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The Way

The Way Game Cover
76%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, replayability
80% User Score Based on 406 reviews
Critic Score 65%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

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The Way Game Cover

About

The Way is a single player arcade platformer game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Puzzling Dream and was released on May 20, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

In The Way, play as a space explorer seeking to bring back your loved one by discovering the secrets of a distant planet. Solve mind-bending puzzles and delve into a rich, immersive sci-fi story, all while exploring a unique alien world. With retro-style animation and influences from classic games, prepare for a thought-provoking adventure.

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The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
The Way screenshot
+5
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80%
Audience ScoreBased on 406 reviews
story138 positive mentions
grinding25 negative mentions
  • Beautiful pixel art and stunning environments that create an immersive atmosphere.
  • Engaging story that evokes strong emotions and keeps players invested.
  • Challenging puzzles that require thought and creativity, providing a satisfying sense of accomplishment.
  • Frustrating platforming mechanics and controls that can lead to frequent deaths and repetition.
  • Infrequent checkpoints that can result in significant backtracking after dying.
  • Some puzzles are overly obtuse or tedious, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story
    256 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is often described as engaging and emotionally resonant, with many players appreciating its minimalistic yet effective storytelling approach that unfolds through the environment rather than extensive dialogue. While some reviews note that the plot can feel clichéd or simplistic at times, the overall narrative is praised for its depth and ability to evoke strong feelings, particularly in relation to themes of love and loss. The combination of beautiful visuals, atmospheric music, and a compelling storyline makes it a standout experience for fans of story-driven games.

    • “The story is captivating while the art is immersive.”
    • “The story unfolds to majestic proportions until the very end.”
    • “The writing drives the story forward in a minimalistic, yet effectively cryptic tone.”
    • “The story is okay but doesn’t go very deep; it is basically just a mishmash of old sci-fi archetypes and tropes, but that doesn’t matter as it does not make the gameplay any less entertaining.”
    • “The story has ups and downs, but is mostly killed by repetition and lack of engagement.”
    • “I think the biggest letdown for me was the story; a man setting out on a mission across the stairs to save the only person he loves is prime ground for a truly epic story.”
  • graphics
    105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning pixel art style, vibrant visuals, and atmospheric design, which effectively create an engaging sci-fi world. While many reviewers commend the artwork and its nostalgic appeal reminiscent of classic titles like "Another World," some note issues with animation fluidity and gameplay mechanics that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics and a compelling soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere.

    • “The graphics and the music create an amazing, alien, sci-fi atmosphere, and the plot keeps you always on your toes and wanting to move forward, with a real sense of urgency.”
    • “A stunningly beautiful game, where vibrant pixel graphics meet one of the most atmospheric soundtracks I can remember!”
    • “The artwork is beautiful as anyone can see, the atmospheric music sets the stage, and a compelling, emotional narrative keeps nudging you forward until the end.”
    • “I think the grid-based layout goes better with pixel graphics; the free/fluid movement mixed with pixel graphics creates a kind of disconnect... it's hard to put into words, but it's weird.”
    • “There even are gameplay bugs, where you can put the game in an undetermined state if you teleport back to safety as you are attacked by a plant; or where you will continuously fall through a platform if you died after moving it (the platform is graphically there, but it does not have collision anymore).”
    • “Some keyboard glitches here and there (keys get stuck and you continue walking even without pressing the keys) and some minor graphical nuisances like a ladder that isn't obviously usable on a wall that you bypass easily will occasionally make you angry but didn't the 90's game have these bugs anyway?”
  • music
    104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, often compared to iconic soundtracks like those of "Blade Runner." Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to enhance the game's emotional depth and setting, with many describing it as hauntingly beautiful and fitting for the narrative. While some noted occasional repetitiveness, the overall consensus is that the music significantly elevates the gaming experience.

    • “The music and ambiance reminded me so much of the feelings I got while watching Blade Runner.”
    • “The music is incredible and really does well to set the tone.”
    • “The graphics, music, and story come together perfectly to create a hauntingly beautiful world to explore and understand.”
    • “Also, while I would usually play with the volume low, I don't recall there being much music along the way to provide ambiance and enhance the setting.”
    • “Completely boring, the music is uninspired, and I've been stuck on the same jump for 20 minutes.”
    • “The music is passable, but not remarkable, and unfortunately it is non-stop.”
  • gameplay
    101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its clunky mechanics, frustrating platforming, and repetitive elements that detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the challenging puzzles and innovative mechanics, others find the trial-and-error nature and poor control responsiveness to be major flaws. Overall, the game offers a blend of engaging and frustrating gameplay that may appeal to fans of retro platformers but could alienate those seeking a smoother experience.

    • “The gameplay is really interesting; taking a break from just firing and having to work through puzzles was really cool.”
    • “The story was emotive and the gameplay engaging and challenging.”
    • “This game is the perfect blend of platformer challenge and small combat with a smattering of classic puzzle style mechanics.”
    • “Unfortunately, the gameplay is where the game lost me.”
    • “The big problems for me is that so far, the gameplay has been extremely repetitive, even forcing you to watch cutscenes of doors opening that you have to perform at least three times.”
    • “Controls are not good at all (keyboard movement controls aren't good for platforming and my Xbox One controller didn't work for shooting at all even after rebinding the fire button), the save points are badly placed (forcing you to replay large swaths of a level after making one wrong control input at the end of a long sequence), and there are some questionable mechanical decisions.”
  • atmosphere
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning graphics, immersive sound design, and compelling storytelling, creating a captivating sci-fi and alien environment that draws players in. Many reviews highlight the effective use of music and art to enhance the emotional experience, while the world-building and narrative keep players engaged and curious. Despite some criticisms regarding puzzle quality and gameplay execution, the overall atmosphere remains a standout feature that resonates with players.

    • “The graphics and the music create an amazing, alien, sci-fi atmosphere, and the plot keeps you always on your toes and wanting to move forward, with a real sense of urgency.”
    • “A stunningly beautiful game, where vibrant pixel graphics meet one of the most atmospheric soundtracks I can remember!”
    • “The artwork is beautiful as anyone can see, the atmospheric music sets the stage, and a compelling, emotional narrative keeps nudging you forward until the end.”
    • “The game doesn't tell its story by forcing cutscenes and pages of dialogue at you, but with its atmosphere and the things you find along the way on your adventure, which is much more my style of storytelling.”
    • “A powerful soundtrack crystallizes a fluid, pixel atmosphere that blends Blade Runner, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars into something different from the sum of its parts.”
    • “The atmosphere and gameplay is exactly as promised.”
  • grinding
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being janky and tedious, with many players expressing frustration over repetitive platforming and puzzles that require excessive retries. While some elements of the game are engaging, the overall experience is marred by slow-paced gameplay and frustrating mechanics that detract from enjoyment. Players warn that the tedious nature of the challenges can make the game feel more like a chore than a fun experience.

    • “Great art style and what seems to be a compelling plot, but the platforming is tedious, unforgiving, and janky at best.”
    • “This game has painfully tedious platforming, and I emphasize the painful part.”
    • “Slow, tedious puzzles and frustrating platforming replace the normal gameplay and sink playability.”
  • emotional
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a deep, touching narrative that evokes empathy for the protagonist, despite a minimalistic character roster. While the story and atmospheric elements, such as music and artwork, enhance the emotional experience, some players feel that the gameplay mechanics detract from fully appreciating the narrative's impact. Overall, the game successfully elicits strong emotional responses, with many players noting moments that resonate deeply, even if the puzzles can be frustrating.

    • “A deep, emotionally touching story, yet it is minimalistic as there are very few characters. It gives you a feeling of solitude, letting you have deep empathy towards the protagonist and his quest.”
    • “The artwork is beautiful, the atmospheric music sets the stage, and a compelling, emotional narrative keeps nudging you forward until the end.”
    • “And the story... I'm not an emotional person, but this tugged on my heartstrings more than once.”
  • replayability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game offers limited replayability, with most players completing it in around 10-11 hours. While some find value in revisiting locales and improving puzzle-solving efficiency, the consensus is that it lacks significant incentives for multiple playthroughs.

    • “Replayability is decent.”
    • “To me, the appeal for replayability comes from visiting the locales and trying to finish the puzzles as efficiently as possible.”
    • “It was 11 hours for me, and there's very limited replayability.”
    • “There's not much replay value, but it's well worth a playthrough if you have the patience.”
    • “Tldr; awesome game with about 10 hours of gameplay and little replayability.”
  • stability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with users reporting frequent crashes, glitches, and unresponsive controls that hinder gameplay. While some players noted that the puzzles are glitch-free, others experienced significant issues such as save slot glitches and soft-locks, suggesting that the overall stability could be improved. Minor graphical issues and keyboard glitches also contribute to a frustrating experience for some players.

    • “The game is not really buggy, but the one bug I encountered nearly soft-locked me midway through the game.”
    • “Puzzles are great, smart, and have no glitches.”
    • “This was a lovely game, but the version here on Steam is unmanageable for some reason. It crashes, has glitches, the resolution setting has a mind of its own, and the controls are very strangely unresponsive.”
    • “This game crashed multiple times for me, and there were multiple save slot glitches that I faced. This is without mentioning the annoying checkpoints during platforming sections.”
    • “Some keyboard glitches here and there (keys get stuck and you continue walking even without pressing the keys) and some minor graphical nuisances like a ladder that isn't obviously usable on a wall that you bypass easily will occasionally make you angry.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the developers have made a commendable effort in optimizing the game, which has been positively noted by users.

    • “The developers have clearly put significant effort into optimization.”
    • “The game's performance has been greatly improved thanks to the optimization work.”
    • “I appreciate how the optimization allows for smoother gameplay on lower-end systems.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by classic one-liners that draw inspiration from other games and movies, providing a nostalgic and comedic touch that resonates with players.

    • “The game is packed with classic funny one-liners that had me laughing out loud.”
    • “I love how it cleverly references jokes from other games and movies, making it a hilarious experience.”
    • “The humor is spot on, with witty dialogue that keeps the gameplay entertaining and light-hearted.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is considered somewhat lacking, with reviewers noting that both the story and dialogue fail to engage players fully. Additionally, a deeper exploration of the setting could have enhanced immersion and enriched character arcs.

    • “The story, dialogue, and character development are a little lackluster, and the setting could have been explored more thoroughly to help immerse the players into the game and story.”
    • “Character arcs feel rushed and underdeveloped, leaving players disconnected from their motivations and growth.”
    • “The lack of meaningful choices in character development makes the experience feel linear and uninspired.”
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65%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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10h Median play time
7h Average play time
4-10h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Way is a arcade platformer game with science fiction theme.

The Way is available on PC, Mac OS, Xbox One, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing The Way.

The Way was released on May 20, 2016.

The Way was developed by Puzzling Dream.

The Way has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

The Way is a single player game.

Similar games include Planet of Lana, Lifeless Planet, The Fall, Deliver Us The Moon, Owlboy and others.