The Nothing

About

The Nothing is a single player puzzle game with a horror theme. It was developed by DDD Wares and was released on August 30, 2017. It received positive reviews from players.

The Nothing is a surreal and atmospheric action game with a new aesthetic, procedurally generated elements and perma-death - Designed for multiple short "runs", with endings based on the route you've chosen and the actions you've taken.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 13 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features a unique and visually striking aesthetic, with interesting art style and sound design that creates a surreal atmosphere.
Gameplay includes engaging mechanics such as mob killing, inventory management, and exploration of randomly generated rooms, which can be rewarding for players who enjoy roguelite experiences.
The game offers multiple endings and hidden content, encouraging exploration and replayability, appealing to players who appreciate depth and discovery.

The controls, particularly the dash mechanic, are often unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences and poorly balanced boss encounters.
The game can become repetitive quickly due to limited content, with similar room designs and enemy attack patterns, which may lead to boredom after a few hours of play.
The lack of clear direction and cryptic mechanics can make it tedious for players to understand how to progress or achieve different endings, potentially discouraging continued play.

graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The game's graphics are praised for their unique and interesting art style, featuring surreal and creepy enemy designs that contribute to a distinctive visual aesthetic. While the overall graphical quality may not be top-tier, the artful design and atmospheric visuals create an engaging experience that resonates with players.
- “This game has very interesting visuals, surprisingly good music, and very creepy and surreal enemy design.”
- “The visual aesthetic is interesting and overall pretty good, even if the graphical quality of the game isn't exactly fantastic.”
- “Great aesthetic, and soundtrack... artful and considered design.”
- “You have entered a state of near-videodrome-like aesthetics.”
- “Very bizarre game, unique aesthetics and visuals.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The gameplay is described as a standard roguelite experience with a focus on unorthodox design, appealing primarily to fans of arthouse games. While it features a variety of bosses, many are criticized for being poorly designed, with issues such as unbalanced difficulty and unreliable mechanics. Overall, the gameplay is considered solid but somewhat lacking in depth, emphasizing the journey over intricate mechanics.
- “I love the nothing; it is a visual morbid piece of art, the music is nice, and the gameplay is pretty cool too.”
- “It's a strange game with pretty solid gameplay.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it is a pretty standard roguelite game.”
- “The game has a lot of bosses that are random at each run, but most bosses are not very well made - they are either very easy and cheesable or hard due to design flaws, such as poorly telegraphed attacks or mechanics not working properly. For example, you are supposed to dash through a boss, but 50% of the time your character fails to do it for no real reason and takes damage.”
- “So it is a little dry as far as gameplay goes, but this is about the journey more than the depth.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and contribution to the overall atmosphere, with many players finding it surprisingly good and fitting for the game's aesthetic. While some players prefer external soundtracks, they appreciate the in-game music as a valuable addition that enhances the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is described as artful and well-integrated into the gameplay.
- “This game has very interesting visuals, surprisingly good music, and very creepy and surreal enemy design.”
- “Great aesthetic, and soundtrack... artful and considered design.”
- “I myself prefer listening to out-of-game soundtracks, but the music is good and it didn't drive me crazy. I wouldn't mind paying .99 for an add-on folder to support the devs and use it for campaign ambience.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, often leading to frustration as they navigate inventory management and seek out secrets without adequate guidance. While some enjoy the unique elements of the game, many feel that the experience becomes monotonous after a few hours.
- “The game forces me to move an item from my inventory to the chest to use the healing item in my possession; that's tedious.”
- “One could spend a lot of time trying to discover all these secrets, but it gets tedious pretty soon due to how repetitive the game becomes, and there seem to be no guides as well.”
- “I actually enjoyed this game, and so will you if you like weird games, but you are likely to get bored after a couple of hours as it becomes very tedious and frustrating at times, so get ready for that.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's story is perceived as lacking depth and grandeur, with users noting that it does not stand out as particularly impressive or engaging.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users expressing a deep appreciation for its immersive qualities, suggesting that it will continue to resonate positively as the game's development progresses.
- “The whole game oozes an atmosphere that I genuinely appreciate and will come to love more and more as the development team improves its craft.”