Sipho
- September 30, 2023
- All Parts Connected
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam"Sipho is a single-player Science Fiction Strategy game with 20+ hours of playtime, where you create your own creature using various body parts, each with unique functions for movement, attacking, and support. Customize your creature, choose your playstyle, and battle powerful enemies to climb the food chain. With an emphasis on strategy, Sipho offers a unique and complex underwater world to explore."
Reviews
- The game offers a lot of creative freedom with various builds and combos, reminiscent of the cell stage in Spore.
- The graphics and sound design are well-crafted, creating an engaging atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and have shown commitment to improving the game with regular updates.
- The game can feel repetitive and lacks sufficient content, leading to a short overall playtime and limited replayability.
- Movement controls can be frustrating, often resulting in players getting stuck or having difficulty navigating the environment.
- Progression can be slow, with some players finding it hard to unlock new parts and feeling limited in their creature customization options.
- gameplay24 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, featuring a fun building system and a variety of mechanics that encourage creativity and replayability. However, many players find the core gameplay loop repetitive and lacking in depth, with minimal progression and insufficient explanations for certain mechanics. While the game offers a solid foundation and potential for future updates, it currently feels limited and may not sustain long-term interest for all players.
“The gameplay is fun, and the entire system of building your little monstrosity feels really good.”
“It has a ton of replayability with interesting bosses and mechanics as well as parts.”
“Both the growing and fighting aspects of gameplay are good, and there are plans to add more content during early access to expand on the possible combinations for both.”
“Very basic gameplay with no progression.”
“This mechanic is very confusing with no explanation; then I finished that run again after which I was tremendously bored and had to kill myself to end what seemed like a constant loop.”
“Past that, the game has very little direction with only a 20-second tutorial of 'kill, get DNA, evolve' but explains little to nothing about the rest of the game mechanics like power-ups, stealth, or that creatures have cores that are the only real important part to kill.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their unique art style and charm, contributing to an overall atmospheric vibe. However, some players criticize the visual design for creating confusion in navigation, as background and foreground elements blend together, leading to frustration. While the graphics have potential, improvements could elevate the experience significantly.
“The graphics and music give off the same overall vibe, despite being entirely different art media.”
“The art style is amazing as well.”
“With better graphics, you're talking 9/10.”
“You cannot tell where you will get stuck (why graphics gets an F-).”
“Additionally, the art style and direction for the game make it very bleak and boring, and because of this, it is sometimes hard to tell where you can and can't go. Background objects look like foreground walls, and foreground walls look like backgrounds, making it confusing to navigate.”
“But general sound effects are okay enough, and the graphics have their own kind of charm.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the interesting bosses and mechanics that encourage experimentation with different builds, others feel that the limited scope and repetitive gameplay diminish its long-term appeal. Many agree that additional content, such as more bosses, could enhance replay value, but for some, the core gameplay loop may not sustain interest beyond the initial experience.
“It has a ton of replayability with interesting bosses and mechanics as well as parts.”
“Sipho has great replayability if you get satisfaction from the core gameplay loop and trying out different builds.”
“Lots of replay value for an early access game.”
“Looks like an interesting concept at first, but after an hour and a few instakilled bosses, I feel like the game already showed me everything I can potentially achieve or unlock, and that really doesn't add promise to its longevity or replayability.”
“The only real complaint I have is that replayability is lacking.”
“In short, I did not find enough replayability considering the genre.”
- story4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being underdeveloped and brief, with players completing it in under two hours. Many users express a desire for a more substantial narrative, suggesting the addition of a campaign or missions to enhance the overall experience. While some appreciate the gameplay mechanics, they feel that the lack of a compelling story detracts from the game's potential.
“Beat the story in under 2 hours; it seems like it's meant to be played in creative mode.”
“Hello, I think this is such a good game with great bosses, but I would like to see more power-ups like damage, health/shield, and maybe even a fever power-up that allows for instant kills. I got the idea to install this game from YouTube, and I often get inspired to play games because of it. I would love to know if this is an online game or not, as I would like it to be. I suggest adding different modes for the game, like story mode, free-for-all, team fights, and more.”
“The game has a good foundation, but it would greatly benefit from a more engaging story and additional gameplay elements.”
“Beat the story in under 2 hours; it feels like it's meant to be played in creative mode.”
“But the game lacks any interesting gameplay or story.”
- music3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some appreciate its alignment with the game's overall vibe, others find it overly loud or unappealing, leading them to turn it off entirely.
“The graphics and music give off the same overall vibe, despite being entirely different art media.”
“Overall, a good game with very loud music.”
“The levels can look a bit gloomy at times, and I personally hate the soundtrack so much I turned it off.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find the humor in the game to be delightfully absurd, particularly highlighting the comedic value of the Deseret alphabet's letter that resembles "amogus" and is pronounced in a humorous way. This blend of cultural references and playful language adds a unique layer of comedy to the experience.
“The Deseret (Mormon) alphabet contains a letter that looks like 'amogus' and is pronounced like 'gay', which is so cosmically funny.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartfelt effort and polish, drawing comparisons to the Spore cell stage while offering a more genuine and engaging experience typical of non-EA titles.
“I'm sure plenty of people will compare it to Spore's cell stage, and in a way it kind of is, but with all the polish and heartfelt effort that only a non-EA game can provide.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, contributing significantly to its appeal, despite the gameplay being relatively standard for the genre of spaceship-building and combat. While it excels in creating an engaging environment, it faces stiff competition from similar titles, each with their own limitations.
“The game thrives on its atmospheric elements, creating an immersive experience that stands out in a crowded genre of build-your-spaceship combat games.”
“The atmosphere is captivating, drawing players into its unique world and enhancing the overall gameplay experience.”
“The game's ambiance is rich and engaging, making every moment feel alive and adding depth to the combat mechanics.”
