Transhaping

About

Transhaping is a single player and multiplayer casual platformer game. It was developed by Unbound Interactive and was released on February 21, 2019. It received negative reviews from players.

In this narrative platformer you go on a journey through a shapes life as they realise they where not born who they truly are and follow them as they transition into who they want to be. A short story driven game from a new team hoping to make a movement.

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38%Audience ScoreBased on 13 reviews

emotional2 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game conveys a meaningful and inclusive story with options for different pronouns.
The soundtrack and character creation are highlights, adding emotional depth to the experience.
The developers are responsive to feedback and are committed to improving the game.

The platforming mechanics are frustratingly imprecise, making gameplay feel tedious and unplayable.
There are numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt the experience, including game-breaking issues.
The level design is bland and repetitive, with many sections feeling unnecessary and poorly executed.

story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game's story is noted for its inclusivity and the use of different pronouns, but it suffers from a repetitive and basic plot that feels familiar to many players. While some appreciate the integration of gameplay mechanics to enhance storytelling, others find the emotional connection lacking and the narration subpar. Overall, the narrative is seen as a mixed bag, with potential that isn't fully realized.
- “Tells a nice inclusive story with options for different pronouns.”
- “Really smart use of game mechanics to make story points!”
- “The platforming is very basic, and level designs are definitely not the best, but it was still an enjoyable experience to me thanks to the soundtrack and story.”
- “I was really curious about the story, but most of the game is repetitive platforming.”
- “The plot is pretty bog-standard too, but that's just because I've already lived through it and heard the same story a thousand times.”
- “X in Y body, and I hoped that one day we could just authentically tell our stories without using weird metaphors to try and explain our life and experience. It seems my hope was in vain, and we've not been able to develop communication with cis-gendered people past that, as this story only communicates through colors; there's no emotional connection with the main character.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its lack of depth and connection to the game's social commentary, with many finding the mechanics basic, dull, and riddled with bugs. Players report that the platforming is poorly designed, making it feel unplayable at times, and the controls are overly simplistic, reducing the experience to mere key mashing. Despite these shortcomings, some appreciate the game's message and music, suggesting it may still hold value at its current price.
- “The controls and gameplay are basic and dull, and there's no explanation on how to perform the flippy jump to avoid sentries like in the game's trailer.”
- “Honestly, if you do buy this against my advice, play it on easy to remove as much of the game's mechanics as possible.”
- “Pretty unplayable; the gameplay is basically just mashing keys trying to jump.”
- “The most disappointing feature of this game is that the game mechanics have no connection to the social commentary.”
- “Too much time is spent on the commentary and not enough focus is put into the gameplay.”
- “The controls and gameplay are basic and dull (and there's no explanation how to do the flippy jump to avoid sentries like in the game's trailer), there are many bugs, and the game imparts its message to the player with all the subtlety of a brick to the face.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The music in the game received mixed reviews; while some players appreciated the soundtrack and found it enjoyable, others criticized it for glitches and poor quality. Overall, the music contributed positively to the experience for some, but significant issues detracted from its effectiveness for others.
- “While the gameplay itself is definitely lacking, I really enjoyed the message and music of this game, and for the current price, I would definitely say it was worth it.”
- “The platforming is very basic, and the level designs are definitely not the best, but it was still an enjoyable experience to me thanks to the soundtrack and story.”
- “Music was bad and glitched out; I'm happy to not hear it again.”
- “These aren't even hard to replicate bugs: platforms jamming you through floors, clipping on enemies, getting stuck on walls, music glitching out playing multiple tracks at once.”
- “The platforming is very basic, and level designs are definitely not the best, but it was still an enjoyable experience to me thanks to the soundtrack and story.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics in the game are criticized for detracting from the gameplay experience, with some areas feeling visually unnecessary and leading to a lack of engagement during traversal.
- “The graphics are outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games, making the overall experience feel bland.”
- “The character models are poorly designed, which detracts from the immersion and makes it hard to connect with the game.”
- “The environments are uninspired and repetitive, leading to a visually dull experience that fails to engage the player.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke feelings of nostalgia and challenge through relatable experiences, particularly in social situations. However, some users feel that the reliance on abstract metaphors and color-based communication limits the emotional connection with the main character, leaving a desire for more authentic storytelling.
- “Reliving certain experiences, even as a little pink rectangle, was a very touching challenge. I believe that the developers did a great job of recreating the dread of social encounters in such situations.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably poor, with a critical issue where players can be crushed by descending platforms, resulting in glitches that require a level restart.
- “One remarkable low point is that if you stop beneath a descending platform, it crushes you out of existence and glitches out, forcing you to restart the level.”