THE MULLER-POWELL PRINCIPLE

About

In "The Muller-Powell Principle," become Harry Herman, an employee of Delta Laboratories studying interdimensional travel. After a project goes awry, use the Portable Energy Manipulator to solve physics-based puzzles, manipulate objects, and uncover the dark truth behind the experiment and your connection to it, all while exploring surreal universes.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 219 reviews

gameplay36 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and immersive environments that enhance the overall experience.
The puzzles are engaging and require critical thinking, providing a satisfying challenge for players.
The storyline is intriguing, with a mix of sci-fi and horror elements that keep players invested.

The controls can be clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The chase mechanics involving an invulnerable enemy disrupt the flow of the game and can feel unfair.
There are numerous bugs and technical issues that detract from the overall enjoyment, including soft-locks and inconsistent save points.

gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
51%
5%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring innovative mechanics like an energy-manipulating gun and varied puzzles that draw comparisons to titles like Portal. However, many players criticize the frustrating chase mechanics, unintuitive controls, and numerous bugs that detract from the overall experience, making it feel unpolished and at times nearly unplayable. While the graphics and atmosphere are praised, the inconsistent gameplay elements leave players divided on their enjoyment.
- “The main gameplay gimmick is a gun that can store different types of energy, like heat or light.”
- “The gameplay is quite convenient, there’s nothing to complain about, it’s better for you to find out about the plot yourself as you progress through the game, but I can definitely say that it will definitely drag you in :)”
- “I appreciated the variety of puzzles, from logic-based challenges to more action-oriented sequences, which kept the gameplay fresh and exciting.”
- “But the puzzle design, the gameplay issues, and the bugs show, at the same time, a lack of care and turn what could be an enjoyable journey through dimensions into a frustrating experience.”
- “The immortal enemy is one of my most hated gameplay mechanics; needing to solve puzzles while running away from an immortal enemy is enough to make me drop the game.”
- “Bottom line: this game has extremely poor gameplay mechanics and almost makes this game unplayable.”
story
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
44%
7%
The story of "The Muller-Powell Principle" is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its engaging narrative, intriguing world-building, and immersive graphics. However, some critiques highlight a lack of originality, drawing heavily from established titles like "Half-Life" and "Portal," and note that the writing and voice acting could use more polish. Overall, while the story captivates many players, it may not fully satisfy those seeking a unique narrative experience.
- “One of the best games I've played recently, and an absorbing storyline only added to the fun.”
- “The story, world-building, and mechanics are amazing.”
- “With its visually impressive graphics, intriguing storyline, and variety of challenges, 'The Muller-Powell Principle' is sure to provide an unforgettable gaming experience for fans of action and indie games.”
- “Overall, worth the price for a solid puzzle game that will get you thinking, but undercut in story/atmosphere terms by lack of polish in the writing and voice acting.”
- “The plot is supplemented with text logs that usually are either 'blah blah blah science experiment went bad' or 'science experiment logistics yadda yadda yadda.' It could potentially get better later on, but I don't feel like trudging onward in the hope that it does.”
- “Of course, the story takes a lot from Half-Life and Portal with a bit of Soma, but the result is definitely unoriginal and if you’ve played the above games, you can get quickly bored due to the conventional type of narrative.”
graphics
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
25%
5%
The graphics of "The Muller-Powell Principle" have received generally positive feedback, with many players praising the beautiful visuals, well-crafted environments, and immersive art direction. While some noted that the graphics may not be groundbreaking and exhibit a slightly generic style, they still contribute significantly to the overall experience, enhancing the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, especially given the game's indie development background.
- “Visually fantastic (in terms of both graphics and art direction), a fun story, lore that could easily be expanded into a universe of its own, and environmental puzzles that require you to actually think.”
- “Graphics look really nice and environments feel greatly polished, especially the scientific lab which is filled with furniture, notes and small details that make it believable.”
- “With its captivating visuals and thought-provoking gameplay, it offers a truly immersive experience for enthusiasts.”
- “The graphics are pretty, albeit in that slightly generic, probably-developed-in-Unreal-Engine way.”
- “There is some unbearable blurring when turning the camera, but I noticed it went away after I set some graphics settings to low.”
- “Graphics are not its strong suit, and the AI has a certain early/mid 2000s feel to it, which I guess is to be expected from an indie game using these kinds of graphics.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
29%
14%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its captivating sci-fi elements, detailed graphics, and immersive sound design, which together create a rich and engaging experience. While some reviews note a lack of polish in the writing and voice acting, the overall ambiance, intriguing puzzles, and creative level design contribute to a compelling and enjoyable atmosphere that keeps players coming back. Many players find the combination of excellent visuals and atmospheric storytelling to be a highlight of the game.
- “This indie project combines an interesting plot, diverse and fascinating puzzles, as well as excellent musical accompaniment that immerses us in the atmosphere of the game.”
- “The locations are beautifully drawn with a lot of detail that even RTX can’t handle; the characters are atmospheric and detailed, and the special effects enhance the immersion.”
- “Overall, worth the price for a solid puzzle game that will get you thinking, but undercut in story and atmosphere terms by lack of polish in the writing and voice acting.”
- “It's nice to spend time puzzling over the tasks; in general, quite busy, perhaps it's because the game reminds me of the atmosphere of Half-Life.”
- “The game is captivating with its plot, and the atmosphere is simply indescribable.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
13%
20%
Overall, the music in the game has received positive feedback, with many players praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the graphics. While some found the soundtrack to be exceptional and immersive, others described it as average or common. A few users noted issues with audio balance, particularly with voice clarity compared to the music, but the overall sentiment leans towards the music being a strong aspect of the game.
- “This indie project combines an interesting plot, diverse and fascinating puzzles, as well as excellent musical accompaniment that immerses us in the atmosphere of the game.”
- “The game has gorgeous ambient music, an abundance of cool locations, amazing soundtrack and many interesting and different riddles.”
- “Addictive puzzle game, great graphics, enjoyable gameplay, good music accompaniment, and also exciting atmosphere.”
- “At default audio settings, the voice level sounds inferior to the music, so characters’ words don’t come out very loud and clear (at least you can still read subtitles).”
- “Soundtrack: hmm, nothing special here.”
- “Just common music.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for running smoothly even at maximum settings and being accessible on lower-end systems, with minimal bugs reported. However, some players noted issues with stuttering and flashing during level transitions, which detracts from the experience. Despite these minor performance hiccups, the graphics and audio quality remain impressive.
- “The optimization is good too, the game runs flawlessly even at max settings and the system requirements aren’t really demanding by today's standards.”
- “The game as a whole is well optimized and it is possible to play even on a weak computer; there are almost no bugs.”
- “Despite the fact that the game is well optimized, the graphics do not suffer in any way; it is made incredibly beautiful, as is the audio environment.”
- “Performance - when levels load, unload, or the game loads, there's a lot of stuttering, flashing, and jarring-ness.”
- “Gripe 2, which is my biggest critique, is that the voice acting ranges from mediocre to spectacularly bad, with the standout exception of Eugene's voice actor, who delivered a deeply convincing performance.”
- “The voice acting, optimization, sound design, and core gameplay are all at a high level.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is criticized for being plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, indicating it was released in an unfinished state. Players report issues such as getting stuck in environments and sound effects malfunctioning during cutscenes, suggesting a lack of polish and testing before launch. Overall, the game appears to require significant improvements to its stability.
- “I'm in this unfinished, buggy mess.”
- “The rushed bosses and frequent glitches show a game that needed more time in development.”
- “A few glitches here and there, such as getting stuck in a door that killed me when I was clearly not under it, or having the jumping sound effects play when you hit jump during cut scenes.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent, with some voice acting delivering lines that come off as tone-deaf rather than funny, leading to unintentional laughter. However, players also appreciate the fun puzzles and easter eggs, which add a cute and humorous element to the overall experience.
- “Fun puzzles and easter eggs, cute and funny.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect frustrating, particularly due to the inability to skip the lengthy splash screen, which pauses the game and disrupts the flow of play. This design choice detracts from the overall experience, leading to a sense of tedium.
- “The initial tedious splash screen cannot be skipped. While it's playing, I thought I could watch a video on YouTube and continue to play, but the developers decided otherwise; they just put the game on pause and that's it.”
- “Grinding feels like an endless chore, with little reward for the time invested. It often makes me question why I even bother.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding in this game is exhausting. It feels like I'm just going through the motions without any real progress.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's non-linear narrative and impactful choices result in multiple endings, significantly enhancing its replayability.
- “The non-linear narrative ensures that your choices matter, leading to multiple endings and encouraging replayability.”
- “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making it hard to put the game down.”
- “With various character builds and strategies to explore, every run feels fresh and exciting.”