The Works of Mercy
- September 26, 2018
- Peпtacle
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamThe Works of Mercy is a psychological thriller. The game's plot revolves around mysterious killings committed on seemingly random victims. Only this time it's the player who becomes the murderer.
Reviews
- The graphics are impressive and create a visually appealing atmosphere.
- The voice acting is decent and adds some quality to the experience.
- The game has an interesting concept and offers multiple endings based on player choices.
- The game is very short, taking less than an hour to complete, and lacks replayability.
- There are numerous bugs, glitches, and a frustrating lack of a save feature, forcing players to restart if they encounter issues.
- The story is poorly executed, confusing, and fails to deliver on the potential established by the initial trailers and demos.
- story46 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its intriguing premise but criticizing its execution. While some appreciated the psychological horror elements and potential for depth, others found the narrative linear, poorly developed, and lacking in meaningful choices or consequences. Overall, the story is seen as a missed opportunity, overshadowed by technical issues and a lack of engagement.
“The storyline is really good.”
“On a brighter note, the story is good.”
“Great story, interesting gameplay.”
“The story wasn't built properly; everything lacked weight due to long waiting times, the absence of consequences and reactions from anyone and everything, including the main character, whose changes in psyche weren't palpable at all.”
“The plot makes zero sense, it's boring, and there's literally no point to any of it.”
“The graphics are nice, and the story is there, but it was poorly executed with sub-par voice acting, no driving force, and little to no explanation of certain interactions in the game.”
- graphics40 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their quality and realism, particularly for an indie title, while others express disappointment over significant downgrades from initial trailers and demos. Despite the impressive visuals, several players note that the game's execution, story, and performance issues detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics are often highlighted as a strong point, they are overshadowed by gameplay flaws and bugs.
“Amazing graphics, realistic and very disturbing but also confusing but worth playing.”
“The graphics of the house are gorgeous, although I feel the character models could have had a bit more work done.”
“The graphics are great (no blurry textures in the basement in my opinion) - sometimes bordering on photo realism.”
“Graphics are majorly downgraded compared to the trailer and early demo; the game has loads of bugs and long waiting times between and after the given objectives.”
“The graphics have also been severely downgraded from what was shown initially, and roughly 80% of what was shown on the Kickstarter has been left out.”
“The quality and graphics are very low and slow.”
- gameplay21 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for its linearity and lack of meaningful choices, leading to a disappointing experience that fails to encourage replayability. Many reviewers noted that the mechanics are simplistic, often reducing the experience to a walking simulator, and the overall gameplay time is too short to fully engage players. While some appreciated the graphics and story potential, the execution left much to be desired, resulting in a shallow and unfulfilling gameplay experience.
“For the first 10 minutes of gameplay, I was still impressed by the realistic graphics and textures of the game.”
“I think the gameplay is different; I do wish it was longer, but besides that, I do recommend this game.”
“Great story, interesting gameplay.”
“Decisions have no impact on gameplay and are very linear.”
“That's the game's biggest flaw: the whole concept hinges on replaying the game, but the mechanics and the gameplay loop aren't conducive to replaying!”
“The gameplay is so straightforward that the story is losing its potential, making it a boring game.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent freezes, crashes, and various graphical glitches reported by users. Additionally, there are issues with incorrect subtitles and distracting dialogue errors, contributing to an overall unsatisfactory experience. Many players expressed frustration over the game's numerous bugs, which significantly detract from gameplay.
“Game freezes and shuts down after a few minutes.”
“The final game is buggy; the subtitles are often incorrect, the sound appears to be off, and the biggest issue is the short gameplay time.”
“There were several glitches and distracting dialogue errors, and overall unsatisfying deaths.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's music received mixed reviews; while some players appreciated the quality of the music and voice acting, others noted a lack of variety and quantity in the soundtrack. Specific elements, such as the track "I like it when a woman smells of mint," were highlighted positively, along with the effective use of music in enhancing the game's atmosphere.
“The music was good.”
“The color distortion and music were a very nice part in my eyes.”
“The game had very few music and sound in it.”
“The voice acting is fine for an indie project, same with the music.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as a mix of eerie and intense elements, successfully creating a creepy ambiance. However, some users feel that the combination of poorly designed human models and random disco lights detracts from the overall horror experience. Overall, the atmosphere is noted as a strong point, despite some inconsistencies.
“The atmosphere is great.”
“The works of mercy manages (somehow) to combine awfully looking human models with a pretty lame horror atmosphere while also adding a bit of walking simulator and random disco lights from time to time.”
“Eerie, intense, and definitely created a creepy atmosphere.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with users noting that it is short and offers little incentive to play again after completing it. Many feel that the experience is not worth the price, as it can be finished in about an hour.
“It was okay and the story was alright, but it was short and too expensive for a game with pretty much zero replayability that you can beat in an hour.”
“I feel like the game has 0% replayability if it was even playable the first time.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by clever elements, such as the amusing language sliding bar, which initially confuses players but leads to funny interactions with characters like Eugene. Overall, the game successfully incorporates lighthearted moments that elicit genuine laughter.
“The language sliding bar was a nice little touch that made me laugh at the beginning. At first, I thought the devs just didn't want me to see my own reflection, then I spoke to Eugene, my listy boy.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been heavily criticized, with reports of significant graphics downgrades, poor performance, a lack of save functionality, and confusing gameplay that contributes to a very short overall playtime of less than an hour.
“The graphics have been severely downgraded, performance has tanked, there is no save function whatsoever, it's increasingly difficult to figure out what you need to do, and worst of all, it lasts less than an hour of playtime.”
