Refunct

About

Refunct is a single player casual puzzle game. It was developed by Dominique Grieshofer and was released on October 16, 2015. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Refunct is a relaxing, minimalist parkour platformer. Players traverse levels by running, jumping, and wall-jumping to reach high platforms and collect glowing orbs. The game features a soothing soundtrack and a calming, abstract aesthetic, providing a serene gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 7,330 reviews

music1.1k positive mentions

story63 negative mentions

Refunct offers a surprisingly smooth and enjoyable parkour experience with fluid movement mechanics.
The game features beautiful visuals and a calming soundtrack, creating a relaxing atmosphere.
Despite its short length, the game provides replayability through speedrunning challenges and collectible achievements.

The game is very short, typically completed in under 30 minutes, which may leave some players wanting more content.
There is a lack of variety in gameplay, as it consists of a single level with limited mechanics.
Some players may find the absence of a tutorial or instructions frustrating, as they need to discover controls on their own.

music
1,641 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
31%
1%
The music in "Refunct" is widely praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing experience of the game. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to complement the game's visuals and gameplay, creating a serene environment that encourages exploration and enjoyment. While some find the music repetitive or not to their taste, the majority agree that it significantly contributes to the game's charm and appeal, making it a highlight for many players.
- “Absolutely beautiful game with great soundtrack and atmosphere!”
- “The music is extremely good, the simple parkour and little levels are fun to play, the game is worth 30 minutes of your time but can be done in under 4 minutes (hard achievement).”
- “The music is beautiful and contributes to the game's mood and pace.”
- “The soundtrack is incredibly tedious and repetitive.”
- “If the music had been any better, it might have made the experience more relaxing/fun, but I just found myself lowering the volume almost to mute because it was so repetitive and obnoxious, not like a nice calm background music.”
- “The music was not too good, and the sound while you're swimming was awful.”
gameplay
1,023 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
51%
1%
The gameplay of "Refunct" is characterized by its fluid and intuitive mechanics, allowing players to engage in simple yet satisfying parkour-style movement. While the game offers a relaxing experience with beautiful visuals and a calming soundtrack, it is notably short, typically lasting around 20 to 30 minutes, which may leave some players wanting more content and complexity. Overall, it is praised for its enjoyable mechanics and the way it teaches players through exploration rather than tutorials, making it a delightful, albeit brief, experience.
- “The gameplay is so fluid and delightful.”
- “The extremely fun gameplay, warm and fuzzy atmosphere, and encouraging achievement messages helped me find joy in a very hard time of my life.”
- “With its minimalist design, satisfying mechanics, and the allure of rejuvenating a desolate environment, the game offers an experience that resonates with those seeking tranquility and a unique approach to platforming.”
- “However, the simplicity of the mechanics might lead to a relatively short playtime for some players.”
- “While the gameplay is exceedingly short, for its price it's a worthwhile experience.”
- “The gameplay consists solely of jumping from block to block to get to buttons, with only three extra mechanisms for flavor.”
graphics
803 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
28%
1%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the beautiful, minimalist aesthetic and vibrant colors that create a calming atmosphere. While some describe the visuals as simplistic or reminiscent of retro games, others highlight their charm and effectiveness in enhancing the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are generally considered pleasing and well-suited for the game's relaxing gameplay, despite some critiques regarding their depth and complexity.
- “The pastel colors and clean lines create an environment that's both aesthetically pleasing and serene, contributing to the game's meditative atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are stunning and the music puts you into your own little world where all your problems just float away.”
- “Refunct combines pleasantly simple visuals with an excellent soundtrack and really intuitive movement to create an overwhelmingly peaceful environment to just relax in.”
- “The graphics are your typical Unreal Engine 4 graphics that are very minimalist and bare bones, so there's nothing spectacular about them.”
- “The graphics are too simple.”
- “The visuals are cheap, and the music is kind of annoying.”
atmosphere
257 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
24%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its calming and serene qualities, enhanced by beautiful visuals, a soothing soundtrack, and smooth gameplay mechanics. Many players find it to be a relaxing escape, with the combination of vibrant colors and ambient music creating an immersive experience that encourages exploration and enjoyment. Despite its short playtime, the game's atmosphere leaves a lasting impression, making it a favorite for those seeking a peaceful gaming experience.
- “The pastel colors and clean lines create an environment that's both aesthetically pleasing and serene, contributing to the game's meditative atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is the biggest and best factor going for this game: relaxing music, beautiful lighting and skyboxes, and clean textures.”
- “The music, the layout, the whole atmosphere of the game is spectacular, and I also appreciate the game's simplicity.”
- “It's rather generic dubstep that works against the game's atmosphere, which would have benefited from a purely ambient soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere started off lonely.”
- “The atmosphere and soundtrack gets boring in a few minutes.”
replayability
239 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
61%
11%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players noting its short length—typically around 15 to 30 minutes—limits its overall replay value. However, several reviews highlight the enjoyment of speedrunning and achievement hunting as key factors that enhance replayability, making it appealing for those who appreciate self-imposed challenges. While some players find the game lacks depth for repeated playthroughs, others appreciate its relaxing nature and fluid movement, suggesting it can still be revisited for casual enjoyment.
- “It's not a long play, but it's extremely replayable and trying to get the achievements is super fun.”
- “This short, relaxing game has a lot of replay value, and I am made better by having it in my life.”
- “Fantastic and relaxing parkour game, although it is short (I completed it in 30 mins on my first attempt), it is very enjoyable and has a lot of replay value of trying to get faster times.”
- “I won't lie and say this game has replay value either.”
- “I highly recommend to 100 percent this game in one sitting because I have found its replay value to be exponentially decreasing.”
- “There is not enough content or replay value to recommend it.”
story
172 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
50%
37%
The game's story aspect is largely absent, with many users noting that there is no traditional narrative or character development. Instead, players engage in a simple exploration and parkour experience, where the achievements hint at a deeper meaning but do not provide a cohesive storyline. Overall, while some players appreciate the lack of a story for its simplicity and focus on gameplay, others express a desire for more narrative depth and content.
- “A fun relaxing game for just practicing parkour jumps and with a wholesome story.”
- “The 'story' in Refunct are the achievements you get while playing; they make you reflect a little about your life and how you are living it.”
- “I don't need to know more about the world; my brain was making that story as soon as I started playing.”
- “What you see in the trailer is what you get; there is no story or tutorials, just an expanding map with the goal of reaching the next checkpoint.”
- “There is no story and very little room for replayability; however, the Steam achievements provide a handful of challenges.”
- “If you're looking for a story, or a long game, or something to just sink into, this isn't the game for you.”
emotional
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Refunct" is widely praised for its heartwarming and calming experience, often described as a stress reliever that evokes genuine feelings of happiness and nostalgia. Players appreciate the game's simple mechanics and beautiful aesthetics, which contribute to a sense of accomplishment and emotional fulfillment, particularly highlighted by its touching ending and uplifting soundtrack. While some note the lack of a deeper narrative, many find the game's wholesome message and emotional impact to be more profound than that of many larger titles.
- “This game is amazing, so simple yet heartwarming. If you are dealing with something or even just feeling lonely, this game is what you should play; it's cheap too!”
- “The raw emotions this game has made me feel are truly something special, and you should show love to friends, family, and the developer of this game.”
- “I can honestly say I've never played a game that has made me so happy I cried.”
optimization
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
9%
13%
Overall, the game's optimization is highly praised, with many users reporting smooth performance even on low-end hardware and no significant crashes or glitches. Reviewers consistently highlight the game's impressive graphics and solid controls, contributing to an enjoyable experience. While some mention minor performance issues, the consensus is that the game is exceptionally well-optimized, earning high scores in this aspect.
- “Performance: 10/10 - runs smooth, as you'd expect from a game as simple as this.”
- “Optimization was superb!”
- “Extremely well-optimized”
- “95/100 - 85/100 for optimization/game overall, because it's literally a one-time experience, without replayability, with an hour of gameplay, unless you want to unlock all of the achievements.”
- “Understand me well, I don't say it was a bad experience; the game is nicely optimized, but I don't get the point of it.”
- “The performance is surprisingly stable for an indie game.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
58%
The reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be extensive, often requiring a significant time investment, with some players suggesting it feels like needing a "second life" to complete all achievements. However, there are also positive notes about the absence of predatory mechanics like microtransactions and loot boxes, making the grinding experience more palatable for those seeking a zen-like gaming experience. Overall, while grinding is a prominent aspect, it is balanced by engaging gameplay and a lack of frustrating mechanics.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “A majority of your playtime will come from grinding for those last 2 achievements.”
- “But then there are times when I don't want to play games because there are stresses in games I don't want to deal with, be it boss fights or grinding frustrations.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
56%
The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting it as extremely buggy and unstable, particularly during specific actions like wall jumps, while others praise its optimization and lack of crashes or glitches, even on lower-end systems. Overall, many players find it runs well and is enjoyable, despite occasional minor issues.
- “There are no glitches, and it is a very simple and nice-looking world.”
- “On top of that this game looks great and runs great on lower-end computers which is nice.”
- “It ran very well and was not buggy at all.”
- “Extremely buggy and unstable, but a fun game - when it works.”
- “It freezes up my entire computer on a blank screen; it doesn't even make it to the loading screen.”
- “Little buggy when jumping.”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players finding it both funny and heartwarming despite its short length. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke laughter and joy, often leaving players with a smile after completion. Overall, the humor is described as a key element that enhances the experience, making it enjoyable and memorable.
- “It left me with a smile at the end, chuckling at how I thought this was bad.”
- “The entire time I was just filled with wonder and joy, and even mistakes, while still somewhat frustrating, mostly just made me laugh.”
- “Finished 100% of it a second time (not really such an achievement due to its length) and it once again left me with a funny little smile.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The monetization model is praised for its absence of microtransactions, loot boxes, and other predatory practices, creating a fair and enjoyable gaming experience without the typical pitfalls of modern monetization strategies.
- “No microtransactions, no engagement-optimized matchmaking, no predatory grinding, no loot boxes, no gambling, no toxic community, no nonsense.”
- “The game is riddled with microtransactions that feel exploitative and ruin the overall experience.”
- “The monetization model is heavily focused on pay-to-win mechanics, making it frustrating for players who don't want to spend extra money.”
- “I can't believe how many loot boxes there are; it feels like the game is designed to squeeze money out of players rather than provide a fair experience.”