handling of enemies (the beasts were better utilized in the Kickstarter demo than in the full game), and (4) the buggy AI pathing for the (very cute) mokos.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspects of the game, particularly the achievements involving drowning and throwing mokos, to be tedious and time-consuming, often taking longer than completing the main game itself. This has led to frustration among users who seek to achieve 100% completion.
- “There are two grindy achievements: 'Drown 50 Mokos' (the hamsters) and 'Throw 1000 Mokos'... this is going to take some time. It's just sad to think it will take you more time to finish this than to finish the game.”
- “Which is very tedious, and if anyone knows how many exactly are in each level, hit me up because I'd love to 100% this gem.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration with the emotional impact of feeling trapped and disoriented due to buggy mechanics, which detracts from their immersion and enjoyment of the game. This sense of being stuck not only disrupts gameplay but also contributes to a feeling of sickness and annoyance.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players feel that the game's performance issues are not justified by its visual quality, suggesting that optimization is lacking and could be improved.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game is visually impressive and well-crafted, many users feel that it lacks sufficient replay value and content to justify its price.
- “The game is very well made and absolutely stunning to look at, but there just isn't enough replay value or content for me to see that price being justifiable.”