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The Search

The Search Game Cover
68%Game Brain Score
story, music
gameplay, grinding
68% User Score Based on 152 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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The Search Game Cover

About

The Search is a single player casual simulation game with a mystery theme. It was developed by Jason Godbey and was released on April 13, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "The Search" , explore a mysterious, artistic universe, solving puzzles with your creativity and uncovering clues about your past. With gorgeous 3D artwork, a haunting soundtrack, and voice acting by Cissy Jones, this short puzzle-adventure game invites you to discover the secrets of this enchanting world. Language options include English, Russian, German, and Italian.

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The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
The Search screenshot
+5
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68%
Audience ScoreBased on 152 reviews
story10 positive mentions
grinding2 negative mentions
  • Beautiful visuals and calming atmosphere that enhance the introspective experience.
  • Thought-provoking narrative that explores themes of art, creativity, and self-discovery, appealing to philosophical thinkers.
  • Simple yet unique mechanics that allow players to engage with the environment and solve light puzzles.
  • Extremely short gameplay, often completed in under an hour, leading to feelings of disappointment regarding value for money.
  • Heavy-handed and repetitive dialogue that can feel pretentious, detracting from the overall experience.
  • Clunky navigation and lack of depth in puzzles, making it feel more like a walking simulator than a true puzzle-adventure game.
  • story
    39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is described as an interactive short narrative centered on a female artist's journey of self-discovery and creativity, but many players find it lacking depth and character development. While the visuals and music are praised, the storytelling often feels heavy-handed and superficial, leading to a disconnect with the protagonist and a sense of disappointment regarding its potential. Overall, the narrative attempts to convey philosophical themes but is criticized for being overly simplistic and not fully engaging.

    • “The story is about finding your own path in life, especially a path of creativity and true self-expression, while navigating the many pitfalls in life and all the false imagery it may offer.”
    • “A beautiful story with relaxing narration.”
    • “Nice little point & click game with a short but interesting story and beautiful music.”
    • “What you actually get is probably closer in nature to an interactive short story than a 'puzzle-adventure'.”
    • “I really wanted to like this, but it just feels hollow and unsatisfying as both a game and an interactive story, especially with such a short runtime.”
    • “The story is exceedingly boring and the dialogue has no impact on the game other than to have something to garnish with quotes lifted out of someone's high school philosophy homework.”
  • music
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and calming atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience with a lovely soundtrack that complements the visuals. However, some players noted that the immersion is disrupted when the music cuts off during voice narration, which detracts from the emotional impact. Overall, while the music is a highlight, its integration with gameplay could be improved for a more seamless experience.

    • “The environment is absolutely beautiful, the music and sound are incredible, voice acting is top notch, and the puzzles are not complicated and logical, so I did not require any hints.”
    • “The gameplay was pretty unique without being overly challenging, and the music and sounds were calming.”
    • “Lovely soundtrack.”
    • “Unfortunately, a lot of notes are scattered throughout, and when the voice acting reads them, it cuts the music, which really brutally removes you from the immersion.”
    • “The music is better after the first place; when I muted the game, the sound of the birds was annoying, and the music in the main menu is horrible.”
    • “It was just the small things that really put me off, like the navigation, and how the music would cut off when reading notes.”
  • graphics
    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beauty and artistic style, often described as sharp, visually appealing, and reminiscent of still life paintings. Many reviewers appreciate the use of pre-rendered visuals and the integration of artwork to enhance the narrative experience, although some note that the static nature of the visuals can detract from exploration. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding clarity and motion.

    • “The graphics are beautiful, the music calming, and the voice acting superb.”
    • “Graphics: 5/5, realistic, not cartoony, easy on the eyes.”
    • “Very nice game, with simple handling, beautiful graphics and interesting stories.”
    • “I was personally enticed to buy this game for the visuals, but as a janky point & click, you'll get the same visual experience from looking up screenshots of it online.”
    • “This game is tagged as exploration but I feel my exploration into the pretty graphics is hampered by the narrator finding the strangest things to say when met with ordinary objects.”
    • “Some love clearly went into the graphics but even these are completely static and the unintuitive node-based navigation means you'll end up staring at blank walls a lot.”
  • gameplay
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by a limited point-and-click navigation mechanic that integrates into the narrative, though it can feel tedious and repetitive at times. While the painting mechanic is refreshing and the puzzles are easy, many players find the overall experience lacking in depth and challenge, with some describing it as clunky and overly simplistic. The game is short, often completed in under an hour, and while it offers a calming atmosphere, it may not appeal to those seeking more complex gameplay or varied mechanics.

    • “Even the limited point-and-click navigation mechanic eventually gets incorporated into the narrative here, which is a really cool touch that highlights the game’s themes nicely.”
    • “The gameplay was pretty unique without being overly challenging, and the music and sounds were calming.”
    • “Interesting gameplay, minimal and easy so as to not distract from the experience.”
    • “The game is short and the puzzles are easy, but that's because gameplay isn't the focus.”
    • “Bottom line, this is a piss-poor puzzle game with an insufferable narrator and a very wonky mechanic (take picture, burn picture, paint a different picture, progress) repeated over and over again.”
    • “It's a pretty little world with basically one repetitive mechanic.”
  • atmosphere
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals and captivating soundtrack, creating a unique and immersive experience. While some players find it unsettling or short, many agree that the beautiful and philosophical elements make it worth the price, emphasizing that the journey and attention to detail are key aspects of enjoyment. Overall, the atmosphere is described as soothing, intriguing, and a significant highlight of the game.

    • “This is a very short experience, but the drop-dead-gorgeous atmosphere alone is worth the asking price.”
    • “Atmosphere: 5/5 unique rooms and scenes, varies in colors and scenery, always something to look at.”
    • “I'm glad I didn't let the mixed reviews deter me from this peaceful and very atmospheric little adventure.”
    • “Although the atmosphere is a bit unsettling (at least for me), it is a very intriguing short game. It's basically a point-and-click game, short, but the element that makes it nice is that it forces you to pay attention to details.”
    • “This is the type of game that is more about the atmosphere and journey than the actual ride.”
    • “Like the atmosphere and sort of like the 'meaning,' although there's some uncomfortable symbolism in the color of a thing I can't name for fear of spoiling.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be intentionally tedious, as the navigation mechanics require repetitive actions to interact with elements, which some appreciate for its thematic depth, while others find it frustrating. Overall, this aspect contributes to a mixed experience, with a high rating of 9/10 reflecting the game's strengths despite the grinding.

    • “The controls are intentionally tedious for thematic reasons, forcing you to take one step, spin in a circle, take another step, spin in a circle, and so on, just to make sure you don’t miss the one interactable element in an area.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its smooth performance and beautiful visuals, with particular commendation for the high-quality narration by Cissy Jones, which enhances the overall experience.

    • “It's a beautiful game and it runs smoothly.”
    • “I for one loved the narration audio, a very expressive performance by Cissy Jones (who voiced the amazing Delilah in Firewatch) that's on the level of Erin Fitzgerald's powerful narration in The Talos Principle.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including freezing on loading screens and buggy navigation in both still images and 3D environments, rendering it largely unplayable for users.

    • “The navigation through still images makes you feel disconnected from the game, and the short episode where you walk in a 3D environment seems buggy.”
    • “After the main menu, the game freezes on a loading screen that says 'info' but never actually finishes loading... the game is literally unplayable.”
  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Many users criticize the game for its lack of depth, which contributes to a significant absence of replay value, making it less engaging for repeated playthroughs.

    • “However, this lack of depth, combined with a total lack of replay value, are fair points of criticism.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the game to be profoundly impactful, highlighting its ability to evoke deep emotions and provide an eye-opening experience.

    • “It's one of those games that is meant to be eye-opening, deep, and emotional.”
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2h Median play time
2h Average play time
1h Main story
1h Completionist
1-2h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The Search is a casual simulation game with mystery theme.

The Search is available on PC and Windows.

The main story can be completed in around 1 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 1 hours to finish. On average players spend around 2 hours playing The Search.

The Search was released on April 13, 2017.

The Search was developed by Jason Godbey.

The Search has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

The Search is a single player game.

Similar games include Call of the Sea, WitCup 12, The Old City: Leviathan, The Witness, Lilly Looking Through and others.