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Recompile

Recompile is a frustrating game. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad game because I still had a lot of fun with it and definitely recommend playing it, as I knocked out the entire thing in a single session. But it’s full of half-baked ideas that really could have used some more time in the oven.
Recompile Game Cover
66%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, optimization
67% User Score Based on 192 reviews
Critic Score 50%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SPCXbox Game PassPlaystation 5CloudXbox Cloud GamingXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation
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Recompile Game Cover

About

Recompile is a single player platformer game with mystery and science fiction themes. It was developed by Phigames and was released on August 19, 2021. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Explore the birth of sapient AI in this atmospheric hacking adventure set in the sprawling world of Recompile.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
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+17
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67%
Audience ScoreBased on 192 reviews
story54 positive mentions
grinding16 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning visuals and a captivating atmosphere that draws players in.
  • The story is engaging, with well-written lore that adds depth to the gameplay experience.
  • The platforming mechanics and upgrades provide a satisfying sense of progression and empowerment.
  • The platforming can be frustrating due to imprecise controls and unclear paths, leading to frequent deaths and backtracking.
  • Combat mechanics are clunky, with issues such as poor aiming controls and unbalanced boss fights that can feel unfair.
  • Quality of life improvements are needed, such as skippable dialogue and better map navigation, to enhance the overall experience.
  • story
    114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is widely praised for its depth and engagement, with many players appreciating the lore revealed through environmental data logs and text files. While the narrative is compelling and beautifully complemented by the game's visuals and sound design, some players found the gameplay tedious and felt that the story alone may not justify the game's price. Overall, the storytelling is considered a highlight, drawing players into a rich, atmospheric experience.

    • “The story is really captivating and the sound design is on another level.”
    • “The story is really well put together, slowly putting together the pieces of what happened and going from at first being wary of the AI to being sympathetic after learning what it and the other characters went through.”
    • “The environments do a great job of complementing the story being told in them through various data logs you pick up.”
    • “I probably can't recommend buying this game at full price, what with its short story.”
    • “If you're really curious, I'd probably just look up a compilation on YouTube or something; the story is not worth going through the other parts of the game to get at.”
    • “The story, which is centered around a rogue hypervisor AI of a space station that made everyone mad, is not uninteresting but I doubt it'll be the driving force of anyone playing this game.”
  • graphics
    78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful and stylized aesthetic, often described as "gorgeous" and reminiscent of vaporwave and retro themes. However, many players find the art style distracting and problematic for gameplay, particularly in platforming sections where depth perception is hindered. While the visuals are a highlight, they can also contribute to frustrating gameplay experiences, leading to mixed overall impressions.

    • “The graphics are beautiful, the music is fairly nice, the story logs are fairly nicely written, but the gameplay is honestly pretty dull.”
    • “The graphics were gorgeous and matched the whole 'hacker', 'vaporwave', 'tron-like' aesthetic they were going for.”
    • “The art style has been masterfully realized and the soundtrack is the best one I've heard in ages.”
    • “The art style of your surroundings makes it very difficult to judge distances, which is a problem in a game that's primarily a platformer.”
    • “It's also really frustrating when you can't see the platform until you're close enough to it for it to render properly (understand that's part of the art style, not an actual rendering issue with the game).”
    • “I felt like the visuals were too confusing and distracting; sometimes less is more.”
  • gameplay
    72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of engaging mechanics and frustrating execution. While the game features interesting themes and solid aesthetics, many players find the platforming and combat mechanics clunky and tedious, with issues like poor camera angles and limited aiming options. Overall, the gameplay is described as a standard metroidvania experience that struggles with balance and polish, leading to a somewhat disappointing experience despite its potential.

    • “Each area's theme not only correlates to a gameplay mechanic, but also a different part of the hypervisor's tasks and how it was helping the people it was assigned to.”
    • “Lovely digital aesthetics, straightforward gameplay and narration, feels nice to play, very little hand holding while still keeping some of the rough around the edges.”
    • “This game has style, mood, smarts and fun gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay felt entirely based around using a controller, which I did not do.”
    • “Bosses will scorch you in no time as you frantically try to figure out if there is some mechanic to it... nope.”
    • “The visuals are amazing, the story is amazing, the writing is amazing, the gameplay is... very tedious.”
  • music
    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric quality, blending synthetic and orchestral elements that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers praised the soundtrack as exceptional, with some calling it the best they've heard in a long time, although a few noted that it can occasionally feel overwhelming. Overall, the combination of beautiful visuals and a captivating soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's appeal, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.

    • “The music is atmospheric, sometimes peaceful, sometimes foreboding, and a good mix of synthetic and orchestral.”
    • “The art style has been masterfully realized and the soundtrack is the best one I've heard in ages.”
    • “If you are looking for a short and sweet puzzle/platformer with gorgeous visuals and a killer soundtrack, then this is the game for you.”
    • “My only complaint with this game is that there isn't an OST available.”
    • “Sounds/music: they don't really stand out too much either way.”
    • “Soundtrack does go a little overboard sometimes and the inspiration is pretty obvious.”
  • grinding
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players frequently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious, particularly in relation to combat, exploration, and platforming. Many recommend using a keyboard and mouse for a better experience, as controller use can exacerbate the tedium. While the game features impressive visuals and storytelling, the overall gameplay experience is marred by repetitive and frustrating mechanics.

    • “The only real downside is that it's mostly told through optional lore fragments, which, as mentioned, are tedious to acquire.”
    • “Some of the level design feels tedious, daunting, and honestly hard to traverse at times.”
    • “The visuals are amazing, the story is amazing, the writing is amazing, the gameplay is... very tedious.”
  • atmosphere
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its exceptional writing, immersive sound design, and a compelling mix of peaceful and foreboding music. The visuals and world-building contribute significantly to the overall experience, making it a standout title in terms of atmosphere, comparable to classics like Metro 2033. Overall, the atmosphere is consistently rated as a major strength of the game, earning a perfect score from several reviewers.

    • “I absolutely loved the writing and the atmosphere, along with the movement and exploration.”
    • “The music is atmospheric, sometimes peaceful, sometimes foreboding, and a good mix of synthetic and orchestral.”
    • “The atmosphere, sounds, music... they all contribute to that experience.”
    • “The atmosphere, sounds, and music all contribute to that experience.”
    • “The atmosphere, sounds, and music all contribute to that experience.”
    • “The three above points mean that this game is one of my absolute favorites for world building and atmosphere, laying alongside Metro 2033.”
  • optimization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant stuttering, FPS drops, and lag, leading to a frustrating experience even on high-end systems like the RTX 3070. Overall, performance is deemed unsatisfactory, failing to utilize the hardware effectively.

    • “Performance leaves a lot to be desired; on my very modern rig sporting an RTX 3070, I can barely reach 100 FPS at 1440p.”
    • “Bad optimization - stuttering, FPS drops, lags, etc.”
    • “It wastes performance and makes it frustrating to platform.”
    • “Performance leaves a lot to be desired; on my very modern rig sporting an RTX 3070, I can barely scratch 100 FPS at 1440p.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game has been noted for its lack of replayability, which some players view positively, suggesting that the experience is complete and satisfying in a single playthrough.

    • “Replayability is non-existent, but I feel this is not a bad thing.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers a deeply emotional journey, exploring the inner workings of a long-comatose AI, and is highly recommended for those seeking a compelling narrative experience.

    • “Instead, it will take you on a beautiful and emotional adventure through the inside of a long comatose AI, an adventure that I recommend to anyone looking for a great narrative.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is ambiguous, leaving players uncertain whether it is intended to be comedic or melancholic, which may detract from the overall experience.

    • “Not sure if this is supposed to be funny or just sad.”
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50%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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7h Median play time
7h Average play time
5-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Recompile is a platformer game with mystery and science fiction themes.

Recompile is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, Steam Deck and others.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing Recompile.

Recompile was released on August 19, 2021.

Recompile was developed by Phigames.

Recompile has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Recompile is a single player game.

Similar games include Hob, Environmental Station Alpha, Blue Fire, Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King, Lifeless Planet and others.