Quantum Conundrum

About

Quantum Conundrum is a single player casual action adventure game with comedy and science fiction themes. It was developed by Airtight Games and was released on June 21, 2012. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Quantum Conundrum is a first-person puzzle game where players manipulate time and space to solve challenging puzzles. As the nephew of the brilliant, eccentric inventor Professor Quadwrangle, you must navigate through his ever-changing mansion and experiment with his latest quantum invention: the Interdimensional Shift Device. Your goal is to rescue the professor from himself and his out-of-control inventions before it's too late!

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Play Modes

Single-Player

+16

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,580 reviews

gameplay120 positive mentions

grinding28 negative mentions

Creative and fun puzzle mechanics that utilize dimension shifting.
Charming art style and humorous narration by John de Lancie.
Engaging puzzles that provide a satisfying challenge without being overly difficult.

Platforming elements can be frustrating due to imprecise controls and timing.
The story is weak and the ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying.
Some puzzles rely too heavily on trial and error rather than logical problem-solving.

gameplay
317 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The gameplay of "Quantum Conundrum" is characterized by its innovative dimension-shifting mechanics, allowing players to manipulate physics in creative ways to solve puzzles. While the puzzles are generally engaging and the mechanics are well-implemented, some players find the gameplay repetitive and reliant on platforming, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite its charming visuals and humor, the game struggles with consistency in execution and lacks the depth found in similar titles like "Portal."
- “These mechanics are intuitive in isolation, but the game shines when it forces you to chain them—slowing time, switching to fluffy to lift a box, tossing it mid-air, flipping gravity to send it upward, then switching dimensions again so it lands with force on a pressure plate.”
- “Its puzzles are creative without being obtuse, its mechanics are visually and conceptually satisfying, and its humor gives the experience a gentle personality rarely seen in puzzle games.”
- “The dimension shifts all come together to create a fun, mechanically deep puzzle game with emergent gameplay solutions.”
- “The gameplay is mediocre, the puzzles are mediocre, the writing is awful, and the game is too short.”
- “The mechanics are rarely used in new or exciting ways, and you never feel as if you were putting thought into the puzzles; rather, you feel as if the only trouble with getting the puzzles done effectively is your own coordination and skill.”
- “What could have been a wonderful puzzle game is ruined by so many levels designed around sensitive platforming mechanics.”
story
286 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
63%
11%
The story in "Quantum Conundrum" is generally perceived as lightweight and lacking depth, often serving merely as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. While some players appreciate the humor and voice acting, particularly from John de Lancie, many criticize the plot for being simplistic, unfinished, and ultimately unsatisfying, especially with an abrupt ending that leaves unresolved threads. Overall, the game is enjoyed for its puzzle mechanics, but the story fails to engage or provide a meaningful context for the gameplay.
- “The story is simple but interesting, and the dialogue (both about the story and various side dialogues) is pretty nice and funny.”
- “The story is fantastic, and this game is just so creative and fun in so many ways.”
- “The story is a bit shallow, but the way you can play with physics and the interesting graphics add replay value.”
- “The plot is very dull and not very interesting.”
- “There's no real storyline and the ending is bad.”
- “The story is a bit of a letdown and it's held back by tedious parkour, but it has a silly quirky vibe.”
humor
227 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in *Quantum Conundrum* is characterized by its playful absurdity and lightheartedness, often drawing comparisons to *Portal* but with a more family-friendly tone. While some players appreciate the quirky dialogue and whimsical narration by John de Lancie, others find the humor to be hit-or-miss, with many jokes falling flat or feeling cheesy. Overall, the game offers a charming and entertaining experience, though it may not reach the comedic heights of its predecessor.
- “Its puzzles are creative without being obtuse, its mechanics are visually and conceptually satisfying, and its humor gives the experience a gentle personality rarely seen in puzzle games.”
- “The humor alone is enough to get this game, and it will keep you playing through.”
- “Quantum Conundrum is a fantastic puzzle game with equally fantastic writing and humor.”
- “The writers clearly wanted to create the same witty, 'punny' sort of one-liners as in Portal, but it's not funny at all, and the only voice actor in the game completely messes up the delivery.”
- “The story, which is mostly told through your uncle's voice through the mansion's intercom system, is pretty bland and painfully unfunny.”
- “You can tell he is upset that he didn't get to make Portal 2 boring, dumb, and unfunny because that's exactly what he did with this game.”
graphics
174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
6%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming, cartoonish art style that many players find appealing, though some note that the visuals can feel repetitive and lack depth. While the graphics hold up reasonably well for a 2012 release, they are often described as simplistic and occasionally marred by performance issues. Overall, the aesthetic complements the game's whimsical tone, but it may not meet the expectations set by more modern titles.
- “The graphics hold up extremely well (that's just the nature of cartoon art styles, after all).”
- “The graphics are colorful and wacky.”
- “The art style is nice as well.”
- “The visuals are bland, the music is repetitive and not memorable.”
- “Perhaps this game may have merited a mild recommendation when it came out, but in 2024 there are just so many other puzzle platformers (in 2D or 3D) that have better plots, graphics, mechanics, and puzzles.”
- “Unfortunately, it is somewhat let down by its occasionally stark and repetitive aesthetics: a lot of areas often end up feeling the same.”
music
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
52%
4%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its upbeat and fitting orchestral soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. While some players find the music enjoyable and catchy, others describe it as repetitive or bland, with a few noting that it fails to leave a lasting impression. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a positive aspect, contributing to the game's charm, though opinions vary on its memorability and impact.
- “The soundtrack mirrors that energy, alternating between upbeat orchestral cues and gentle background melodies that keep the puzzles from feeling stressful.”
- “The music is fantastic; it is one reason I continued to play through the game.”
- “Much like Portal, this game is a good puzzle platformer that features some very unique mechanics that is also backed up with a great soundtrack.”
- “The visuals are bland, the music is repetitive and not memorable.”
- “The art assets and level design are the very definition of cookie-cutter layouts, and the music is as bland as it is forgettable.”
- “The end credits song was unbearable.”
grinding
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly due to frustrating platforming mechanics and puzzle execution. While some initial enjoyment is noted, many reviews highlight that the fun quickly diminishes as the gameplay becomes a slog, with puzzles often feeling more like a chore than a challenge. The lack of engaging narrative and the repetitive nature of the levels contribute to a sense of monotony that detracts from the overall experience.
- “However, at a certain point, you’re just going from puzzle room to puzzle room and it got tedious really fast.”
- “This game was fun for about a few hours but got extremely tedious due to horrible platforming mechanics and wonky physics getting in the way of solving actual puzzles.”
- “The puzzles here are tedious and not rewarding, and the levels are repetitive and don't offer much detail.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
25%
15%
The atmosphere of the game is described as charming and cartoonish, enhanced by engaging music and voice acting, particularly from John de Lancie. While some players appreciate the unique world and original storytelling, others find the character interactions and repetitive environments detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game successfully creates a fun and whimsical atmosphere, though it may not reach the heights of its inspirations like Portal.
- “The graphics are also well done and give the whole game a fun, 'cartoony' atmosphere.”
- “Dripping with atmosphere, interesting mechanics, and great puzzles.”
- “John de Lancie as a narrator does a great job creating atmosphere; I could say it is almost as good as in Stanley Parable and makes the game so much better and alive.”
- “While GLaDOS’ dialogue is a crucial part of Portal's atmosphere, here I just kept wishing I could mute Qwadrangle.”
- “The graphics are a bit stilted but work in the cartoon atmosphere of absurdity.”
- “And though the puzzles themselves are masterfully made, the mark that QC missed, mainly, is atmosphere: the uncle (voiced by John de Lancie) is utterly unlikeable, and the levels, after a while, became very same-y.”
optimization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing performance issues such as stuttering and loading delays, even on high-end systems. While some appreciate the art style and gameplay mechanics, the lack of optimization options and stability concerns detract from the overall experience. Overall, the performance is considered mediocre, with some players noting that it doesn't significantly impact their enjoyment of the game.
- “The areas are filled with a nice array of collectibles, the game runs smoothly... I can't really find too many things wrong with this.”
- “However, the game is strangely without optimization options and can be quite repetitive in the in-between spaces.”
- “Not sure why such an old game would have performance issues and require a fix from online.”
- “- Stuttering due to loading times even on an SSD.”
- “On top of that, the game appears to have performance issues even on PCs that should be able to play it without problems.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the challenge of achieving high scores, completing collectibles, and engaging with time and dimension-shift goals, others find these elements to be artificial and lacking depth. The short story mode, which can be completed in about 6-7 hours, offers limited replay value unless players are completionists. Overall, it provides a solid experience but may not warrant multiple playthroughs for everyone.
- “Good story mode, replayable for high scores, and makes physicists cry.”
- “Fun puzzle platformer that has replayability.”
- “Timeruns, least dimension shifts, and collectibles feed the replayability.”
- “Since the game is a bit short and doesn't have much replayability, I recommend buying it on sale; if you do, you'll get your money's worth for sure.”
- “Unfortunately, the game doesn't seem to offer that much replay value, so unless you're a completionist, you're probably done in about 6-7 hours.”
- “They tried to give it replay value by having collectibles and setting time and dimension-shift goals for you to meet, but they're completely artificial and I never feel like doing those.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting significant input lag, random freezes, and various bugs that affect gameplay, such as disappearing items and graphical glitches. While the aesthetics are generally appreciated, the presence of game-breaking glitches and performance issues, particularly on less powerful systems, detracts from the overall experience.
- “I'm not talking about a nanosecond input lag; I'm talking about multiple seconds of input lag for single button presses, as well as random freezes and slowdown.”
- “The physics engine is a bit flimsy, and I encountered some buggy behaviors, like items disappearing or respawning back for no apparent reason.”
- “Be warned that there were a few game-breaking glitches associated with the graphics rendering, so if your computer can't handle intensive game graphics, you may want to hold off.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
43%
Overall, "Quantum Conundrum" is praised for its cheerful and quirky atmosphere, offering innovative gameplay without heavy emotional weight. However, some players felt let down by the lack of a satisfying narrative and ending, leading to feelings of frustration and disappointment despite moments of joy and humor throughout the experience. The game elicits a mix of emotions, from laughter to rage, but ultimately leaves some players feeling that their efforts were unfulfilled.
- “As a whole, Quantum Conundrum is a smart, quirky, and refreshingly cheerful puzzle adventure that proves innovative mechanics don’t require bleak settings or emotional heaviness to feel impactful.”
- “It's a real shame this game had no better cutscene since the game was building the ending to be a nice sparkly bow to a great game, but it didn't, which is a real shame since the game is worth it at full price but the ending made me feel like I wasted my time and that everything I did in the game was really for nothing.”
- “I laughed, I cried, I punched a hole in the drywall and screamed into it with rage and elation until I got a call from my landlord demanding I stop.”
- “The story was boring and the ending was unsatisfying.”
- “The emotional depth was lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I felt no emotional impact throughout the game, which left me disappointed.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration with the game's monetization strategy, particularly due to its cliffhanger ending and the misleading advertisements that suggest a different gameplay experience. Overall, the ads have left some users feeling disappointed and misled about the game's content.
- “I like the game, but it ends on a cliffhanger which kind of upsets me, and the advertisements suggest that you would play as the science character.”
- “I normally say a lot more, but the advertisements for the game tell you enough.”

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75%Critics’ scoreBased on 7 critic reviews

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6h Median play time

7h Average play time

6-8h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 11 analyzed playthroughs

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Quantum Conundrum is a casual action adventure game with comedy and science fiction themes.

Quantum Conundrum is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing Quantum Conundrum.

Quantum Conundrum was released on June 21, 2012.

Quantum Conundrum was developed by Airtight Games.

Quantum Conundrum has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Quantum Conundrum is a single player game.

Similar games include The Entropy Centre, Lightmatter, Q.U.B.E. 2, The Turing Test, Relicta and others.

Quantum Conundrum

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