Skip to main content

The End of Gameplay

The End of Gameplay Game Cover
85%Game Brain Score
gameplay, emotional
music, replayability
97% User Score Based on 38 reviews

Platforms

LinuxPCMac OSWindows
Buy Nowfrom €19.50
Buy NowGet on Steam €19.50Buy NowGet on itch.io Store $20
The End of Gameplay Game Cover

About

The End of Gameplay is a single player platformer game. It was developed by droqen and was released on May 12, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

The End of Gameplay is an anthology. My best desperate attempt to explain, or explore, or understand the true meaning of "kill gameplay." love, droqen

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
The End of Gameplay screenshot
The End of Gameplay screenshot
The End of Gameplay screenshot
The End of Gameplay screenshot
The End of Gameplay screenshot
Skip User Reviews

97%
Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews
gameplay4 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • The game offers a deeply personal and poetic exploration of gameplay, challenging traditional notions and encouraging reflection on game design and artistic expression.
  • Movement mechanics are fun, interesting, and carefully designed with attention to detail, enhancing the immersive experience despite a minimalist presentation.
  • The collection of vignettes and poems evokes strong emotions and thoughts about game creation, human connection, and the medium's possibilities, making it a unique and impactful artistic work.
  • The gameplay can be finicky and sometimes frustrating, with some platforming challenges that may cause players to skip parts or disengage.
  • The abstract and ambiguous nature of the writing and themes may be difficult to interpret, possibly alienating players who prefer clear narratives or conventional gameplay.
  • The game's rudimentary and unpolished visuals, paired with a premium price point, might deter some players and be seen as inaccessible or niche.
  • gameplay
    67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in "The End of Gameplay" is centered around innovative jumping and movement mechanics that are both engaging and thought-provoking, serving more as a medium for artistic expression than traditional game challenges. It functions as a series of exploratory vignettes that deconstruct conventional gameplay to emphasize emotional and philosophical themes, often prioritizing authorial self-expression over typical game design. While not focused on delivering conventional gameplay satisfaction, it offers players a unique, contemplative experience that redefines the role and purpose of gameplay in video games.

    • “The jumping and movement mechanics are super fun and incredibly interesting with the way they're used and recontextualized throughout the levels.”
    • “A series of interactive vignettes that deconstruct gameplay while exploring themes of creation, emotion, humanity, and struggle through levels, mixing in poetry and prose.”
    • “There are some levels encapsulated by gameplay, not to provide a traditional gaming experience, but to emphasize a point, embody a theme, or convey an emotion, often contrary to convention.”
    • “The death of gameplay comes in so many different forms.”
    • “If you're going in expecting some grand insight into 'kill gameplay' don't get your hopes up, or at least it didn't happen to me.”
    • “There are some levels encapsulated by gameplay but less in the sense of trying to provide a traditional gaming experience and more in such a way that it emphasizes a point, embodies a theme, or conveys an emotion - often contrary to convention or encapsulating moods not usually conveyed by games.”
  • music
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music is thoughtfully crafted, using lo-fi and bit-crushed tones to evoke emotion and complement the game's artistic and gameplay elements. It enhances the overall atmosphere, effectively conveying the game's themes and mood alongside visuals and mechanics.

    • “The music explores interesting ideas and took me to interesting places.”
    • “But if poetry and musings on the nature of games, creating things, human connection, death and much more delivered via carefully considered lo-fi visuals, music and controls sound up your alley, I'd tell you this is well worth it.”
    • “The music too is simple without being simplistic and the bit crushed tones help to convey the emotion of the scenes.”
    • “As much as a musician would use music to express themselves with notes, here the changes in gravity and mobility combined with music, art, and animation convey emotion, accented by the platforming and level architecture.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users highlight the game's strong emotional impact, noting it evokes deep feelings both through its story and its creation. Many express that it rekindled emotional connections to video games they hadn't experienced in a long time.

    • “Not only do you get the feeling of Droqen's emotion, you get the feeling that it was emotional to make; that it was emotionally cathartic to make.”
    • “This is a game that has made me feel things about video games that I haven't felt in a long time.”
    • “I understand it not just rationally, but emotionally.”
  • graphics
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are intentionally simple and lo-fi, complementing its poetic themes and emphasizing the experience over visual complexity. This minimalist style is thoughtfully designed to enhance the overall atmosphere and message.

    • “But if poetry and musings on the nature of games, creating things, human connection, death and much more delivered via carefully considered lo-fi visuals, music and controls sound up your alley, I'd tell you this is well worth it.”
    • “After playing, I think everyone will understand why the graphics and gameplay have been kept simple.”
  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The provided user input does not contain sufficient information or specific feedback about replayability to generate a summary.

  • grinding
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is often considered tedious and unpleasant, detracting from the overall enjoyment for some players.

    • “At times this was genuinely tedious and unpleasant.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game features several funny moments intertwined with genuine, relatable reflections, creating a personal and honest tone throughout the writing.

    • “There are some funny moments and a lot of very human reflections, but all of the writing feels personal, honest, and above all relatable.”
Skip Game Offers

Buy The End of Gameplay

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like The End of Gameplay

Games Like The End of Gameplay

The Beginner's Guide Image
77%13.6kreviews

The Beginner's Guide

2015Action
LinuxPCTablet+2
Games like The Beginner's Guide
Actual Sunlight Image
74%381reviews

Actual Sunlight

2014Action
Nintendo SwitchPCTablet+9
Games like Actual Sunlight
Something for Someone Else Image
87%280reviews

Something for Someone Else

2019Action
PCWindows
Games like Something for Someone Else
The Old City: Leviathan Image
68%806reviews

The Old City: Leviathan

2014Action
PCWindows
Games like The Old City: Leviathan
That Dragon, Cancer Image
83%1.9kreviews

That Dragon, Cancer

2016Simulation
LinuxPCTablet+8
Games like That Dragon, Cancer
More games like The End of Gameplay
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The End of Gameplay is a platformer game.

The End of Gameplay is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

The End of Gameplay was released on May 12, 2025.

The End of Gameplay was developed by droqen.

The End of Gameplay has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its music.

The End of Gameplay is a single player game.

Similar games include The Beginner's Guide, Actual Sunlight, Something for Someone Else, The Old City: Leviathan, That Dragon, Cancer and others.