Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice

About

Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice is a single player casual action adventure game. It was developed by Volens Nolens Games and was released on February 27, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice" is a narrative-driven game where choices matter. Players take on the role of Volens, a young mage who must navigate moral dilemmas and make tough decisions that will impact the world around them. With branching storylines and multiple endings, success may require making sacrifices that haunt you long after the game is over.

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Single-Player

Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice screenshot

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66%

Audience ScoreBased on 247 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features a unique mechanic where players must die to illuminate their path, creating an interesting gameplay dynamic.
The minimalist art style and soothing piano music effectively enhance the atmospheric experience.
Multiple game modes provide variety, allowing players to engage with different challenges beyond the main gameplay.

The gameplay can become repetitive and tedious, as players often find themselves dying repeatedly to progress.
There are significant technical issues, including a lack of save functionality and no Steam achievements, which detracts from the overall experience.
The sound effects, particularly the death noise, are overly loud and can be jarring, disrupting the otherwise calming atmosphere.

gameplay
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
56%
17%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of simple mechanics and repetitive tasks, such as navigating through darkness and using a unique death mechanic to illuminate paths. While some players appreciate the underlying concepts and the variety of gameplay modes, many criticize the execution as uninspired and lacking depth, leading to a generally unfulfilling experience. Overall, the game offers a basic diversion but may not hold players' interest for long.
- “With both a classic mode and engaging mini-games, it offers diverse gameplay.”
- “This is a beautiful game with relaxing music and good gameplay.”
- “Cute little game with some interesting mechanics (die to light your pathway in front of you).”
- “Gameplay is walking blindly and dropping a torch in darkness, spawning back at the beginning, then expanding the visible radius by dropping another torch, rinse and repeat until you reach the maze's exit.”
- “The worst offense though, is that the game's core mechanic - moving around in darkness - is hampered by controls that feel floaty.”
- “The gameplay here is pretty atrocious from what I can tell, as well as quite unintuitive, so I can't really recommend this.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
26%
11%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the relaxing piano arrangements and atmospheric quality. However, some criticize the volume levels, particularly the loud death sound effects that disrupt the overall experience. Overall, while the soundtrack is often described as soothing and enjoyable, players express a desire for better sound control options.
- “A pretty game with a nice and relaxing soundtrack.”
- “The game gives a really nice piano arrangement in its soundtrack.”
- “This is a beautiful game with relaxing music and good gameplay.”
- “The music is too loud, and so is everything.”
- “The music is a loop of what sounds like a stock piano track.”
- “The music is atmospheric, but it's also all over the place from one track to the next, which is totally at odds with the annoying death noise that you'll be hearing a lot, even in a simple one to two minutes of playtime.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The game's graphics are characterized by a minimalist 2D cartoon style that some players find charming and atmospheric, effectively conveying the story's emotional themes. However, many reviewers express disappointment with the simplicity and lack of detail, suggesting that the visuals could benefit from further development and options for higher resolutions. Overall, while the graphics serve their purpose, they leave room for improvement, especially for players seeking more depth and polish.
- “The game’s art style is minimalist yet striking, creating an atmospheric experience that complements the emotional weight of the story.”
- “The visuals are simple but effectively convey the mood and themes of sacrifice and ambition.”
- “Graphics is 2D cute cartoon style much like some of the most played indie games on Steam.”
- “To be honest, I don't like the graphics of this game.”
- “I think the graphics leave a lot to be desired; even for 8-bit graphics, it's kind of weak.”
- “Graphic options can't be set - there's no option for 4K gaming except to run at a lower resolution.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game's story is minimal to nonexistent, primarily revolving around the concept of being a ghost that transforms into light, which some players find lacking. While the atmospheric art style enhances the emotional experience, many reviewers express disappointment over the absence of a substantial narrative, questioning the game's classification as a story-driven experience. Overall, the focus seems to be more on gameplay modes rather than a cohesive story.
- “The game’s art style is minimalist yet striking, creating an atmospheric experience that complements the emotional weight of the story.”
- “There’s no real story to speak of—you’re just a ghost who dies, turns into light, and that’s the whole experience.”
- “If there was some sort of story attached, I'd call this a game.”
- “No story.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the need to repeatedly die and retrace their steps in large levels, which can detract from the overall experience. The repetitive nature of these mechanics, combined with an annoying death sound, leads to frustration and a desire to mute the game.
- “It only makes the game tedious to die and re-run some places to get some light to get to the end.”
- “This is a pretty cool concept, but the game gets tedious in some levels that are large and you need to die and go back to the beginning to proceed.”
- “Sound boring and tedious?”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's minimalist art style effectively enhances its emotional narrative, contributing to a compelling atmosphere. However, the music, while atmospheric, lacks cohesion and is undermined by an overly loud and jarring death sound that disrupts the overall experience.
- “The game’s art style is minimalist yet striking, creating an atmospheric experience that complements the emotional weight of the story.”
- “The splash sound that it makes when you 'die' is way too loud, so if I'm playing and want to enjoy the music and atmosphere, the 'death' sound is ruining the experience.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's minimalist yet striking art style enhances the emotional depth of its narrative, creating a powerful atmospheric experience. Players have noted its ability to evoke strong feelings, with some humorously referring to it as an "emotional damage simulator."
- “The game’s art style is minimalist yet striking, creating an atmospheric experience that complements the emotional weight of the story.”
- “My favorite emotional damage simulator.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is rooted in its absurd premise and comical death sounds, which can lead to moments of genuine laughter, especially in short bursts. However, the repetitive nature of the gameplay may diminish the comedic impact over time, making it more suitable for brief, lighthearted sessions rather than extended play. Overall, while it can provide a good laugh, players might want to wait for a sale to fully enjoy the experience.
- “I'm not sure if it was because we were tired or because we weren't expecting it, or maybe just because this was an asset flip, but we lost our shit laughing and then rapidly killed the main character again and again because of the stupid death sound.”
- “If you want like 10 minutes of laughing until your lungs hurt and 99 cents to spare... still wait until this is on sale.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game has low replayability, with some users suggesting it is best purchased at a discounted price. However, the inclusion of achievements offers a potential incentive for players seeking to revisit the game.
- “That would add a lot of replayability.”
- “But it has low replay value, so get it for less than a dollar.”
- “The replay value here is the achievements.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game experiences notable stability issues, including bugs and glitches that can hinder gameplay, such as instances where players can move but cannot see anything.
- “On my first play, I thought this was buggy, as I could move but not see anything.”
- “It has some bugs and glitches.”

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3h Median play time

3h Average play time

3-3h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice is a casual action adventure game.

Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice.

Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice was released on February 27, 2015.

Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice was developed by Volens Nolens Games.

Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its graphics.

Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice is a single player game.

Similar games include The Hat Man: Shadow Ward, The Howler, Squishy the Suicidal Pig, I, Zombie, Despair and others.

Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice

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