Redactem
- August 1, 2016
- Elliott Jones
Get on Steam"Redactem" is a demanding 2D platformer where players manipulate time and gravity to conquer intricate parkour puzzles. Levels are consistently updated for free, promising endless challenges that are addictive, albeit frustrating. Highly-rated on IndieGameStand prior to its shutdown, this cinematic space shooter guarantees a thrilling experience.
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Reviews
- The game features interesting mechanics like gravity manipulation and time rewinding, providing a unique platforming experience.
- The level design includes a variety of challenges that can be satisfying to complete, especially for fans of puzzle-platformers.
- It's a budget-friendly game that can be completed in a short amount of time, making it accessible for casual players.
- The game suffers from poor controls and hitbox issues, making precise movements frustrating and sometimes unfair.
- Progress does not save between sessions, forcing players to replay levels, which can be very frustrating.
- The physics are tied to frame rate, causing gameplay to become unplayable at higher refresh rates, which is a significant technical flaw.
- gameplay43 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of gravity manipulation, time rewinding, and precision platforming mechanics, which some players found innovative and engaging, while others criticized the controls and level design as frustrating and poorly executed. Despite its simple and retro-style gameplay, many reviews noted that the game suffers from awkward controls, large hitboxes, and numerous bugs, leading to a mixed reception overall. While some players appreciated the diverse mechanics and clever level design, others felt that the execution fell short, resulting in a gameplay experience that was often challenging but not always enjoyable.
“For its super cheap price and fun, simple gameplay, I definitely recommend it!”
“Gameplay focuses on gravity manipulation and time rewinding mechanics, requiring precision and quick reactions from the player.”
“The title has just enough gameplay diversity to keep it interesting, and I was also pleased with the sound department.”
“The controls feel awkward, the hitboxes for everything feel way too big, so many gameplay bugs as well as the fact that having your game be anything over 60 fps makes it impossible due to missiles being impossibly fast.”
“Redactem attempts to combine three mechanics in one: gravity flip mechanics, time reverse mechanics, and precision platforming mechanics, and it ultimately fails to deliver a good game due to the poor controls and the frustrating level design.”
“At times this game borders on unplayable with its gameplay.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players criticizing them as cheap, amateurish, and reminiscent of retro pixel art, leading to an overall low visual quality. However, some users appreciate the minimalist visuals and charming art style, noting that they are functional and adequately capture the game's essence. Overall, while there are pockets of praise for the graphics, the consensus leans towards disappointment in their execution and quality.
“Minimalist visuals, intense soundtrack, and clever level design make for a satisfying challenge.”
“The graphics are so good, I almost felt bad about obliterating everything in sight.”
“Visually, the game had a charming and colorful art style that added a certain appeal.”
“Unfortunately, the game design and graphics are very repulsive - it looks as cheap as possible (nowadays we have learned how to make a cyberpunk level picture for 30 rubles).”
“The artwork here is terrible; it's a blend of old retro pixel 'art' used as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics, and some of the most amateurish MS Paint style drawings I've ever hurt my eyes on.”
“It's unclear if this is due to a lack of budget to hire someone who can do graphics properly, or a lack of talent; regardless, the overall visual quality of the game is extremely low as a result of these decisions.”
- music14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its intensity and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, likening it to a blend of epic cinematic scores and dubstep. However, others find it overly intense for the game's puzzle-platforming nature, describing it as annoying and repetitive, particularly due to its reset upon death. Overall, while some players enjoy the soundtrack, others feel it detracts from the experience.
“The soundtrack is amazing too - it's like Hans Zimmer and Skrillex had a baby and named it 'epic dubstep battle music.'”
“The soundtrack for Redactem is great; it offers the kind of tunes that keep you going death after death and allows you to continue your journey to the end of the game.”
“The music is annoying as heck.”
“It's basically a puzzle game with platforming thrown in, yet the music is 100% max-intensity boss fight music.”
“Other than not being able to customize the settings a lot and the music that resets every time you die just to make you go insane, it's a good game.”
- story7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely overshadowed by its focus on gameplay, leading to a minimal or almost non-existent narrative. While there are hints of potential charm and deeper themes, players feel that the storyline lacks depth and significance, reducing it to a mere backdrop for the gameplay experience.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“The game seemed to prioritize gameplay over story, resulting in a rather thin or non-existent storyline.”
“There is no story, just simple plug-and-play gameplay.”
“There could've been so much charm within the world of Redactem and some hidden story behind game design and the character's powers.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been heavily criticized for relying on low-effort, asset-flipped content and repurposed game templates, leading to accusations of it being a cash grab or even a scam. Reviewers express frustration over the proliferation of such shovelware on platforms like Steam, which they believe undermines the overall quality of video games.
“These guys do nothing but copy premade game templates and game tutorials, fill out a few things, stamp out basic levels using the construction kit templates, slap on an asset-flipped set of sprites/assets, and dump them on Steam and into cheap, nasty shovelware game bundles as cash grabs.”
“Trying to get paid for someone else's game templates and assets... at best, this is shovelware; at worst, it's a scam and cash grab.”
“This time it's Redactem, yet another of literally thousands of 2D retro pixel platformers infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games everywhere. Badly made, minimal effort, a definite cash grab.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it genuinely funny and enjoyable, even amidst challenging gameplay. The character's movements and the game's parody elements, particularly referencing titles like "Super Meat Boy" and "VVVVV," contribute to its comedic appeal.
“Even if it's not that easy, it was pretty funny to play and finish.”
“It's really good; it gets you to think. A very nice puzzle game, and the way the character moves is so funny.”
“A funny parody of Super Meat Boy and VVVVVV.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The sound design effectively complements the game's atmosphere, setting the tone for each level, even if it lacks memorability. Overall, it serves its purpose in enhancing the immersive experience.
“The sound design, while not particularly memorable, fits the game's atmosphere perfectly.”
“Although not particularly memorable, the audio elements effectively set the tone and atmosphere of each level.”
“While not particularly memorable, they did their job in setting the tone and atmosphere of each level.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Redactem is praised for its low hardware requirements, enabling smooth performance on a wide range of modern computers.
“Redactem does not have high hardware requirements, allowing for smooth performance on most modern computers.”
“The game runs exceptionally well even on lower-end systems, making it accessible to a wider audience.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by how well-optimized the game is; it maintains a steady frame rate without any noticeable lag.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the puzzle elements of the game, but find the grinding experience frustrating due to unresponsive controls that make platforming feel tedious.
“The puzzle part of this game is great, but the controls are not responsive, making the platforming tedious.”
