The Executioner
- September 25, 2019
- Lesser Evil Games
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamIn "The Executioner," players assume the role of a morally ambiguous protagonist in a dystopian city, deciding the fates of criminals and negotiating with clients in a tense atmosphere. With a choice-driven narrative and multiple endings, players must balance their morality and make tough decisions that affect the game's outcome. Through various scenarios and character interactions, the game explores themes of justice, power, and consequence in a thought-provoking and immersive experience.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Windows
Tablet
Reviews
- The game features a unique and engaging story that immerses players in a dark, atmospheric world filled with moral dilemmas.
- The writing quality is evocative and thought-provoking, providing a compelling narrative experience despite its flaws.
- The game has potential for high replay value due to its branching storylines and the impact of player choices.
- The game suffers from significant translation issues, with many sections remaining in Russian and numerous grammatical errors that hinder understanding.
- It is plagued by bugs that can disrupt gameplay, including crashes, loss of progress, and unclear choices that can lead to frustrating experiences.
- The game is currently incomplete, ending abruptly after the first chapter, leaving players wanting more content and resolution.
- story52 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story of the game is engaging and rich, immersing players in a dark, historical narrative filled with philosophical themes and character depth. However, many reviewers note that the game is extremely short, effectively serving as an incomplete first chapter, with unresolved arcs and significant localization issues, including untranslated Russian text. While the narrative has potential and is praised for its originality, the execution suffers from technical shortcomings that detract from the overall experience.
“The story is engaging and really makes you think about the consequences behind your decisions.”
“The quality of the story, the consistent dark tone, and the developer's expressive desire to continue to work and fully flesh out this game is something to be praised.”
“I love the concept and the depth of the story; the writers did amazing!”
“The plot of the game only covers one chapter, and it is painfully obvious that the developers intended to have many more chapters after that.”
“And the worst of all, the promise of an expansive plot is cut short when you suddenly see the credits after a few in-game days.”
“This is not a complete story; you're paying for an unfinished project.”
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, gritty, and immersive qualities, enhanced by strong descriptive language and compelling visuals. However, many players express frustration with technical issues, such as bugs and untranslated text, which detract from the overall experience and hinder the game's potential. Despite these flaws, the atmospheric elements remain a standout feature that captivates players.
“This is a short, atmospheric RPG that is mostly text-based.”
“The game is atmospheric, dark for an amateur.”
“Awesome RPG with lots of ambient text, art, and sound that sets you in the proper atmosphere.”
“As much as I hate to leave the game a negative review as it has some great descriptive language with a brutally gritty and somber atmosphere, in the end I can't leave a positive review of a game that has eaten my saves twice now, has had a habit of double posting text, has some pretty glaring English grammar/typo problems, and finally there is also the case of the game producing screens with no text resulting in a forced reload (which requires you to start a new game sometimes).”
“I would love to recommend this game for its atmosphere and concept; unfortunately, the game is riddled with game-breaking bugs, typos, and even untranslated sections at progression points.”
“I, personally, am not a big fan of text-based games, but I still gave it a shot and the atmosphere captured me almost instantly.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as unique and engrossing, with interesting mechanics that enhance the narrative experience, such as distinguishing between truth and lies in text. However, it suffers from issues like poor translation, under-developed mechanics, and random chance-based conflicts that can detract from player agency. While the concept is promising, bugs and a lack of depth in certain areas hinder the overall experience.
“That said - its unique gameplay and story are truly engrossing.”
“The most enjoyable moments, so far, are pre-launch text and tutorial: the first one gives you a proper approach to the gameplay (no wrong choices, but all have their results), and the second one isn't a simple 'follow-and-click' but is a part of the story.”
“It's a shame because the mechanics are interesting for a text-based game, such as the ability to tell the difference between lies and the truth through hovering over highlighted text, along with the RPG-like skill specializations being things I've yet to see in a text adventure.”
“The gameplay is 'diluted' by the plot component and the right to choose, which affects the course of the game.”
“Lets say you're willing to put up with some poor translation, lets say you're willing to deal with entirely chance-based conflicts that ultimately do not affect the story, lets say you're willing to tolerate under-developed mechanics... how about the fact this is 'chapter 1'?”
“What a piece of shit, there is barely any gameplay in it, text is boring and detailed in a wrong way, and of course there is this bug that didn't let me continue the game after I left.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and suitability to the setting, with many highlighting the beautiful art and voice narration that complement it. However, some users feel the music leans towards the generic side, despite its effectiveness in enhancing the overall experience.
“I love the voice narration and music.”
“Beautiful art and story, nice music.”
“Amazing ambient sounds and soundtrack.”
“The music is a bit on the generic side, although it is well-matched to the setting.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their unique and grim artwork, contributing to an immersive atmosphere, though some players feel that additional visuals and animations could enhance the experience. While the overall visual presentation is strong, the graphic depictions of torture may not appeal to all players.
“The visuals are great, sound and voice acting good, and the overall concept is unique and grim.”
“The artwork and atmosphere of this game are amazing.”
“Somehow the game is legitimately terrifying, but it could use more visuals and animations. The translations are also a bit off, though this happens very rarely.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent freezes, crashes, and numerous localization issues that detract from the experience. Players have reported significant bugs, including non-functional options and glitches in the text, making it difficult to navigate even the reporting system for these issues.
“What I got was a mess of broken localizations, freezes, and crashes.”
“Interesting game, but it's quite buggy.”
“The 'raise the stakes' options seem to not do anything at all, and even in the text options, glitches are aplenty and incredibly noticeable. The funny thing is, the 'report a bug' option suffers from this as well, and I couldn't understand it.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its diverse item combinations and impactful early choices, encouraging players to explore different paths. However, the lack of a save/load option and reliance on RNG can make multiple playthroughs time-consuming. Overall, players are eager to experience the various outcomes.
“High replay value.”
“The game has a lot of replay value depending on how you combine items and what choices you make early on, but the RNG and the previously mentioned problem of the lack of a save/load option makes different playthroughs time-consuming.”
“The game has a lot of replay value depending on how you combine items and what choices you make early on, but the RNG and the aforementioned problem of the lack of a save/load option makes different playthroughs time-consuming.”
“Definitely a lot of replayability, and I'm excited to see how each 'path' plays out.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its clever premise of playing as a medieval executioner, which users find both witty and impressive for a debut title. However, some players note that the humor is undermined by noticeable glitches, particularly in the text options, including the "report a bug" feature, which adds an unintended layer of comedy to the experience.
“Really, this concept of playing as a medieval executioner is so brilliant on its own, and the execution (yes, I am very funny and witty) of it is very impressive, especially considering this is Lesser Evil's first game (that I am aware of).”
“The 'raise the stakes' options seem to not do anything at all, but even in the text options, glitches are aplenty and incredibly noticeable. The funny thing is that the 'report a bug' option suffers from this too, and I couldn't understand it.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally challenging, largely due to its complexity beyond a traditional visual novel format, which adds depth to the emotional experience.
“Still, it’s a hard game to get through emotionally, and that’s mostly because the game isn’t a pure visual novel.”
“The emotional depth of the characters really pulls you in and makes you feel invested in their stories.”
“I found myself tearing up at several points; the game truly captures the essence of human emotions.”
