The Prism

About

The Prism is a single player and multiplayer action game. It was developed by Nikhil. T and was released on September 3, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"The Prism" is a 2D puzzle platformer starring pixels 02 and 03, who must escape a living, watching prison. Featuring local multiplayer, players will face challenging puzzles and environments, relying on each other to progress. With dangerous obstacles and a cruel world, success requires risk and teamwork.

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63%

Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews

music8 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a captivating atmosphere, enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack.
The puzzles are clever and challenging, providing a satisfying experience for puzzle enthusiasts.
The game tells a subtle yet emotional story about two characters seeking freedom, which adds depth to the gameplay.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including frustrating controls and occasional softlocks.
The gameplay can feel repetitive and basic, lacking the depth and polish expected from a modern title.
There is no online co-op, and the controls can be cumbersome when managing two characters simultaneously.

music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
52%
13%
The music in the game is generally praised for creating a calm and beautiful atmosphere that complements the art style and environment. However, some players find the looping nature of the soundtrack repetitive and annoying after extended play. Overall, while the music enhances the game's ambiance, its lack of variety may detract from the experience for some players.
- “The music and artwork create a very calm atmosphere, with beautiful environments.”
- “The ambiance of the game is definitely the best part, the maps were well done and the music added to the tranquil pixel puzzler experience.”
- “What makes this game really fun to play is the great atmosphere that's created with the looks of the environment in addition to the music which work together very well.”
- “And especially annoying is that the music cannot be turned down or off.”
- “It's relaxing music, but it's a loop, and after playing for more than 15 minutes, I cannot stand it.”
- “Audio was on the okay side, just ambient style music and no sound effects.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
The graphics in the game are praised for their stunning visuals and beautiful environments, creating a calm atmosphere that complements the gameplay. While some users appreciate the atmospheric voxel artwork and retro pixel art style, others find it simplistic and lacking in character. Overall, the art style and visuals contribute positively to the game's immersive experience.
- “This mesmerizing puzzle adventure challenges your mind with light-bending mechanics, stunning visuals, and clever reflections!”
- “In terms of atmospheric voxel artwork and chill backing tracks, [i]prism[/i] hits most of the right notes.”
- “The beautiful art style, atmosphere, and music are incredible.”
- “They chose to use obsolete retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “The art style is at least clean, but it is simple and really has no character or flavor.”
- “Menu is bad, but the soundtrack and the visuals are cool.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game features a subtle yet emotionally resonant story about two characters seeking freedom under the watchful eye of a being called the prism. While some players find the narrative sparse and lacking depth, others appreciate its simplicity and the moral that perseverance can lead to unexpected outcomes. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a mixed aspect, with some players valuing its emotional depth while others feel it falls short.
- “The game itself tells a subtle story about two simple characters that are looking to gain their freedom, while being watched by a being called the prism.”
- “The story tells itself in a subtle way, explaining what has happened before and who the characters are.”
- “The overall story is quite simple, yet really deep and emotional.”
- “This game has no story.”
- “There is a storyline, but it was too sparse for me to care or comprehend.”
- “And since the only thing the game offers is platforming, and the story, music, etc. are just basic, there is really no reason to play it.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
91%
9%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning art style, calming music, and beautifully crafted environments, which together create an immersive and enjoyable experience. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of visual and auditory elements that enhance the overall ambiance, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The music and artwork create a very calm atmosphere, with beautiful environments.”
- “What makes this game really fun to play is the great atmosphere that's created with the looks of the environment in addition to the music which work together very well.”
- “The beautiful art style, atmosphere and music are incredible.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
The gameplay is characterized by engaging puzzle mechanics that utilize light-bending and reflections, complemented by stunning visuals and a dynamic soundtrack. While the introduction of various mechanics keeps the experience fresh and compelling, it can also lead to frustration due to fluctuating difficulty levels. Overall, players find the gameplay to be simple yet challenging, with a mix of enjoyment and criticism regarding the puzzle design.
- “This mesmerizing puzzle adventure challenges your mind with light-bending mechanics, stunning visuals, and clever reflections!”
- “A lot of different mechanics are introduced but thankfully kept separate as to not overload my brain.”
- “Along the way, you'll learn how to use both in concert to cross chasms, toggle switches, and adapt to a wide range of mechanics that switch every 5-10 stages.”
- “The attempt to cram so many mechanics into bite-sized chunks will constantly grab your attention, though it can lead to frustration with its fluctuating difficulty.”
- “I wish I could say the same for the gameplay and puzzle design.”
- “Though it has its fair share of issues, the prism takes an otherwise average pixel platformer and manages to make it compelling by use of constantly changing mechanics and colorful biomes to match.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and unpolished controls that detract from the overall experience. Many find the gameplay frustratingly repetitive and lacking in enjoyment due to these technical issues.
- “It's buggy, it's boring, it's more of the same.”
- “Escaping a prison (for pixels) has never been more pleasing and buggy to experience.”
- “Totally buggy and unpolished controls, too many bugs for the game to still be enjoyable.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users highlight that the game offers high replayability, with many considering it infinitely replayable or nearly so, suggesting a strong incentive to revisit the game multiple times.
- “Infinitely replayable, with new experiences every time.”
- “The game offers so many choices that each playthrough feels unique.”
- “I keep coming back for more; there's always something new to discover.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that the emotional aspect of the game is characterized by heartwarming moments and a simple yet profound story, which resonates deeply with them.
- “Overall, as usual in indie games, there are heartwarming moments.”
- “The overall story is quite simple, yet really deep and emotional.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be somewhat overshadowed by the perceived high price, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.