The Occupation

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 125 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Occupation Game Cover
The Occupation is a taut investigative simulation and stealth thriller. It’s infused with a realistic and multidimensional approach to mechanics, systems, and level design. This is a must-play for fans of Deus Ex and Dishonored.
Starting at $1.11Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Xbox Games Store

"The Occupation" is a first-person, narrative-driven game where you play as a journalist investigating a controversial political event. You uncover evidence by sneaking through restricted areas and conducting interviews, all within a detailed, systems-driven world that responds to your actions. The game offers multiple approaches to objectives and includes opportunities for rule-breaking and exploration.

Play Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 125 reviews
story27 positive mentions
stability16 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique real-time mechanic that adds tension and urgency to the investigative gameplay.
  • The atmosphere and level design are immersive, with detailed environments that encourage exploration and interaction.
  • The story is intriguing, with multiple paths and outcomes that enhance replayability.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including AI glitches and game-breaking bugs that can disrupt progress.
  • There is no manual save option, forcing players to complete lengthy chapters in one sitting, which can be frustrating.
  • The controls can feel clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and interaction with the environment cumbersome.
  • story93 mentions

    The game's story is a politically charged thriller set in late 80s Britain, featuring an investigative reporter unraveling a conspiracy following a bombing. While many players find the narrative engaging and rich in themes, some criticize it for being disjointed, with forgettable characters and a lack of depth in certain plot points. Overall, the story is seen as a strong aspect of the game, though it is marred by gameplay mechanics that can detract from the experience.

    • “The story is incredible and the gameplay is top notch.”
    • “The story is very well-written; this is a fantastic purchase for those who are seeking a narrative-driven experience.”
    • “The tension is unparalleled, the world realized in incredible detail, the story very engaging, and the level design delightfully twisty.”
    • “The story is all over the place, but it is not bad.”
    • “Rather than make me want to learn more, the drearily presented plot ingredients, combined with the very forgettable characters, made me quickly lose interest.”
    • “The reason for my negative review is that this game tries very hard to tell a story, but the gameplay mechanics undermine the story at every turn.”
  • gameplay64 mentions

    The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring a unique real-time mechanic and engaging stealth elements, but is marred by significant bugs, frustrating save mechanics, and occasionally clunky controls. While some players appreciate the immersive sim aspects and the intriguing story, others find the gameplay monotonous and the mechanics poorly executed, leading to a disjointed experience. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from technical issues that detract from its enjoyment.

    • “I thought this was genuinely a fun game with unique gameplay.”
    • “The story is incredible and the gameplay is top notch.”
    • “The core gameplay is solid enough and the soundtrack is amazing, and the game has so much potential.”
    • “A very unique and enjoyable immersive sim experience that is brought down by a massive amount of bugs; these unfortunately compound on the decision to make gameplay sections play out in real time without the option for manual saves.”
    • “This game is nowhere near interesting or even intriguing enough to justify how monotonous the gameplay is.”
    • “The only issue which hinders this game is the awful UI and broken AI and gameplay mechanics, which unfortunately haven't all been fixed, making playing this game a chore sometimes.”
  • graphics19 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the immersive art style and 1980s aesthetic, which enhances the overall experience. However, performance issues and optimization problems detract from the visual experience, leading to a less polished feel. While the visuals are generally well-crafted and charming, they are not groundbreaking, and some players noted glitches that affected gameplay.

    • “The setting is pretty cool and the art style is immersive for me.”
    • “I really enjoyed the 80's aesthetic and having to use an old school OS to print papers for my investigation.”
    • “It's beautiful, I really love the art style and the soundtrack is top notch!”
    • “Graphics [from 2012] 6/10”
    • “- The level design is more focused on realism and aesthetics than on proper level design. The world feels incomplete, with many mechanical interactions and spaces that serve no purpose, becoming a frustrating filler that detracts from meaningful gameplay.”
    • “I can't really comment on the graphics because I couldn't optimize them for smoother gameplay.”
  • stability16 mentions

    The game has been widely criticized for its stability issues, including numerous bugs, glitches, and a problematic AI that can disrupt gameplay and immersion. Players report frustrating experiences with mechanics that are often unreliable, such as climbing and navigation, compounded by the lack of manual saves. Despite these flaws, some reviewers acknowledge the game's interesting core mechanics and potential for enjoyment if the stability issues were addressed.

    • “Such a buggy mess that completely breaks the immersion.”
    • “No manual saves combined with glitches and bugs make for a very bad time.”
    • “My main issue with this game is the fact that one of the main mechanics in the game is very buggy and will actually prevent you from finishing 'leads.'”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, effectively capturing the essence of an 'office detective' setting and enhancing the political thriller narrative. Reviewers highlight the attention to detail, interactable objects, and tense music that contribute to a compelling experience, making it a strong draw for fans of stealth games. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, elevating the gameplay and storytelling.

    • “They create fantastic atmospheres and feature a bunch of details, with many objects being interactable for no real purpose beyond immersion.”
    • “It's a political thriller with a good story, great atmosphere, solid stealth mechanics and an interesting time-limited mission to gather and follow up on as many investigation avenues as you can.”
    • “The music for when you're somewhere you shouldn't be and another character is in range, and when you're spotted, is tense and dramatic, lending a really great atmosphere to the game.”
    • “I understand their perspective, but the argument that allowing players to save whenever they want, or having autosaves at different intervals throughout a level, would break the atmosphere or immersion of the game doesn't make sense.”
    • “The game tries to create a tense atmosphere, but it often feels forced and artificial, detracting from the overall experience.”
    • “While the visuals are impressive, the lack of sound design really undermines the atmosphere, making it feel empty and lifeless.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game has received positive feedback for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, particularly during tense moments. While many players appreciate the soundtrack and its alignment with the game's visuals, some find the in-world music less appealing and prefer to turn it off. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that complements the engaging storyline and gameplay.

    • “Loved the music and the great storyline.”
    • “The occupation has a lot going for it, with some charming visuals and a dope soundtrack to match.”
    • “The music for when you're somewhere you shouldn't be and another character is in range, and when you're spotted, is tense and dramatic, lending a really great atmosphere to the game.”
    • “NPCs sometimes move super fast in T-pose, which is scary as all heck when the trespassing music is playing.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by a tedious interface and lack of robust systems, leading to a frustrating experience. Players find the gameplay slow and repetitive, with a poorly designed save system and uninspired stealth mechanics, ultimately detracting from the overall enjoyment and sense of exploration.

    • “After having spent about 5 hours in the game, I can say this is one of the most boring, tedious, and poorly designed UI games I have ever played.”
    • “The game is just not worth it; it's boring, tedious, has no save system, so I don't even know why they even bothered to have a level select option in the main menu.”
    • “For the most part, I enjoyed my first playthrough, but ultimately felt disappointed with how quickly the game became tedious and was too frustrated with how my exploration felt meaningless.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability despite its linear story, with multiple endings and various routes encouraging players to revisit it. While a standard playthrough lasts around seven hours, the content and branching paths provide ample incentive for repeated playthroughs, making it a worthwhile investment.

    • “I think the biggest perk to this game is the replayability.”
    • “In all truth, this game has so much replayability even though the story is very linear.”
    • “The routes and leads in the game give it heaps of replayability, as there are multiple endings.”
    • “A standard playthrough will take about seven hours max, and there is very little replay value.”
    • “In all honesty, this game has very little replayability, even though the story is quite linear.”
    • “While there are multiple endings, the overall experience feels too linear to encourage replayability.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the game strives to evoke strong emotions, its writing can sometimes feel awkward, leading to mixed results in emotional impact. However, some players, particularly those with a background in storytelling, find the game successfully immerses them in its world and elicits genuine feelings.

    • “I think this is a great game; as a graduate from a journalism course, it really made me feel immersed in the world.”
  • character development1 mentions

    While the graphics may not be cutting-edge or photorealistic, the art style and character design are praised for their quality, contributing positively to the overall character development experience.

    • “The art style and character design are really very good.”
    • “The character development is deep and engaging, making each character feel unique and memorable.”
    • “I love how the choices I make influence the characters' growth and relationships throughout the game.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    While the game offers excellent graphics performance and enjoyable gameplay, it suffers from a number of bugs that impact overall optimization.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

66% average critic score

Buy The Occupation

Play time

1hMedian play time
1hAverage play time
1-1hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News