Sundered

Sundered is a grandly accomplished Metroidvania effort that is complimented by some of the most beautiful 2D visuals to date.

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"Sundered" is a hand-drawn metroidvania horror platformer, where you can resist or embrace ancient eldritch powers in a ever-changing world filled with terrifying enemies. Play as Eshe, harness the power of corrupted relics to defeat gigantic bosses and conquer the new Magnate of the Gong boss with local co-op for up to 4 players. Experience beautiful art, chaotic encounters, epic boss fights, and hundreds of upgrades in this unique and challenging take on the classic genre.

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Play Modes

Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,725 reviews

gameplay328 positive mentions

grinding316 negative mentions

Stunning hand-drawn art style and fluid animations create a captivating atmosphere.
Engaging combat mechanics with a variety of abilities and a rewarding progression system.
Multiple endings based on player choices add replay value and depth to the gameplay.

Procedurally generated rooms can lead to repetitive and tedious exploration.
Endless hordes of enemies can overwhelm players, making combat feel chaotic and frustrating.
Lack of meaningful story and character development diminishes the overall experience.

gameplay
923 mentions
36 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Sundered" is characterized by its fast-paced, chaotic combat and a unique blend of metroidvania and roguelike elements, offering a variety of abilities and a non-linear progression system. However, many players find the horde mechanic—where enemies spawn in overwhelming numbers—frustrating and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience. While the art and sound design receive high praise, the gameplay often feels grindy and can lead to moments of tedium, especially in the early stages before players unlock more abilities.
- “It’s exhilarating and overwhelming in equal measure, but the responsive controls and smooth mechanics make it a thrill to navigate.”
- “The gameplay is fun while you're still progressing, but before the final boss, if you want to fill out the skill tree you might have to grind a bit, and that is rather repetitive.”
- “The gameplay is unique, and the wide range of abilities it offers creates space for some creativity both in combat and world traversal.”
- “The gameplay quickly plateaus; and as much as I hoped the plateau was temporary, it unfortunately never picked up thereafter.”
- “The constant and annoying hordes of enemies are the difficulty of the game; instead of feeling challenging and rewarding, it just tries to overwhelm you with sheer numbers of the same enemies.”
- “The gameplay is frustrating and feels grindy.”
graphics
744 mentions
65 % positive mentions
34 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Sundered" are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn art style, which effectively conveys a haunting and immersive atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the fluid animations and unique enemy designs, noting that the visuals significantly enhance the overall experience, despite some criticism regarding repetitive gameplay and enemy encounters. The combination of beautiful graphics and a compelling soundtrack creates a captivating environment that draws players into its Lovecraftian world.
- “The graphics, art style, and animations are absolutely great, as well as the music which is quite subtle and atmospheric!”
- “The artwork is absolutely beautiful, the gameplay is great feeling with all sorts of awesome and fun abilities.”
- “The visuals are gorgeous, the biggest praise the game gets, and for a good reason.”
- “If there's one thing that doesn't match the atmosphere of the game, it will be the pop graphics for the Lovecraftian theme.”
- “The level design is nonexistent due to the procedural generation; many of the visual designs are an incoherent mess, and the bosses are hit or miss, especially near the end.”
- “While its graphic direction is very clean and it has potential, it made no impact on me because it's just a procedurally generated world that, for the most part, is empty with boring enemies.”
story
610 mentions
38 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story in "Sundered" is often described as minimalistic and cryptic, primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling and lore snippets found throughout the game. While some players appreciate the Lovecraftian themes and the intriguing atmosphere, many feel that the narrative lacks depth and clarity, making it difficult to engage with the plot fully. The game offers multiple endings based on player choices, adding a layer of replayability, but overall, the storytelling is seen as secondary to the gameplay experience.
- “The story is intriguing and appears at just the right intervals, with the voice performance adding so much to how it feels.”
- “The story elements are fairly well hooked into eldritch horror and are revealed as you travel through the map and interact with the world.”
- “The story is simple but engaging, the visuals do a lot to carry the themes so that they resonate.”
- “The story is barely there, and there's literally no ending I'd dignify with that title.”
- “The story is sparse and lonely, consisting mostly of optional lore scattered in the crystal rooms, and the opening and final gameplay sequences.”
- “The story is not hand-fed to you like most games, and the mystique keeps me hooked.”
music
378 mentions
51 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric and haunting qualities that enhance the overall experience, particularly during boss battles. However, some players noted that the soundtrack can be sparse or forgettable at times, leading to a desire for more memorable themes. Overall, while the music contributes significantly to the game's ambiance, opinions vary on its impact and memorability.
- “The art is gorgeous, the music is hauntingly beautiful, and the shining trapezohedron sends chills down my spine.”
- “The atmosphere created by stunning, emotionally packed otherworldly music, amazing graphic design, stellar sound design, and lovely animations is just unreal.”
- “The soundtrack is dark, intense, and unsettling.”
- “No music, just ambiance; or sparse, forgettable music, it's best to put this game on mute.”
- “The soundtrack is very minimal, almost non-existent.”
- “The music is all just kind of ambient with no real themes.”
grinding
322 mentions
1 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often described as tedious and repetitive. Many players feel that the necessity to farm for upgrades and resources detracts from the overall enjoyment, with some noting that it can lead to a frustrating gameplay experience, especially in the late game. While some players appreciate the grind as a means to enhance their character and enjoy the challenge, others find it excessive and unengaging, suggesting that it overshadows the exploration and combat elements that are typically more rewarding in metroidvania games.
- “The map isn't grindy; it changes just enough to keep you on your toes, but the places you discover still show up; only the road there will be different.”
- “The upgrade system/skill tree (more like a forest) ensures eventual victory with some dedication, but it's hard to correctly manually set game difficulty to keep it both challenging and not grindy.”
- “No grinding required to finish the game.”
- “I'd say my only gripes with the game is the fact that a lot of times you will have to end up farming for shards to level up; a lot of games have that, but for some reason, farming in this game feels very boring.”
- “The problem with it lies in its endgame, because this game has a massive stat tree and it becomes just grinding until you got good enough stats to beat the final boss or fight harder hordes of enemies.”
- “The game quickly degenerates into an impassable repetitious mess of impossible progression, with every path blocked either by environmental obstacles you cannot overcome without equipment you don't have or impossible hordes or boss fights you cannot beat without spending hours and hours repetitively grinding for the upgrade currency.”
atmosphere
191 mentions
64 % positive mentions
34 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning hand-drawn visuals, haunting soundtrack, and detailed environments that evoke a strong Lovecraftian vibe. Players appreciate the immersive experience created by the combination of art, sound design, and unique enemy designs, which together foster a sense of dread and wonder throughout the gameplay. While the atmosphere is a standout feature, some reviewers note that the story is less developed, serving primarily to enhance the overall ambiance rather than drive the narrative.
- “From the sprawling ruins of the eschaton city to the organic, pulsing horrors of the valkyrie caverns, every area is dripping with atmosphere and brimming with detail.”
- “The art and atmosphere of the game are absolutely gorgeous throughout the entire game.”
- “The atmosphere is a mix of sci-fi and Lovecraftian monsters.”
- “If there's one thing that doesn't match the atmosphere of the game, it will be the pop graphic for the Lovecraftian theme.”
- “The gameplay is poor, and the amount of lore, atmosphere, and story by no means makes up for it.”
- “The combat is lacking, the atmosphere is lacking.”
replayability
75 mentions
32 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
Overall, the game boasts high replayability due to its multiple endings, diverse character builds, and various gameplay choices that significantly impact the story and mechanics. Players appreciate the depth offered by different paths, abilities, and difficulty levels, encouraging multiple playthroughs. However, some reviewers noted that while there are options for replaying, the experience may not feel fresh enough for everyone, leading to mixed feelings about its long-term replay value.
- “Depending on choices made during the game, the story may lead you to different results, presenting the game’s main replay value.”
- “The game has decent replayability too thanks to multiple difficulty levels, mutually exclusive upgrades/builds, the aforementioned procedural rooms, and multiple endings.”
- “The replay value is also great, with multiple ways to play through that impact the story and outcomes...no spoilers but it's pretty awesome.”
- “In the course of my three playthroughs, I found very little replayability to this game overall, which makes me quite sad.”
- “As for the replayability, the game doesn't provide an experience worth trying to see all three endings.”
- “There are no secrets, there is little to no replay value, even though there are alternative endings.”
optimization
16 mentions
69 % positive mentions
13 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many users reporting smooth performance and minimal bugs, even on average hardware. However, some players noted that it can be demanding on CPU/GPU, particularly for a Unity game, which may require adjustments for optimal performance. Despite these concerns, many found the technical performance satisfactory, with improvements noted in recent updates.
- “As for performance, this runs amazingly.”
- “Worked flawlessly for me, with good performance all the time, no bugs or glitches at all.”
- “The graphics are nice, the game runs smoothly on my average PC and the controls are intuitive and non-frustrating.”
- “The only downside I can find is about the performance: not surprisingly (being that it's a Unity game), Sundered is really CPU/GPU hungry and it did bend - at times - a rig that plays the new Doom like a charm, so keep that in mind if you want to buy it.”
- “Performance issues persist, and while the 64x branch nearly completely fixed that for me, it still leaves much to be desired.”
- “They fixed the microstuttering, but overall optimization still feels lacking.”
emotional
15 mentions
93 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional experience of the game to be deeply engaging, highlighted by its stunning visuals, atmospheric music, and intense boss battles that evoke feelings of tension and satisfaction. While the story may be subtle and easily overlooked, the overall design and combat mechanics create a thrilling environment that can elicit strong emotional responses, from adrenaline rushes during combat to moments of frustration. Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics, the emotional impact of the game remains a significant draw for players.
- “Thunder Lotus Games has crafted a visually stunning and emotionally gripping experience that’s part metroidvania, part roguelite, and entirely unforgettable.”
- “Atmosphere created by stunning, emotionally packed otherworldly music, amazing graphic design, stellar sound design, and lovely animations is just unreal.”
- “The combat feels beautiful, and you get the most amazing adrenaline rush from killing an entire horde without touching the ground.”
- “Some would say it's a boring story, but I confess that it's very possible to miss the story considering that the Valkyrie and Eschaton narrative areas are not exactly highlighted in the truest sense. Unless you seek them out and interact with them (read: hit the black vortex for Eschaton lore), it makes it easy to miss the lore.”
character development
15 mentions
53 % positive mentions
27 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by a robust upgrade system that utilizes in-game currency, providing a sense of continuous progression through exploration and combat. Players appreciate the visually stunning character designs and animations, which enhance the overall experience, although some express a desire for a more advanced character development process, such as skill trees. Overall, the combination of engaging character design and a unique development system keeps players motivated to progress and discover new abilities.
- “The developers implemented a very robust system of upgrades that charges 'shards', an in-game currency that drops frequently and rewards even the most mundane actions, giving a sense of constant character development.”
- “Visually stunning game with a curious character development system: there are perks, a passive stat tree, and Metroidvania-like unlockable abilities.”
- “Personally, I'm a sucker for skill trees, so I loved the character development.”
- “I would like to see maybe a more advanced character development process.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression.”
- “The upgrades system is too reliant on in-game currency, which detracts from the depth of character development.”
humor
7 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and absurd elements, such as funny dialogues with ghouls and the comedic portrayal of Cthulhu-themed scenarios. Players find the gameplay enjoyable enough to laugh off challenges, with memorable moments like the hilariously designed second boss and the use of silly made-up languages contributing to the overall comedic experience.
- “At the end of this saga, I was an unstoppable glass cannon laughing at the trapezohedron's meager power.”
- “It's not difficult, but that might just be because I enjoy the gameplay enough that I'm never upset when I die; swarming enemies can get hilarious.”
- “Or to put it differently, the second boss is absolutely hilarious; anyone who avoids dying in the first 5 seconds the first time around is missing out on a great laugh.”
monetization
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is heavily criticized for its intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay, leading to frustration among players. While some appreciate the random map generation, it is often seen as a tedious feature exacerbated by the frequent advertisements, contributing to perceptions of the game as a cash grab rather than a well-crafted experience.
- “The exploration is ruined by the periodic swarms of ads that annoy you no matter what, and while the random map generation seems like a nice idea at first, it just makes backtracking more tedious.”
- “There's a lot of love and hate surrounding this game, and I think a lot of it is surrounding the advertising as 'metroidvania,' which is neither wholly accurate nor inaccurate.”
- “Lazy cheap cash grab.”
stability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
User experiences with stability vary significantly; while some report frequent freezing issues during loading screens, others have enjoyed a smooth and bug-free performance throughout their gameplay.
- “Sometimes buggy.”
- “All of the loading screens stop at 40% and freeze there infinitely.”