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The Superfluous

The Superfluous has a number of interesting ideas and gameplay mechanics, thought none of them feel polished or refined enough to make the title stand out. The few systems in place that are engaging are sadly not so for very long, and as a whole, The Superfluous is a title that can easily be overlooked.
The Superfluous Game Cover
71%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, optimization
84% User Score Based on 44 reviews
Critic Score 35%Based on 1 reviews

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The Superfluous Game Cover

About

The Superfluous is a single player and multiplayer arcade platformer game. It was developed by Voided Pixels Studio and was released on May 19, 2017. It received negative reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"The Superfluous" is a rogue-lite, sci-fi, platformer with jet packs and explosions. Help stop an apocalyptic asteroid by leading a squad to its center and blasting it into space dust. Features randomly generated levels, perma-death for individual characters, and perma-progress for upgrades and checkpoints. Co-op campaign and local arena mode available.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
The Superfluous screenshot
The Superfluous screenshot
The Superfluous screenshot
The Superfluous screenshot
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84%
Audience ScoreBased on 44 reviews
story5 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features a fun squad mechanic that allows for strategic gameplay with various character abilities.
  • It has a good sense of humor and an intriguing story that keeps players engaged.
  • The controls are generally smooth, and the game offers a satisfying progression system with upgrades and character development.
  • The game suffers from poor controls, particularly with awkward aiming mechanics and limited shooting directions.
  • Graphics are criticized for being low quality and lacking polish, which detracts from the overall experience.
  • There is a lack of variety in gameplay and enemy types, leading to repetitive experiences and a grindy feel.
  • story
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is described as intriguing and humorous, featuring interactive dialogue and a clever background that sets the scene for missions. However, some players feel that the execution is undermined by poor graphics and writing quality, including grammar errors, which detracts from the overall experience. While the story has its entertaining moments, it can also feel tedious and unskippable, leading to mixed reviews on its effectiveness.

    • “The story is pretty intriguing with sprinkles of humor, and interactive with the dialogue.”
    • “The background story is amusing and sets the scene well for your task.”
    • “+ good background story with a sense of humor”
    • “The story was annoying and unskippable, and the gameplay was not fun enough to warrant the grind.”
    • “I think it's unfortunate that a lot of effort went into designing the game's progression/advancement system, and there's some comedy storyline bolted on as well, but the whole thing falls into a heap because the developers lacked the talent/funding to hire an artist to do decent graphics, so they fell back on lazy retro pixel graphics.”
    • “The story is quite clever and could be amusing, but it falls flat with grammar and spelling errors, and a writer who doesn't know the difference between 'then' and 'than' or 'effect' and 'affect'.”
  • gameplay
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Players appreciate the depth of the squad mechanic, character customization, and the engaging soundtrack, while also noting that the gameplay can be repetitive, unskippable story elements are frustrating, and some mechanics lack polish. Overall, the game offers a blend of strategic and dynamic elements, but may require patience to fully enjoy due to initial difficulty and balance issues.

    • “Local co-op mixed with a variety of different characters with their own weapons and sidearms creates both a dynamic and strategic gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay - the game plays like a cross between a twin-stick shooter and a typical action platformer.”
    • “The squad mechanic is pretty neat too; customizing your loadout by choosing between several characters with predetermined traits makes it fun to try out different play styles.”
    • “The story was annoying and unskippable, and the gameplay was not fun enough to warrant the grind.”
    • “Cons: lack of variety, uncomfortable, boring, repetitive gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay itself is very much in the Terraria sort of mode but without all the messing about with constructing stuff from constituent parts, so if you enjoyed that, you'll probably enjoy this one too.”
  • graphics
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the reliance on retro pixel art as a sign of poor artistic capability, while others appreciate the charm of 8-bit graphics and the nostalgic feel they bring. Although the visuals are simple and lack advanced settings, many find them fitting for the gameplay and story, with some noting the effective use of colored dynamic lighting. Overall, while not groundbreaking, the graphics evoke a sense of nostalgia that resonates with certain players.

    • “I dig the graphics too.”
    • “8-bit graphics are very awesome; the gameplay takes a little getting used to, but not bad. The music and effects are cool.”
    • “Graphics - the superfluous uses 2D large-pixel graphics exclusively, adorned with colored dynamic lighting, and it looks pretty darn good.”
    • “What could have been a great game ruined by ugly retro pixel graphics.”
    • “It won't make you swoon or marvel at the graphics while you play it, but the characters are somewhat likeable and the enemies, though rather derivative, are mostly recognisable.”
    • “Graphics settings are limited to windowed or full screen: no detail levels, special effects, or even resolution settings.”
  • humor
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its strong sense of humor, with an engaging story that incorporates witty dialogue and amusing interactions. Players appreciate the humorous elements woven throughout the plot and the AI's comedic charm, contributing to an overall lighthearted and entertaining experience.

    • “The story is pretty intriguing with sprinkles of humor, and interactive with the dialogue.”
    • “The AI has a great sense of humor and it's pretty funny.”
    • “The game is funny, well put together, and cute.”
  • grinding
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a mixed experience; while some players find it tedious and overly repetitive, others appreciate the fair economy and the progression it offers, particularly for fans of pixel games and multi-character exploration. Overall, the grinding can feel excessive, especially in terms of resource collection.

    • “Too boring to be as grindy as it is.”
    • “It's really grindy and getting gems takes a long time.”
    • “Never before have I had so much tedious mining in my roguelike platformers!”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users have reported performance issues with the game, particularly on Ubuntu 14.04, where it runs slowly, especially during specific actions like using the laser beam.

    • “The game runs slowly on my Ubuntu 14.04, especially when I use the laser beam.”
    • “Optimization is a major issue; the game frequently lags and stutters during gameplay.”
    • “I experience significant frame drops in various areas, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
  • music
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with users praising the soundtrack and sound effects as cool and well done. However, some note that the music is somewhat limited in variety. Overall, it complements the gameplay, which becomes more enjoyable as players adapt to the mechanics.

    • “The soundtrack is very well done, and the gameplay is difficult at first, but after understanding how the mechanics work, it becomes very fun to play.”
    • “8-bit graphics are very awesome, the gameplay takes a little getting used to, but not bad; the music and effects are cool.”
  • atmosphere
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is fitting for its setting on a large asteroid in deep space, though some users feel that the weapons, explosions, and scenery lack variety, which detracts from the overall experience.

    • “The game is set on a large asteroid cruising through deep space, so the atmosphere is appropriate.”
    • “The weapons and explosions look a little boring, and there could definitely be more variety in the scenery. However, the game is set on a large asteroid cruising through deep space, so the atmosphere is appropriate.”
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35%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Superfluous is a arcade platformer game.

The Superfluous is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

The Superfluous was released on May 19, 2017.

The Superfluous was developed by Voided Pixels Studio.

The Superfluous has received negative reviews from players and negative reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

The Superfluous is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Hive Jump, Rogue Stormers, Final Exam, Caveblazers, Meltdown and others.