Resonance
- July 25, 2012
- XII Games
Get on Steam"Resonance" is a single-player mystery arcade game featuring an intriguing story, excellent gameplay, visuals, and soundtrack. Players race against time to secure a dead scientist's technology, controlling four characters with entangled lives and hidden secrets. With over ten hours of gameplay, the experience is enhanced by a memory system and voiced by Logan Cunningham , offering a rich, decision-based narrative.
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Reviews
- Engaging and innovative gameplay mechanics, particularly the short-term and long-term memory systems that enhance puzzle-solving.
- Compelling story with unexpected twists and well-developed characters that keep players invested.
- High-quality voice acting and retro-style graphics that evoke nostalgia while maintaining a modern feel.
- Some puzzles can be overly complex or obscure, leading to frustration and reliance on walkthroughs.
- The interface can feel clunky, especially when managing multiple characters and their inventories.
- Occasional pacing issues, particularly in the latter parts of the game where the story may feel rushed or convoluted.
- story335 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely praised for its engaging narrative, intriguing characters, and unexpected plot twists, making it a standout feature for many players. However, some reviews note that the pacing can be hindered by excessive or frustrating puzzles, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the story remains a compelling draw, with many players recommending it for its depth and emotional impact.
“The story is fantastic, the characters are believable and well-written, the music and artwork is wonderful, and there are some tough choices and genuinely shocking twists.”
“Resonance is a game that pays great tribute to the wonderful adventure games of the late 90s, while providing such a great story and experience that you never really think about that after the first hour.”
“The story is complex enough to grab a hold of you and the puzzles make sense.”
“A pretty mediocre point & click game with a generic story, flat characters, and mediocre puzzles.”
“This game has too large a focus on arbitrary puzzle solving instead of letting the puzzles work for and be a part of the story.”
“For some reason, the story just died out on me, maybe because of the tedious puzzles; they began to wear on my experience and made the whole thing annoying and immersion-breaking.”
- gameplay114 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game features innovative mechanics such as short-term and long-term memory systems, allowing players to interact with objects and characters in unique ways. While many players appreciate the introduction of multiple characters and the engaging puzzles, some find the mechanics overly complicated and frustrating, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a mix of traditional point-and-click elements with fresh ideas, though opinions on the execution vary widely.
“The long-term and short-term memory mechanics are great!”
“The ability to control four different characters, sometimes completely independently, sometimes working together, makes the gameplay interesting and adds depth to the events as you witness everything from different viewpoints.”
“It doesn't hold up to the other Wadjet Eye games in terms of how naturally the story unfolds or how the puzzles/gameplay feel.”
“While it has a lot going for it -- the graphics, the plot, the voice acting -- it needlessly complicates the gameplay with multiple characters available all at once and a contrived short-term/long-term mechanic that often sucks the joy out of the puzzle-solving.”
“The gameplay system of long-term memory (LTM) and short-term memory (STM) really did not work for me, I must admit.”
- graphics74 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a retro pixel-art style that evokes nostalgia for classic point-and-click adventures from the 90s. While some players appreciate the charm and atmosphere created by the low-resolution visuals, others find them uninspiring or dated. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received for their artistic quality and integration with the game's storytelling, despite some critiques regarding their simplicity and lack of modern polish.
“The graphics and animation were top-notch for this type of game and it was interesting to control four different characters.”
“A great adventure game, low-res graphics bring about the nostalgia of the good old days of gaming, and the addition of timed events and some puzzles keeps it fresh.”
“Graphics are spot on retro '90s.”
“The biggest negative to this game is the graphics resolution, about the same as an old-fashioned Sierra title from the early 90's.”
“Warning: the graphics are rather uninspiring.”
“The graphics are so low-res that I had trouble finding the key because it looked like a mustard stain on top of the microwave.”
- music23 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for enhancing the overall experience, with some tracks being described as catchy and immersive, contributing to the emotional depth of the story. However, there are mixed opinions regarding its repetitiveness, with some players finding it annoying over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong element, complementing the game's narrative and atmosphere effectively.
“Music enhances the action, even when - especially when - it intentionally doesn't match the mood of the scene.”
“Resonance is a seriously tremendous game, it nails everything right: good puzzles, amazing relatable characters with good character progression, music, sound effects, voice acting and atmosphere, good art style topped off with a good story.”
“The story is fantastic, the characters are believable and well-written, the music and artwork is wonderful, and there are some tough choices and genuinely shocking twists.”
“Music is repetitive midi-ness, but kinda catchy.”
“Atypically for a Wadjet Eye Games product, even voice acting and music are stale.”
“The music loops too much and becomes annoying to hear at length.”
- grinding13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a significant drawback, as the tedious inventory management and the need to control multiple characters often lead to frustrating backtracking and slow-paced gameplay. While some puzzles are well-designed and engaging, the overall experience is marred by a lack of direction and overly complex mechanics that detract from the enjoyment of the story. Ultimately, the balance between challenging puzzles and tedious tasks feels off, leading to a diminished immersion and enjoyment.
“Ultimately, this innovation is great in theory but basically frustrating in execution -- the game ends up behind the player many times, requiring tedious backtracking to gather the necessary and obvious memory 'items' to advance conversations.”
“When this is coupled with having to individually control four characters and pass items among their inventories, the bread-and-butter aspects of adventure games (moving, collecting and using items, and talking) become extremely tedious.”
“The rules it plays by (i.e. the gimmicks it uses) make solving puzzles tedious beyond belief, and the frustration is compounded by a lack of good direction (i.e. what the objective puzzle even is) and the clues necessary to solve the puzzles that you know exist.”
- humor13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a blend of insightful developer commentaries, witty dialogues, and subtle jokes that enhance the overall experience without overshadowing the dramatic narrative. While some players note a lack of frequent jokes, many appreciate the smart and original humor that adds charm to the classic adventure gameplay. Overall, the humor is seen as a valuable complement to the thrilling story, providing moments of levity amidst the tension.
“Oh, and there are insightful and funny developer commentaries - consider listening to them on your second playthrough.”
“The four: a doctor, a mathematician, a detective, and a reporter (who is frequently and humorously reminded that he's just a blogger).”
“Smart and funny, this 'point and click' adventure game is far more intuitive than most I have played.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its tension and immersive qualities, effectively blending a noir detective vibe with engaging storytelling. Reviewers highlight the impactful music, sound effects, and art style, which contribute to a nostalgic yet captivating experience reminiscent of classic adventure games. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a significant strength, enhancing the gameplay and emotional engagement.
“Awesome adventure game, interesting story and very tense thriller atmosphere!”
“Loved the game, it's filled with a solid noir detective atmosphere.”
“I found the story intriguing and the atmosphere was great, particularly at certain points (one chase scene had me jumping and panicking more than most of the horror games I've played).”
“Awesome adventure game, interesting story, and a very tense thriller atmosphere!”
“Loved the game; it's filled with a solid noir detective atmosphere.”
“I recommend it to adventure fans who loved the '80s and '90s classics and want to breathe part of that atmosphere again!”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game "Resonance" offers a moderate level of replayability, featuring multiple endings and various achievements to pursue. While some players find the game short and lacking in replay value typical of the genre, others appreciate the branching decisions and small details that encourage revisiting the experience.
“For an adventure game, it has huge replay value.”
“The game has at least two endings, plus there are many achievements that I did not get the first time around, so there is some replayability here.”
“Plus, there are some branching decisions - replay value!”
“Approximately 8 hours to finish the game might be too short for someone, as there is no replay value.”
“Its one con is like most in this genre: it lacks a lot of replayability fun.”
“Even if there is not much replayability to be expected, the game is a solid adventure that is on par with old classics like Beneath a Steel Sky.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game delivers a profound emotional experience, engaging players through its well-crafted characters and narrative, which evoke a range of feelings from heartbreak to amusement. Players become deeply invested in the characters' journeys, despite knowing their inevitable failures, thanks to the innovative storytelling and immersive gameplay. Overall, it is praised for its emotional depth, making it a must-play for fans of the genre.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the characters’ (and yours) ingenuity and flashes of inspiration knowing they will necessarily have to fail to stop the impending doom, whatever combination of puzzle solutions and conversation options you will choose.”
“Whether you love them or hate them, the fact that you control them through most of the game makes you emotionally invested in the characters, even if any one of them turns out to be not quite who you thought they were.”
“The four main characters are believably normal and have some genuinely touching, repulsing, and amusing moments.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability received mixed feedback; while some players encountered minor bugs such as dialog glitches and character freezes, others reported a smooth experience with no significant issues. The user interface and control scheme were noted as functional, contributing to a generally stable gameplay experience.
“Now for the bad, the game was a little buggy. I came across a dialog glitch where everything sped up and dialog was skipped several times, and characters got stuck a few times, but nothing game-breaking.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in Wajdet Eye games is highly praised, with reviewers noting that it is one of the strongest aspects of the storytelling, free from convoluted logic.
“The plot and character development are among the strongest attributes of Wadjet Eye games.”
“The characters evolve in meaningful ways, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
“I love how the game allows for deep character exploration, revealing layers that keep you invested in their stories.”
