The Axis Unseen
- October 22, 2024
- Just Purkey Games
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamIn "The Axis Unseen," a heavy metal horror game, explore a mysterious open world to hunt nightmarish monsters from ancient folklore, gaining their powers and elemental arrows. As you traverse the eerie landscape, beware that you may become the hunted. Critics have praised it as a unique indie game, comparing it to Skyrim with a darker, scarier twist. If you have an AMD card, ensure you reinstall drivers without the optional Radeon software to avoid startup crashes.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics and a unique art style that creates an immersive atmosphere.
- The developer is highly engaged with the community, providing regular updates and responding to player feedback.
- The gameplay offers a mix of exploration, stealth, and archery mechanics, rewarding players for their strategic approach.
- There are significant optimization issues, causing crashes and performance drops on various systems.
- The AI behavior can be inconsistent, leading to frustrating encounters where enemies behave unpredictably.
- The lack of a map or clear direction can make navigation confusing and lead to repetitive backtracking.
- gameplay73 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
Gameplay in the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its immersive atmosphere, unique monster mechanics, and engaging stealth and archery systems, while others criticize the mechanics as simplistic and occasionally frustrating. The open-world exploration offers a variety of experiences, but issues like enemy AI and navigation can detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite its flaws, many find the gameplay loop rewarding, especially with progression mechanics that encourage exploration and skill development.
“There are lots of creatures with unique mechanics and a lot of cool locales to explore.”
“The gameplay loop is fun, feels good, and is consistent in both evolution and difficulty curve -- you'll always feel challenged, and you'll always feel accomplished in besting those challenges.”
“The core gameplay is this mix of open-world exploration, stealth mechanics, and archery-based combat.”
“The concept and world at its core has a lot going for it, but the gameplay simply does not hold my attention.”
“The gameplay loop was rather basic and boring, especially as monsters got caught on rocks and trees (this problem has been somewhat successfully patched out at the time of writing).”
“Even though everything about the game looks and sounds charming, I wish I felt the same about its gameplay.”
- music46 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the heavy metal soundtrack for enhancing the atmosphere and gameplay experience, while others feel it doesn't fully embody the heavy metal genre. Some players appreciate the unique and immersive sound design, noting that it complements exploration and combat, although a few mention that the music can become repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight by many, contributing significantly to the game's ambiance and emotional tone.
“We are thrust into the world of Axis Unseen through a unique introduction set to some fantastic music, one of the stars of this game.”
“The metal soundtrack perfectly complements the on-screen action, elevating the overall experience.”
“Amazing atmosphere and music, massive world, and an unbelievable amount of content considering this was by a solo dev!”
“Music gets repetitive in several areas.”
“For being advertised as a heavy metal game, it really felt nothing like that at all; the music was pretty tame even in combat, so much so I wouldn't even call it metal, let alone heavy metal.”
“I'm not sure if the music is being properly mixed into the game, or if there are some other considerations that were missed when integrating it, because I don't think it hits quite like it should.”
- graphics40 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received high praise for their stunning visuals, atmospheric design, and impressive art style, particularly given the indie development context. However, some users have reported optimization issues, leading to crashes and inconsistent performance on various hardware setups. Overall, while the aesthetic and visual fidelity are celebrated, there are concerns about the game's ability to run smoothly on all systems.
“The atmosphere, graphic style, and sound design of this game are incredible.”
“The lighting and visuals are great, the world looks stunning.”
“Absolutely love the visuals and scale of everything -- very atmospheric and unnerving.”
“I had to change it to simple graphics just to get the lackluster intro to work properly, and the game crashed the second it was done.”
“Also, the graphics and performance were pretty bad; my PC is well above the recommended specs, and at max graphics, it looked kind of meh and had very inconsistent frame rates. This is something that has potential for improvement but is currently lacking.”
“Broken, horrible graphics, poorly optimized; they have fall damage in a movement game... horrendous UI.”
- atmosphere35 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its incredible graphic style, sound design, and immersive qualities, creating a unique and eerie environment that enhances the overall experience. Many players highlight the game's ability to evoke feelings of tension and discovery, with comparisons to classic horror titles and a heavy metal vibe that complements the setting. However, some reviewers note that while the atmosphere is a standout feature, the gameplay mechanics could use improvement to match its atmospheric strengths.
“The atmosphere, graphic style, and sound design of this game are incredible.”
“Its atmosphere is sublime, the monster design is top tier, the gameplay is the most immersive I've played in years.”
“The atmosphere is spot-on, the tension and sense of discovery make it worth the journey.”
“Some come out mostly at night, which is dark and oppressive and has a truly terrifying atmosphere at times.”
“While the dark atmosphere is effective in setting the mood, a brightness adjustment or a way to illuminate surroundings would make it more enjoyable without compromising the ambiance.”
“Tl;dr: visual style and atmosphere superb, gameplay lacking”
- optimization19 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including frequent crashes and inconsistent frame rates, even on high-end systems. While some users have experienced smoother gameplay after adjustments, others have noted that the graphics settings can conflict, leading to further complications. Overall, the game shows potential for improvement in optimization, particularly in graphics and user interface navigation.
“The scenery looks great and seems well optimized, the enemy designs are perfect for what the game is going for, the sound design is great at building tension, unique bow mechanics, scarce hand-holding, AI is able to track your footsteps and smell depending on wind direction and walking on dirt vs rock, which I find perfect for this game.”
“I had some performance issues early on but now it runs pretty smooth. I would recommend having more RAM than 16 GB, as I noticed choppier frame timings with 32 GB. Even if I crank the max settings and it's running in the 40 FPS range, it feels like a smoother and more fluid experience.”
“Performance has been excellent for me thus far, and the graphics have a cool stylized look to them without veering into cartoonish.”
“This game is horribly un-optimized, and feels horrible to play if you do get it to work.”
“However after almost 2 hours playing the game, all the good I've seen has been overshadowed by major performance issues (dips to 15-20fps even with DLSS performance mode on) and crashes to desktop due to fatal errors in the game engine (max settings, potato mode doesn't matter) about every 10-20 minutes.”
“Also the graphics and performance were pretty bad; my PC is well above the recommended specifications, and at max graphics, it looked kind of mediocre and had very inconsistent frame rates.”
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story is primarily conveyed through indirect means, such as in-game journals and environmental storytelling, rather than traditional quest logs or missions. Players appreciate the immersive experience of exploring a vast world filled with personal narratives, though some feel the existing lore is underutilized. Overall, the focus on gameplay over a structured narrative allows for a unique, self-directed journey.
“Even the in-game journals showcase some brilliant storytelling.”
“Beyond enemy trophies and upgrades, there are journal entries telling a personal story that fits the game’s theme.”
“The storytelling in the form of diaries is also present.”
“There's no map, there's no UI, there's no mission, just a bow, arrows, and a world that wants to kill you.”
“It's much more gameplay focused with a story that's mostly told indirectly and secondhand.”
“Existing lore but no actual utilization of story.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often derived from its janky mechanics, reminiscent of Bethesda's notorious bugs, which can lead to comically frustrating situations, such as respawning directly into danger. Players find amusement in the quirky navigation challenges and the absurdity of the gameplay, likening it to a humorous blend of Skyrim's thief-class antics and cryptozoological hunting. Overall, the game's humor is characterized by its blend of intentional and unintentional comedic moments.
“It's a bit hilarious that a former dev on Skyrim and Fallout under Bethesda, a company almost renowned for their buggy releases, would have some of their own Bethesda-style bugs show up in their game.”
“Stylistically, it's like a thief-class from Skyrim took something 'funny' and went hunting for cryptozoological prey inside Zeno Clash.”
“I don't want to reveal any spoilers, so I can't share my hilarious experience so far and just say: starting on hard mode isn't for the faint of heart, lol.”
- stability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with users reporting no significant glitches, crashes, or major bugs, despite some minor jankiness reminiscent of Bethesda titles. It runs smoothly on various platforms, including high-end PCs and the Steam Deck, contributing to a great overall experience.
“I have seen no glitches, bugs, or crashes; I have not fallen into the void, discovered any floating rocks, or encountered hollow mountains. Everything is running smoothly so far.”
“Overall a great experience; it runs well on the Steam Deck as well, especially considering it's a UE5 game. I would easily recommend it to anyone who is a fan of hunting games or open worlds.”
“The graphics are gorgeous and the game runs great on a 3060.”
“Some jankiness: it's a bit hilarious that a former dev on Skyrim and Fallout under Bethesda, a company almost renowned for their buggy releases, would have some of their own Bethesda-style bugs show up in their game.”
“I have seen no glitches, bugs, crashes, have not fallen into the void, discovered any floating rocks or hollow mountains; all good so far.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game shows potential for high replayability, many users find it frustratingly close to greatness, suggesting that it could benefit from enhancements to make it more engaging and enjoyable for repeated playthroughs.
“This game offers a variety of choices that make each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
“The different character paths and outcomes encourage me to replay the game multiple times.”
“With its dynamic events and branching storylines, I find myself coming back for more every time.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
“Grinding takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
