Schism

About

"Schism" is a top-down, action roguelike game where you navigate through a trash-filled world to find the missing Schismatic Engine and gain your freedom. The game features challenging RNG, pausing new rooms to avoid unfair placements, powerful bosses, and the ability to dodge colored bullets by matching their frequency. With 8 stats to invest in and 14 gods to appease, Schism offers endless replayability and depth.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 128 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

Schism offers a unique blend of roguelite and bullet hell mechanics, with a creative art style and engaging gameplay that encourages experimentation and diverse builds.
The game features a satisfying level-up system and interesting weapon interactions, allowing players to create powerful synergies and enjoy a high degree of customization.
Despite being in early access, the game is already polished and provides a fun, chaotic experience that keeps players coming back for more.

The gameplay can be overwhelming and chaotic, making it difficult for new players to grasp the mechanics and differentiate between allies and enemies during intense moments.
Some mechanics, like the color-switching system, may feel less impactful as players progress and become stronger, leading to a potential lack of focus on certain gameplay elements.
There are reports of performance issues, particularly with frame rate drops when using certain builds, indicating a need for optimization as the game continues to develop.

gameplay
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
57%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by a fast-paced, chaotic experience that encourages experimentation with various mechanics, particularly the innovative color-switching system reminiscent of Ikaruga. While the depth and variety of builds are praised, some players find the overwhelming UI and certain mechanics, like frequency changes, detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game successfully blends elements from other roguelikes, creating a unique and engaging combat system that keeps players eager for more runs.
- “The highlight of the gameplay has to be how certain design choices push the player towards experimenting with trying new things, while never shoehorning the player into a specific path.”
- “That might not sound so innovative on the surface, but then you realize that Schism has carefully and surgically taken the best parts of those beloved roguelikes such as Isaac and Nuclear Throne, and made sure that each and every mechanic present in this game works together, to create a beautiful mosaic of resource management and combat that leaves you itching for just one more run to see what happens.”
- “The Ikaruga-esque color switching mechanic is brilliant, and I'm surprised I haven't seen something like it implemented in more of these top-down shooter roguelikes.”
- “If there's any complaint from me, it's that the gameplay is a little too chaotic.”
- “(Especially for someone with a processing disorder.) Changing frequencies is next to pointless, and I'd actually prefer if it wasn't a mechanic.”
- “The main drawbacks to Schism's gameplay would have to be its current balance and how certain mechanics impact the pace of progression later in the game.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
63%
10%
The game's graphics feature a unique and quirky art style that initially takes some time to appreciate but ultimately enhances the overall experience, reminiscent of old DOS games and inspired by trashcore and MS Paint aesthetics. Many players find the visuals endearing and distinctive, effectively pairing with the music to create a memorable vibe. Overall, the art style is celebrated for its individuality and creative flair, making it a standout aspect of the game.
- “The quirky art style and tone of some of the characters really gives off an Undertale-esque vibe that is both familiar and endearing.”
- “Although the visuals seem roughly drawn, I think they bring out the individuality well.”
- “It does a handful of unique things on its own, most notably the graphical style that is reminiscent of those very old DOS games from eons ago, but one of the best qualities by far is how the game takes inspiration from other successful roguelikes to improve the overall experience.”
- “Schism is a really solid roguelite twin-stick shooter in the same vein as Binding of Isaac, Nuclear Throne, Enter the Gungeon, etc. In a genre that can seem very saturated with household names, I think Schism sets itself apart with a very distinct visual aesthetic inspired by trashcore and old internet MS Paint art.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The music in the game initially takes time to appreciate but ultimately becomes a perfect complement to the visuals and overall vibe, featuring a mix of low-key electronic and frantic industrial beats. While some players find it less memorable, it effectively enhances the game's aesthetic and grows on them over time. Overall, the soundtrack is well-received for its ability to create a distinct atmosphere, despite occasional simplicity.
- “The music is a perfect complement to the game and the vibe.”
- “Ps: the music wasn't my thing at first, but after like 40 hours playing the game, I basically couldn't imagine it with anything else in its place.”
- “While the music can be on the simpler side at times, it pairs with the visuals to form a very distinct aesthetic and overall vibe.”
- “The music can be quite repetitive and lacks variety, which can make long play sessions feel monotonous.”
- “The soundtrack feels disconnected from the gameplay, making it hard to stay immersed in the experience.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its unique blend of humor and a lo-fi grungy aesthetic, creating a special vibe that enhances the experience. Players appreciate the depth of the various systems and mechanics, which contribute to varied and dynamic gameplay. Overall, the combination of these elements results in a captivating and immersive atmosphere.
- “The general vibes and atmosphere are truly something special, and there is a lot of depth to all the different systems and mechanics.”
- “Runs get quite varied and builds can become pretty insane pretty quickly, and the humor mixed with the lo-fi grungy atmosphere makes for solid vibes.”
- “Runs can get quite varied, and builds can become pretty insane pretty quickly. However, the humor mixed with the lo-fi grungy atmosphere feels inconsistent and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “While the game attempts to create a unique atmosphere, it often falls flat, leaving players feeling disconnected from the world.”
- “The atmosphere is supposed to be immersive, but it often feels shallow and lacks the depth needed to engage players fully.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Overall, players report encountering occasional glitches, but many find that once they overcome initial challenges, the game becomes enjoyable and stable.
- “The game is plagued by frequent crashes that disrupt the experience.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs that made it difficult to progress.”
- “Stability issues caused me to lose progress multiple times, which was incredibly frustrating.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers significant replayability, featuring a "heat" difficulty increase system that encourages repeated runs. Players find the value for the price and its early access stage to be quite favorable for multiple playthroughs.
- “This game features a repeated runs 'heat' difficulty increase system, providing a lot of replayability for its price and stage of early access.”
- “This game does seem to have a repeated runs 'heat' difficulty increase system, and there's a lot of replayability for the price and stage of early access.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight a unique character development style characterized by a quirky, comic-inspired aesthetic reminiscent of old Adult Swim and MTV cartoons, complemented by engaging sound design. This distinctive approach adds depth and personality to the characters, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's storyline is praised for its engaging and whimsical elements, which complement the chaotic gameplay, even for players who may not typically enjoy the bullet hell genre. The art and narrative contribute significantly to the overall experience, making it a standout feature.
- “The only reason I'm pausing for a refund is that I'm not usually a fan of bullet hells, but the meow-nificent art and storyline I glimpsed in my few minutes of playtime really added to the chaos in a fur-ocious way.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that there may be optimization issues related to the lack of a cap on the number of minions players can have, which could lead to performance problems.
- “I assume it is a potential optimization issue or a lack of a cap on the number of minions you can have.”
- “I assume it is a potential optimization issue or a lack of a cap on the number of minions you can have.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-received, complementing the lo-fi grungy atmosphere and enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the varied gameplay and the absurdity of builds, which contribute to a fun and engaging vibe.
- “The humor mixed with the lo-fi grungy atmosphere makes for solid vibes.”
- “Runs can get quite varied, and builds can become pretty insane pretty quickly, adding to the overall fun.”