The Artifact

About

The Artifact is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by Sean Scaplehorn and was released on July 2, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"The Artifact: Story of the Breaker" is a first-person puzzle-adventure game set in a mysterious ancient world. As the "Breaker," you must manipulate time and uncover the secrets of a long-lost civilization to save your own. With intricate puzzles, a rich atmosphere, and an engaging narrative, this game offers a unique and immersive experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 174 reviews

story20 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features nice graphics and a pleasant atmosphere, making it visually appealing.
Puzzles are simple and logical, providing a relaxing experience for casual players.
It's a good option for achievement hunters, as all achievements are easily obtainable during gameplay.

The game is extremely short, typically taking less than an hour to complete, which many players find disappointing.
Controls are awkward and unresponsive at times, leading to frustration during gameplay.
The asking price is considered too high for the amount of content, with many recommending waiting for a significant discount.

story
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
63%
11%
The story in "The Artifact" is largely criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it feels incomplete or merely serves as a framework to connect puzzles. While some players found the concept coherent and the sci-fi setting refreshing, the overall narrative is described as brief, simplistic, and unsatisfying, leaving many hoping for future expansions to enhance the storyline. Despite its shortcomings, a few players appreciated the straightforwardness of the plot, considering it acceptable given the game's low price.
- “It's definitely beautiful and has the potential of a really interesting story within it.”
- “I wish the story was a bit longer but it's still interesting nonetheless.”
- “The puzzles weren't too brain taxing and the story was okay; it did hold my interest... I wanted to know what would happen next.”
- “The storyline isn't really there; it's more like hints on a possible story.”
- “The story was near non-existent and just didn't go into the second chapter.”
- “The story left absolutely no impression on me, serving mostly as an excuse to link together the game's four environments.”
graphics
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
41%
6%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the appealing visuals and atmospheric lighting, particularly in the context of a point-and-click adventure. However, some criticize the overall quality as mediocre, noting that certain elements, like menu graphics, feel low-budget or overly simplified. While the game features decent graphics that enhance the experience, it is often overshadowed by its short length and simplistic gameplay.
- “They have that 'adventure style' with beautifully crafted lighting that enhances the visuals.”
- “There's some great graphics and cutscenes, considering the nature of point & clicks.”
- “The puzzle graphics are nicer than I expected, if not a little overly simplified, much like the puzzles themselves, but that charm seems to carry on throughout the game.”
- “The game welcomes you with a blurry earth graphic and low budget VFX.”
- “My mobile phone has better graphics and games.”
- “The graphics from the menus are poor at best, clearly taken from some mobile port and the menu and navigation interface show too.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
82%
9%
The gameplay is reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures like "Myst," featuring limited movement and a single inventory slot that encourages focus on key items. While the game offers around an hour of playtime, actual engagement is about 20 to 30 minutes, with some mechanics feeling vague due to the lack of a tutorial. Overall, the experience is described as simple and intuitive, though some players noted the graphics and story could be more developed.
- “Gameplay: the gameplay is that of a 'Myst'-like point-and-click adventure.”
- “There is exactly one inventory slot that you use at any given time (except in chapter 3), as there is only one item necessary at any point - so this is not an artificial limitation, it is just natural during gameplay.”
- “It's a very short game (~1 hour), however, it has nice graphics and fun gameplay.”
- “Actual gameplay time is 20 to 30 minutes if you don't count the time spent sliding from point A to point B.”
- “Drag and click story with toddler-level gameplay, mediocre graphics, and close to non-existent story.”
- “No tutorial - gameplay can be quite vague.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
37%
25%
The music in the game is described as adequate but largely forgettable, featuring bland and repetitive ambient tracks that can become annoying, especially during challenging puzzles. While the sound design is well-crafted and atmospheric, it fails to stand out or enhance the overall experience, contributing to a sense of mediocrity across the game's various elements. Overall, the music is deemed decent but lacks memorability and depth.
- “Good voice acting and atmospheric soundtrack.”
- “The music and sound are nicely crafted; they never become annoying and never sound out of place.”
- “Visuals and music are decent.”
- “Add to this bland, repetitive ambient music, blocky shadows worthy of gaming circa 2007, absurdly simple puzzles and hardly any narrative elements laid over 4 very short chapters, and you've got very little room left to appreciate the adequate but generic sci-fi environments.”
- “The music is not memorable, but also never puts itself in the foreground.”
- “Everything about it, from graphics to music to puzzles is... okay.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, featuring good voice acting and an atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the experience. Despite being developed by a small team, the immersive sci-fi setting and effective use of lighting contribute to a pleasant and engaging ambiance throughout the game. Overall, the graphics and sound design work together to create a compelling atmosphere that resonates with players.
- “For a rather small development team, they have created an atmosphere that really holds up.”
- “The ending (I try to avoid spoilers here) uses the lighting to create a very fitting atmosphere for what happens.”
- “Graphics look decent and the sci-fi atmosphere is immersive.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be manageable and not overly challenging, with many recommending it for farming purposes. Overall, it is perceived as a non-grindy experience, making it accessible for players looking to progress without excessive effort.
- “Not overly challenging, but at least not in any way grindy.”
- “Recommended for game farming”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been criticized for being buggy and frustrating, with players experiencing issues that hinder exploration and interaction. Many found the gameplay to be fiddly and felt that the inclusion of random puzzles detracted from the overall experience.
- “Buggy and somewhat fiddly.”
- “I wanted it to be good and intriguing and thought provoking and fun exploration but instead it was kind of boring, buggy, frustrating (because I could only look at certain things but not others) and seemed to just have some random puzzles thrown in at the end to make it last longer.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game has low replayability, with users noting that the solutions remain the same, making it a one-time experience. However, its low price point makes it a reasonable option for a single playthrough.
- “There is no replay value, as the solutions never change, but for under a buck, this one-and-done is a decent enough choice.”