Server is Down
- September 25, 2020
- DbVectra
Welcome to Server is Down, psychological horror game in which s̴̨̧̡̜̜̯̦͍̠̬͚͎͎̈́̐͑̑̎́͑́͂̌́͊̆̈́̍̀̋̾̒̑̓̚͜͝ơ̴̧̧̛̟̱̫̫͕͚̘̗͓͎̠̠̤̼̭̼̭̊̎̏̎̏͗̾͋͗̂̏̅͛͒͋̅̿͗̿͛̉͑̈̐͑̾̀̆͌́͗̀͆̐̑̍͐̀̉̒̃̉̀͂̚̕͘͜͝͠͝m̶̧̛̛̜͙̟̜͙̖̯̝̙̗͚̥̈́͊͒͑̈͌͌̈́͒̃̄͒̊̿̽̅̏̌̾̊͐͐̑̈́̉͂͌̍̇̿͂́̽̋̃́͑̇͑͒̇͐̄̒̍̉̄͌͒̆̕̕̕̚͜͝͝ȩ̵̨͔͓̝͙̦̺̩̰̮̖̼̭̯̥͓̥̯͉͌̑͋́̽̃͗̒̇̋̋̃̕̕͜͜͜t̵͓̥̥̻̳̪̬͎̖͈̺̺͇̣͕̯̹͈̟̟̳̫̣̯̖̭̤͍̣͚̩̺̝̘͕̪͇͔̺͙̜̗̜̞̰͐̅̽͊́͛͗̓͛͊͛̒̉̀͌̑̌̂̕͝ḧ̵̨̢̜̟͍̪̩͚͈̟̮̦̺̳͖̭̖̮̬̙̩̼̙̤̼̘͈̪͚͓̩̩͍̖̟̠̗̣͓…
Reviews
- The sound design effectively creates an immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
- The initial parts of the story, art, and sound design are well-executed, providing a strong foundation for the game.
- The game has potential and offers a unique experience for those who enjoy deciphering and metagame elements.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
- The ending is poorly received, feeling out of place and diminishing the impact of the story.
- The lack of polish, including unskippable cutscenes and tedious puzzles, detracts from the overall enjoyment and replayability.
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its engaging first 90% and strong art and sound design, but it suffers from a jarring sci-fi twist that feels out of place in an otherwise grounded narrative. Additionally, issues such as poor language, glitches, unclear instructions, and inconsistent character interactions detract from the overall experience. While the pacing is good, the lack of effective menus and intermissions further complicates the storytelling.
“There's a lot I like about it... the first 90% of the story, art, and sound design is fantastic, and the pacing of gameplay and chat is good.”
“The intermissions between days, menus (or lack of them), and the story are quite bad.”
“[spoiler] It felt extremely silly and hokey... why did this otherwise down-to-earth story need a bizarre, unoriginal sci-fi element instead of just being about hacking, identity theft, and murder?”
“Some glitches and bugs halt the game completely and ruin the experience, and characters sometimes do not provide messages so that the story continues.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their high-quality visuals and unique "unix system" design, but the overall presentation suffers due to poorly executed intermissions, menus, and storytelling elements, suggesting a disconnect between the visual design and gameplay experience.
“The visuals and the design are impressive, showcasing a high level of artistry.”
“The graphics are stunning and really enhance the overall experience of the game.”
“The attention to detail in the graphics is remarkable, making the game world feel immersive.”
“The visuals and the 'unix system' design are pretty well done and quite high level, but the intermissions between days, menus (or lack of them), and the 'story' are quite bad.”
“It feels like one person did the visuals, and somebody else used them to create a 'meh' game.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its engaging story, art, and sound design, with a well-paced integration of gameplay and chat. However, it is also described as stressful and at times boring, indicating a mixed experience overall.
“There's a lot I like about it... the first 90% of the story, art, and sound design is fantastic, and the pacing of gameplay and chat is good.”
“The gameplay is stressful and boring.”
“The mechanics feel clunky and unresponsive.”
“There are too many bugs that disrupt the gameplay experience.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by significant glitches and bugs that can halt gameplay, alongside unclear instructions and unresponsive characters that disrupt the narrative flow. While the language and grammar are acceptable, these technical issues detract from the overall experience.
“The language and grammar are not brilliant (but tolerable). Some glitches and bugs halt the game completely and ruin the experience. Some randomized codes do not work at all, and some instructions are not made clear enough. Characters sometimes do not provide messages, preventing the story from continuing.”
“Nothing special appears, just some stupid jumpscares and ugly glitches.”
“The game suffers from frequent crashes and performance issues that make it nearly unplayable at times.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, as they are required to repeat a limited set of simple puzzles multiple times, which disrupts the flow of the narrative.
“There are exactly 4 simple, tedious puzzles you're asked to do altogether about 20 times between the sluggish narratives.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
“I spent hours doing the same tasks over and over again, which made the experience feel more like a chore than fun.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the game's replayability due to unskippable cutscenes and repetitive puzzles, leading to a lack of incentive to replay as they feel they would experience nothing new.
“Given the unskippable start-of-day cutscenes and the lack of replayability in the puzzles, you're discouraged from trying again because you could spend another hour seeing absolutely nothing new.”
“The game offers no incentive to replay, as the experience remains unchanged each time, making it feel tedious rather than engaging.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little reason to return, as the lack of variety in gameplay and story elements leaves you feeling like you've seen it all.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is intended to be spooky, but some players feel it falls short of creating an immersive experience, with one reviewer expressing disappointment in its execution.
“I am really sorry you worked as hard as you did to create this game, and I am really sorry I couldn't appreciate your 'feature' to add to the 'spooky atmosphere' of the game. I have to delete it because I live in the real world.”
“The atmosphere feels forced and lacks any genuine sense of immersion.”
“Despite the game's attempts to create a haunting environment, it ultimately falls flat and feels more like a cliché than a captivating experience.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users generally find the humor in the game to be effective and enjoyable, with many noting that it successfully elicits laughter.