Shadow of Loot Box

About

"Shadow of Loot Box" is a first-person shooter that satirizes the aggressive monetization practices in modern gaming. Players explore a procedurally generated military complex, battling enemies and collecting loot boxes. The game offers a commentary on the state of the gaming industry, as players can uncover the secret documents that reveal the sinister motivations behind the loot box craze. However, the game's humor and satire may not appeal to all players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews

humor13 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game effectively parodies modern gaming trends, providing humorous commentary on issues like loot boxes and microtransactions.
It features a nice art style and can be entertaining for a short playthrough, with some players finding it a fun experience.
The game is family-friendly and has a quirky charm that appeals to those who enjoy satire in gaming.

Gameplay can be frustrating due to poor controls, limited ammo, and a lack of engaging mechanics, leading to repetitive and tedious experiences.
The humor often falls flat, with many players feeling that the jokes become stale and do not enhance the gameplay.
The game is criticized for being too short and lacking in content, leaving players wanting more after just a couple of hours.

gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The gameplay of "Shadow of Loot Box" is described as a mixed experience, with some players finding it tedious and lacking challenge, while others appreciate its humorous elements. Many reviews highlight issues such as bugs, predatory mechanics, and a disconnect between the game's satire and engaging gameplay, suggesting that the humor often detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, while the controls are solid, the gameplay itself is seen as underwhelming and in need of more polish and creativity.
- “The gameplay and controls are solid as well.”
- “This is the more enjoyable part of the gameplay for me at least.”
- “I think overall I enjoyed my time playing Shadow of Loot Box, but it leaves me feeling like the developer is talented enough to put a bit more effort into making the gameplay enjoyable along with the humor.”
- “This reminds me of an SNL skit: 10 minutes of humorous ideas drawn out to over 2 hours of often frustrating gameplay that beat those ideas to absolute death.”
- “The biggest issue with Shadow of Loot Box is the gameplay, and I'm not sure if that's intentional or not.”
- “The gameplay is simple and boring; I'd even say it's not challenging at all.”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it charming and relatable, particularly in its tongue-in-cheek jabs at gaming glitches and industry tropes. However, many reviewers feel that the comedic elements are often stretched too thin, leading to predictability and frustration rather than consistent laughter. While there are moments of genuine humor, the overall execution leaves some players wanting more depth and variety.
- “The off-the-wall humor and jests and jabs at gaming glitches that live within the game itself are thoroughly relatable, and are presented in a fine tongue-in-cheek fashion.”
- “Funny little game, worth a try just for a laugh.”
- “Jokes aside, this game is really funny and charming; without spoiling too much, it pokes fun at the game industry and is worth your time.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
25%
13%
The graphics of the game have received positive feedback, with many users praising the nice art style and quality that surpasses expectations for a title critiquing modern gaming issues. The visuals are considered one of the standout features, contributing to the overall enjoyment of the game. Additionally, the graphics are likened to those of Minecraft, appealing to a younger audience.
- “The art and graphics are probably the best part about the game in general.”
- “And being amazed how these subtle graphics still could kick ass!”
- “Something that surprised me in this game is that the graphics are pretty nice even though the game is just bringing forth issues with modern gaming.”
- “I was expecting the game to have kind of bad graphics just to bring the point across more about these games, but no, the graphics are actually very nice.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game's story features a variety of quests and puzzles that are engaging and family-friendly, but it quickly becomes repetitive, particularly with fetch quests that lack diversity. Players express frustration over limited autosave options and the need to complete quests to save progress, which detracts from the overall experience. While the narrative elements are enjoyable, the execution leaves room for improvement, especially in terms of quest variety and save mechanics.
- “The nature of quests and puzzles is worthy of the highest adoration, and the game itself is completely family friendly.”
- “Kinda fun if they add more to the game, maybe some more guns or a free play small area after the game is beat to play some quests and level gear.”
- “Sadly, it becomes quite repetitive really fast, with the quests in that town.”
- “The quests say: you need to help another settlement or you need to collect blue mushrooms... or the yellow ones... or the blue ones... but there were no more ways to go for me.”
- “I could do these quests over and over and eventually I had enough of it.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game cleverly satirizes the prevalence of microtransactions in the industry, offering a humorous take on the issue while ensuring that players only need to pay for the main game without any additional costs. Overall, it provides a fun experience without the burden of extra monetization.
- “Don't worry, this game is a joke; it doesn't cost anything outside of the main game purchase!”
- “It's a fun play on how bad microtransactions were getting and still are with some games.”
- “A decent enough shooter poking fun at microtransactions.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game's stability is characterized by numerous bugs and glitches, which are humorously acknowledged within the game itself, creating a satirical take on gaming issues. While the instability may frustrate some players, the comedic approach to these flaws adds a layer of relatability and charm.
- “The game is a buggy mess with predatory, pay-to-win mechanics.”
- “The humor and jests at gaming glitches are relatable, but they highlight the game's instability.”
- “Frequent crashes and glitches make it hard to enjoy the experience.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag, featuring intentional bugs, performance issues, and connection problems, yet some players report a smooth experience overall. While it includes various gameplay elements like lootboxes and procedurally generated levels, the performance can vary significantly.
- “This game can be challenging at times, but it runs smoothly for me at least.”
- “The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for a seamless experience even during intense moments.”
- “I appreciate how well-optimized the game is; it maintains a steady frame rate and minimizes lag.”
- “It has basically everything: loot boxes, bugs (intended), procedurally generated levels (just one level thankfully), fetch quests, sections with bad performance (intended), connection issues (intended), survival elements, crafting, escort missions, Ubisoft formula, etc.”
- “The optimization is a mess; the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate even on high-end hardware.”
- “I encountered frequent crashes and long loading times, which really detracted from the overall experience.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly in the early stages where access to basic mechanics is limited. This often leads to excessive backtracking and resource gathering, such as collecting boxes for ammo, which can hinder the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
- “I get the joke, but it does make the first part of the game more tedious to play through without access to basic mechanics right away.”
- “I found myself running around grinding for boxes just to make sure I had enough ammo to progress.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for its short length, which contributes to a limited replay value, making it less appealing for players seeking extended gameplay experiences.
- “Just be warned this is a short game with little replay value.”