Residue: Final Cut

About

Up-tempo adventuring and family drama ensue when the survivors of a disastrous charity project return to the dead ships in the former Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. Residue tells a personal story by letting you explore a larger-than-life, ridiculously detailed rendition of one of our world's most fascinating (and horrifying) locations.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

51%

Audience ScoreBased on 63 reviews

story27 positive mentions

gameplay6 negative mentions

The game features a compelling and original story that explores deep themes of human relationships and environmental issues, particularly related to the Aral Sea.
The artwork and atmosphere are beautifully crafted, creating an immersive experience that draws players into the unique setting.
The soundtrack is well-composed and enhances the emotional depth of the game, contributing to a memorable experience.

Gameplay mechanics are clunky and frustrating, with issues such as poor character controls and unclear navigation leading to confusion and annoyance.
Voice acting is often criticized for being subpar, with some performances described as wooden or unenthusiastic, detracting from the overall immersion.
The game suffers from technical issues, including lack of settings for sound and resolution, as well as performance drops in certain areas.

story
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
51%
8%
The game's story is a central focus, offering a compelling narrative that explores deep themes and human experiences, though it can be convoluted and confusing at times. While some players appreciate the immersive atmosphere and unique storytelling methods, others criticize the execution, including poor translations and clunky gameplay that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the story is seen as a strong point, but its delivery may not resonate with everyone, leading to mixed feelings about its effectiveness.
- “The story is fantastic.”
- “Very compelling and original story, with an interesting way of telling it, through playing three different characters that explore the bottom of a dried up ocean, each one with their own gameplay style.”
- “The incredible power of Residue is reached not with a single standout element, but with a harmony of dense atmosphere, thoughtful attention to details, unforgettable music, vivid characters, and of course its interactive story, that shows what it really takes to be a human being.”
- “The story is confusing at times but everything comes together beautifully at the end.”
- “The entire game story and events could have been a few short sentences of visual novel dialog; the actual gameplay was just unamusing filler.”
- “What I mean is you join the game and the story is already 99.99% over with, then you do a little bit of back and forth on the same map which really explains very little, then the story ends where you basically began.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
61%
21%
The gameplay has received largely negative feedback, with many reviewers criticizing its clunky mechanics, slow character movement, and lack of challenge typical of retro platformers. While some elements, like underwater diving and character-specific abilities, show potential, the overall execution is deemed frustrating and unrefined, leaving the compelling story as the primary draw for players. Despite some praise for its engaging narrative and art style, the gameplay is often described as boring and lacking depth.
- “A concise, reasonably well-told story, excellent soundtrack, and quite unique gameplay of basic platform work and aiming.”
- “Very compelling and original story, with an interesting way of telling it, through playing three different characters that explore the bottom of a dried-up ocean, each one with their own gameplay style.”
- “All these characters interact and interweave with each other in very interesting ways, in both gameplay and story.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are the run-of-the-mill platformer, with some clunky design elements like a grappling hook and an extremely slow old dude. The only decent part being the underwater diving sequences where you actually have to use a minimum amount of grey matter to plan the cliff jumps ahead to reach the deeper seabed areas.”
- “In terms of gameplay, the game is a big failure, being clunky, with fixed controls. Only 2D retro platforming/adventure games like this died out in the 1990s.”
- “You might like the art style, but the simple fact is that the gameplay is slow, annoying, and its painful limitations will kill any amount of immersion you might hope to get from this.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
41%
18%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the unique hand-drawn art style and atmospheric visuals that enhance immersion, while others criticize the technical execution, including low-quality assets and issues with blending interactive elements into the background. Overall, the artwork is seen as a standout feature, but it may not be enough to compensate for gameplay shortcomings.
- “The graphics are beautiful, pulling you into this strange ambience.”
- “Residue offers a truly exotic experience through unique, beautifully drawn graphics, excellent audio composition of the ambiance sounds and music, and, last but not least, a story that makes you ponder upon fundamental aspects of life (though without giving you a headache over it).”
- “It's very atmospheric, having a nice soundtrack and a unique art style.”
- “Technically, the game is a big failure, with ugly retro pixel graphics. It's only 2D, fixed resolution, and low-quality assets; it falls far beneath minimum standards for PC gaming.”
- “While the game has a unique aesthetic, the animation is plain horrible.”
- “You might like the art style, but the simple fact is that the gameplay is slow, annoying, and its painful limitations will kill any amount of immersion you might hope to get from this.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and emotional depth, enhancing the storytelling and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as both beautiful and memorable, contributing significantly to the game's immersive environment. Overall, the combination of well-composed music and solid voice acting creates a harmonious and engaging experience for players.
- “The music is surprisingly good and fitting to the situations unfolding on screen.”
- “Visuals are stunning, music is mesmerizing.”
- “Would have been better to use Russian soundtracks and English subs.”
- “The incredible power of Residue is reached not with a single standout element, but with a harmony of dense atmosphere, thoughtful attention to details, unforgettable music, vivid characters, and of course its interactive story, that shows what it really takes to be a human being.”
- “Residue offers a truly exotic experience through unique, beautifully drawn graphics, excellent audio composition of the ambiance sounds and music, and, last but not least, a story that makes you ponder upon fundamental aspects of life (though without giving you a headache over it).”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The game's atmosphere is described as immersive and rich, effectively enhanced by its thoughtful details, emotional storytelling, and a fitting soundtrack. While the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they complement the overall mood, creating a unique and engaging experience. Some reviewers noted that a more realistic portrayal of characters could have further enriched the atmosphere.
- “Although it looks simple, it's also very immersive both story-wise and atmospherically.”
- “It is extremely well-written and full of emotion that builds as you go along, and is expertly assisted, in my opinion, by the atmospheric sound and music.”
- “The incredible power of the game is reached not with a single standout element, but with a harmony of dense atmosphere, thoughtful attention to details, unforgettable music, vivid characters, and of course its interactive story, that shows what it really takes to be a human being.”
- “If the developers were going for a more realistic atmosphere, the characters should have spoken with Russian accents, save for the American character.”
- “Atmosphere, brevity, storytelling.”
- “The incredible power of residue is reached not with a single standout element, but with a harmony of dense atmosphere, thoughtful attention to details, unforgettable music, vivid characters, and of course its interactive story, that shows what it really takes to be a human being.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to clunky controls and slow pacing, which detracts from the overall experience despite the appealing graphics and story. The blending of interactive elements into the background leads to frustrating pixel-hunting, making the gameplay feel more laborious than enjoyable.
- “Visually it's pretty good, the story is okay, but the clunky controls, poor animations, and slow pace ruin everything else. You can force yourself through it, but it becomes more tedious than fun.”
- “Good idea but poor execution; the story is the strong point, but it's tedious to play.”
- “The graphics are pleasant and executed in a unique art style; however, the pick-ups and interactive areas often blend into the background, resulting in some tedious pixel-hunting.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Character development in the game is mixed; while some players appreciate the in-depth design and unique motivations of each character, others criticize the dialogue and voice acting as unrealistic and poorly executed. Overall, the character interactions may lack coherence, impacting the overall immersion.
- “The character design is rather in-depth, as each character has their own unique purpose and motivations.”
- “The backgrounds are gorgeous, and while the character designs are okay, the simple yet effective story and engaging gameplay make up for it.”
- “The art is okay, but the voice acting is terrible, and the character development and dialogue make no sense at all for how humans actually act.”