The Making of Roundabout

About

"The Making of Roundabout" is a comprehensive compendium related to the game "Roundabout." It includes the full 87-page shooting script, annotated with notes and stories, as well as art pages that provide insights into the game's characters, logo, and behind-the-scenes content. Previously part of the Roundabout Deluxe Edition, it's now available for separate purchase, offering fans a deep dive into the game's creation.

Genres & Tags

Indie

Play Modes

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

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 692 reviews

story82 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Roundabout features a unique and engaging gameplay mechanic where players control a constantly spinning limousine, making navigation both challenging and fun.
The game is filled with charming, cheesy FMV cutscenes that add humor and personality, making the story enjoyable despite its simplicity.
There is a generous amount of optional content, including collectibles and challenges, providing replayability beyond the main story.

The game can be frustrating due to its collision mechanics, where players can easily die from minor bumps, leading to frequent respawns.
The main story is relatively short, taking only about 2-3 hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content.
There are technical issues, such as awkward respawn points and occasional bugs that can disrupt gameplay.

story
444 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
80%
1%
The story of *Roundabout* is a quirky and humorous journey presented through cheesy live-action cutscenes reminiscent of 1970s B-movies, featuring a silent spinning limo driver who encounters a cast of eccentric characters. While the main storyline is relatively short, taking about 2-3 hours to complete, it is filled with charm and comedic moments that keep players engaged, alongside numerous side missions and collectibles that enhance replayability. Overall, the narrative is intentionally absurd and light-hearted, making it a memorable experience despite its brevity.
- “An incredibly charming story with funny writing.”
- “The plot itself could have been easily ignored in a game like this but the effort and care put into it made me actually want to finish the story.”
- “The story is quirky and intentionally told like a bad B-movie through FMV cutscenes, which gives the game a certain flair I haven't seen in anything else.”
- “The story is unbelievably stupid.”
- “Plus the story really goes nowhere.”
- “The story mode itself is also incredibly linear, with no branching, and almost no variety in the order missions can be completed in.”
gameplay
348 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
56%
1%
The gameplay in "Roundabout" is characterized by its unique mechanic of controlling a constantly spinning limousine, which presents a blend of puzzle-solving and arcade challenges. While some players find the gameplay initially disorienting, many appreciate its charm and addictive nature, despite occasional frustrations with its simplicity and design flaws. The integration of humorous full-motion video cutscenes enhances the experience, making it a quirky and enjoyable title for those open to its unconventional approach.
- “The gameplay is fantastic, the cutscenes and acting are fantastic, the DLC was a fun ride, and the story really is funny; not even once did I cringe at a bad joke; it was just laughter the whole way through.”
- “The core mechanic of constantly spinning seems strange and disorienting at first, but it soon becomes second nature and the thought of moving in a straight line will seem absurd.”
- “Charming full motion video cutscenes, hilarious and colorful characters combined with challenging and addictive arcade puzzle gameplay make Roundabout one of the most cherished games in my library.”
- “Just watch the FMVs on YouTube as the gameplay utterly fails them.”
- “Boring and repetitive gameplay, forced humor, nauseating color palette, and simply not as fun as it seems.”
- “With that said, if you're looking for a driving game, this doesn't really have driving; if you were to strip away the graphics, you're more or less guiding a rotating line through a maze, not driving.”
humor
196 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and absurdity, featuring hilarious full-motion video cutscenes and a quirky, 1970s-inspired storyline that keeps players laughing throughout. Many reviewers highlight the intentionally bad acting and silly dialogue as key elements that enhance the comedic experience, making it a memorable and enjoyable ride. Overall, the game successfully blends fun gameplay with a unique sense of humor that resonates with players, ensuring a delightful experience.
- “Between jamming to the funky beats, hilarious dialogue, and ridiculous situations this game puts you in, I end up with a smile on my face the second the opening screen pops on and that same smile sticks around even hours after I stop playing.”
- “Roundabout would be good enough for the gameplay alone, but what really makes this game special are the cheesy, hilarious FMV cutscenes that introduce you to a (ahem) revolving cast of characters.”
- “The gameplay is fantastic, the cutscenes and acting are fantastic, the DLC was a fun ride, and the story really is funny; not even once did I cringe at a bad joke; it was just laughter the whole way through.”
- “When I heard it was by people from Something Awful, I immediately assumed it would be boring, unfunny, crass, and full of in-jokes that only the most profoundly autistic would understand.”
- “It is like a joke that is funny, then it's not funny, then it is funny again.”
music
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
54%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy, disco-inspired soundtrack that complements the quirky, 70s B-movie aesthetic. Reviewers highlight its charm and ability to enhance the overall experience, although some note that it can become repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant asset, adding to the fun and engaging gameplay.
- “An amazingly fun game with a wonderful soundtrack, and it's the kind of weird that I love.”
- “Compellingly frustrating gameplay, a relentlessly catchy soundtrack, and hilariously cheesy fully acted cutscenes guiding you through a story of loss, love, strife, and a spinning limousine.”
- “The soundtrack is complementary to the fun and jovial nature of the game, and along with the voiceover within missions, it was simply too happy and enjoyable to sully my full experience that the audio provides to the game.”
- “My only criticism is that the soundtrack can get repetitive.”
- “The music in this game has a 70's disco vibe and while not outstanding, it fits in very well to the world around it.”
- “Music is basic but fits with the gameplay.”
graphics
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
62%
6%
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with some praising the colorful and charming aesthetic reminiscent of a 70s B-movie, while others note a lack of technical options and graphical fidelity. Overall, the visuals are described as serviceable and fitting for an arcade-style game, though not groundbreaking, with a score of 9/10 from some reviewers. Despite the simplicity, the art style and graphical effects contribute positively to the game's quirky charm and engaging gameplay.
- “Graphics: 9/10.”
- “The graphics look great.”
- “The visual aesthetic is excellent; the car, UI, and the environment are all nice to look at.”
- “The graphics leave a bit to be desired (no anti-aliasing or vsync), but gameplay is solid (that's all that matters, really) and the writing is insanely humorous.”
- “There are no graphic options, so you may want to try the demo beforehand to make sure you can run it.”
- “The graphics of the game aren't anything special, but it's an arcadeish game, not some AAA blockbuster, so you'll likely forgive the technical aspects of the game.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The game boasts significant replayability, with players praising its depth and variety of content, including optional missions, minigames, and collectibles that encourage repeated play. While the main story is relatively short, many find value in improving scores and competing with friends, though some note that replay value may be limited for those not interested in achievements or cosmetic unlocks. Overall, it offers a rich experience for completionists and those seeking to master its challenges.
- “Truly amazing, the amount of content and replayability this game contains, making for an extremely fun and unique game.”
- “For such a cheap and seemingly simple game, there's a surprising amount of depth, and even replayability - while you only need to mosey your way through any story quest once to progress, you can go back and repeat the missions as much as you like to attempt to improve your standing against your friends and globally.”
- “The main story isn't that long, only about 3 hours, but it's incredibly replayable, and offers tons of minigames and optional collectibles to keep you busy even after you've beaten it.”
- “But there isn't any replay value unless you want the Steam achievements.”
- “Not much replayability unless you want to unlock more limo hats.”
- “Replay value - not applicable to everyone as already mentioned, but this game offers you so much more than just completing missions and moving on to the next one to see the FMV.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
Overall, the game's optimization is stable, with few significant performance issues reported, though some players experienced frame rate drops in areas with heavy light effects. However, the menu screen runs slowly, and movement can feel jagged at times. While the game doesn't aim for technical excellence, good performance is expected, and it generally meets that requirement despite some minor drawbacks.
- “Performance was stable though.”
- “I haven't got much performance problems overall but there were places with a bigger amount of light effects which sucked most of my FPS (and it couldn't get turned off in the settings).”
- “I haven't got much performance problems overall, but there were places with a larger amount of light effects which sucked most of my FPS (and it couldn't be turned off in the settings).”
- “It runs slowly in the menu screen, and the movement can sometimes be a little jagged.”
- “As for how the game is optimized, it ran at about 55°C on my GPU.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features top-notch acting and a heartwarming love story that fosters a deep emotional connection with the characters, making players genuinely care about their journeys. This emotional engagement is enhanced by innovative gameplay and accurate controls, creating a wholesome experience that resonates with players.
- “And not only is it funny, by the end of the story I was truly emotionally attached to the characters and cared about them, which is rare even in a serious game.”
- “Top notch acting, heart-warming love story, super accurate controls and innovative gameplay.”
- “Wholesome.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by a sense of distance, creating an immersive experience that evokes feelings of isolation or expansiveness. This quality enhances the overall mood of the game, drawing players into its world.
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, particularly with respawning mechanics that can place players far from their intended locations or even cause instant deaths by spawning them inside objects. While audio glitches are minimal, the overall experience is marred by these frustrating bugs.
- “It's also quite buggy...often a respawn will either drop you miles from where you were, bypassing all the closer checkpoints, or it'll respawn you partially inside a building or vehicle causing you to explode immediately.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that while the game offers extensive content for completionists, the grinding required to achieve 100% completion can become tedious over time.
- “You could spend a lot longer on this game if you want to fully complete everything, but it will become tedious.”