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Tethered

Despite falling shy of true greatness, Tethered is nonetheless just what Sony's new gaming platform needs to convince the naysayers of its suitability for ‘traditional’ gaming experiences. This is one PSVR title that you’ll want to hold onto.
80%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, replayability
82% User Score Based on 322 reviews
Critic Score 74%Based on 6 reviews

Platforms

PCPCPlaystation 4Playstation 4WindowsWindowsPlayStationPlayStationVirtual RealityVirtual RealityPlayStation VRPlayStation VRCloudCloudNVIDIA GeForce NOWNVIDIA GeForce NOW
Buy Nowfrom $18.99
Buy NowGet on Steam$18.99

About

In a magical sky borne world, assume the role of a powerful Spirit Guardian charged with restoring life and balance. Command the Peeps, your loyal servants, to feed, fight, build, and sacrifice themselves for the greater good in a quest to release your entombed brethren.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Tethered screenshot
Tethered screenshot
Tethered screenshot
Tethered screenshot
Tethered screenshot

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 328 reviews
gameplay23 positive mentions
story6 negative mentions
  • Tethered is visually charming with a cute art style and engaging gameplay that appeals to fans of god games like Black & White.
  • The game offers a unique VR experience with intuitive controls, allowing players to feel like a deity while managing their peeps and resources.
  • It features a solid amount of content with 13 levels, providing a mix of strategy and resource management that keeps players engaged.
  • Many players experience technical issues, including crashes and problems with launching the game, leading to frustration and inability to play.
  • The gameplay can feel overly simplistic and repetitive, with a heavy reliance on micromanagement that detracts from the overall enjoyment.
  • Some users find the controls clunky and unintuitive, particularly in non-VR mode, which can hinder the gaming experience.
  • gameplay
    115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Tethered is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its depth and strategic elements, particularly in a VR context, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic and repetitive. The mechanics, though initially straightforward, evolve in complexity as players progress, but many find the micromanagement tedious and the non-VR experience lacking. Overall, the game offers a charming visual experience and intuitive controls, but its gameplay may not satisfy those seeking more challenge or variety.

    • “The gameplay at first appears simple, but then you start to realize there is actually a fair amount of depth and choices surrounding your limited resources.”
    • “The controls are intuitive, and the gameplay is fun.”
    • “Tethered is an excellent god-like strategy game with tight controls, superb gameplay mechanics, and great presentation.”
    • “Unfortunately, there's not a lot of gameplay.”
    • “There is barely any challenge in beating the game; every single mechanic can be mastered in the first hour or two.”
    • “Gameplay is repetitive with no real missions.”
  • graphics
    86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many users praising the beautiful, stylized visuals and cute art style that enhance the overall experience. The environments are described as gorgeous and well-detailed, contributing to a captivating atmosphere, particularly in VR. Overall, the graphics are considered top-notch, with smooth performance and a charming design that appeals to a wide audience.

    • “The graphics are breathtaking and the addition of a non-VR option helps keep a good game playable when you don't feel like putting on your headset, or just don't have one.”
    • “Fantastic atmosphere, really nice graphics and design!”
    • “The visuals are gorgeous, it has to be said.”
    • “Befitting the game’s cutesy design style and, likely, to accommodate the graphical demands of VR, the game has a rather simplistic painterly look.”
    • “Without constant movement, the graphics simply cannot be truly appreciated, and this game simply doesn't have you looking around much.”
    • “It's not graphic; he just fades into the clouds as he falls, but it was rather jarring to watch if you're not expecting it.”
  • music
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received high praise for its superb quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, featuring a relaxing Celtic vibe that complements the game's aesthetic. Reviewers noted that the soundtrack is immersive and beautifully crafted, making it easy to get lost in the experience, with many expressing a desire to own the soundtrack. Overall, the music is described as a perfect fit for the game's peaceful and whimsical tone.

    • “The background music has a Celtic vibe that makes me think of leprechauns; it suits the mood perfectly.”
    • “Another pleasant surprise was the inclusion of Celtic music in the soundtrack.”
    • “The music is great without being overwhelming; the environments are simple but polished and beautiful.”
  • optimization
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its excellent optimization, featuring great visuals and smooth world scaling, with most players reporting no significant performance issues. While a few users noted minor framerate drops during specific moments, overall gameplay remains smooth on a variety of systems, indicating a well-polished experience typical of a professionally developed title.

    • “The performance in the non-VR version I could test out was as advertised.”
    • “I couldn’t complain about a single issue relating to the visuals or overall performance.”
    • “The game runs smoothly on my i7-3770k/gtx 980 system, with no apparent glitches or dropped frames.”
    • “That’s how you spot the difference between an indie game developed by a single enthusiast and a title on which an entire team has worked and had the means (time and budget) to iron out any potential optimization issues.”
    • “There were a couple of framerate issues on load or when the building triangles are swirling around the camera, but during normal play I did not have any stuttering or issues.”
  • story
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and variety, with many missions feeling repetitive and devoid of a compelling narrative, special events, or bosses. While some players appreciate the absence of a forced storyline, others find the simplistic premise—where players control a nameless deity—unsatisfying. Overall, the consensus is that the game could benefit from a more engaging and varied story.

    • “Personally, I don't mind at all because nothing irritates me more than a half-arsed story shoehorned into a game just because they feel they have to do it.”
    • “There's no storyline at all, which is surprising for a game that's built around cute little characters.”
    • “The plot is quite simple: you’re a nameless, but not faceless (because of the stone totems) deity with full control over the lives of peeps.”
    • “Gameplay is repetitive with no real missions.”
  • replayability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers significant replayability, with thirteen islands to explore and a challenging gameplay experience that encourages players to improve their performance on each level. Initial playthroughs are estimated to take 7-12 hours, but players can expect to return for additional runs to fully experience the game's depth and challenge.

    • “It does itself a favor well past the excellent first impressions by making itself challenging and highly replayable.”
    • “I would expect the first run through to take anywhere from 7-12 hours, with a high amount of replayability, especially if you want to see just how well you can do completing a level.”
    • “I'm only on the 4th island and can already see a lot of replay value.”
    • “There are thirteen islands (including the tutorial), with lashings of replay value.”
  • stability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game demonstrates excellent stability, with users reporting no bugs or glitches during gameplay. It runs smoothly on various systems, including high-performance setups, and maintains consistent frame rates and responsive controls.

    • “Looks good, runs great (RX 480) and the controls work well.”
  • grinding
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and overly simplistic, requiring excessive micromanagement to complete straightforward tasks. While the presentation is praised, the repetitive nature of the gameplay detracts from the overall experience.

    • “This is a major objective of the game and is nothing but tedious.”
    • “The presentation is very nice, but unfortunately the gameplay is overly simplistic combined with tedious micromanagement to accomplish those overly simple tasks.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the emotional experience of the game deeply impactful, particularly as they witness their minions suffer from starvation and depression, leading to tragic outcomes. This evokes a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of classic titles from Bullfrog and early Lionhead, enhancing the emotional weight of the gameplay.

    • “It's heartbreaking to watch your little minions starve, then become depressed and fling themselves off the island cliffs you worked so hard to create.”
    • “The game made me feel like I was playing something made by Bullfrog or early Lionhead.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is characterized by a blend of charming cuteness and dark comedic elements, which quickly endears it to players. The ability to interact closely with characters adds to the hilarity, making the experience both adorable and entertaining.

    • “From the charming cuteness to the fantastic style and the surprisingly dark humorous elements, this game instantly started growing on me the second I started its tutorial.”
    • “This allows me to get right up in the peeps' faces and follow them across the landscape, and it's adorable and hilarious.”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its fantastic ambiance complemented by impressive graphics and design.

    • “Fantastic atmosphere, really nice graphics and design!”

74%Critics’ scoreBased on 6 critic reviews

Buy Tethered

4h Median play time
11h Average play time
2-26h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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