Sentience: The Android's Tale
- June 2, 2017
- Pilgrim Adventures
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Sentience: The Android's Tale" is a single-player adventure game with a thought-provoking story revolving around an android on the desert planet of Akritas. Your choices will impact the outcome of the game, with at least a dozen possible endings and consequences for both humans and robots. Experience a immersive narrative as you interact with the 24 colonists, uncovering the mysteries of this borderworld and exploring themes of artificial intelligence.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging story with multiple endings that truly reflect player choices, enhancing replayability.
- Well-developed characters and dialogue that create a rich narrative experience.
- Atmospheric music and a thoughtful exploration of philosophical themes related to AI and humanity.
- Pacing can be slow, especially in the early game, which may deter some players.
- Gameplay mechanics can feel repetitive, with fetch quests and tedious tasks that may frustrate players.
- Technical issues such as freezing and lag can disrupt the experience, particularly during key moments.
- story65 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its engaging and thought-provoking nature, with many players appreciating the depth of character development and the impact of player choices on the narrative. While some reviews note a simplicity in the plot and occasional repetitiveness in gameplay, the overall consensus highlights a compelling storyline that explores human traits and ethical dilemmas, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy story-driven games. However, some players feel that the execution of certain plot elements and endings could be improved, leading to mixed feelings about the overall narrative satisfaction.
“This game's storytelling and thematic elements help it stand head-and-shoulders over the vast majority of its indie peers.”
“The story is engaging and thought-provoking.”
“The variety of choices and consequences from your actions is particularly well-integrated, and the storyline is genuinely interesting and thoughtful.”
“My biggest issue with the storytelling in this game is that while it's willing to bring up hefty existential and ethical conundrums to the player, the game doesn't really have much of an opinion of its own.”
“The plot is weak, delivers all the wrong messages (boo-hoo, human bad), and the ending is just infuriating - it is pretty much a nonsensical star kid from the 'Mass Effect 3'.”
“However, most of the roleplaying felt like it had little to no impact on the actual story, and the ending veers straight into Mass Effect 3 levels of choose-your-flavor-of-bad-end garbage.”
- music10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally appreciated for its atmospheric quality and suitability for the genre, enhancing the overall experience. However, some users feel that the soundtrack lacks variety and can become repetitive over time, with occasional dissonance between the music and on-screen events. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, it could benefit from a broader selection of tracks.
“As usual, it's not some kind of high-concept epic, it's just a solid, well-paced space opera that celebrates all the stuff sci-fi fans pop for: spaceships, aliens, AI, coffee, synthesizer music - it's all there.”
“What caught my attention is great and atmospheric music.”
“Really liked the music, perfect for the genre.”
“The music honestly got mind-numbing fairly quickly.”
“The ambient music is casually incoherent with the on-screen situation.”
“Other than that, the OST could've used more tracks.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by simple mechanics and repetitive fetch-quests, which some players find tedious and lacking in variety. While choices can significantly impact the story and unlock new quests, many feel that the overall experience is dull, with uninspired dialogue and bland characters. Despite its shortcomings, some players appreciate the game's heart and narrative, finding it engaging enough for a single playthrough.
“Both what you do and how you interact with different NPCs really has a large impact on your gameplay, with some choices granting you access to new quests while others will lock you out of quest lines.”
“In spite of its simplicity (pretty much across the board - mechanics, story, characters, setting), it never was boring, and didn't outstay its welcome.”
“I found this game to be quite interesting, though it is fairly simple mechanically speaking.”
“Most of my gameplay was spent searching for people.”
“In my 2 hours of gameplay, I felt that nothing really happened.”
“The gameplay is menial and tedious - whilst that is supposed to reflect the frontier planet's everyday hardships, the routineness of it all is exceptional: most of the quests consist of collecting items or talking to people with no variation whatsoever, having to sit through unimaginative poorly written dialogues.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game boasts high replayability due to its numerous endings and achievements, encouraging players to explore different story branches. While some users noted that a single playthrough may suffice, the abundance of content ensures that many will return for additional runs to experience all the variations. However, a few players mentioned that replayability could feel limited after the initial exploration.
“Huge replay value, as there are lots of multiple endings and many achievements to hunt for.”
“The many endings and stories make it replayable.”
“Pretty good replay value too; there's no way you'll get all the achievements and story branches in one playthrough.”
“Cons: little replayability, though necessary to watch all endings (and get all achievements).”
“I only played through it once, but it seems like there is quite a bit of replay value.”
“The game might have some replayability, at least the last underground section, since there are so many possible endings.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its fitting audio and atmospheric music, which effectively complement the narrative and evoke a blend of influences reminiscent of "Blade Runner" and "Dune." Reviewers note that the game successfully creates a tense yet relaxing ambiance, highlighting the importance of atmosphere in enhancing the overall experience.
“What caught my attention is the great and atmospheric music.”
“The story and atmosphere is a mix of Blade Runner and Dune.”
“Finally, what is most important for every game is atmosphere.”
“Sentience succeeds in creating a tense yet relaxing atmosphere.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are appreciated for their unique art style and aesthetic appeal, particularly in the context of a sci-fi visual novel blended with RPG elements. Users note that while the graphics are simple, they effectively complement the game's mature dialogue and overall atmosphere.
“I like the art style, dialogue writing, and the maturity of it.”
“It mixes elements of a sci-fi flavored visual novel with an RPG-like feel to it, mostly because of the graphics and the user interface.”
“This is a great game with simple graphics.”
“The graphics feel outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
“The visual style is inconsistent, making it hard to immerse myself in the game.”
“The character designs are bland and fail to stand out in a crowded genre.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, with repetitive tasks such as collecting indistinguishable items and engaging in uninspired dialogues with bland characters. While the early gameplay features many basic errands that can feel monotonous, some reviewers note that persistence can lead to more rewarding experiences later on.
“Expect a lot of walking and some fetch quests; it's not tedious or grindy though.”
“It's too slow and tedious.”
“The gameplay is menial and tedious - while that is supposed to reflect the frontier planet's everyday hardships, the routineness of it all is exceptional: most of the quests (or tasks, as they are called in this game) consist of collecting items that can be very small, poorly illustrated, and indistinguishable from the background (i.e., non-interactive objects) or talking to people with no variation whatsoever, having to sit through unimaginative, poorly written dialogues (the characters are bland and unremarkable, every single one of them).”
“The first part of the game has a lot of basic errand tasks to complete, which verges on tedious but ultimately does lead somewhere if you stick with it.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with most users reporting a smooth performance during gameplay.
“Most of the time, it runs smoothly.”
“The game is well-optimized, providing a seamless experience even on lower-end hardware.”
“I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, making it enjoyable without any lag.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features extensive character development, enhancing the narrative experience within its story-driven sci-fi setting. Players can expect deep, evolving relationships and personal growth among characters throughout the gameplay.
“The character development in this story-based sci-fi game is incredibly rich and engaging.”
“I love how the game allows for deep character development, making each character feel unique and relatable.”
“The evolution of the characters throughout the game adds so much depth to the overall narrative.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the emotional depth of the game, suggesting that it offers a brief yet impactful experience that resonates with them. They recommend exploring more of the developer's titles for similar emotional journeys.
“Simply put, if you're up for a short and emotional experience, you should play more of Pa's games.”
“The game takes you on an emotional journey that stays with you long after you've finished playing.”
“I was genuinely moved by the characters and their stories; it felt like I was part of something truly special.”
