Sketchy's Contract

About

Sketchy's Contract is a co-op horror looting game set in outer space, where players must complete contracts for the mysterious "Sketchy." Gameplay involves exploring exotic planets, fighting alien lifeforms, and managing suit oxygen and battery life. Each night, players must vote to determine if they will stay overnight on the planet, adding a layer of survival horror to the experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,800 reviews

gameplay84 positive mentions

stability80 negative mentions

gameplay
204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
56%
3%
The gameplay of this title is praised for its fun and engaging mechanics, offering a blend of looting, exploration, and RPG elements that enhance the experience, especially when played with friends. While it shares similarities with "Lethal Company," many players find it to be a more polished and enjoyable alternative, featuring beautiful graphics and a variety of objectives. However, some users note issues with bugs and clunky mechanics, suggesting that while the core gameplay loop is solid, there is room for improvement and additional content.
- “The worlds are super creative and unique, and the gameplay is fun. Highly recommend even in its current early state.”
- “This game is fun, well put together, and the gameplay is a blast. There is lots to do for awards and progression; the maps are beautiful and designed well with objectives and loot.”
- “The gameplay has been smooth, the detail in the environment and content is awe-inspiring, the mechanics are simple and easy to understand, and most importantly, the community is pretty wholesome.”
- “The generic models look odd and out of place from one another, the combat is worse than The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind on the first generation of Xbox, the constant clipping through everything, the awful jump mechanics, the year-one World of Warcraft terrain textures, and who thought it was a good idea to just flat-out suffocate constantly as an intrinsic baseline mechanic?”
- “As of now, I can't recommend this game, as there is no work put into the gameplay.”
- “The issue is that almost every single mechanic in the game feels clunky, even from the beginning, I routed to a planet after failing to find the 'tablet' the game mentions at the start.”
graphics
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and detail, often being compared favorably to those of "Lethal Company," with many players noting that they are easier on the eyes and enhance the overall experience. The art style is described as aesthetically pleasing, featuring vibrant colors and well-designed environments, although some users have reported minor graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere and engaging gameplay.
- “Graphically it looks beautiful, sharing many gameplay similarities to Lethal Company but ultimately, in my opinion, being so much better that it puts it to shame.”
- “The graphics and performance are amazing and most PCs/laptops could run this game with ease.”
- “The graphics, the gameplay, and the fact you can have 8 members in one game with no major problems is awesome.”
- “Turning all the graphics to low, turning off all the stuff that could potentially make it freeze, uninstalling, reinstalling, verifying files, so on and so forth and absolutely nothing changes every time.”
- “I'm partially colorblind, and there's far too many situations where I can't tell I've been hit, or the graphics are so washed out due to environmental changes that I can't see anything.”
- “- graphical glitches and bugs: missing textures, t-pose enemies, holes in the landscape.”
stability
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, which have led to a frustrating experience for many players, particularly in terms of optimization and functionality. However, the developer is actively addressing these issues and has shown responsiveness to community feedback, which has been positively noted by some users. Overall, while the game has potential, its stability remains a significant concern in its early access state.
- “This game is broken; it does not add items up and glitches numbers. It has a nice concept but is broken and unplayable.”
- “The game has great potential, but man, it's so buggy that it makes it really frustrating to play sometimes.”
- “It's pretty crusty right now; broken lobbies and frequent crashes make most of my 5 hours of playtime troubleshooting.”
humor
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its chaotic and unpredictable nature, particularly when playing with friends, leading to countless hilarious moments and unexpected mishaps. Players enjoy the blend of funny bugs, glitches, and comedic scenarios, such as accidental deaths and amusing interactions, which enhance the overall experience. While some feel the humor can become repetitive over time, the game's ability to generate laughter and fun remains a significant draw for many.
- “I've been able to have a chaotic, unpredictable, and hilarious time with my friends for many hours whilst also being able to get quite focused and enjoy the game in a solo environment as well!”
- “The humor is great and I come back for every single update.”
- “There is just something hilarious about watching your friends die in unexpected ways.”
story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
73%
13%
The game's story is largely absent, with players noting a lack of narrative depth and a focus on straightforward missions that revolve around collecting items and battling alien lifeforms. While the gameplay is engaging and offers variety in mission outcomes, the overall story experience is rated poorly, with some players giving it a score of 0/10. The claw machines in the hub world provide a lighthearted distraction but do not contribute significantly to a cohesive narrative.
- “Amazing game, graphics are stunning, gameplay is innovative, missions after missions can take place on the same moon over and over again but the outcome of every single individual mission is different. Better than Lethal Company in multiple ways; I recommend this game for every Lethal Company enjoyer.”
- “Your mission is straightforward yet thrilling: explore exotic planets, harvest materials, battle alien lifeforms, and hunt for hidden loot.”
- “Fun game with friends; collecting all the plushies and charms is pretty awesome and makes for a good goal in doing a lot of these missions.”
- “Story: 0/10 (I just don't know if there is one other than quota)”
- “End of story, I don't want to hear any more.”
- “☑ no story”
emotional
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the developer's genuine care and effort, creating a wholesome community experience. Players appreciate unique features like the emotional support cat, which adds personality and fosters interaction, making the gameplay feel more personal and engaging. Overall, the game evokes positive emotions, though some players express a desire for improvements in quality of life features.
- “The developer is an adorable wholesome bean, and it's very clear from the care and effort he's put into both the game updates and the announcements that he's putting his heart and soul into this game.”
- “The inclusion of unique items, such as the emotional support cat, and the ability to decorate your ship add a touch of personality and ownership to the overall experience.”
- “Emotional support cat that stays with you while you fight.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
14%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant performance issues such as frame drops and GPU throttling, particularly in certain areas. However, others have praised the graphics and overall performance, stating that most PCs can run the game smoothly. While it has shown improvement and is considered mostly optimized for a single-person project, further refinements are still needed to enhance the overall experience.
- “The graphics and performance are amazing and most PCs/laptops could run this game with ease.”
- “Edit 2: The game is now mostly optimized, and for a single-person project, it's in pretty good shape.”
- “No stuttering, input/server lag, or bugged details that I could notice while playing with friends.”
- “Buggy and clearly not optimized.”
- “Your experience may vary, but I definitely feel like optimizations and the like need to be gone through to make this game really shine.”
- “Performance issues: frames dropping, throttling GPUs in certain areas, error messages, pretty boilerplate early access but damn it just keeps piling on.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
25%
15%
The atmosphere in "Sketchy's Contract" is visually diverse, featuring unique biomes that create a sense of discovery and tension, enhanced by a dynamic day-night cycle. While many players appreciate the game's beautiful graphics and chilling vibes, some feel it can be punishing and occasionally lacks depth, leading to a sense of emptiness. Overall, the game offers a mix of excitement and creepiness, making it enjoyable for both solo and multiplayer experiences.
- “Visually, Sketchy's Contract is appealing and has many different biomes, each with its own unique atmosphere and dangers.”
- “The atmospheric tension and sense of discovery created by the day-night cycle enhance the thrill of venturing out, knowing the risks and rewards are amplified.”
- “Beautiful graphics and atmosphere, with some chilling vibes that will please your hunger for spooks.”
- “While the game has its moments of excitement and creepy atmosphere, it often feels more punishing than rewarding.”
- “The game in general to me feels empty, and lacking in atmosphere.”
- “It's just the atmosphere of the game that makes me sleepy almost.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
21%
21%
The music in the game has received high praise for its quality and fun, particularly the catchy elevator music and boombox soundtracks. Players appreciate the creativity and enjoyment it brings, especially considering it was developed by a single person. However, there are suggestions for improving the overall quality of life in relation to the music features.
- “All in all, for this being made by one person, it's extremely well done and fun. The elevator music is perfect.”
- “Great elevator music.”
- “It's a lot of fun, just be careful of the elevators (and their great music).”
- “Do not approach the music bot.”
- “Elevator music goes hard.”
- “It's got random loot, mimics, claw machines, musical robots, crabs, and dancing the pain away.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
71%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort for progression and upgrades. While some enjoy the cooperative grinding experience with friends, many feel that the mechanics, such as transporting loot, could be improved to reduce the monotony. Overall, the grind is seen as a necessary but frustrating part of gameplay.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Progression and upgrades are decent, though they lean a bit on the grindy side.”
- “Made to be played with lots of friends, very boring and tedious.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
Overall, the game is praised for its strong replayability due to its unique identity, cooperative gameplay, and strategic elements, which encourage players to return for new experiences. However, some users criticize it for being overly grindy and lacking enjoyable content, which detracts from its replay value. While many find it more replayable than similar titles, opinions vary on its long-term engagement potential.
- “Despite some issues/bugs with the game, it has really good replay value.”
- “Gives it a lot of replayability and something new to try.”
- “Jack shit for replay value because it's such a grind.”
- “It feels more replayable than the others that are mostly shock-value and dumb friends in proximity chat.”
- “This cooperative aspect adds an extra layer of strategy and communication, contributing to the game's replayability.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a gotcha machine and claw machine for obtaining decorations and weapon charms, which players find enjoyable; notably, there are no microtransactions involved, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The implementation of a gotcha machine and claw machine to obtain decorations and weapon charms is amazing, and what's even more impressive is that there are no microtransactions!”