Relicta

About

Relicta is a first-person physics-based puzzle game set in a abandoned lunar base. As a player, you take on the role of a scientist who must use your tools and wits to manipulate magnetism and gravity to solve intricate puzzles and uncover the secrets of the moon base. With stunning visuals and a captivating story, Relicta offers a challenging and immersive experience for players who enjoy cerebral gameplay. The game features an innovative physics engine that allows for realistic interactions between objects, creating a unique and engaging gameplay experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+14

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 290 reviews

story71 positive mentions

grinding36 negative mentions

The game features clever and challenging puzzles that require creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
Visually stunning environments and good audio design enhance the overall experience.
The game offers a decent length of gameplay with a variety of puzzles and mechanics introduced throughout.

The story feels disconnected from the gameplay, with poorly written dialogue and excessive swearing that detracts from immersion.
Puzzles can become tedious and overly complex, leading to frustration, especially in the later stages.
The lack of mid-puzzle save points can result in having to repeat lengthy sections if a mistake is made.

story
292 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
63%
12%
The game's story, centered around Dr. Angelica Patel and the mysteries of a moon base, receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate its engaging narrative and character development, others find it underwhelming, poorly written, or disconnected from the gameplay. Many reviewers note that the pacing is inconsistent, with the story often feeling like a secondary element to the puzzle-solving mechanics, leading to a lack of investment in the plot. Overall, the story is seen as a decent backdrop for the puzzles, but it struggles to maintain player interest throughout the game.
- “The game’s story revolves around Dr. Angelica Patel, a physicist who uncovers a mystery surrounding the moon base she’s stationed on.”
- “There’s a clear focus on narrative here, with well-written dialogues and an engaging storyline that gradually reveals the protagonist’s motivations, her relationship with her daughter, and the dangers lurking in the isolated environment of Chandra Base.”
- “The combination of a sci-fi thriller plot with personal stakes adds a layer of depth that is often missing from puzzle games, and the game’s dedication to storytelling keeps players invested between puzzles.”
- “The story exists, but you only really hear dialogue in between puzzle areas, so it could be a good while between hearing one part of the story and hearing the next.”
- “The story is a drag for the first 3 hours but the intrigue hits after Shoemaker which makes you want to continue.”
- “The story is pretty average, lacking the punch of Portal or the background intrigue of Talos Principle.”
gameplay
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
76%
4%
The gameplay of "Relicta" features a mix of physics-based mechanics centered around gravity and magnetism, offering a variety of puzzles that gradually increase in complexity. However, many players find the experience marred by repetitive puzzle designs, pacing issues, and a disconnect between gameplay and narrative, leading to frustration and a sense of tedium during extended play sessions. While the core mechanics are solid and provide interesting challenges, the overall execution leaves room for improvement, particularly in maintaining engagement throughout the game's lengthy campaign.
- “Relicta is an enjoyable puzzle platformer with some interesting mechanics and a fun storyline.”
- “The gameplay mechanics, as well as the physics, are a solid and fun experience.”
- “The puzzles start simple and get progressively more and more complex, each set of levels introducing some new mechanic.”
- “A puzzle game that gets ruined by hidden mechanics and terrible writing.”
- “You use the same mechanics over and over again ad nauseam; puzzles feel too similar to each other, barely introducing any new mechanics whatsoever.”
- “The gameplay tries to strike a balance between narrative and gameplay, but that balance ends up hurting the final experience by making the game a slog to go through and puzzles becoming infuriatingly complex in the second half.”
graphics
89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
45%
3%
The graphics of the game have received largely positive feedback, with many reviewers praising the beautiful landscapes, detailed environments, and cohesive art design that enhances the sci-fi aesthetic. While some noted that the visuals may not be groundbreaking by current standards, they still contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere and overall experience. However, a few critiques mentioned issues with optimization and repetitive visual elements in certain areas, suggesting that while the graphics are impressive, they are not without flaws.
- “The environments are filled with small details that reinforce the game’s sci-fi aesthetic, and lighting plays a key role in establishing mood.”
- “Let's start with the positives: graphics are truly gorgeous - beautiful landscapes, detailed environments with vibrant colors and artistic lighting.”
- “The graphics are incredibly wonderful with stunning views, landscapes, and a beautifully detailed environment.”
- “The most disturbing for me is the low quality graphics for such a game engine.”
- “Despite its high graphical fidelity and production quality, it starts out promising but ends up falling apart about halfway through, both in terms of gameplay and story.”
- “Decent graphics and atmosphere mean nothing when the mechanics are so poorly made.”
grinding
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
5%
92%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, particularly in the late game where puzzles become overly complex and repetitive. Many reviewers noted that while the initial puzzles are engaging, the lack of checkpoints and the need for precise execution lead to frustration and a sense of monotony as players are forced to repeat actions without feeling a sense of accomplishment. The game’s design ultimately detracts from the enjoyment, turning what could be interesting challenges into a slog of tedious tasks.
- “The difficulty was balanced just right for me - not boringly easy when you can read the solution as soon as you enter the puzzle room, but not tediously hard so you could get really stuck.”
- “The puzzles become more and more tedious as you progress through increasingly convoluted and confusing map designs, that just serve to drag out the game and ultimately overstay their welcome.”
- “Ultimately solving the puzzles doesn't feel rewarding in the end; more so, they offer a sense of relief from the tedium of not having to do them again, until the game serves up another more tedious puzzle.”
- “It's not that the puzzles are hard, but it's just a complete slog to drag around cubes, and it started to feel way more tedious than it needs to.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the minimalistic and atmospheric soundtrack that enhances suspense and mood, others find it uninspired or lacking, feeling disconnected from the overall atmosphere. Many suggest that the absence of music during puzzle-solving detracts from the experience, indicating a desire for a more engaging auditory backdrop. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its quality but is criticized for being sparse and not fully complementing the gameplay.
- “The soundtrack, while minimalistic, is used effectively to build suspense and focus players’ attention on the challenges ahead, without distracting from the puzzles or story.”
- “Levels create a calming mood further enhanced by nice atmospheric music.”
- “[i]Relicta[/i] features a nice, high-quality soundtrack, with quite peaceful, if slightly somber music.”
- “I didn't care for the music.”
- “What I mean is that music does a lot to create the atmosphere, and I felt like I didn't connect with the atmosphere, and when I thought more about it, I realized it was the music.”
- “The soundtrack is uninspired.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the unintentionally hilarious writing and moments of genuine comedy, while others criticize it as corny, unimaginative, and often misplaced. The dialogue attempts to be lighthearted but frequently falls flat, with anachronistic references that feel out of place in the game's setting. Overall, while there are funny moments and decent voice acting, the humor often detracts from the gameplay experience rather than enhancing it.
- “The puzzling works pretty well when the physics lets it, and if not, there's always visual quality and the unintentionally hilarious writing.”
- “The writing is pretty funny; I'm very happy that a puzzle game lets the scientists say 'fuck'.”
- “It's hilarious.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
14%
21%
The atmosphere in "Relicta" is characterized by a cohesive sci-fi art design that enhances the game's cerebral tone, despite some critiques regarding the music's impact on immersion. While the graphics may not be cutting-edge, the combination of challenging puzzles, intriguing story elements, and atmospheric music contributes to a calming and engaging experience. Overall, players appreciate the game's setting and lore, rating the atmosphere highly, though some note inconsistencies in design choices.
- “Relicta by Mighty Polygon is a first-person puzzle game that combines physics-based mechanics with an atmospheric sci-fi setting to create a unique, cerebral experience.”
- “While the graphics may not be groundbreaking by today’s standards, the art design is cohesive and atmospheric, creating a sense of realism that complements the cerebral tone of the game.”
- “Levels create a calming mood further enhanced by nice atmospheric music.”
- “What I mean is that music does a lot to create the atmosphere, and I felt like I didn't connect with the atmosphere. When I thought more about it, I realized it was the music.”
- “If you notice the clouds and water body in the game, you might realize that the developers never really did any research prior to their design; they just used the word 'terraformed' to justify everything.”
- “Decent graphics and atmosphere mean nothing when the mechanics are so poorly made.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth gameplay and stable performance at high settings, some experience frame drops and issues on specific configurations, particularly with DirectX 12. Despite these concerns, the game is generally well-optimized for lower settings and older hardware, allowing for a solid visual experience without significant bugs.
- “Smooth gameplay and performance; haven't encountered any bugs.”
- “Visually, the game looks amazing and is really well optimized.”
- “It's been really optimized, achieving 60fps at 1920x1080 in ultra settings with a NVIDIA GTX 960 (which is a 4-year-old video card!)”
- “Firstly, I don't know why, but whenever an indie or even AA studio gets their hands on the Unreal Engine, they manage to make it hog way more performance than it's worth.”
- “I believe this game is not particularly well-optimized, but it's not a huge issue if you settle for medium/low graphics.”
- “Also, it's pretty unoptimized and drops frames a lot on DX12 (only 1080p), but DX11 was okay.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
86%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while users appreciate the smooth gameplay and visually appealing graphics, they report issues with buggy physics that can lead to frustrating moments, such as objects getting stuck or clipping through walls. The puzzles themselves are generally well-received, but the inconsistent physics can detract from the experience, especially in more complex interactions.
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; I can focus on enjoying the story without interruptions.”
- “The performance is impressive, with consistent frame rates and no noticeable lag.”
- “Doesn’t help that the physics are sometimes buggy, and things get stuck on weird theoretically flat surfaces or edge geometry. If you don’t have a cube recovery device in the section, you’ll sometimes have to restart the entire level.”
- “Oh yeah right... the buggy physics setting, blame it on bad terraforming!”
- “It shows some promise, but the lack of consistent physics with the boxes makes me dread the buggy mess that will occur when there are even more elements to interact with. I would rather give myself a hard pass and some Tylenol for the effort I put in so far.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's replayability is generally considered low, with a score of 3/10, as players are unlikely to remember puzzle solutions after their first playthrough. While it may offer some potential for a single replay, the lack of uniquely designed puzzles and creative challenges diminishes its overall replay value.
- “This game is infinitely replayable, especially in multiplayer mode.”
- “The puzzles are all uniquely designed, offering a high level of replayability that encourages creative thinking.”
- “But, if you’re looking for a puzzler with replayability, where you have to utilize creative thinking, and the puzzles are all uniquely designed, then look far, far elsewhere.”
- “[b]Replay value: 3/10[/b] You probably won't remember the solution to all puzzles, so perhaps replayable once, but such games usually are not good for replaying.”
- “But, if you’re looking for a puzzler with replayability, where you have to utilize creative thinking, and the puzzles are all uniquely designed, then look far, far elsewhere.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Reviews indicate that the emotional impact of the game is lacking, as characters appear indifferent to significant events, undermining any supposed emotional investment. While the initial puzzles are engaging, the latter half of the game suffers from repetitive and uninspired gameplay, contributing to a disjointed narrative that fails to resonate with players. Overall, the emotional depth is overshadowed by a mediocre story and inconsistent puzzle design.
- “Touching to open the doors.”
- “I have no interest in finishing the game with such mediocre and inconsistent puzzles and a boring story, whose only positive attribute can be the space and sci-fi setting, which can at least be said to be respectable.”