The Franz Kafka Videogame

55%
Game Brain Score Based on 255 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • music
The Franz Kafka Videogame Game Cover
The Franz Kafka Videogame is a unique adventure game experience, filled with unique art style and accessible puzzles. However, a baffling story that goes nowhere and a dreadfully short length make the game simply adequate rather than surreal.
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In "The Franz Kafka Videogame" , you follow K., a man offered employment who embarks on a journey to a surreal world filled with absurdity and uncertainty. The game, inspired by Franz Kafka's works, offers unique logic puzzles and high-definition graphics, while omitting traditional RPG features such as inventory and boss battles. Embrace a distinctive atmosphere and uncover the mysteries beyond K.'s homeland.

  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

55%
Audience ScoreBased on 255 reviews
graphics37 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and charming art style that captures the surreal essence of Kafka's works.
  • The puzzles, while sometimes confusing, offer a creative challenge that encourages out-of-the-box thinking.
  • The atmospheric sound design and music enhance the overall experience, immersing players in the game's quirky world.
  • The game is very short, often completed in under two hours, leaving players wanting more content.
  • Many puzzles lack clear logic, leading to frustration and reliance on hints, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
  • The narrative feels disjointed and incoherent, failing to provide a satisfying connection to Kafka's themes or a meaningful story.
  • story111 mentions

    The game's story is widely criticized for being incoherent and lacking depth, with many players finding it disconnected from the themes of Franz Kafka, despite its attempts at surrealism. While some appreciate the art style and the bizarre narrative, most agree that the story serves merely as a backdrop for the puzzles, which themselves vary in quality and logic. Overall, the narrative is seen as superficial and frustrating, leaving players confused rather than engaged.

    • “The story is nice and well presented (though, well, bizarre).”
    • “Delve into a strange world which embodies Kafka's work excellently, with its bizarre and obscure art style and weird storyline.”
    • “Cute little game with very nice art and music that blend together themes and plot points from different novels and short stories by Franz Kafka with elements from his own life.”
    • “There is no real story there and the puzzles are either not really puzzles (since they are so easy) or they are ridiculously complicated.”
    • “The story does not really focus around Kafka; it starts in the middle of somewhere and then picks out some pieces of his life which are told in a soberingly boring way.”
    • “The story makes no sense at all and you're constantly asking yourself 'what the f**k is happening?'”
  • graphics86 mentions

    The game's graphics are generally praised for their charming and unique art style, which effectively captures a surreal atmosphere reminiscent of Franz Kafka's works. While the visuals are described as beautiful and well-executed, some players note that the animations are simplistic and the overall graphical options are limited. Despite the appealing aesthetics, many reviewers feel that the graphics alone do not compensate for the game's shortcomings in depth and gameplay.

    • “With its minimalist yet evocative art style, the game presents a series of absurd and dreamlike environments that will captivate and intrigue players.”
    • “The game's visuals pay homage to the unique and enigmatic style of Franz Kafka's literary works.”
    • “Graphically, the game looks gorgeous, but the animations are very simple.”
    • “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
    • “The mobile app features simple, fairly basic 2D visuals, and while some effort went into them, they don't look bad exactly, but they don't look great, either.”
    • “In the 3D era of gaming, that kicked off in the mid-1990s with dedicated 3D GPUs like the S3 Virge and ATI Rage, phoning in the graphics like this isn't going to win any awards or appeal to enthusiast PC gamers.”
  • music58 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its pleasantness and ability to enhance the surreal atmosphere, drawing comparisons to the works of Franz Kafka and David Lynch. While many reviewers appreciate the soundtrack's beauty and its contribution to the overall aesthetic, some criticize the ending music for being out of place and detracting from the game's deeper themes. Overall, the art and music are highlighted as standout features, though the gameplay and puzzle design receive mixed feedback.

    • “Good puzzle game with pleasant visuals and music that well conveys the surreal atmosphere of Franz Kafka’s books and David Lynch’s films.”
    • “The art is fantastic, and the soundtrack is gorgeous!”
    • “Clever puzzles, brilliant music, Kafka's stories - there's nothing to wish for more.”
    • “The soundtrack at the end of the game doesn't fit at all (rock music, why?) and destroys the rest of the 'deeper meaning' of this easy and poorly written riddle game.”
    • “The music and sound didn't really stand out to me at all, other than not caring for the credits music.”
    • “It's pretty and the music isn't half bad but the puzzles at the core of the game are just an incomprehensible mess with no clear objective.”
  • gameplay29 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a blend of point-and-click mechanics and puzzles, but many players find it simplistic and tedious, often requiring external guides to navigate effectively. While some appreciate the intuitive mechanics and surreal narrative, the overall experience is described as short and lacking depth, with many puzzles being easy to solve. The game is seen more as an "experience" rather than a robust gaming offering, leading to mixed feelings about its value and engagement.

    • “The gameplay is a blend of point-and-click mechanics, clever puzzles, and unexpected interactions.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are intuitive and complement the surreal narrative, ensuring that each puzzle and challenge is an engaging and thought-provoking experience.”
    • “The puzzles are relatively easy but you need to interact with the game world a lot to explore how the mechanics work and think outside of the box.”
    • “So little content and gameplay it should’ve just been free.”
    • “More like an 'experience' than a real game; its length (~2 hours of gameplay) and simplicity (most of these puzzles can be solved simply by clicking and dragging things around, even if they are so confusing to understand what you were supposed to do) will prevent it from staying in your memories for long.”
    • “The gameplay - tedious, at best.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its surreal and immersive qualities, effectively drawing inspiration from the works of Franz Kafka and David Lynch through striking visuals and atmospheric sound design. While the music and sound effects enhance the experience, some players feel that the connection to Kafka's themes is diluted by a more whimsical tone, leading to mixed feelings about the overall "kafkaesque" atmosphere. Despite these critiques, many appreciate the unique ambiance and creative puzzle design that contribute to an engaging gameplay experience.

    • “Good puzzle game with pleasant visuals and music that well conveys the surreal atmosphere of Franz Kafka’s books and David Lynch’s films.”
    • “The atmospheric sound design of the Franz Kafka video game enhances the overall surreal and immersive experience.”
    • “The sound design effectively complements the visuals and narrative, enveloping you in an atmospheric soundscape that further immerses you in the game's unique atmosphere.”
    • “There were also near-constant comments from our main protagonist about how absurd all this is, which kind of took away from the atmosphere a bit.”
    • “A bunch of characters from Kafka's books is present but the 'kafkaesque' atmosphere is gone, replaced by some cartoon nonsense.”
    • “And even though I have to say I was hoping for way more connection to Kafka and his writings (or the style of his writings), the atmosphere and art style is quite neat.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is polarizing; while some players appreciate its twisted and sarcastic elements, particularly those familiar with Kafka's work, many find the jokes fall flat and the overall comedic execution lacking. The humor is described as cute but short-lived, with some moments that break the monotony, yet overall, it leaves players feeling frustrated and disconnected from the intended comedic experience.

    • “It's cute and funny, but super short.”
    • “There are also a few funny moments to sort of break your concentration, but I won't spoil them here.”
    • “It's a funny game; if you love Franz Kafka's books, you have to play this game.”
    • “And also not funny!”
    • “Nonsensical and unfunny riddles”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort to achieve certain milestones. While some achievements can be enjoyable, the repetitive nature of tasks and puzzles, such as waiting for hints or redoing sections of the game, detracts from the overall experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The gameplay is tedious, at best.”
    • “As seems to be a Daedalic tradition, one achievement is very tedious (requires redoing the whole game and waiting for hints to become available - 3 minutes of wait time per hint).”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users have noted occasional stability issues, such as character glitches, which can disrupt immersion. However, these instances appear to be infrequent and do not significantly detract from the overall experience.

    • “Chalmers rings Skinner's doorbell. Skinner opens the door, but his face briefly glitches into a bug before returning to normal.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of the Franz Kafka video game has been criticized as a cash grab by mobile developers, with users feeling that it disrespects the legacy of the author for profit. The game is perceived as an insincere attempt to capitalize on Kafka's name rather than offering a genuine gaming experience.

    • “The Franz Kafka video game is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game. It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. The game essentially tries to profit from the life and times of Franz Kafka by disrespectfully lambasting the poor man. No respect for the dead; they just want your money to make light of a famous author.”
    • “The monetization strategy is incredibly aggressive, making it feel like the game is more focused on extracting money from players than providing a quality experience.”
    • “I was shocked at how many in-game purchases were pushed on me. It feels like the developers are more interested in making a quick buck than creating a balanced game.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Despite the game's overall quality being questioned, players appreciate its ability to evoke strong emotions, making them feel significant and engaged.

    • “The game made me feel a deep connection to the characters, and their struggles resonated with my own experiences.”
    • “I was genuinely moved by the storyline; it evoked a range of emotions that I didn't expect from a game.”
    • “Playing this game was an emotional rollercoaster, and I found myself reflecting on my own life long after I finished.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Despite being a short game developed by a single person, players express surprise at the depth of story and character development, indicating that it exceeds initial expectations.

    • “The character development in this game is surprisingly deep, considering it's a short experience.”
    • “I was amazed at how much the characters evolved throughout the story, making me feel emotionally invested.”
    • “Each character's journey is well-crafted, with meaningful growth that adds layers to the overall narrative.”
    • “You might think that this is a short game and a single person effort, so how much of a story and character development should I expect?”
    • “The character development feels rushed and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with anyone.”
    • “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices that impact character growth throughout the game.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game offers limited replayability, as players may find little incentive to revisit once they have discovered all the solutions, aside from pursuing a final achievement related to hint usage.

    • “There's no replay value once you know the solutions, unless you want to be a stickler and get the final achievement, as there will always be one missing - complete with all hints or complete with none.”
    • “After finishing the game, I felt no urge to play it again. The story and puzzles just don't have enough depth to warrant a second playthrough.”
    • “Once you've experienced the game, there's little incentive to return. The lack of varied outcomes or branching paths makes replaying feel redundant.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

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Play time

2hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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