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Recursive Ruin

76%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, optimization
76% User Score Based on 346 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
Buy Nowfrom $3.64
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About

"Recursive Ruin" is a challenging precision platformer where you manipulate time to avoid deadly traps and solve puzzles. Journey through a decaying digital world as you uncover the truth behind the bitrot pandemic. Each level is a complex maze of hazards that will require quick reflexes and strategic thinking to navigate.

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Play Modes
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
Recursive Ruin screenshot
+11
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76%
Audience ScoreBased on 346 reviews
story66 positive mentions
grinding14 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning visuals and unique fractal environments that create a mesmerizing experience.
  • The puzzles are engaging and cleverly designed, providing satisfying 'a-ha' moments as players navigate the recursive mechanics.
  • The narrative, while dark, resonates with players and adds depth to the overall experience, making it more than just a puzzle game.
  • The story is often convoluted and overly dramatic, with long dialogue sequences that can detract from the gameplay experience.
  • Many players found the pacing uneven, with excessive walking simulator segments that interrupt the flow of puzzle-solving.
  • Some mechanics, such as transitioning between recursive layers, can feel clunky and disrupt immersion.
  • story
    382 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Recursive Ruin" is polarizing, with many players finding it overly long, tedious, and disconnected from the gameplay, often feeling like a heavy-handed exploration of dark themes such as trauma and depression. While some appreciate the emotional depth and artistic presentation, others criticize it for being pretentious and lacking coherence, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the puzzle-solving elements. Overall, the narrative's effectiveness seems to vary greatly depending on individual player investment and mood, making it a divisive aspect of the game.

    • “Incredible visuals, voice acting and soundtrack, satisfying puzzles and a story that really resonated with me and had me sobbing by the end.”
    • “This game blew me away - the story, the puzzles, the whole world.”
    • “I think it was super well done, with the story being just mysterious enough to keep you hooked the whole time.”
    • “The story on the other hand is lame, and told in an abysmal way.”
    • “The story feels forced and the aesthetics feel odd and out of place.”
    • “The story i tried to get into was bad, long, boring and pretentious as fuck.”
  • gameplay
    128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by innovative mechanics and unique puzzle designs that draw comparisons to titles like "Antichamber" and "Superliminal." While many players appreciate the stunning visuals and the recursive mechanics, some criticize the implementation as janky and the puzzles as lacking depth or coherence with the story. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a mix of intriguing concepts and frustrating execution, with a notable divide between those who enjoy the mechanics and those who find the narrative and level design lacking.

    • “To begin with, I was absolutely mind-blown by the way the level mechanics were designed in this game!”
    • “The puzzles are great, the mechanics mesh well, and the puzzles are satisfying to beat.”
    • “The gameplay is rather innovative, which makes it the cleverest part of this game.”
    • “The story doesn't go well with the gameplay and every other level is just clicking random objects for some edgy monologues.”
    • “For the most part it feels like each area has its own one gimmick and once that area is done you are never seeing that mechanic again.”
    • “When you reach the second half of the game it abandons all puzzle mechanics and turns into a walking simulator.”
  • graphics
    124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in "Recursive Ruin" are widely praised for their stunning and unique aesthetic, featuring beautiful fractal and surreal visuals that enhance the gameplay experience. While many reviewers highlight the impressive art style and its integration with the game's themes, some note that the visuals can become repetitive or overwhelming, potentially causing motion sickness. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, making the game a must-play for fans of striking graphics.

    • “Recursive Ruin also has an amazing art style, and thanks to its theme of recursion, expressed through the art and the puzzle design, it produces some truly amazing visual moments that are elevated by the music.”
    • “Absolutely astounding visuals where even flat images like posters and paintings are beautiful.”
    • “The sum of the astonishing visuals, the inventive gameplay that interacts fluidly with the environment while the artistic proposal of Recursive Ruin unfolds more and more with each level does the thing for me.”
    • “However, the visuals got boring from time to time as you saw the red and white fractal pattern all over the place; more variation would have been nice.”
    • “The puzzles felt simple and dull, and the story and graphics didn't make up for it.”
    • “The character movements, plus the graphics and texture of the map, feel sluggish and unfinished.”
  • music
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Recursive Ruin" receives mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the game's atmosphere and visuals, while others find it repetitive or tedious. Some players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature that complements the engaging narrative and beautiful graphics, while a few express a desire to mute it in favor of other music. Overall, the soundtrack is generally regarded as fitting and enjoyable, contributing positively to the game's experience.

    • “Recursive ruin is a trippy, mind-bending puzzle game with an expressive, engaging narrative, beautiful graphics, and an amazing soundtrack.”
    • “Incredible visuals, voice acting and soundtrack, satisfying puzzles and a story that really resonated with me and had me sobbing by the end.”
    • “Great music, astonishing visuals, and character designs, and really well thought architecture.”
    • “The music is very tedious - I found myself putting the music volume to 0 and just listening to some other relaxing music.”
    • “Retried the game music now and then with new levels but it really doesn't add to the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “If they could lose the meta-drama on top of the game, there would be a beautiful puzzle game, with a fantastic (albeit repetitive) soundtrack.”
  • emotional
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is described as both heavy and impactful, with a narrative that explores themes of trauma and familial abuse, particularly through the protagonist's relationship with an abusive father. However, many reviewers feel that the story often overshadows the gameplay, leading to a disjointed experience where the emotional weight can feel forced or overly dramatic, detracting from the overall enjoyment. While some moments resonate deeply, the execution is criticized for being melodramatic and lacking subtlety, resulting in a mixed reception regarding its emotional storytelling.

    • “This game is incredibly heavy emotionally, incredibly gorgeous and makes you think pretty hard and adjust what you know about spaces, and is full of confusion.”
    • “A heart-wrenching game that takes playing the whole thing through to understand the story.”
    • “And I was not expecting at all for the game to tell such a dramatic and emotional story.”
    • “Super janky physics, a boring story that is presented in a way that feels weirdly self-important, and dull puzzles overall make for a rather disappointing time.”
  • grinding
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with long, filler-like segments that detract from the overall experience. The repetitive nature of NPC interactions, lengthy soundscapes, and frustrating puzzles contribute to a sense of monotony, leading many to mute the music and seek alternative entertainment. Overall, the grinding elements are viewed as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's artistic and narrative ambitions.

    • “They're far too long for what they are, can be tedious and don't offer much to the story; they feel like filler.”
    • “I don't like the way some of it is presented - starting at a screen listening to 2-5 minutes of soundscapes (that are fairly well crafted and effective at conveying what's happening) gets tedious fast, especially when some of them have information that could be conveyed in much less time, without really harming the impact.”
    • “Some of the 'puzzles' are also incredibly tedious or finicky to execute.”
  • atmosphere
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by an eerie and depressive tone, enhanced by perfect sound design and impressive visuals that create a compelling experience. While the music complements the atmosphere well, some players feel it doesn't significantly enhance the overall mood. Despite enjoying the atmosphere, some reviewers expressed disappointment with the game's ending.

    • “The eerie music matches the atmosphere perfectly.”
    • “It sounds like I hate this game, but the puzzles themselves ranged from decent to impressive, the sound design perfect for the atmosphere, and the visuals and effects of some levels were hands-down the best I've seen in any game.”
    • “What it does deliver is a depressive atmosphere and abstract melodrama.”
    • “Retried the game music now and then with new levels but it really doesn't add to the atmosphere of the game.”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it offers visually appealing environments, players report performance issues in larger story-based areas. The limitations seem to be intentional, likely aimed at balancing performance and clarity, but some users find the overall experience confusing.

    • “I'm guessing the reason for the limitation is both for performance reasons and to make it less confusing separating the level from the background.”
    • “Visually a delight, albeit some performance issues in more spacious story-based areas, and as well the music and sound design is great.”
    • “Visually a delight, albeit some performance issues in more spacious story-based areas. The music and sound design are great, but the voice acting is mixed and a bit stiff. The plot-within-a-plot is confusing, and in the end, it doesn't really matter.”
    • “I'm guessing the reason for the limitation is both for performance reasons and to make it less confusing by separating the level from the background.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is visually striking, with intriguing and otherworldly designs that captivate players. However, the characters primarily engage in looped animations and dialogue, lacking dynamic interaction or growth throughout the gameplay. Despite this, the overarching narrative, particularly the conflict between the demon cat and celestial being, remains a compelling draw for players.

    • “I'm here for the whole demon cat vs celestial being arc and the character design is so intriguing and otherworldly, absolutely play this game.”
    • “The character designs were fascinating, but they don't do much other than float in place in looped animations and talk.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highlighted through its quirky and unexpected presentation, particularly in the context of a puzzle game that features amusing fractals. Players appreciate the lighthearted approach, which adds an entertaining layer to the gameplay experience.

    • “I saw a funny fractal game, touting itself as a puzzle game.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has been criticized for its janky and buggy implementation of interesting gameplay mechanics, leading to a less smooth experience for players.

    • “The gameplay mechanics are interesting, but the implementation feels janky and buggy at times.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find that "Recursive Ruin" offers a unique replayability factor due to its innovative fractal design, which allows for different perspectives and experiences within the same level. The narrative-driven puzzles encourage exploration and experimentation, making each playthrough feel fresh despite the familiar environment.

    • “Recursive Ruin is a first-person narrative-driven puzzle game where the entire playable level is a giant fractal of itself shifted 0 or 180 degrees, creating a unique experience with each playthrough.”
    • “The innovative design of Recursive Ruin allows players to explore the same level from different perspectives, enhancing its replayability.”
    • “With its intricate puzzles and shifting environments, Recursive Ruin offers a fresh experience every time you dive back into the game.”
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5h Median play time
5h Average play time
5-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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