The Universim
- July 31, 2018
- Crytivo
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam"The Universim" is a god-game simulation where players oversee a developing civilization across time. Manage resources, research technology, and handle natural disasters to guide your civilization to prosperity. Experience a living, breathing world with dynamic AI and simulated ecosystems. However, keep in mind that ultimate power may lead to the downfall of your civilizations if misused.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of city-building and god simulation, allowing players to guide a civilization from the Stone Age to space.
- The graphics and art style are visually appealing, creating an immersive experience.
- The narrator adds humor and charm to the gameplay, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
- The game suffers from pacing issues, with long wait times for research and building construction, leading to periods of inactivity.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, particularly in the late game.
- The AI behavior of nuggets can be frustrating, as they often make poor decisions that negatively impact the civilization.
- gameplay910 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Universim" has received mixed reviews, with players praising its blend of city-building and god game mechanics, but criticizing its pacing and depth. Many find the core gameplay loop repetitive and slow, often involving long waits for research and resource management, which can lead to boredom. While the game features engaging visuals and a humorous narrative, it suffers from bugs and a lack of clarity in mechanics, leaving some players feeling frustrated and underwhelmed by the overall experience.
“The balance between resource management, citizen happiness, and planetary conditions keeps the gameplay exciting and dynamic.”
“It masterfully combines classic god game nostalgia with modern mechanics, offering an immersive and engaging experience.”
“The game seamlessly blends city-building, strategy, and god game elements, providing a dynamic and immersive gameplay experience.”
“Universim is a barely above average city builder game and a mediocre god game; its engine is promising, but the content is extremely shallow and spread over several dozen hours of gameplay where all you're waiting for is advancing your technology.”
“Buttons simply don't work; integral gameplay mechanics don't function, and there is no ability to progress.”
“The gameplay loop is a case of 'click a button to queue researching something' and then 'click to place a building of what you just researched' and then 'click to queue a new research' and you repeat that over and over.”
- graphics694 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their vibrant, cartoonish style and detailed artwork, which many players find charming and immersive. While some users noted performance issues and graphical bugs, particularly on certain systems, the overall aesthetic is considered appealing and well-suited to the game's theme. The visuals, combined with engaging sound design and humor, contribute significantly to the game's enjoyable experience, despite some criticisms regarding optimization and interface navigation.
“The vibrant, detailed art style brings the world to life.”
“Its strategic depth, stunning visuals, and immersive sound design make it a must-play for both veterans and newcomers to the genre.”
“The graphics are beautiful, watching the world grow older for your nuggets is interesting and interactive, and just trying to keep all of the nuggets alive and happy is a fun (yet sometimes infuriating) challenge.”
“Aesthetically, the game falls flat, especially in the later stages.”
“There are major graphical bugs and the dev team has made it clear that these won't be fixed due to the game engine.”
“Do not be fooled by the pretty graphics, this game has many glitches and annoying features.”
- humor428 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, primarily delivered through a sarcastic narrator whose witty remarks and playful jabs enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the mix of dark humor and lighthearted quips, although some feel that the humor can become repetitive over time. Overall, the game's comedic elements contribute significantly to its appeal, making it a fun and engaging god simulator.
“The humor is reminiscent of Sid Meier's games, very tongue-in-cheek but instead of being just a social commentary, the Universim also manages to add a cute philosophical commentary on deific morality that literally anyone can relate to.”
“The game's humor is on-point, from the sarcastic dad narrator to the intentional misspellings throughout much of the game's menus and text that suits the off-kilter and quirky nuggets, the people of this universe, well.”
“Everything from the funny statements made by the narrator, to the way nuggets work with and without your guidance, and the way the world changes as it progresses make this game a wonderful game.”
“The guy is not funny and tries too hard.”
“I get how it is supposed to be funny, but the clunky camera and UI design just make him talk constantly, and then it just becomes annoying.”
- story310 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the engaging narrative and charming quests that evoke a sense of nurturing towards the "nuggets," while others criticize its linearity and lack of depth, leading to repetitive gameplay. Many reviews highlight significant bugs and issues with quest mechanics that detract from the overall experience, suggesting that the story feels incomplete or poorly executed. Overall, while there are elements of an interesting storyline, the execution leaves much to be desired, impacting replayability and player engagement.
“Despite its steep learning curve and late-game pacing issues, it stands out in simulation games, blending strategy, creation, and an engaging storyline for a captivating experience.”
“The storyline is rich with lore and surprises, immersing the player in a captivating world filled with mystery and discovery.”
“This game has a brilliant intro and leads the player into a rich world of development along with a great story.”
“The linear nature and story that the developers chose is an unfortunate decision that hurts replayability.”
“… many, if not most of the quests and cut scenes are seriously bugged up to the point where it's game breaking.”
“The plot is completely missing.”
- stability220 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been a significant concern among players, with many reporting numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, especially after the recent 1.0 release. While some users noted improvements following updates, others found the game nearly unplayable due to persistent issues, particularly when managing larger populations or during specific gameplay scenarios. Overall, the game is still considered to be in a rough state, with many recommending potential players to wait for further fixes before diving in.
“What is in the game right now is really well done - essentially the stone age and medieval age are polished and bug free.”
“Long story short: the game is still in its early phases, what they have out is, for the most part, bug free and fun to play.”
“Relatively bug free for an early access in my opinion.”
“Once you leave the planet, the game becomes too buggy to continue playing.”
“Sadly it is so bug-ridden it's almost unplayable.”
“Despite the 10 years in development and 1.0 release, the game is still unpolished, buggy, and just boring.”
- grinding152 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, with players often feeling overwhelmed by micromanagement and slow-paced mechanics. Many reviews highlight the frustratingly slow research progress and the need for constant monitoring of in-game characters, leading to long stretches of inactivity and a lack of engaging content. Overall, players express disappointment in the game's design, which detracts from its potential enjoyment and makes it feel like a chore rather than a fun experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The end game is just tedious and not fun to play.”
“Research is tediously slow, meaning you spend most of your play time waiting to get new buildings to place, often 5-10 minutes at a time.”
“There are multiple other issues with this game that just snowball and compound the further into the game you get. While the game looks great, its mechanics are seriously flawed in a way that makes it tedious, boring, repetitive, and unplayable.”
- optimization138 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, particularly in late-game scenarios where performance issues, such as lag and frame rate drops, become pronounced, especially with larger populations. While some players note that the graphics are visually appealing and the game runs smoothly on lower-end systems, many express frustration over the overall performance, suggesting that it is poorly optimized and in need of urgent improvements. As it is still in early access, there is hope that future updates will address these optimization concerns.
“The game also boasts an impressive visual style and exceptional performance.”
“The graphic design is at the same time creative and simple, which allows the game to handle an obscene amount of items on the screen without weighing down the performance.”
“I hope that the game gets better optimized in the future, but overall it’s absolutely amazing and fun!”
“The game is almost unplayable to me due to the fact that it's not optimized yet.”
“Unfortunately once my population reached above 150, my performance tanked and rendered the game unplayable.”
“The game is poorly optimized, and although it has great visuals, it is hard to be immersed and relaxed while your CPU screams to death.”
- music124 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the dynamic soundtrack and ambient sounds that complement the game's atmosphere, although some note occasional issues like music stopping during gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered exceptional, with many finding it charming and well-suited for the game's pacing.
“The ambient sounds and dynamic soundtrack enhance immersion, perfectly complementing the game’s atmosphere.”
“Finally, the game's soundtrack is truly exceptional, adding an extra layer of depth and emotion to the gameplay experience.”
“This game is super relaxing, and full of enjoyment with chill music playing in the background, watching your 'nuggets' progress and grow their civilization.”
“I usually turn off the music and would likely have turned the 'narrator' off if the commentary he provided wasn't so good.”
“I was messing with the new nuggets when I noticed the music was skipping.”
“I figured I would just go into the settings and shut off the music, and that is when everything just froze.”
- replayability86 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its high replay value due to procedurally generated worlds and diverse gameplay mechanics, while others criticize its linearity and repetitive nature, leading to a lack of long-term engagement. Frequent updates have been noted to enhance replayability, but some feel that the core experience remains shallow and limited. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some finding it highly replayable and others deeming it lacking in depth and variety.
“Additionally, the game's procedurally generated worlds offer a high replayability factor, ensuring that each new playthrough is unique and challenging in its own way.”
“This is a great game, very diverse and highly replayable.”
“Replayability is also very high, and with every patch and update it's even more fun.”
“The linear nature and story that the developers chose is an unfortunate decision that hurts replayability.”
“Overall this game has no random factor to it, very high price for a game with very low replayability.”
“Currently, the gameplay is incredibly shallow, not only making it somewhat boring for people who are very deep into god games, but also hurting replayability (a vital component to any god game in my book).”
- atmosphere34 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, enhanced by ambient sounds and a dynamic soundtrack that complement the gameplay. Players appreciate the sense of progression as they build and manage their colonies, while the unique humor and quirky elements add to the overall enjoyment. However, some users note that the planet's initial lack of atmosphere and occasional bugs can detract from the experience, though these issues are often overshadowed by the game's charm and engaging mechanics.
“The ambient sounds and dynamic soundtrack enhance immersion, perfectly complementing the game’s atmosphere.”
“I also appreciate the game's relaxing atmosphere and sense of progression as I watch my colony grow and thrive.”
“If you're looking for a god-game with a relaxing atmosphere, this is it.”
“The planet is small, ugly, and lacks atmosphere.”
“I started getting a toxic atmosphere (low O2) that was around the entire planet.”
“Not from a lack of trying and interest, but between throwing dead corpses in lakes (I don't build crematoriums since it has a negative effect on happiness) and watching people being flung into the atmosphere for no apparent reason (bug), I was mostly just staring at the screen, watching my nuggets work - besides the lake filling task, most of my time is spent placing structures - like a very slow version of SimCity, where you only place civic buildings.”
- emotional20 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional response to the game is largely negative, with players feeling a sense of helplessness and detachment rather than engagement or excitement. While the organic growth of the town is appreciated, the lack of meaningful interactions and the overwhelming nature of certain game elements contribute to a feeling of disconnection from the characters and the world. Overall, the game fails to evoke strong emotional ties, leaving players feeling indifferent or frustrated.
“But instead, this game made me feel like a helpless loser.”
“The town, as it develops, gains that extraordinary organic look, certainly made me feel like it grew naturally, which is awesome as far as I am concerned.”
“Which made me feel a little odd, considering they weren't a procreative threat to my people (it was one solo nugget, no partner in sight).”
- monetization18 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with users labeling it a "cash grab" due to misleading advertising and incomplete features. While the game is priced fairly and lacks loot boxes or microtransactions, players express frustration over intrusive ads and poor accessibility, leading to a lack of recommendations until substantial improvements are made.
“The game is priced fairly for what it offers, including the entire experience with no loot boxes or microtransactions.”
“The pricing is reasonable, providing full access to the game without any hidden costs or intrusive DRM.”
“Cash grab, no updates, garbage game as of right now.”
“Can't play the game; it is nowhere near complete, and you cannot achieve the images in the ads nor can you get planes or aliens. This game shouldn't even have left the engine.”
“As it stands right now, I will not be recommending this so obvious cash grab until it has done some serious overhauling to its features and reduced that price significantly.”
- character development6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is highlighted by the charming and unique designs of the nuggets and alien-like animals, which contribute to an engaging visual experience. Players appreciate the vibrant graphics and soothing music that enhance the overall atmosphere, although specific details about character growth or narrative depth are not mentioned.
“The graphics are amazing, with popping colors and clean environment/character designs, and the music soothes my soul.”
