The Repairing Mantis

About

In "The Repairing Mantis," players navigate a surreal world as a praying mantis, confronting existential crises, making impactful decisions, and experiencing a disturbing, violent story with two possible endings. This eerie exploration game, lasting approximately 1 hour, features casual mechanics and a unique narrative filled with unsettling aesthetics and encounters with troubled animals. Players reflect on their choices and the game's themes long after the credits roll.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

story8 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The Repairing Mantis offers a unique and thought-provoking narrative that explores heavy themes such as depression and the fragility of dreams, leaving a lasting emotional impact.
The game's retro visuals and unsettling atmosphere effectively complement its dark storytelling, creating a surreal and immersive experience.
The innovative dialogue system, where players choose what NPCs say rather than their own responses, adds a layer of depth to the interactions and enhances the overall experience.

Gameplay can be tedious and repetitive, often consisting of aimless wandering with little direction, which detracts from the overall experience.
The simplistic writing and predictable narrative can undermine the potential depth of the themes, making it feel lackluster at times.
Performance issues, such as high CPU usage and lack of a save system, can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, hindering enjoyment.

story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The game's story is a blend of dark themes and simplistic messages, often relying on shock value, which some players find emotionally resonant while others view it as lacking nuance. The narrative features unique perspectives and symbolism, with a mix of unsettling visuals and a fable-like quality that can be both engaging and repulsive. While the storytelling is praised for its depth and originality, some players feel that certain characters and interactions do not contribute meaningfully to the overall experience.
- “Interesting point of view and storytelling containing some heavy topics.”
- “It is a wonderful story of a mantis going about and reaching their dreams... and helping others reach their dreams.”
- “The story is rich in English class literary criticism-friendly symbolism, and the violence takes on an even more psychologically horrifying aspect when contemplating what it means, what the game is trying to say with all this.”
- “It's one of those games that relies on shock factor to hook you in and has a dead simple story with a very blunt and basic message that sometimes feels childish in its delivery.”
- “Unfortunately, I felt like it focused way too much on just being dark and edgy without actually providing a nuanced story.”
- “What I mean by this is, it feels like some of the 'side' characters don't really add anything to the atmosphere or story when they aren't the main focus of the objective you have.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique retro aesthetic that effectively complements its psychological horror themes, creating an unsettling atmosphere that enhances the player's experience. While many players appreciate the PS1-style visuals and the emotional weight they convey, some have encountered technical issues that hinder gameplay. Overall, the art style is praised for its creativity and ability to evoke feelings of despair, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The visuals are retro and kind of unsettling but in a way that fits the story perfectly.”
- “The aesthetic and design perfectly capture the feeling of despair that hangs off your mind and body, like clinging tar or sloughing skin.”
- “We actually adore this style, and the appealing graphics were definitely a high point for us.”
- “I've seen others have had this issue as well, so glad I'm not alone. I've tried lowering the graphics, resolution, turning off v-sync, etc., and none of it seems to work for me, so I can't play the game.”
- “I was baffled by this because it's a walking simulator with PS1-style graphics.”
- “This is an exploration-based walking sim, if anything, but it's so aesthetically and tonally unsettling that I suppose it earns that horror tag regardless.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its ability to evoke deep feelings, often blending discomfort with comfort in a thought-provoking manner. Many players describe it as a touching and personal experience that can lead to unexpected tears, highlighting its impactful storytelling and emotional depth. The game balances its heavy themes with moments of humor, creating a complex emotional landscape that resonates strongly with those open to its narrative.
- “If you’re into games that are different, emotional, and maybe a little uncomfortable... in the best possible way... give this one a go.”
- “The ending is simply heartbreaking.”
- “This game made me cry, which is rare for a horror game.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The atmosphere of "The Repairing Mantis" is characterized by its stylized world and abstract themes, creating a unique and often unsettling experience that enhances gameplay. While the main menu and visual design evoke excitement and anticipation, some players feel that certain side characters detract from the overall atmosphere, lacking meaningful contributions to the story. Additionally, the pervasive fogging is seen as a hindrance, though the game's ability to evoke feelings of helplessness and unease is praised.
- “The repairing mantis manages to have an amazing setup, with a stylized world and abstract atmosphere, with a few deep, metaphorical themes that tie in uniquely within the gameplay, such as the mantis dictating other animals' thoughts by choosing dialogue options. It certainly invokes discomfort when it tries to.”
- “The main menu was so atmospheric that I felt excited to play, and I especially felt a lot of anticipation for what could happen.”
- “I get that the extra characters are supposed to add to the atmosphere, but sometimes it's impossible to tell if an area is purely decorational (including NPCs that have one or two lines of dialogue only), or if it'll be what gets you further in the story.”
- “However, I think the amount of fogging is more of a hindrance than a benefit to the atmosphere.”
- “The game can really get to you, from the atmosphere and the dialogue to this overpowering feeling of helplessness and hopelessness.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay of "The Repairing Mantis" features a unique blend of stylized visuals and metaphorical themes, allowing players to influence other characters through dialogue choices. However, many users find the experience tedious and repetitive, often reduced to aimless wandering with minimal engagement, despite some intriguing interactive elements that challenge moral boundaries. Overall, while the game's atmosphere and story are compelling, the gameplay itself may not appeal to everyone.
- “The repairing mantis manages to have an amazing setup, with a stylized world and abstract atmosphere, featuring deep, metaphorical themes that tie in uniquely within the gameplay, such as the mantis dictating other animals' thoughts through dialogue options, which certainly invokes discomfort.”
- “Some of the interactive elements were pretty interesting, as the game forces you to engage in very sketchy actions like cutting flesh or hurting someone through interactive gameplay.”
- “While it's not my cup of tea because of the gameplay, I know there are others who love this game, and I wish I could have enjoyed it in the same way.”
- “At the same time though, the gameplay can be tedious, or rather plain boring at times, as it mostly consists of walking around without anything happening, when it really doesn't need to.”
- “Gameplay-wise it's kind of boring and repetitive, but the style and the story are interesting enough; hard stuff though.”
- “While it's not my cup of tea because of the gameplay, I know there are others who love this game and I wish I could have enjoyed it in the same way.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The music in the game effectively enhances the emotional weight of player decisions and complements the art style, with some reviewers noting its absence as acceptable. While the low-poly visuals may not be the most impressive, the eerie soundtrack contributes significantly to the atmosphere of the foggy island setting.
- “It also does extremely well with emphasizing the weight of the topics with the decisions the player can make, art style, and soundtrack.”
- “It may not be the most visually striking low-poly game, but what it had with the foggy island and creepy music worked for the story.”
- “There is no music, which is disappointing.”
- “The music is forgettable and doesn't enhance the experience.”
- “The soundtrack feels out of place and fails to match the game's atmosphere.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's optimization has been criticized for performance issues affecting mechanics, graphics, and sound, leading to a subpar experience for players.
- “First of all, performance is outstanding.”
- “The optimization really enhances the overall gameplay experience.”
- “I appreciate how the developers focused on performance improvements.”
- “First of all, performance.”
- “That's the game mechanics, graphics, performance, and sound (or lack of) out of the way.”
- “Performance issues.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and occasionally boring, as much of the gameplay involves aimlessly walking around without engaging activities.
- “The gameplay can be tedious and often plain boring, as it mostly consists of walking around without anything happening when it really doesn't need to.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, with little reward for the time invested.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay engaged, turning what could be an exciting adventure into a monotonous task.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users have reported significant stability issues, leading to frustration as troubleshooting consumed valuable time, ultimately affecting their ability to continue playing and seek refunds.
- “It caused a big problem for me because, after all these issues, I felt forced to investigate the problem. By this point, I had already used most of the two hours I had for refund eligibility, and now I couldn't just continue where I left off after I was done troubleshooting.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the experience without constant interruptions.”
- “I encountered multiple bugs that not only disrupted gameplay but also led to lost progress, which is incredibly frustrating.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features genuinely funny moments that elicit unexpected laughter, such as the memorable alligator dream, adding a unique layer of humor that players appreciate.
- “Even better, the game also has some genuinely funny moments, which made me feel very bad for laughing. My god, that alligator dream!”

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