The Low Road
- July 26, 2017
- xgenstudios
- 4h median play time
Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.
Get on Steam"The Low Road" is a point-and-click adventure game set in the 1970s cutthroat world of corporate espionage. As a novice spy, players must use their wits and cunning to outmaneuver rival companies, uncover secrets, and solve puzzles. With a distinct graphic novel art style and humorous dialogue, this game offers a unique and engaging experience for fans of the genre.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features a charming art style and a nostalgic 70s vibe that enhances the overall experience.
- The voice acting is generally well-received, with characters that are engaging and humorous.
- The puzzles, while not overly challenging, are enjoyable and the story has interesting twists that keep players invested.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs that can prevent progression and a lack of in-game settings for audio and controls.
- Many players found the gameplay to be slow and linear, with tedious dialogue and movement that detracts from the experience.
- The overall story can feel disjointed and lacks depth, leading to a sense of disappointment given the game's promising premise.
- story176 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as engaging and filled with twists, often set against a nostalgic 1970s backdrop, but opinions vary on its execution. While some players appreciate the humor and character development, others find the plot disjointed, lacking depth, or overly bizarre, leading to an underwhelming experience. Overall, the narrative has potential but is marred by pacing issues and a lack of meaningful player choices.
“The story is deep enough and told in the way of a crime or indeed spy novel where the player may piece together the story slightly ahead of the avatar - and a second run will make it easier to spot early connections that may have been too obscure before.”
“It's definitely got everything a good game should have; an interesting story, great voice acting, amazing soundtrack, cute art style and just that flow which makes the game feel good to play.”
“The low road is a beautiful point-and-click spy adventure with a good story and atmospheric music setting the scene.”
“Glitchy, chapter 5 just won't load, short chapters with little to offer, no engaging story to speak of, no intrigue, fails to be either funny or dramatic.”
“The story ends abruptly which, for me, in an adventure game, is a crime.”
“The main problem here is a weak-ish plot and the game experience.”
- graphics82 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and consistent art style, which evokes a nostalgic '70s vibe and features beautiful retro aesthetics. While many players appreciate the visuals and smooth performance, some note minor technical issues and a few inconsistencies in the art. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, enhancing the overall experience despite some mixed opinions on gameplay.
“Coupled with a charming art style and you've got a wonderful game that is worth the buy!”
“The art is simply beautiful; I love this aesthetics combined with the 70s style.”
“The visual aesthetic is top notch and the characters are engaging, but I found the gameplay and humor to be very uneven.”
“Art style could do with some work; for some reason, they went with the 'let's make everyone an alcoholic' look.”
“Nothing stellar about it - a few bugs here and there, mediocre storyline, decent graphics.”
“When you’re launching the game, you can choose resolution and one graphics option, but there is nothing in-game for graphics, audio, controls, or anything else aside from language.”
- music72 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely praised as exceptional, with many reviewers highlighting its retro 70s and 80s vibes that perfectly complement the game's atmosphere and art style. While some noted that the music can be repetitive or too loud at times, the overall sentiment is that the soundtrack significantly enhances the gaming experience, making it a standout feature worth purchasing separately. Overall, the combination of great music, voice acting, and visuals contributes to a delightful and immersive gameplay experience.
“The music/soundtrack is amazing; all the vocal tracks are bangers of spy movie music.”
“Its 70s ambiance and perfectly suitable soundtrack, in addition to its refreshing, refined art style, are strong points of this particular title and help reinforce the whole setting.”
“The soundtrack is phenomenal as well.”
“The music is very repetitive, to the point that several times (usually while engaged in one of the mini-games) I turned off the volume completely.”
“The soundtrack is a separate purchase, unless you know how to unlock the Unity archives.”
“And, of course, the music is too loud in some places.”
- humor52 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its clever writing, witty dialogue, and engaging characters that contribute to a charming experience. While some players found the humor uneven or not consistently funny, others highlighted its ability to evoke genuine laughter, particularly in its dark spy comedy context. Overall, the game is noted for its smart and often hilarious approach, making it a standout in the point-and-click genre.
“The writing is clever and funny.”
“It's funny, witty, and smart.”
“A charming point-and-click adventure with awesome voice acting and hilarious characters.”
- gameplay46 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 26 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a classic point-and-click experience with some innovative twists, such as engaging conversations and mini-games. However, many players find it tedious and slow, particularly due to cumbersome movement and simplistic puzzles, which detract from the overall enjoyment. While the art, music, and story elements are praised, the uneven gameplay and technical issues lead to mixed recommendations.
“Gameplay is point-and-click perfection.”
“When it comes to gameplay, this is a classic point and click with some twists; there's a lot of conversations and interesting mini games.”
“However, the gameplay itself is easy to understand and free of technical issues, the puzzles are actually really fun, the soundtrack is exceptional, and it's an easy game to grind for 100% achievements.”
“The point and click gameplay is often slow, especially when climbing up/down the stairs, and dragging items to create interaction sometimes doesn't work.”
“This poor gameplay takes away from the many other high-quality background elements.”
“However, the gameplay is tedious and boring.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, primarily due to slow character movement and repetitive back-and-forth tasks. The gameplay often involves listening to lengthy dialogues and solving obvious puzzles, which can detract from the overall experience. While the voice acting is praised, the overall pacing and lack of challenge contribute to a sense of monotony.
“However, the gameplay is tedious and boring.”
“Obvious puzzles and actions have to comply with the strict scripting and tedious back and forth.”
“Most of the game is listening to people talking, and while the voice acting is well done, it gets pretty tedious.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is heavily influenced by a vibrant 70's retro theme, enhanced by atmospheric music and art that immerses players in the era. While many appreciate the nostalgic setting, some feel that the character design detracts from the overall experience, and the rushed plot limits opportunities for deeper interaction and appreciation of the game's ambiance. Overall, the game successfully captures a delightful 70s vibe, though it leaves players wanting more engagement with its rich atmosphere.
“The low road is a beautiful point'n'click spy adventure with a good story and atmospheric music setting the scene.”
“Music and art make it delightfully atmospheric: the game breathes 70s.”
“Short but fun, with an atmospheric 70's retro theme.”
“I thought the plot was rushed; I really wanted time to relax and fall in love with the atmosphere of the game by being able to interact with more objects, but it didn't have that.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is highly praised for its optimization, featuring excellent performance and high-quality audio without any crashes, glitches, or bugs reported by users.
“The game didn’t crash on me once; I ran into no glitches or bugs, and the performance was fantastic.”
“Not just the performance, but the quality of the audio.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to its short length, but players may find some incentive to revisit it if they are inclined.
“It's also pretty short and sweet, with a little room for replayability if you've got the appetite for it.”
“It's also pretty short and sweet with a little room for replayability if you've got the appetite for it.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with users finding the story to be unengaging and lacking depth, leading to a dull overall experience.
- stability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates excellent stability, with users reporting no crashes, glitches, or bugs, and consistently high performance throughout their experience.
“The game didn’t crash on me once, I ran into no glitches or bugs, and the performance was fantastic.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The character development received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the thematic elements and '70s atmosphere, while others criticized the character design as unattractive.
“I liked the theme and '70 atmosphere, but the character design was ugly.”
