The Tribulation Entanglement
- February 5, 2022
- Anxious Neck Games
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"The Tribulation Entanglement" is a game that takes place on a desolate planet, where the player, as the Entangled One, must fight through surreal environments and defeat godlike beings to reach the source of their motivation. The game is a metaphor for the developer's struggle with chronic pain and health issues. It features visually striking levels filled with challenging enemies and puzzles. Discretion is advised for players. The game offers an artistic representation of the developer's personal struggles.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The unique black and white art style, heavily inspired by H.R. Giger, creates a striking and immersive atmosphere.
- The game offers a short but engaging experience with a variety of enemies and bosses that provide a decent challenge.
- Despite its flaws, the game has a certain charm and creativity that appeals to fans of indie horror platformers.
- The gameplay mechanics are poorly executed, with stiff controls and frustrating knockback that can lead to unfair deaths.
- Level design is often tedious, requiring players to hit random blocks to progress, which can feel time-consuming and unfulfilling.
- The game lacks a coherent story and has minimal visual storytelling, making the experience feel shallow and underdeveloped.
- graphics31 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their unique hand-drawn, gothic art style that creates a captivating and atmospheric experience, reminiscent of H. Giger and Junji Ito's work. However, some players note that the limited variety in stage design leads to a repetitive visual experience, detracting from the overall impact of the aesthetic. Despite this, the visuals remain the standout feature, with many players recommending the game primarily for its artistic appeal.
“The unique hand-drawn gothic art style will always draw your attention to the scenery, making every area in the game mysterious and adding a creepy layer of atmosphere you don't expect at first glance.”
“It has a distinct lo-fi, hand-drawn, black and white aesthetic that creates an immersive and atmospheric experience.”
“The visuals are reminiscent of old 2D platformers from the Genesis and SNES days, but dunked into a vat of horror.”
“Now I purchased the game because I was interested in the aesthetic; however, the stage design has a very limited number of unique visuals, so even in terms of aesthetic, the game gets somewhat repetitive.”
“And honestly, I don't think it's that subjective in this case; there is just not enough world-building. Even with the lack of dialogue, there are not enough unique visuals for me to work with.”
“There are similarly priced games out there that are both as aesthetically pleasing and more packed with content.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Tribulation Entanglement" has been criticized for being rough and underdeveloped, with simplistic enemy mechanics and a lack of depth in combat and level design. While the controls are tight and the art style is praised, many reviewers feel that the game fails to deliver a satisfying experience due to its bare-bones mechanics and frustrating design choices. Overall, the gameplay lacks the polish and complexity expected from a metroidvania, leaving players wanting more from both the mechanics and the overall experience.
“Game mechanics are fed to you in a somewhat logical manner, and I didn't feel exhausted learning how monsters functioned or being stuck too long in a particular area of the game.”
“The monsters are all in all very simple, and their mechanics can be learned quickly, allowing the player to feel a sense of progression.”
“Mechanically, it mostly works; the controls are tight, your main attack is predictable and consistent, and there are plenty of special weapons to mix things up a bit.”
“There's not really a story to speak of, and gameplay-wise, it's kind of a mess.”
“Artistically bold but mechanically flat.”
“Some really good art is to be found here, but the game overall is held back by underbaked gameplay with annoyances like some sections that demand way more precision than the rest of the game, or platforms whose edges are obscured by foreground art.”
- music16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is characterized by dark, slow, rhythmic synth tracks that evoke a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic 2D sidescrollers and old Genesis titles. While some players appreciate the atmospheric quality and aesthetic alignment of the soundtrack with the game's visuals, others find it forgettable or even mind-numbing, with a lack of engaging sound effects. Overall, the music contributes to the game's ambiance but may not leave a lasting impression.
“The music is really well done and complements the surroundings incredibly well.”
“The soundtrack for the game comprises dark, slow, rhythmic synth music.”
“The sound effects and music evoke the feel of old Genesis titles, featuring heavily-modulated synths with a lot of fuzz and buzzing, accompanied by slightly off-tuned ambient music as the backing tracks.”
“The bad part is almost all of the rest, the sounds are almost non-existent, and dear god the music is absolutely mind numbing.”
“The music is forgettable ambient music that wouldn't be out of place in a slasher film.”
“The soundtrack for the game comprises of dark, slow, rhythmic synth music.”
- atmosphere11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a unique hand-drawn gothic art style that creates a mysterious and immersive experience, enhanced by minimalist design and evocative music. Players appreciate the creepy yet inviting ambiance, although some find certain gameplay elements can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere is consistently praised as a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“The unique hand-drawn gothic art style will always draw your attention to the scenery, making every area in the game mysterious and adding a creepy layer of atmosphere you don't expect at first glance.”
“I love the aesthetic and the atmosphere that the game sets the second you start playing.”
“It has a distinct lo-fi, hand-drawn, black and white aesthetic that creates an immersive and atmospheric experience.”
“It certainly 'tries' to add to the atmosphere, but after a short while becomes completely unbearable and generally obnoxious.”
“However 'The Tribulation Entanglement' and 'Scorn' have some similarities like the atmosphere and feel: helplessness in an unknown scary dangerous world, and everything is made possible by meat.”
“The art direction, atmosphere, music, and basic gameplay all seemed to be in the right place.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story in "Tribulation Entanglement" is largely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many reviewers noting that it feels underdeveloped and offers little in terms of narrative engagement. While there are elements of environmental storytelling, they are overshadowed by gameplay issues and a failure to create a compelling world, leaving players disappointed with the overall experience.
“Tribulation entanglement is a striking action-platformer with environmental storytelling and familiar gameplay, a symbiotic journey as much as a personal one through the dying world under a monochromatic sun.”
“[b]Story and setting[/b]”
“[u]World-building[/u] - fine, you are doing visual storytelling.”
“There's not really a story to speak of, and gameplay-wise, it's kind of a mess.”
“You could talk about story, but it kind of doesn't exist; it feels very similar to Scorn, but ends up with even less to offer.”
“The biggest thing and probably the most disappointing thing for me is that I just didn't get anything out of the visual storytelling here.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers moderate replayability, featuring additional achievements that encourage multiple playthroughs with varying difficulty levels and health bar constraints. Players can engage with both easy and hard modes, enhancing the overall experience beyond the initial two-hour completion.
“All in all, it was a 2-hour experience from start to finish, with bonus replayability from the additional achievements that require the game to be completed with the longest health bar and the shortest.”
“It has an easy and hard mode for some replayability too.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional experience of the game is negatively impacted by the fast camera movements, which can induce motion sickness during intense sequences, such as the chicken chase in level 3.
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly criticizing the level design for requiring prolonged and seemingly random tasks, such as hitting blocks for extended periods.
“The level design was mostly tedious and unfair; I don't understand why I had to hit random blocks for 30 minutes.”
“Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, and it takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay engaged; it feels more like a job than a game.”
