State of Mind

State of Mind's setting and story, once they get going, do a lot to really sell the game. Some fun puzzles and a fantastic art style help too. This is a world I want to spend more time in.

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"State of Mind" is a thrilling game set in 2048 Berlin, where technology has taken over public sectors and surveillance is ubiquitous. The protagonist, Richard Nolan, wakes up in a hospital to find his family missing. As Richard investigates their disappearance, he becomes embroiled in a global conspiracy threatening humanity's future. The game explores the dichotomy between a dystopian reality and a digital utopia.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 840 reviews

story448 positive mentions

gameplay42 negative mentions

Intriguing and thought-provoking story that explores themes of identity, technology, and transhumanism.
Unique low-poly art style that complements the game's atmosphere and setting.
Strong voice acting, particularly from the main character, Richard, voiced by Doug Cockle.

Gameplay is minimal, often feeling like a walking simulator with very few meaningful choices or puzzles.
The pacing can be slow, especially in the beginning, which may deter some players.
Many plot points feel predictable and some character motivations are underdeveloped.

story
1,140 mentions
39 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story of "State of Mind" is a complex and engaging narrative set in a dystopian future, exploring themes of transhumanism and the impact of technology on humanity. While many players appreciate its thought-provoking elements and character development, some criticize its predictability, pacing issues, and lack of meaningful player choices that affect the outcome. Overall, the game is recommended for those who enjoy story-driven experiences, despite its linear gameplay and occasional plot holes.
- “I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a story-rich game and isn't bothered that there are elements that will captivate the mind.”
- “The story kept me on the edge of my seat!”
- “The story is engaging, and the controls aren't too wonky.”
- “For being a story-based game, it felt incredibly lacking in characters to connect to as well as a story to connect to.”
- “The plot is somewhat tedious, the characters are all rather flat (the protagonist is obnoxious), the dialogues are extensive, the cinematic scenes lack interest for the most part.”
- “There are way too many plot holes and conveniences; it is very predictable to the point where you understand what is going on before characters do, so all the big reveals just fall flat.”
graphics
301 mentions
49 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the unique low-poly art style that complements the cyberpunk theme and enhances the storytelling. While some found the character designs to be less appealing and lacking in detail, others praised the detailed environments and atmospheric visuals that create an immersive experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a distinctive choice that may not appeal to everyone but effectively supports the game's narrative.
- “A visual story/detective story in a cyberpunk-style future with stylized polygon graphics.”
- “The graphics are low polygon style era but it looks really good and the city and all the areas are extremely detailed, and everything runs smooth with no weird anti-aliasing for such a blocky game.”
- “The graphic design too, is stunning and unique, and manages to appear, at the same time, both ultra-modern and out-of-date.”
- “Another thing that irked me was the stylistic choice for the graphics.”
- “The graphics look terrible.”
- “The angular, polygonal style of visuals enforces a rigid, unnatural atmosphere to the game; not unlike booting up Bubsy 3D.”
gameplay
261 mentions
11 % positive mentions
72 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The gameplay is largely criticized for being minimalistic and clunky, often feeling more like a walking simulator than a traditional game, with most interactions limited to moving around, talking to characters, and solving very simple puzzles. While some players appreciate the narrative depth and artistic visuals, many find the gameplay tedious and lacking in challenge, with mechanics that feel outdated or poorly executed. Overall, it caters primarily to those who prioritize story over engaging gameplay, making it less appealing for players seeking a more interactive experience.
- “The gameplay is rather calm in some parts, but with a subtle thriller-esque feeling from the first minute. From the moment the game starts, the story had me hooked, and even though you are so desperate to rush the story forward in order to find out what happened, it manages to hold you back to explore the scene, making it more and more tense.”
- “Gameplay is generally the same no matter your choices, but how the story aspect plays out in the end is tweaked a bit based on those choices.”
- “The gameplay is mostly walking, interacting with a few prompts, and continuing to the next dialogue (most of which are well written, especially in the utopia sections).”
- “The gameplay is almost non-existent, with clunky controls and shallow mechanics that add no real value.”
- “Gameplay consists of walking around, clicking on anything that has a green triangle over it, and not much else.”
- “The gameplay is absolutely boring, just click here and there without any other significant interaction with the environment.”
music
114 mentions
56 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers noting that it fits well within the game's setting and complements the visuals. However, some players found the soundtrack to be repetitive and occasionally lacking in standout tracks, while others appreciated the variety and emotional depth it brought to the narrative. Overall, the music, along with the voice acting, is considered one of the game's stronger aspects, contributing significantly to its immersive atmosphere.
- “Music is beautiful and sets the mood as it should.”
- “The soundtrack by Go Zebra Go was an awesome listen, and the tracks really give a soothing background to the dark outlook that the game presents.”
- “The music, characters, and overall thematic elements are fantastic.”
- “However, gameplay does feel like a chore most of the time - sluggish character control, a lot of unskippable cutscenes and dialogue, a few tedious puzzles and a very repetitive soundtrack.”
- “The music is annoyingly repetitive.”
- “However, the audio mixing can't be worse, because either you don't hear the characters speaking because of the background sound or the music plays over the sound.”
atmosphere
53 mentions
66 % positive mentions
28 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, blending futuristic and cyberpunk elements with a rich visual and auditory experience. Reviewers highlight the effective use of design, music, and storytelling to create a calming yet enigmatic environment, although some note that the gameplay may not always match the atmospheric depth. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's narrative and emotional impact.
- “The game's atmosphere is calming and immersive, making it an enjoyable experience.”
- “Amazing atmosphere with wonderful futuristic world design.”
- “Great atmosphere, characters, and music.”
- “The angular, polygonal style of visuals enforces a rigid, unnatural atmosphere to the game; not unlike booting up Bubsy 3D.”
- “If you like the sci-fi/futuristic atmosphere (or at least what you think you will get when buying this game) then please spend your money on a better game in this genre (Remember Me, Observer).”
- “It just doesn't fit with the atmosphere at all.”
stability
22 mentions
14 % positive mentions
-9 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting smooth performance and no crashes, while others experienced frequent freezes, glitches, and animation issues that detracted from the overall experience. Many noted that technical problems, such as character freezes and graphical glitches, were common, particularly during transitions and interactions. Overall, while some players enjoyed a stable experience, a significant number encountered frustrating stability issues that impacted gameplay.
- “Runs great on Linux with no issues on my PC.”
- “The game maintains a steady frame rate, providing a smooth experience.”
- “I've experienced no crashes or bugs, making for a very stable gameplay.”
- “I also had a couple of technical annoyances to deal with, some freezes during the respective first conversations after launching the game and the game not really being optimized or even playable on non-16:9 resolutions, which resulted in me having to play the game in a window.”
- “This game is so buggy it's impossible to finish.”
- “Having said that though, the game suffers from numerous graphical glitches, from the poor when character models get rendered part way through walls, to the slack, when the character freezes and stands as still as a statue when you open doors/change scenes.”
optimization
20 mentions
50 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game is mixed; while some players report smooth performance at 60 fps on mid-range systems, others experience frame rate drops and technical issues, particularly on non-standard resolutions. The game performs well on Linux and is praised for its stability, but low-end PCs may struggle, and certain scenes can lead to poor engine performance. Despite these inconsistencies, many users appreciate the visual style and find the game generally well-optimized for their setups.
- “The optimization, performance, and everything is top-notch, and playing the game feels really great because everything is just super smooth.”
- “Performance-wise, the game ran stable 60 fps on a 1060 everything max with minimal fan usage, so it's well optimized.”
- “I finished this game on Linux with an Xbox 360 wireless controller, and it was a completely flawless experience with no bugs, no performance issues; everything ran great.”
- “I also had a couple of technical annoyances to deal with, some freezes during the respective first conversations after launching the game and the game not really being optimized or even playable on non-16:9 resolutions, which resulted in me having to play the game in a window.”
- “The visual style is great and refreshing in the midst of the search for more polygons and higher-resolution textures, but the optimization suffers; despite its looks and the official system requirements, this game will not like low-end PCs very much.”
- “❌ Poor engine performance in certain scenes (sub 30 frames on 1080 Ti).”
replayability
17 mentions
18 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
24 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with many players noting that the lack of significant choices and branching storylines diminishes the incentive to replay. While some users mention minor variations in outcomes and achievements, the consensus is that the game is best played once, as the core experience does not change significantly upon subsequent playthroughs.
- “I really hope to see more games from this publisher in the future heading in this direction and adding more dynamic elements to allow for even greater immersion and replay value, because the core and the formula are definitely already on the table!”
- “Has some replay value as there are some different choices you can make; the main storyline is almost 8 hours of playtime.”
- “There's at least some replay value because you can make different choices and get new achievements.”
- “The replay value also lacks quite a bit, since you can unlock most of the stuff relatively quickly and in total, the story leaves you uninterested the second time around.”
- “Replay value is nil.”
- “The choices you make throughout the game give you some replayability but ultimately any choice you make will send you down the same path but with a slightly different outcome.”
grinding
15 mentions
13 % positive mentions
13 % neutral mentions
73 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players noting the excessive unskippable cutscenes, sluggish character controls, and trivial puzzles that detract from the overall experience. While some find the interactive movie style interesting, the lack of engaging gameplay elements and flat characters contribute to a sense of chore-like gameplay, making it feel like a grind. Overall, players suggest that the game requires significant patience and time investment to progress.
- “It can be a bit grindy sometimes.”
- “It can feel a bit grindy.”
- “Overall this is a well-made and interesting interactive movie-style sci-fi game, but the lack of gameplay elements, slow-moving and disjointed plot, unlikeable characters with whom it's difficult to connect and empathize, and lack of narrative focus makes this game quite tedious.”
- “However, gameplay does feel like a chore most of the time - sluggish character control, a lot of unskippable cutscenes and dialogue, a few tedious puzzles, and a very repetitive soundtrack.”
- “Unfortunately, the latter part of the game becomes drawn out with an exceptional number of useless scenes and trivial puzzles that make it too tedious to finish.”
emotional
14 mentions
93 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its ability to evoke strong feelings through a touching narrative and character motivations, while others criticize its pacing and gameplay mechanics that detract from the emotional experience. Despite some shortcomings, many agree that the story's themes of artificiality and transhumanism resonate deeply, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of emotional storytelling. Overall, while it has the potential for emotional impact, execution issues prevent it from fully realizing that potential.
- “I really recommend this to everyone who's into sci-fi, post-humanism, philosophical, emotional storytelling.”
- “These were well put together and even had emotional moments that show us well what motivated each character.”
- “Cyberpunk and transhumanism are nothing new, and some creations these days don't bring anything new, unique and renovating, but this game overcame this by its highly emotional plot - I could really feel the emotions of the characters as the story was progressing.”
- “It's a boring story with mediocre voice acting that is dragged on for too long and could've been over in 4 hours.”
character development
11 mentions
36 % positive mentions
27 % neutral mentions
36 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the weak characterization and stilted dialogue, leading to a lack of emotional engagement. While some appreciate the unique character designs and their fit within the game's themes, others find them unattractive and poorly executed. Overall, the potential for meaningful character development is noted, but it often feels underwhelming and inconsistent throughout the gameplay.
- “With stunning cinematic scenes, a fantastic story, and well-written character development within the story.”
- “I also felt that the game’s unique character designs actually fit the game perfectly, which is honestly kind of surprising due to their blocky/polygonal designs.”
- “Lots of decisions don't seem to have a big impact on the story, but all in all you do get to decide some major character developments, so that's nice.”
- “Character development is quite weak; controls are super clunky (keyboard or gamepad), and the story is unclear.”
- “The character design is absolutely horrendous and anatomically incorrect, with disproportionately long arms and legs.”
- “Overall, the dialogue is stilted, and the character development (or even really 'characterization' in a lot of cases) is nonexistent; it's serviceable writing at best.”
humor
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as unintentional and shallow, with a story that fails to deliver drama, leading to moments of laughter instead. While some players appreciate the nostalgic vibes reminiscent of earlier titles from Daedalic Entertainment, the overall comedic effect seems to stem from the game's lack of depth rather than intentional humor.
- “It's funny, but even though story-wise and graphically the two games are very different, I was still getting 'the moment of silence' vibes throughout the game. It's nice to see how far Daedalic Entertainment has come since 2004, and I can't wait to see what's next.”
- “Without any real challenge and, worse, the story is ridiculous. It is based on transhumanism, but it is so shallow that towards the end it actually made me laugh instead of building drama.”