SVRVIVE: The Deus Helix
- November 17, 2016
- Antler Interactive
- 4h median play time
Svrvive: The Deus Helix is a single-player VR survival adventure game. You'll explore a mysterious alien world, solve puzzles, and fight off dangerous creatures to uncover the truth behind the Deus Helix. With limited resources and a vast, procedurally generated world, each playthrough offers a unique challenge.
Reviews
- The game features interesting and unique environments, providing a visually engaging experience.
- Puzzles vary in difficulty and can be quite challenging, offering a satisfying sense of accomplishment when solved.
- The game has a mysterious storyline that keeps players intrigued and wanting to know more.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, particularly with object interactions and controller recognition, making it unplayable for some users.
- Visuals and item handling feel outdated and clunky, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- There is a lack of mid-level saves, which can be frustrating for players who need to quit during longer levels.
- story90 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it intriguing and well-integrated into the gameplay, while others criticize it for being typical, poorly executed, and lacking depth. Many noted that the narrative starts strong but becomes less engaging as the game progresses, often feeling buggy and illogical. Overall, while there are elements of creativity and potential, the execution leaves players wanting more, especially given its status as part one of a seemingly abandoned series.
“svrvive: the deus helix is a fantastically fun puzzle-solving game that features interesting, unique environments and an intriguingly mysterious storyline.”
“The game is very solid all around, the puzzles are engaging and at times difficult, the scenery is fantastic, and the story has been quite good so far.”
“That is what VR needs most in my opinion: a good story that keeps the player interested.”
“The story is utterly typical, it's a little buggy, the load times for a PC game are pretty bad, and the hard drive footprint is strangely massive.”
“The puzzles aren't exactly groundbreaking, and while the story has potential, it's marred by poor writing and awkward voice acting.”
“So instead of enjoying and/or being frustrated by the puzzles of the game itself, I ended up being much more annoyed with the bugs to lose myself in the very thin storyline of the game as it is.”
- graphics42 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the breathtaking visuals and engaging environments, while others criticize them as outdated and clunky, especially for a VR title. Many appreciate the atmospheric design that enhances the gameplay experience, though there are mentions of graphical glitches and inconsistencies in quality throughout the game. Overall, while some find the graphics impressive, others feel they fall short of modern standards.
“The graphics, the places this game takes you are all very visually engaging and in some cases absolutely breathtaking!”
“Awesome graphics and feeling, and the puzzle difficulty is just right.”
“Excellent visuals.”
“One of the earliest VR games and it really shows: item interactions are clunky and visuals are very outdated.”
“Visuals are bad even by 2016 VR standards.”
“The story sucks, the gameplay sucks, the graphics suck.”
- atmosphere22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and intense design, effectively creating a creepy ambiance through music and visuals without relying on jump scares. Players appreciate the constant tension and sense of presence, even in the absence of enemies, although some note that the atmosphere varies across different scenes. Overall, the attention to detail and intriguing environments contribute significantly to the game's atmospheric appeal.
“What I really liked: there aren't any jump scares, even if the game has some creepy atmosphere.”
“The game has a good atmosphere and enjoyable environments with a great sense of detail.”
“Because of this, the game lacks the atmosphere it could have otherwise had.”
“The atmosphere was creepy, and although there are no enemies, you constantly feel like you're about to get caught or run down by a creature.”
“I've only reached scene 2 at this moment, the atmosphere is very different (not that creepy), but the sense of presence is strong and the ambiance is intriguing.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Gameplay experiences vary significantly among users, with some praising the game's engaging puzzles and extended playtime, while others criticize its mechanics and physics, describing them as frustrating and buggy. Despite the initial allure of a well-thought-out design reminiscent of Myst, many players report issues that detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a mixed bag, with potential for fun overshadowed by technical shortcomings.
“To me, that was the big allure of this game. Instead of spending $5 on a game that will take me roughly an hour to complete and then never touch again, I picked this little gem up on sale for $10 and got around six hours of amazing gameplay!”
“Throw in some decent puzzles with a Myst-like gameplay, and you will find this is a pretty well thought out game.”
“I had a problem with one of the levels having questionable gameplay, and it was fixed within a day.”
“The story sucks, the gameplay sucks, the graphics suck.”
“I didn't have any gameplay object issues like others, but I do agree the physics are rough and basic things like opening drawers and doors is frustrating.”
“I'm only giving this a negative review due to my repeated frustration with the mechanics and general bugginess of the game at release (even after the latest patches).”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits several stability issues, including minor bugs and graphical glitches, such as players occasionally getting stuck in walls and difficulties with interactive elements like doors. While these issues are present, they are not game-breaking, and the developer is receptive to feedback for improvements. Load times are notably long, and the game's large hard drive footprint adds to the concerns regarding stability.
“It's a little buggy, the load times for a PC game are pretty bad, and the hard drive footprint is strangely massive.”
“Found myself inside walls from time to time; no game-breaking glitches though.”
“Even entry into the captain's room itself I found buggy, as trying to grab the door and teleport inside was way too difficult (the door always snaps shut).”
- replayability8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers a decent experience with interesting levels and a sci-fi twist, but it lacks replayability due to its short completion time of around four hours and absence of collectibles. Many players feel it resembles a demo rather than a full game, leaving little incentive to revisit until potential DLC is released. Overall, the consensus is that the game could benefit from additional content to enhance its replay value.
“Decent escape the room-esque game with some interesting levels and a sci-fi twist. Enjoyable and has a good amount of content, although it could have had some collectibles to provide some replay value.”
“The fact that it was easily completed in 4 hours (and only because some of the puzzles are of the 'what the f*** do you even want from me?' style until you find the one object you need to poke the other object with) with no replay value doesn't help it either, and the whole thing really just feels more like a demo.”
“Only downside I can find is that it has no replayability and I have no reason to go back to it (until the DLC comes out).”
“Decent escape the room-esque game with some interesting levels and a sci-fi twist, enjoyable and has a good amount of content although it could have had some collectibles to provide some replay value.”
- music4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game effectively contributes to an intense and creepy atmosphere, enhancing the overall tone without relying on jumpscares. However, many players find it becomes annoying after just a few minutes in each level.
“The overall tone of this game creates an intense and at times creepy atmosphere using only music and visuals, as there are no jumpscares.”
“The music is annoying after about 5 minutes in each level.”
“The music is annoying after about 5 minutes in each level.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users noted that the game features several humorous moments, contributing positively to the overall experience.
“There were also some humorous moments too!”
“There were also some humorous moments too!”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report that the game's optimization is inconsistent, with noticeable performance drops occurring in specific scenarios, particularly involving effects like torches and water.
“In certain situations, the performance can drop (e.g., torch, water, etc.).”
“In certain situations, the performance can drop (e.g., torch, water, etc.).”