Recesses
- August 23, 2024
- Sanjuny
Get on Steam"Recesses" is a card game, visual novel roguelite where you investigate your best friend's disappearance by battling strange kids at recess. With 100 unique cards, lose for new dialogue, strategies, and stronger collections. The music and fifth-grade-inspired graphics create a fun, engaging experience as you uncover the truth behind your friend's mysterious absence.
Reviews
- The game features a unique and fun deck-building mechanic that is both challenging and satisfying.
- The story and characters are well-written, providing depth and emotional engagement that enhances the gameplay experience.
- Despite its cute appearance, the game offers a surprising level of complexity and philosophical themes that resonate with players.
- The game can be punishingly difficult, with some battles feeling unfair due to randomness and unbalanced mechanics.
- There are quality of life issues, such as the inability to save mid-run and the lack of a better dialogue skip option, which can detract from the experience.
- Some players find the philosophical messages and character dialogues to be preachy or overly pedantic, which may not appeal to everyone.
- gameplay12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by unique and engaging mechanics inspired by the Pokémon TCG, offering a refreshing card game experience that combines complexity with charm. Players can enjoy over 10 hours of main story gameplay, enhanced by witty dialogue and a captivating art style, while the interactions between cards provide depth and fun. Although late-game custom cards may overpower some mechanics, the overall experience remains enjoyable and emotionally resonant, making it well worth the price.
“The mechanics are fun and dense, the story and dialogue is witty and interesting, and the art style becomes charming with how much of everything else is stellar.”
“Even if you don't do any post-game challenges, the 10+ hours of main story gameplay is great and easily justifies the price tag.”
“This game has good card mechanics and interactions that, even with minimal playtime, shine through and are very fun to play around with.”
“These mechanics carry its complexity; the cards themselves are somewhat barebones.”
“The late game features custom cards (for both you and the opponent) that start to feel like Yu-Gi-Oh, where they're so powerful that they take away some of the mechanics.”
“Both the gameplay and dialogues vary between runs, and there are shortcuts to keep it from becoming tedious.”
- story10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story is engaging and thought-provoking, blending witty dialogue with deeper themes that challenge players to reflect on concepts like existence and personal beliefs. Players appreciate the clever twists and character development, which enhance the overall experience, making the narrative feel both substantial and entertaining. Despite its childlike presentation, the story tackles mature topics, ensuring it resonates with a wide audience.
“The mechanics are fun and dense, the story and dialogue are witty and interesting, and the art style becomes charming with how much of everything else is stellar.”
“The story is, in a literal sense, preachy, but there are a lot of interesting thoughts to be had, and I appreciate there being stories like these out there made to get people thinking about different concepts.”
“It's a story about using a children's card game to confront and overcome the meaninglessness of human existence and form genuine connections with surprisingly well-thought-out characters who seem to think that the best time to express their personal beliefs is after you completely destroy them at cards.”
“The story is in the literal sense preachy, but there's a lot of interesting thoughts to be had, and I appreciate there being stories like these out there made to get people thinking about different concepts.”
“It's a story about using a children's card game to confront and overcome the meaninglessness of human existence and form genuine connections with surprisingly well-thought-out characters who seem to think that the best time to espouse their personal beliefs, such as 'laziness is an ideal, not a vice' and 'homework is a tool of oppression that unfairly punishes those with alternative learning styles who struggle to conform,' is after you completely destroy them at cards.”
“To begin with, the story, despite starring children, is not childish at all.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, with Kasey Ozymy's contributions being particularly noted for their quality and fit within the overall aesthetic. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the gameplay experience, blending seamlessly with the game's charm, art, and narrative elements to create an emotional and engaging atmosphere.
“A really, really well thought-out card battler with great music, fun art, incredible flavor text for the cards, and a lot of content.”
“A fantastic little deck-building game with a quirky yet cohesive aesthetic, cool music, very well written dialogues, and characters.”
“The soundtrack is certainly noteworthy; Kasey Ozymy is great at music, and his additions are very welcome.”
“I forgot to mention the music!”
“The soundtrack is another high note.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a seemingly simplistic art style that reveals depth and charm upon closer inspection, complemented by meticulous attention to detail. This quirky yet cohesive aesthetic enhances the overall experience, supported by engaging music and well-crafted dialogue. While some may view the art as kitschy, it effectively masks deeper themes within the gameplay.
“Despite what looks at first glance like an oversimplified art style, the game is really in-depth and nuanced.”
“The mechanics are fun and dense, the story and dialogue are witty and interesting, and the art style becomes charming with how much of everything else is stellar.”
“The art style is simple, but there is a lot of care and attention to detail.”
“I described this to a friend as a game that is using a kitschy aesthetic to hide irritating philosophical tracts.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively combines personal and touching writing with charming gameplay, music, and well-crafted dialogue, creating a genuinely emotional experience. Players find it to be an emotionally powerful card game that resonates deeply.
“When the writing wants to, it can also be personal and touching.”
“But it also has a lot of charm and personality and delivers it in a way that pleasantly blends with its gameplay, and through music and well-crafted dialogue, it crafts a very real, emotional experience.”
“This is an emotionally powerful card game.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate that the grinding aspect is mitigated by varied gameplay and dialogues in each run, along with shortcuts that help prevent the experience from becoming tedious.
