The Pit: Infinity
- November 12, 2019
- Kerberos Productions
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam"The Pit: Infinity" is a rogue-like, sci-fi shooter that pits players against hordes of alien creatures in a procedurally generated arena. With a wide range of weapons and abilities to unlock, each run offers a unique and challenging experience. The game also features a permadeath system, adding an extra layer of tension and strategy to the intense combat.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game captures the essence of the original 'Sword of the Stars: The Pit' while providing a unique first-person experience.
- It offers a challenging roguelike experience with a variety of character classes and gameplay mechanics that encourage strategic thinking.
- The atmosphere and immersive elements, such as lighting and sound design, enhance the overall gameplay experience.
- The game is currently unpolished, with numerous bugs and technical issues that detract from the gameplay experience.
- Many players have reported frustrating mechanics, such as clunky controls and inconsistent enemy AI, leading to unfair deaths.
- The game lacks sufficient content and variety, making it feel repetitive and incomplete in its current state.
- gameplay63 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Pit: Infinity" is a blend of first-person shooter mechanics and roguelike elements, offering a challenging experience that requires players to adapt and learn from their deaths. While it retains the core mechanics of its predecessor, "Sword of the Stars: The Pit," the transition to real-time gameplay introduces a level of chaos that some players find overwhelming. Despite its bugs and design flaws, many appreciate the depth of mechanics, including crafting and item interactions, which contribute to an engaging, albeit imperfect, survival experience.
“Gameplay consists of exploring each level, killing enemies, opening rooms to loot supplies/materials, crafting supplies, and avoiding death by enemies, traps, status effects, or hunger (yes, there is a hunger meter in the game, but it goes down very gradually).”
“The gameplay feels somewhat like a mashup of System Shock, Fallout, Doom, and Left 4 Dead (if you play the co-op) all in a roguelike format.”
“There's a respectable amount of items that aren't just stat buffs, but open different abilities, and there's an interesting weapon mechanic with 'shot quality' (which modifies damage), which is affected by whether you're moving or not, whether you're crouching, and the current range class.”
“The gameplay is rather clunky and takes quite a bit of time to get used to.”
“Unfortunately, the gameplay, which works very well with turn-based actions, is way too hectic in real time, at least for me.”
“It's a horrible janky broken mess with glitches galore, terrible enemy AI, unfair mechanics, and sometimes the game just doesn't work.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the stylized visuals and immersive lighting effects, while others criticize the low-quality textures and lifeless model designs. Although the game showcases a unique aesthetic that aligns with its original style, many feel that the graphics detract from the overall experience due to poor optimization and inconsistent quality. Overall, the visuals are functional but may not meet the expectations of players seeking high-fidelity graphics.
“The graphics are nice and consistent, leaning a little towards cartoonish versus gritty/horror themed.”
“Neat & clean menus/UI/HUD, variety of graphics options (resolutions, FX including AA & post-processing) and dedicated devs!”
“Graphics are perhaps mixed with simple textures (that nonetheless fit with the more stylized character models) but what I consider really immersive lighting effects.”
“The textures, model design, and overall art style for player models are lifeless, blurry, and poorly detailed.”
“I don't like to judge games by their graphics, and I know graphic artists can be expensive, but it's bad to the point that it does affect my enjoyment of the game.”
“It lacks optimization and runs poorly considering the graphic quality.”
- atmosphere20 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and tense qualities, enhanced by effective lighting, sound design, and creative creature designs. Players appreciate the spooky, System Shock-style ambiance, which is complemented by the game's 3D models and particle effects, creating a sense of dread as they navigate dark hallways filled with lurking dangers. While some critiques mention repetitive audio cues, the overall consensus is that the atmosphere significantly contributes to the game's engaging and eerie experience.
“I actually was quite delighted with the spooky System Shock-style atmosphere Kerberos achieved here with creative creature designs and a layered soundscape that kept me on edge with impressive sound occlusion.”
“Atmospheric and tense, whether you are searching for anything edible in a pile of rotted viscera, hoping to find an egg before that maintenance robot comes back and tries to 'repair' you with its drill again, or deciding whether it's worth the risk of taking on a crazed alien with a shotgun in hopes that there is something good in that dented storage locker.”
“There's only like 3 music tracks for atmosphere.”
“I get that it's strategic to learn and know what you're up against, but if they were going for an atmospheric tone, it drops here with you being able to hear an audio cue for every single enemy on a floor non-stop until you kill them.”
“Best is the groaning and growls of distant monsters you can't yet see but whose cries alert you to their presence, further adding to the atmosphere of this facility when you hear a faraway growl as you sneak through a haze-filled dark corridor lit only by the blaze of broken machinery.”
- stability14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- -14 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with many users reporting it as a "buggy unbalanced jankfest" that feels unfinished and often unplayable. While some players note improvements since early access, issues like glitches, crashes, and poor AI persist, leading to an overall impression of a game still in a rough state. Despite occasional positive experiences, the consensus is that the game remains too unstable for a full recommendation.
“No glitches in 2 hours so far.”
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes.”
“I've experienced consistent performance throughout my playtime.”
“They seem to have barely gotten past the alpha stage before slapping a 'done' sticker on it, leaving the game a buggy, unbalanced jankfest and not that fun kind either.”
“This game is a terrible, buggy, unstable mess.”
“The game in early access was extremely buggy and crash-prone, and was quite frankly unplayable.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 42 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a significant concern, with players reporting floaty movement, rough gunplay, and severe frame drops, particularly in the jungle biome. Many users noted that the game feels unfinished, citing issues like unresponsive UI, empty video options, and performance dips during intense gameplay. While some players found it playable and enjoyable, the consensus is that substantial polishing and optimization are needed before it can be fully recommended.
“So I recommend the game, but it needs polishing and optimization, which is supposedly in process.”
“But tp:i is currently very playable, doesn't seem to have any performance issues, and is enjoyable in my opinion.”
“Still needs optimization and it doesn't match the pit yet, but yeah.”
“Movement is floaty, the gunplay is rough, and some areas are still poorly optimized (the jungle biome caused massive frame drops for me).”
“The game looks like it is in early access too, with no music, misplaced/unresponsive UI, bad optimization/low FPS, and empty video options (combo/dropdown box are empty, unable to change settings).”
“I really want to recommend this game but I can't because from the time of early access until full release, most bugs like being stuck in objects, missing sound effects when action gets fast, and terrible optimization keep me from recommending.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many users noting a lack of a substantial soundtrack, featuring only a few atmospheric tracks. Some players miss the more engaging music from previous titles, while others suggest that the minimalistic approach may enhance immersion. Overall, the soundtrack appears to be underwhelming and not as impactful as expected.
“The 2D pit game had a lot more music, and some of it was pretty jammin' good, even just on the main menu theme.”
“You might even argue that this immersive quality was the intended goal because the game goes for a more atmospheric soundtrack and there is a greater sense of scale provided by the 3D models.”
“One-hit-kill for massive experience is easy to achieve, or if you just want a total re-balance so you can shoot monsters and listen to music without worrying about dying every 10 seconds, you can do that too.”
“If you expect the soundtrack of the original like I did.”
“There's only like 3 music tracks of atmosphere.”
“There's no music buildup or switch up for the final floor, or the boss... it's just kinda quiet... or it would be if you couldn't hear 10 to 50 enemies through the rooms as soon as you enter the floor.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that "The Pit: Infinity" offers high replayability, particularly due to the addition of new playable classes and the potential for future content updates. Players appreciate the game's fun roguelike mechanics and smooth combat, suggesting that it will continue to improve and provide engaging experiences over time.
“This is good, it adds replayability to the game.”
“The Pit: Infinity is a fun roguelike FPS with smooth combat and excellent replayability.”
“Only buy it if you are desperate to play The Pit in co-op; otherwise, give it a couple of years to be patched into a more playable state (as is tradition with Kerberos), and go play SOTS: The Pit in the meantime.”
“Can't wait to see the improvements in the future, seeing as how the original The Pit ended up with so much content over the years with endless replayability.”
“And as more playable classes are added (4 now, 2 more in the works, I believe), The Pit: Infinity will only improve.”
- story6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story is considered weak and lacks cohesion, with players needing to seek out messages to piece together the backstory. While it offers unique class loadouts and some lore, the narrative feels underdeveloped compared to its engaging gameplay, which is reminiscent of other survival games but lacks a strong plot. Overall, the game is enjoyable for its mechanics, but the storytelling aspect leaves much to be desired.
“Each class has a unique loadout, playstyle, and backstory.”
“Backstory and lore ✓”
“Instead of a linear, edgy backstory for the marine, scout, or engineer.”
“The gameplay itself was fun and somewhat reminiscent of System Shock 2, minus the story and plus the roguelike elements.”
“If only every early access story had such a happy ending!”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its intentionally absurd and exaggerated character designs, such as comically oversized hands and awkward postures, which contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining atmosphere. Additionally, quirky elements like backward-running rats add to the overall comedic experience.
“Your playable classes look hilariously janky and crusty with giant hands and postures leaning so far back you'd think they are the next step in human evolution.”
“Backwards running rats are hilarious.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers suggest that the game could benefit from increased visibility through a demo on Steam and strategic advertising, as well as potential inclusion in Humble Bundle for monthly subscribers to enhance its monetization strategy.
“The monetization model feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
“I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“It seems like the game is designed more for profit than for player enjoyment, with constant prompts to spend money.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users highlight the importance of emotional support in their interactions, emphasizing that it plays a significant role in their strategic discussions and overall engagement.
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect somewhat tedious, particularly noting that the requirement to hold down the shift key for running can be cumbersome. They suggest that allowing run to stay activated until the forward key is released would improve the experience.
“I would like it if they added a run option that stays on until you release the forward key, as holding down the shift key is a bit tedious.”
