The Apartment
- January 26, 2018
- Shattered Mirror
Get on Steam"The Apartment" is a psychological thriller action-adventure game, where you play as detective James Sachs, investigating a series of murders with strange and unexplained injuries. The main gameplay involves detective work, exploring crime scenes, finding evidence, puzzles and uncovering the dark story behind the murders. The game also features a intense FPS finale.
Reviews
- The game offers an interesting detective gameplay experience with unique puzzle-solving elements that can be gratifying.
- The initial story and atmosphere are engaging, immersing players in a thrilling investigative narrative.
- For its low price point, the game provides a decent amount of content and can be enjoyable for those who appreciate indie titles.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including game-breaking issues and poor collision detection, which can severely hinder the experience.
- The latter half of the game shifts dramatically from an investigative thriller to a chaotic shooter, which feels disjointed and unsatisfying.
- Many players report frustrating mechanics, such as clunky controls and a lack of clear guidance on finding clues, leading to confusion and irritation.
- story11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story begins with an engaging investigative premise but quickly shifts into a chaotic and far-fetched narrative, reminiscent of action titles like Max Payne. While the initial tension and plot development are compelling, the latter part of the game suffers from irregular pacing and an overwhelming focus on action over psychological elements, leaving players feeling unsatisfied despite the intriguing setup. Overall, the story has its moments but ultimately feels disjointed and less enjoyable as it progresses.
“The story starts off engrossing then devolves into a far-fetched one-man army against an army of mercs, pleasantly reminiscent of Max Payne or Dead to Rights.”
“I recommend it because I was into the investigative parts (wish there were more) and finding clues. The story was weird but interesting, although the ending went off the rails and spent too much time being something other than an investigation/psychological thriller.”
“It is a short game, around 5 hours, but there is a lot to the story and you will not get bored.”
“Not really what everyone might expect; it's a mix between investigator and psycho-related themes, with a story that has too many irregular sidesteps and confusing elements that shouldn't be there, along with an endless clumsy character movement.”
“The story starts off engrossing but then devolves into a far-fetched one-man army scenario against an army of mercenaries, reminiscent of Max Payne or Dead to Rights.”
“It's almost like the developers took everything they had been building towards - all the tension, all of the plot development, and all of the increasingly complex investigations - and just abandoned it.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of opinions: while some appreciate the detective mechanics and find the game enjoyable for its price, others criticize the clunky mechanics, lack of user interface, and immersion-breaking elements like poor dialogue and grammar. Overall, the gameplay experience is seen as flawed yet engaging, with some aspects feeling unnecessary or poorly integrated.
“This game is about 3 hours long. I like the detective gameplay; there isn’t anything bad I would say about this game. The only thing is there were bits in the game that didn’t seem necessary, and some of the clue solving didn’t feel like it suited the game, if I’m making sense here. But overall, not a bad game.”
“Check out my gameplay if you want to see what it’s about.”
“I made a part 1 video; you can check out the gameplay.”
“- The jump mechanic, all the objects' interaction with the player and the environment, the complete lack of a UI, an auto-save feature or an inventory, the bad dialogues and the grammatically incorrect voiceovers/texts, the ending... all of these were godawful and they played a big part in completely breaking my immersion.”
“This game is about 3 hours long. I like the detective gameplay; there isn’t anything bad I would say about this game. The only thing is there were bits in the game that didn’t seem necessary, and some of the clue solving didn’t feel like it suited the game, if I’m making sense here. But overall, not a bad game.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has been criticized for being subpar, with frequent bugs and inconsistent performance. Players noted that while some effects felt underwhelming, others, like explosions, were excessively intense, suggesting a lack of balance in optimization. Many users expressed frustration with the game's performance, deeming it not worth their time compared to better-optimized titles.
“Sometimes I could barely feel the impact on the people, but then when an explosion happened, it felt as if the settings had suddenly been optimized to '1000 times stronger than what the game allows' at maximum.”
“It could have been a lot better, less buggy, and more optimized.”
“Sometimes I could barely feel the impact on the people, but then when an explosion happened it felt as if the settings had suddenly been optimized to '1000 times stronger than what the game allows' as maximum.”
“More good games are coming out than I'm physically able to play, so wasting time on such poorly written and optimized games such as The Apartment is simply pointless.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting numerous bugs and a lack of optimization, leading to a frustrating experience.
“This game is very buggy and frustrating.”
“It could have been a lot better, less buggy, and more optimized.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and unexpected plot twists, which can elicit genuine laughter despite the overall lack of competence in gameplay. Players appreciate the comedic elements that enhance the experience, even if they are somewhat unintentional.
“Forget all the things! What ensues is a barely competent shooter, and the 'plot twist' (being generous) that leads to this made me literally laugh out loud.”
“The humor in this game is so absurd that I found myself chuckling at the most unexpected moments.”
“Every character has a quirky line that keeps the mood light and makes the gameplay feel like a hilarious adventure.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive mystery elements, tension, and scares, effectively creating a compelling ambiance that makes players feel like genuine detectives in a crime scene.
“The mystery element, tension, scares, atmosphere, ambiance, and many more positive aspects were present, creating the feeling of actually being a detective at a real crime scene.”
“The immersive atmosphere completely draws you in, making every moment feel intense and engaging.”
“The haunting ambiance and intricate details of the environment create a sense of unease that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally praised for their quality, with users highlighting them as a strong point of the game.
“The graphics are stunning and truly immersive.”
“Every detail in the environment is beautifully rendered.”
“The visual effects are breathtaking and enhance the overall experience.”
