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Sundered

Sundered is an interesting take on the Metroidvania genre. Eshe's journey to collect the elder shards is adrenaline fueled and challenging. While the game is not free from flaws, it more than worthy of a spot in most collections.
Sundered Game Cover
78%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
grinding, monetization
83% User Score Based on 2,862 reviews
Critic Score 74%Based on 26 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox Cloud GamingXboxWindowsPlayStationLinuxXbox Series X|SPCTabletCloudMac OSPhoneXbox One
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Sundered Game Cover

About

Sundered is a single player and multiplayer role playing game with horror and fantasy themes. It was developed by Thunder Lotus and was released on July 28, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Confront hordes of terrifying enemies in an ever-changing world inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Sundered is a challenging and unique take on a classic genre from the creators of Jotun, now with local co-op!

Genres & Tags
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+5
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83%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,862 reviews
gameplay347 positive mentions
grinding331 negative mentions
  • Beautiful hand-drawn art style and animations that create a captivating atmosphere.
  • Engaging combat mechanics that allow for fluid movement and satisfying gameplay.
  • Interesting progression system with choices between embracing or resisting eldritch powers, leading to different abilities and endings.
  • Procedurally generated rooms can lead to repetitive gameplay and make exploration feel less rewarding.
  • Endless hordes of enemies can become overwhelming and frustrating, often obscuring the player's character.
  • Boss fights can feel tedious and are often reliant on the player's ability to manage chaotic enemy spawns.
  • gameplay
    968 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Sundered: Eldritch Edition" is a blend of metroidvania exploration and roguelite mechanics, featuring fluid movement and combat that many players find engaging. However, the game is marred by poorly explained mechanics, particularly the horde system, which can overwhelm players with swarms of enemies, leading to frustration and a sense of repetitiveness. While the art and atmosphere are praised, the gameplay experience is often described as inconsistent, with a steep learning curve that may deter some players.

    • “The art is stunning and the gameplay feels incredibly smooth; movement and combat are two intertwined systems that complement each other.”
    • “Gameplay revolves around exploration, combat, and character progression, creating a layered and challenging experience.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and challenging, with swarms of enemies and very challenging boss fights.”
    • “The mechanic of destroying shards is not explained well at all, so on my first playthrough I went full corruption because I did not know that destroying shards would give me any boons at all. This lack of understanding makes it feel less like a choice and more like a coin flip if you don't want to use wikis.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics
    765 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Sundered" are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn art style, which effectively conveys a unique Lovecraftian atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the fluid animations, intricate enemy designs, and the overall aesthetic that immerses players in a beautifully grotesque world. While some note that the visuals can occasionally be overwhelming during intense gameplay, the artistic quality remains a standout feature that enhances the overall experience.

    • “The art style conveys a world in decay, combining surreal horror with a sense of tragic beauty, and each visual element serves to immerse players fully in the atmosphere.”
    • “The graphics are amazing and the story is good, but this is a hard game so just know that going in or you are not going to have a good time and be frustrated.”
    • “Sundered is a metroidvania with beautiful graphics, randomly generated rooms and things men were not meant to know.”
    • “The level design is nonexistent due to the procedural generation; many of the visual designs are an incoherent mess, the bosses are hit or miss especially near the end, and it chooses the wrong abilities to prioritize as necessary for the back half of the game.”
    • “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.”
    • “The game is obviously pretty solid visually, sure it only has three region styles and recolors enemies quite a lot, but you can see the talent that has gone into the visuals, especially during those large spectacle boss fights.”
  • story
    644 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Sundered: Eldritch Edition" is often described as minimalistic and cryptic, primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling and scattered lore rather than traditional narrative methods. While some players appreciate the atmospheric and Lovecraftian elements, many find the plot underdeveloped and difficult to follow, with a lack of clear exposition about the protagonist and their motivations. Overall, the game offers intriguing themes and choices that can affect gameplay and endings, but it may not satisfy those seeking a deep or coherent storyline.

    • “The story is light but very engaging.”
    • “The story is intriguing and appears at just the right intervals, with the voice performance adding so much to how it feels.”
    • “The narrative in Sundered is minimalistic and mostly delivered through environmental storytelling, cryptic monologues, and scattered lore.”
    • “The story is not something out of the ordinary.”
    • “The story is forgettable, combat is mash-tastic, but the skill tree/perks and boss fights make for a decent experience.”
  • music
    386 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 fights and exploration. While some players found the soundtrack to be minimalistic and occasionally forgettable, others highlighted its ability to create tension and immerse players in the game's eerie ambiance. Overall, the combination of beautiful hand-drawn visuals and a fitting soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's dark and compelling atmosphere.

    • “The visuals are beautiful and the soundtrack fits the ambiance created by the art.”
    • “This artistic quality is paired with a moody, ambient soundtrack that heightens the tension and reinforces the eerie, oppressive tone of the game.”
    • “The music is hauntingly beautiful, I've found myself just sitting and listening to the haunting strings so many times.”
    • “The soundtrack is very minimal, almost non-existent.”
    • “The music can be a bit boring at times - there's not that much variety, but the sound design is excellent.”
    • “The game's devs apparently did not put a whole lot of effort into the game's soundtrack, which is very important to me personally.”
  • grinding
    338 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in the late game where farming for upgrades becomes necessary to progress. While some enjoy the grind as a means to enhance their character and face tougher challenges, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, making exploration and combat feel monotonous. The skill tree and upgrade system are often criticized for being overly complex and requiring excessive grinding, which can lead to frustration rather than enjoyment.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “The game has still the genre typical weak points as grindy parts, recurring enemy-types and so on.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere
    200 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in *Sundered: Eldritch Edition* is widely praised for its stunning hand-drawn art style, immersive sound design, and a compelling blend of Lovecraftian horror that creates a sense of unease and beauty throughout the game. Players appreciate the detailed environments and atmospheric music that enhance the overall experience, although some feel that the procedural generation of maps detracts from the intended atmosphere. Overall, the game successfully delivers a rich and captivating atmosphere that draws players into its eerie world.

    • “The art style conveys a world in decay, combining surreal horror with a sense of tragic beauty, and each visual element serves to immerse players fully in the atmosphere.”
    • “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 atmosphere, theme, and art style of this game is what makes it a truly memorable experience.”
    • “Also, the devs went a bit too heavy on Lovecraftian names (without really catching a Lovecraftian atmosphere), stamping in the middle of the screen those unspeakable location names like pfkyt'aan mglub grathakleemushopitech (not an actual name in game, but they're along those lines), and then you have a lore character named Nelson, totally killing the vibe (same with enemies, on some locations you have Lovecraftian horrors, on others you have dull-looking sniper robots).”
    • “I believe this was not the intention, and that the devs intended for the randomized maps to create a feeling of uneasiness and the randomness to emulate a sort of alien environment that is ever changing; however, this, in my opinion, does not work and ends up detracting from the atmosphere instead.”
    • “The combat is lacking, the atmosphere is lacking.”
  • replayability
    76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is highlighted by multiple endings, diverse character builds, and various difficulty levels, encouraging players to explore different paths and strategies. While many reviews praise the replay value due to the engaging mechanics and story variations, some players express frustration with steep difficulty curves or a lack of significant content for repeated playthroughs. Despite mixed opinions, the consensus leans towards a solid replayability factor, making it worthwhile for players seeking varied experiences.

    • “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
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, "Sundered" is well-optimized, running smoothly on mid-to-low-end systems, with most players reporting good performance and minimal bugs. However, some users noted that it can be demanding on CPU/GPU during large-scale fights, and a few experienced performance issues that required adjustments to settings. Despite these concerns, many praised its technical performance and visual quality, with some even achieving stable frame rates on less powerful rigs.

    • “The 2D hand-drawn art is light on system requirements, and Sundered runs smoothly even on mid-to-low-end rigs.”
    • “The most taxing parts are large-scale fights with dozens of enemies and flashy effects, but it’s well-optimized overall.”
    • “Worked flawlessly for me, with good performance all the time, no bugs or glitches at all.”
    • “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.”
    • “Sundered is a beautiful-looking metroidvania with interesting mechanics, let down slightly by performance issues and a difficulty curve that is simply too steep during its opening hours.”
    • “They fixed the microstuttering.”
  • emotional
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a minimalist narrative that, while not deeply developed, effectively immerses players in the protagonist's struggle against external threats and corruption. The stunning visuals, atmospheric music, and intense combat create a gripping experience that evokes a range of emotions, from tension during battles to a desire to uncover the story. However, some players may find the narrative elements easy to overlook, and the game's mechanics can occasionally detract from the emotional engagement.

    • “The narrative, though minimalist, provides an emotional undertone to the relentless action, drawing players into Eshe’s struggle against both external threats and the corrupting influence of the world around her.”
    • “Thunder Lotus Games has crafted a visually stunning and emotionally gripping experience that’s part metroidvania, part roguelite, and entirely unforgettable.”
    • “The atmosphere created by stunning, emotionally packed otherworldly music, amazing graphic design, stellar sound design, and lovely animations is just unreal.”
    • “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
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is praised for its rewarding progression system, which utilizes an in-game currency to enhance skills and abilities, fostering a sense of continuous growth. The character design is consistently highlighted as visually stunning and fitting within the game's world, complemented by a captivating art style and animations. While some players desire a more advanced character development process, the overall experience is enriched by the intriguing power-up mechanics and the engaging visual presentation.

    • “The developers implemented a very robust system of upgrades that charge '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.”
    • “I would like to see maybe a more advanced character development process.”
    • “Character development (skill-wise) feels rewarding.”
    • “The character design is also very fitting of the world that is being portrayed and of the three main sections of the map.”
  • humor
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it both funny and entertaining, particularly through quirky elements like made-up languages and amusing character interactions. Highlights include hilarious boss encounters and the absurdity of gameplay scenarios, which contribute to a lighthearted and enjoyable experience. Overall, the game's comedic aspects enhance the fun, making even challenging moments feel amusing rather than frustrating.

    • “Funny Cthulhu tentacle game.”
    • “At the end of this saga, I was an unstoppable glass cannon laughing at the trapezohedron's meager power.”
    • “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 Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game is heavily criticized due to intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay, leading to frustration among players. While the random map generation initially appears appealing, it ultimately contributes to a tedious experience, further fueling the perception of the game as a cash grab rather than a well-crafted title. Overall, the game's monetization strategy has polarized opinions, with many feeling it detracts from the overall enjoyment.

    • “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 Positive Neutral Negative

    User experiences with stability vary significantly; some report frequent bugs and freezing issues during loading screens, while others have enjoyed a flawless performance with no glitches. Overall, the game's stability appears inconsistent across different users.

    • “Sometimes buggy.”
    • “All of the loading screens stop at 40% and freeze there infinitely.”
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74%Critics’ scoreBased on 26 critic reviews
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19h Median play time
21h Average play time
13-30h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 19 analyzed playthroughs
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Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Sundered is a role playing game with horror and fantasy themes.

Sundered is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 21 hours playing Sundered.

Sundered was released on July 28, 2017.

Sundered was developed by Thunder Lotus.

Sundered has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Sundered is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Salt and Sanctuary, Curse of the Dead Gods, Foregone, Children of Morta, Afterimage and others.