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Subject 13

Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Subject 13 Game Cover
54%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
stability, grinding
50% User Score Based on 119 reviews
Critic Score 66%Based on 3 reviews

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Subject 13 Game Cover

About

Subject 13 is a single player puzzle game with mystery, thriller and science fiction themes. It was developed by Paul Cuisset and was released on May 28, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

Subject 13 is the new adventure game developed by Paul Cuisset—the man behind "Flashback", "Future Wars: Adventures in Time" and "Moto Racer" - in partnership with Microïds. This is a true adventure game. It depicts a mysterious universe filled with secret hiding places and all kinds of mechanisms that the player discovers, analyzes, and activates. There are also objects to collect and to figure o…

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Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
Subject 13 screenshot
+9
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50%
Audience ScoreBased on 119 reviews
story20 positive mentions
stability9 negative mentions
  • Intriguing sci-fi story with interesting narrative elements and mysteries to uncover.
  • Challenging and well-designed puzzles that reward perseverance and logical thinking, including unique inventory puzzles requiring item manipulation.
  • Pleasant soundtrack and competent voice acting that contribute to the atmosphere.
  • Clunky and unintuitive controls with awkward camera and interaction mechanics, causing frustration during gameplay.
  • Presence of bugs and glitches, including issues with zooming, inventory, and final puzzles, which sometimes force restarts and hinder progress.
  • The final puzzle (a large 3D Minesweeper) is widely disliked for being tedious, poorly designed, luck-based, and causing excessive frustration, significantly impacting the overall experience.
  • story
    59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Subject 13" is generally regarded as intriguing but inconsistently executed, with some finding it mysterious and engaging through hidden audio logs, while others criticize it as weak, confusing, or poorly developed. Although the premise and setting hold promise, many feel the narrative lacks cohesion, character development, and satisfying resolution. Overall, the story adds some interest but is often overshadowed by disjointed storytelling and puzzles that sometimes feel forced or disconnected.

    • “"Subject 13" is a short adventure game with an interesting and mysterious storyline, cunning and tricky puzzles, and a pleasant soundtrack.”
    • “You'll gather intelligence through testimonies hidden inside the game which will help tie in the entire story.”
    • “The game does have an interesting story, compelling mysteries, and an interesting setting.”
    • “The story is hollow and the final puzzle, a giant minesweeper, is just boring.”
    • “I had high hopes for this game, but the actual story seems deadly boring – it does not inspire me to find the way to resolve certain clues because the clues seemed artificially and forcibly created on the way like "let's put a riddle here because we need one".”
    • “The story was confusing, and did not tie up any of the many loose ends that it left.”
  • graphics
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics receive mixed feedback, ranging from "fair" or "serviceable" to "nice" and "beautiful," though often described as dated or lacking refinement. Some praise the unique or classic art style, while others criticize it as unimpressive or even "ugly," noting that the visuals generally do not live up to any "stunning" claims. Overall, the graphics are adequate and contribute to the game's mood but are not a standout feature.

    • “Graphics are superb.”
    • “Amazing game with great graphics and a good story line.”
    • “Nice looking graphics which aged quite well.”
    • “The graphics were not that great even at their best.”
    • “Poor graphics for the release date.”
    • “The graphics are just as old as most of the puzzles.”
  • music
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally described as pleasant and atmospheric, with notable highlights like a memorable violin theme and a surprise metal outro. However, the soundtrack is limited in variety and sometimes feels repetitive or unremarkable, resulting in an overall serviceable but not outstanding audio experience.

    • “The outro song was a nice surprise for metal fans with a hint of French charm.”
    • “"Subject 13" is a short adventure game with an interesting and mysterious storyline, cunning and tricky puzzles, and a pleasant soundtrack.”
    • “Although this game can't quite decide what it wants to be, it has a very distinct feel; the music is especially atmospheric, the voice acting is okay, and the graphics are pretty.”
    • “The graphics, music and the voice acting were all serviceable.”
    • “Serviceable graphics, music and voice acting – but it won’t knock anyone’s socks off.”
    • “But well its acting the voice lines and more it is all very poorly done sounds bad and the music isn't the greatest.”
  • gameplay
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay offers a mix of interesting mechanics and puzzle-solving reminiscent of minesweeper, with a story-driven adventure feel, but is often hindered by clunky controls, confusing or poorly implemented mechanics, and frustrating puzzles. Many players found progression difficult without trial-and-error or external help, which detracts from the overall experience despite its potential.

    • “The gameplay is good, although interacting with things might feel a bit clunky at first due to how the interaction menu is laid out.”
    • “The puzzle is randomly generated and the mechanics are essentially like minesweeper, but it is a large area to completely fill.”
    • “Enjoyable adventure game with interesting non-standard control mechanics.”
    • “You have to guess how mechanics work and literally try everything for hours until you find a new mechanic.”
    • “Final puzzle is mechanically/functionally inane and buggy.”
    • “Unfortunately, some of the puzzles don't make any sense, and the only way I was able to get past those was either by brute force (combination locks) or by looking up the mechanics or solution, both of which really spoil the fun.”
  • stability
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game exhibits numerous stability issues, including bugs affecting puzzles, inventory management, autosave, and time-limited glitches that disrupt gameplay. While these problems are often frustrating, some can be worked around to continue progression. Overall, the stability is compromised by frequent glitches and inconsistent functionality.

    • “The game is buggy, with some scenes and puzzles exhibiting functional issues that hinder progression.”
    • “There are small glitches, such as items not behaving as expected and critical inventory items disappearing upon loading saved games.”
    • “A 10-minute time limit causes actions to stop working correctly without warning, leading to frustrating gameplay interruptions.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere is engaging and supported by an appropriate, atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the intriguing scenario. While the game has a visually pleasing and distinct feel, some interactions feel repetitive or familiar, and the overall mood occasionally struggles with inconsistent gameplay elements.

    • “The atmosphere, soundtrack, and scenario are intriguing at first and make you want to know more.”
    • “Applicable music for the atmosphere.”
    • “It has a very distinct feel; the music is especially atmospheric, the voice acting is okay, and the graphics are pretty.”
    • “I've enjoyed the game so far despite perfectible interactions and overall 'already seen' atmosphere but the last puzzle is a pain in the ass.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find the grinding aspect tedious and repetitive, likening it to a lengthy puzzle with unavoidable guessing that diminishes enjoyment, especially as it involves familiar and monotonous tasks.

    • “It's rather a long (and tedious) puzzle, so a do-over isn't quite like your character dying and respawning in a Lego Marvel or Batman game.”
    • “You'll almost certainly recognize it, and that takes whatever fun it might have been utterly away, since you'll be doing something you've most likely done before (and may have found tedious, partly due to the inescapable guessing/losing aspect of it).”
    • “A little tedious until you get to the Minesweeper of hell.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is poor, resulting in horrid performance. Additionally, flat voice acting and awkward dialogue further detract from immersion.

    • “It's also pretty poorly optimized.”
    • “Performance is horrid.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers minimal replayability, with a weak story and limited content that fails to encourage multiple playthroughs.

    • “You'll have a lousy story and no replay value.”
    • “Especially since the replay value is pretty much zero.”
    • “It's more playable and less convoluted than many adventure games, but this one just doesn't have enough going for it.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization is widely criticized as a low-quality cash grab that leverages a famous name but ultimately overpromises and fails to provide good value.

  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users feel that although the story was detailed, the game lacked meaningful character development, which they found disappointing given the potential for deeper growth.

    • “While the story was fleshed out, there wasn't really any character development, and oh, could there have been!”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor is engaging and well-integrated with the story, providing a fast-paced and enjoyable experience similar to that of Portal 2.

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66%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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6h Median play time
6h Average play time
6-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Subject 13 is a puzzle game with mystery, thriller and science fiction themes.

Subject 13 is available on PC, Mac OS, Phone, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Subject 13.

Subject 13 was released on May 28, 2015.

Subject 13 was developed by Paul Cuisset.

Subject 13 has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Subject 13 is a single player game.

Similar games include The House of Da Vinci, Violett Remastered, Decay: The Mare, The Guest, The Fall and others.