The Companion
- May 13, 2021
- Studio 46
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"The Companion" is a narrative-driven game that follows the story of a Companion AI and its human companion on a journey through space. Players will make choices that affect the relationship between the two, with multiple endings available. Along the way, they'll encounter various challenges and moral dilemmas that will test the bond they've formed.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features stunning visuals and a beautiful soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- It offers a relaxing gameplay style, perfect for players who enjoy exploration and atmospheric storytelling.
- The story, while sometimes confusing, has emotional depth and can resonate with players who appreciate character-driven narratives.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks substantial interaction, often reducing to collecting items and following wisps.
- The story is presented in a disjointed manner, making it difficult for players to follow and fully engage with the narrative.
- There are several bugs and glitches that can disrupt the experience, along with some frustrating mechanics related to collecting essence and activating abilities.
- story100 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story is a central yet polarizing aspect of the game, described as disjointed and confusing due to its non-linear presentation, which often leaves players struggling to piece together the narrative. While some appreciate the emotional depth and beautiful visuals accompanying the tale of a family in a forest, many find the plot dull and repetitive, with long cutscenes that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the narrative's execution has garnered mixed reactions, with some players enjoying the exploration and atmosphere, while others are left frustrated by its lack of coherence and engagement.
“A charming little adventure game with an interesting story and booming aesthetics.”
“The story is a good heart tugger though and the environments and music will keep you engaged.”
“The characters are believable, the story is small yet impactful, and the graphics and music are brilliantly done.”
“The story is shown by finding pillars of light, where you 'get' to sit down and watch some vague, glowy outlines with uninspired voices talk about a boring plot of a family moving out to the forest.”
“It's a shame that the game looks so amazing and has so much potential, but the story just doesn't deliver at all, because it drags down every other aspect for me.”
“The story is presented in a baffling fashion, with time events mixed up in odd orders, and making little sense.”
- music38 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many describing it as uplifting, relaxing, and perfectly fitting for the game's environments. While the soundtrack is often highlighted as phenomenal and emotionally evocative, some reviewers noted that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals and a captivating soundtrack creates an immersive atmosphere, making it a strong point of the game despite some criticisms regarding the story.
“Let's get the good out of the way: the music is amazing, the kind of uplifting track that makes you want to get out there and explore.”
“The companion’s soundtrack, penned by Melbourne-based singer and composer Hew Wagner, takes the player on a musical journey as rich and varied as that of the characters themselves.”
“The soundtrack is phenomenal and evoked a plethora of emotions.”
“Another indie developer makes a 'game' with animals wandering around a dazzling environment, full of stunning over-saturated colors from a Unity asset shader in a non-interactive world of generic props and no gameplay with that same boring soft piano song that you already knew was going to be there before you started it!”
“Visually impressive with a nice relaxing soundtrack, but it is too long, too repetitive and the story is a little bland and confusing.”
“A powerful and heartfelt soundtrack masks some unbalanced sound mixing.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 81 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals, vibrant color palettes, and beautiful animations, often described as the highlight of the experience. Many reviewers noted that while the aesthetics are captivating and engaging, they sometimes overshadow a confusing story and repetitive gameplay. Overall, the visuals are considered exceptional, making the game visually appealing despite its narrative shortcomings.
“Stunning visuals, amazing soundtrack, you get to unlock multiple abilities.”
“The visuals are beyond stunning, with some of the prettiest color hue combinations I have seen.”
“A relaxing, visually stunning game in places, the companion delivers on aesthetics, with gorgeous environments and sounds wonderful, with different orchestral pieces for each of the seven acts.”
“The graphics are definitely the highlight of the game.”
“I was getting a little bored near the end, but the absolutely jaw-dropping aesthetic kept me engaged enough to finish.”
“The visuals alone are enough to keep you engaged.”
- gameplay32 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 28 % negative mentions
The gameplay is largely criticized for being repetitive and lacking depth, with many players describing it as a "collect-a-thon" that involves aimlessly running around to activate glowing objects and trigger memory events. While some new mechanics are introduced later in the game, they do little to alleviate the overall monotony, leaving players feeling disengaged despite the game's beautiful visuals and music. Overall, the gameplay experience is seen as a missed opportunity, overshadowed by a confusing story and minimal interaction.
“Didn't really get the story but continued playing and it made more and more sense. Relaxing gameplay with a lovely OST and smooth color schemes. Not a challenging game at all, but sometimes it's just nice to run around in nature and enjoy the view.”
“Simple gameplay of collecting and finding story points on the map.”
“The gameplay can be rather redundant, but it's a chill, relaxing game.”
“Great visuals can't make up for a confusing story and repetitive gameplay.”
“Yet, the gameplay is essentially non-existent with repetitive tasks of running around aimlessly, followed by a confusing story that is recounted completely out of order.”
“The gameplay is mostly rinse and repeat.”
- emotional9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming moments, a beautifully crafted world, and a powerful soundtrack that enhances the narrative experience. However, some players feel that the storytelling is disjointed and lacks authenticity, which detracts from the intended emotional impact. Overall, while the game aims to evoke strong feelings and connections, its execution may leave some players wanting more clarity and coherence in the narrative.
“The companion is a gorgeous game, filled with a beautifully detailed world, gorgeous music that fits perfectly with each scenario, and a story that is heartbreaking but full of hope, leaving you wanting more with unanswered questions that could only be answered with a sequel.”
“This visually striking, emotional fantasy adventure hits all the right notes both figuratively and literally (the score is heartbreaking in all the best ways).”
“Join one family’s emotional expedition to the edge of the world and back.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is notably inconsistent, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches, including a significant issue with the q wisp function that requires reloading a save to resolve. While some players experienced only minor glitches and a single crash towards the end, the overall sentiment indicates that the game suffers from stability problems that detract from the experience.
“Unfortunately, there are copious glitches including the Q wisp function suddenly not working, and it is only fixed by loading a save.”
“Plenty of bugs and glitches.”
“Achievement tip: 'It cowers' [spoiler] since this achievement seems buggy.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive quality, enhanced by an incredible soundtrack and distinct environmental themes across different levels, ranging from bright daylight to serene moonlit scenes. Players appreciate the soothing and calming experience it offers, making it a standout choice for fans of atmospheric exploration.
“The story is good, the atmosphere is quite immersive and the soundtrack is incredible.”
“Good catch for those looking for a soothing, calm atmospheric experience.”
“Every level (or act) has its own atmosphere, whether it's the bright light of day, the rosy hue of a sunset, or the cold glow of the moon.”
“The atmosphere feels disjointed, lacking a cohesive theme that ties the levels together.”
“Despite the varied settings, the overall ambiance is flat and uninspired, failing to evoke any real emotion.”
“The game attempts to create a rich atmosphere, but it often falls short, leaving players feeling disconnected from the world.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and laborious, particularly due to the repetitive essence farming required to progress. While some appreciated the introduction of new mechanics to break up monotony, many felt that the necessity to continuously farm for resources became exhausting and detracted from the overall experience. Additionally, issues with navigation often led to further frustration, as players were sometimes directed back to previous locations instead of their intended objectives.
“This finally broke up some of the monotonous gameplay, but introducing this in the final chapter was short-lived and also annoyingly required plenty of essence farming.”
“Continuously farming this essence just to find out where to go slowly became a laborious and exhausting task.”
“Lastly, sometimes the wisp never took me to the area needed to place the item and led right back to the spirit tree or another vision, forcing me back into essence farming.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization, requiring a powerful PC to achieve visuals comparable to the trailers. Despite this, the strong performances of the actors effectively immerse players in the characters' experiences.
“Be warned that the game is not very optimized, so you'll need a beefy PC to make it look like the trailers.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often tied to its narrative and character interactions, featuring funny and heart-warming moments that enhance the overall experience. Players who focus on exploration may miss these comedic elements, which are integral to understanding the story's dynamics in later levels.
“If you use the spirit guide rarely and rely on exploration, you might miss quite a few achievements, and also miss part of the story, which has some funny, heartwarming, or just family moments to help you understand the dynamics presented in future levels.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has limited replay value, leading some players to not revisit it, though many express enthusiasm for potential sequels and future projects from the studio.
“The game offers a variety of choices that significantly impact the story, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
“With multiple endings and different character paths, I find myself coming back to explore all the possibilities.”
“The dynamic gameplay mechanics and random events keep each session fresh, encouraging me to replay it time and again.”
“Not much replay value, so I won't be revisiting it, but I will most definitely be buying any sequel and following this studio to see what they make in the future.”
