the Line

About

In "The Line" , players control Angelina and her mutated dog Fin in a rogue-like, dungeon crawler, survival game with turn-based combat. The goal is to survive the long line for resettlement from the oppressive east side of the city while uncovering the true nature of the resettlement. Combat, negotiation, and exploiting enemy weaknesses are the keys to success in this atmospheric and immersive game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

60%

Audience ScoreBased on 20 reviews

graphics5 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features a unique and compelling visual aesthetic, combining collage art with a dystopian atmosphere.
The gameplay offers interesting mechanics, allowing players to choose between combat, bartering, or simply waiting to advance in the queue.
The audio design enhances the eerie and surreal experience, contributing to the overall atmosphere of the game.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including freezing during mini-games, making it largely unplayable.
The narrative and gameplay mechanics are poorly explained, leaving players confused about how to progress.
The integration of various game genres feels disjointed, resulting in a lack of cohesion and polish.

graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
The game's graphics feature a unique and quirky art style reminiscent of magazine tearouts and stop-motion animation, which many players find appealing and compelling. However, the visuals are marred by technical issues, including bugs and crashes, and the lack of support for high-definition graphics. Overall, while the aesthetics are praised, they are not enough to fully compensate for the game's gameplay shortcomings.
- “The art style complements this pretty well, and is what drew me to the game in the first place.”
- “Visuals and atmosphere are absolutely brilliant.”
- “I had my eyes on this game for a long time because of its unique art style.”
- “Graphics are an unusual quirky style that looks a bit like magazine tearouts in stop-motion animation, which also might be fine if the rest of the game was there to back it up.”
- “No support for HD, let alone UHD graphics; the game is buggy and crashes/freezes or just puts itself into a state you can't get out of (like locking up in a puzzle because there's no available moves).”
- “The artwork is clip art, the combat is poor, the minigames are uninspired, and in truth, it gave my internet cancer... twice.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay features a mix of randomized elements and interesting mechanics, but is marred by significant bugs that can disrupt the experience, such as freezing minigames and unresponsive NPC interactions. While some players appreciate the thoughtful design and unique concept of simulating waiting, others find the difficulty too low and the gameplay occasionally tedious. Overall, the visuals and core mechanics are praised, but the game's unfinished feel and technical issues detract from its potential.
- “I came for the visuals but it turned out the gameplay is actually pretty decent.”
- “I must say though that it takes some time in the beginning to figure everything out, but it won't take more than 10 minutes. Sure, as was mentioned earlier in other reviews, the game has a fair share of bugs, but I am very pleased to see an actually thoughtful (but kept simple) gameplay.”
- “This is really a genial feature, in every term, from setting to lore and gameplay.”
- “Some elements are randomized (item drop and enemies) and these aspects could lead to a great experience; unfortunately, it is quite buggy: the scavenge minigames work sometimes, sometimes they just freeze your game. The trap mechanics in Act II don't seem to work at all, your battle animation can lock into your movement, and sometimes you cannot interact with NPCs although everything feels like you should.”
- “Since searching for items and bartering those items to move ahead in the line is a core component of the gameplay, this is a game-breaking bug which makes the game unplayable.”
- “I mean, I don't mind obscure, hidden, and crude in terms of presentation or mechanics, but this clearly seems unintentional or, at worst, unfinished.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
17%
17%
The atmosphere of "the line" is highly praised for its unique blend of audio and visually striking art, featuring deformed-dystopian renaissance elements that create an engaging and unsettling experience. Reviewers highlight the clever use of collage techniques, which enhance the game's addictive quality and contribute to a brilliantly immersive environment. Overall, the combination of exceptional visuals and sound design establishes a compelling and atmospheric backdrop that stands out in the gaming landscape.
- “The line has great audio and exceptional art collaged with deformed-dystopian renaissance assets, which create a fantastic atmosphere (probably the best selling point).”
- “Visuals and atmosphere are absolutely brilliant.”
- “I've never been so pleasantly surprised while playing this game; the atmosphere, concepts, and the graphics, which cleverly use collage (something I've never seen before in a game), made what I thought would be a dull experience actually pretty addictive.”
- “No one has the time in their life to wait out the line so you have choices on how you choose to proceed: barter with people for their spot, fight them for their spot, or expose their weakness (after a 'psychic' puzzle). Unsettling art and sound choices contribute to an uneasy atmosphere.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is significantly hampered by numerous bugs, including freezing during minigames, non-functional mechanics, and issues with NPC interactions. Players frequently experience crashes and lock-ups, particularly during exploration sequences, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, there is a lack of support for higher resolution graphics, further compounding the stability issues.
- “Some elements are randomized (item drop and enemies) and these aspects could lead to a great experience; unfortunately, it is quite buggy. The scavenge minigames work sometimes, but sometimes they just freeze your game. The trap mechanics in Act II don't seem to work at all, your battle animation can lock into your movement, and sometimes you cannot interact with NPCs even though everything feels like you should.”
- “No support for HD, let alone UHD graphics. The game is buggy and crashes/freezes or just puts itself into a state you can't get out of, like locking up in a puzzle because there are no available moves.”
- “Any time you initiate a sequence where you or the dog are doing the exploration minigame, the game freezes, making it impossible to make progress.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story is poorly introduced, leaving players confused and unsure of their objectives from the outset. While some appreciate the game's visuals, many feel that the storytelling flaws significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “The story is not well introduced, and you start the game confused and left without any idea of how to actually play or what is expected of you.”
- “I like the look of the game and could overlook its quirks with regard to controls and storytelling, but nobody should be paying money for this when it's essentially broken.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, yet it is intentionally designed to reflect the concept of "simulation of waiting in a queue," adding a layer of thematic depth to the experience.
- “The gameplay can be somewhat tedious and repetitive, but this is also somehow integrated into the concept of 'simulation of waiting in a queue'.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “The constant need to grind for resources makes the game feel more like a job than a fun experience.”