Recursed
- September 30, 2016
- Portponky
- 41h median play time
Get on Steam"Recursed" is a single-player puzzle-platform game featuring exceptional mechanics and pretty visuals. Levels contain twisting structures, boxes, and keys, with the goal of obtaining a crystal. Players can enter chests to access other rooms and manipulate the level's structure using logic. The game offers over 60 levels, hidden bonuses, an atmospheric soundtrack, and a unique, non-lethal approach, with no enemies or ways to die.
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Reviews
- Recursed features a unique and innovative puzzle mechanic that revolves around recursion, allowing for mind-bending challenges that require deep understanding and critical thinking.
- The game has a well-paced difficulty curve, gradually introducing new mechanics and concepts that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.
- Players experience a strong sense of accomplishment when solving puzzles, as many solutions hinge on clever insights and creative problem-solving.
- The controls can be janky, with a single button for multiple actions leading to accidental exits from rooms and frustrating resets.
- Some puzzles can feel tedious, especially when mistakes require players to restart lengthy sequences without an undo or rewind feature.
- The graphics and audio may not be appealing to everyone, as they are simplistic and can become repetitive over time.
- gameplay354 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Recursed" is centered around a unique recursion mechanic that allows players to manipulate rooms and objects in innovative ways, leading to complex and mind-bending puzzles. The game introduces mechanics gradually, ensuring players can grasp each concept before combining them in increasingly challenging scenarios, though some players noted a lack of intuitive guidance and the absence of a rewind feature can lead to frustration. Overall, the game is praised for its clever design, depth of mechanics, and the satisfaction derived from solving intricate puzzles that require abstract thinking and experimentation.
“The mechanics are simple to understand, yet really hard to master.”
“The game smoothly introduces and teaches you new possible mechanics and ways you can use them... it even looks really simple at the beginning but it becomes much harder as you progress.”
“Recursed is a brilliant and very unique puzzle game with many innovative game mechanics, which are introduced gradually through an excellent difficulty progression.”
“My only gripe with the game is that there is no rewind/undo, which makes the gameplay really involved as you can easily make a mistake and have to start over. Most levels are small, so it's not too much of an issue, but it still annoyed me a few times while I tried to execute a pretty convoluted solution, and restarting entirely due to a mistake made me lose my train of thought.”
“This is pretty unintuitive, as you'd expect the solution would have something to do with one of the main mechanics of the game, not some niche interaction with an object that never mattered up to that point.”
“The main gimmick is that these mechanics are wildly unintuitive, so even after being shown a mechanic, executing it multiple times, and completing a puzzle, you might not fully understand what it is you really just did.”
- graphics74 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple, basic, and reminiscent of retro styles, with a mix of 2D and 3D elements. While some players find the visuals charming and well-polished, others criticize them for being underwhelming and inconsistent, suggesting that the graphics serve primarily to support the game's strong puzzle mechanics rather than to impress. Overall, the aesthetic is seen as adequate for the gameplay experience, with many reviewers emphasizing that the focus should be on the puzzles rather than the visuals.
“The graphics may be simple, but the game's presentation is consistent.”
“I love everything about this game; the graphics are simplistic but fitting with a distinct style.”
“Also, the visuals are really good for what the game requires.”
“Graphics resist this as bad as it can; it is so hard to judge with the inconsistent tiling.”
“Although the art and graphics are underwhelming, its puzzles and level design are rock solid.”
“When I saw the 8-bit graphic design and only 8 levels, I regretted that I bought it given that I hate platformers.”
- music52 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it catchy and well-suited for long play sessions, while others feel it becomes repetitive and grating after a few levels. Many appreciate the soundtrack's ability to complement the game's themes and puzzles, although a few noted that the music doesn't always fit the game's aesthetic. Overall, while the music enhances the experience for some, it can also detract from it for others, particularly during extended gameplay.
“Overall, the game does a great job exploring its theme, and the art, small pinch of optional voice acting and story, clear and distinguishable sound design, and generous amount of music, all make it enjoyable to work through the problems.”
“The more advanced puzzles are mind bending and very satisfying to solve (so far), and the beautiful music and lack of needless peril really allow me to immerse myself in the game and solve the puzzles at my own pace, something I greatly enjoy.”
“Complementing the game quite nicely is a rather catchy soundtrack, and some nice humour ('this green stuff smells terrible! I hope it's not poisonous. *deep sniff*').”
“As often happens with this kind of games, the soundtrack starts off quirky but gets tiring really fast.”
“Do not be fooled by the clashing art style and stock-asset-esque music.”
“The only real negatives I can think of are the repetitive music and a few missing quality-of-life features, such as having no clear indication of whether you collected all gems in a puzzle or not, the inability to rewind time to fix the frequent softlocks, and being forced to memorize complex game states.”
- story20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal and largely non-existent, focusing instead on puzzle-solving mechanics. While some players appreciate the lack of a complex narrative, noting that the art and sound design enhance the puzzle experience, others find the absence of a compelling story a drawback. Overall, the game prioritizes its puzzle elements over storytelling, making it ideal for puzzle enthusiasts but less appealing for those seeking a rich narrative.
“Overall, the game does a great job exploring its theme, and the art, small pinch of optional voice acting and story, clear and distinguishable sound design, and generous amount of music, all make it enjoyable to work through the problems.”
“+ nice little voice-over story bits”
“You can create (and find) custom levels, which means that if you really liked it you can continue playing it even after you finish the main story.”
“There isn't much story there either.”
“The controls are barebones, the story is non-existent (you're trying to escape. That's about it), and the graphics are low-budget, yet all of that can and should be ignored for the novel concepts this game lays on the table.”
“There is no story in this game; it is basically all puzzles with the level selection screen giving you an idea of the game, and it is wonderfully done.”
- grinding14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the grinding aspect of the game is mixed; while some puzzles can be tedious and lead to repetitive actions, many players appreciate the clever design and compact nature of the challenges that minimize frustration. The game successfully avoids excessive repetition, allowing for a more engaging experience, although a few puzzles may still feel overly laborious.
“There were a couple of puzzles that were more tedious than difficult, as messing up the order of actions would softlock you, forcing you to perform the same actions many times in a row.”
“You rarely have to fully engage with them, and when you do, it is in a failure-tolerant environment (so you never have to redo a minute of box shuffling because you missed one jump), but when you do, it is still tedious and not very interesting.”
“I would imagine that the developer had a very specific vision in mind - and then tediously crafted exactly that.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as smart and funny, with a unique approach to explaining concepts through comedic elements, though it may not reach the comedic heights of titles like Portal. While the graphics are considered dated, the originality of the game's ideas, particularly its use of recursion, is praised. Overall, it is seen as a brutally underrated experience.
“The rings tried to explain to me whatever happened in a funny way.”
“Smart, funny, and brutally underrated.”
“Granted, the graphics are a bit of a throwback to the 90s, and the game does not quite have the sense of humor of a game like Portal, but the underlying idea using recursion is one of the most original I have seen in a while.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for being plagued with bugs, glitches, and paradoxes, making it difficult for players to enjoy even short sessions without encountering issues. Many users express disappointment over the game's lack of reliability, which detracts significantly from the overall experience.
“I got this game a few years ago, and was disappointed that it was too buggy to play, even for half an hour.”
“You'll find yourself building solutions based on recursion, duplications, memory stores… and encounter paradoxes and glitches.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is limited, as it lacks user-designed levels, resulting in players primarily revisiting the same puzzles without significant variation.
“There are no user-designed levels, so replay value amounts to revisiting the same puzzles.”
