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Traverser

A visually pleasing puzzler that challenges your brain and shows a real sense of intelligent design in its UI and sound. Buy it.
Traverser Game Cover
64%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
emotional, grinding
71% User Score Based on 79 reviews
Critic Score 57%Based on 14 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Traverser Game Cover

About

Traverser is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Gatling Goat Studios and was released on July 9, 2015. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

This is a hand-drawn 2D adventure game.

Genres & Tags
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Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
Traverser screenshot
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71%
Audience ScoreBased on 79 reviews
story25 positive mentions
grinding2 negative mentions
  • Unique and immersive steampunk dystopian world with strong atmosphere and world-building.
  • Interesting and accessible physics-based gravity glove mechanic used in puzzles and platforming.
  • Solid voice acting and appealing art style with a charming and consistent aesthetic.
  • Frustrating and clunky controls, especially regarding the gravity glove and platforming sections.
  • Short game length with a rushed and somewhat clichéd story that leaves many narrative threads unresolved.
  • Fixed isometric camera and lack of controller support hinder gameplay experience, causing issues with depth perception and enemy visibility.
  • story
    65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of the game is generally seen as interesting and atmospheric, with a compelling steampunk setting and engaging characters, but it often feels rushed, shallow, and somewhat clichéd. Many reviewers wished it had more depth, cohesion, and development, as the narrative tends to jump quickly between plot points without fully exploring them. Despite these flaws, the story is still a strong highlight for many players, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.

    • “This game is rich in character and story, keeping you engaged from the very beginning. Play the first 30 minutes, and if you like it, you'll love the rest of the game as well.”
    • “Fantastic puzzle platformer that is beautifully crafted and has a wonderful story to fall into.”
    • “The story is interesting, dark, yet humorous.”
    • “The story is rushed and stumbling over itself and ends in just dumb nonsense.”
    • “You're strung from one plot point to the next, never really being given a chance to process or even care about what's happening in the story.”
    • “The foundation is built, pieces are put in motion, but with nothing to hold them together Traverser is left to scramble from one plot point to the next, as if exposition for exposition’s sake is enough to guide the game toward a state of cohesion.”
  • gameplay
    37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay combines a core physics-based gravity glove mechanic that is generally enjoyable but can feel floaty and underdeveloped, with simple puzzles that build on this concept but often lack challenge and depth. Many players found the mechanics promising yet inconsistently explored, with limited variety and progression, leading to a gameplay experience that feels brief and occasionally frustrating. Overall, it’s a charming and accessible puzzle platformer that may disappoint those seeking complex or evolving gameplay systems.

    • “This game is absolutely fantastic, and is definitely a hidden gem when it comes to platformers, with a significant difficulty curve near the end, similar to Cat's Quest, with very interesting physics-based mechanics, a bit like an early precursor to A Hat in Time. Definitely worth a look!”
    • “Armed with a special gravity glove that lets you manipulate items around you, you'll use that glove with most gameplay mechanics to solve puzzles and traverse through your environments.”
    • “The class war backstory is light but engrossing, the charming world of gravity-defying steampunk bizarrchitecture is beautifully made, the mechanics are always entertaining, the puzzles are only occasionally challenging but make varied use of the physics, and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a while.”
    • “The power glove mechanic is frustrating, especially due to the floaty nature of it, the high sensitivity, and the awful POV problems.”
    • “Mechanics introduced early in the game are never given adequate time to be developed, and your existing mechanics never feel like they grow or transform over the course of the game.”
    • “Some of the mechanics were a little wonky and some of the puzzles were difficult because it would hide walls/ceilings, so you would try and go somewhere you couldn't and not know why right away.”
  • graphics
    29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their unique, quirky, and charming steampunk-inspired art style that combines 3D and 2D elements with vibrant, atmospheric visuals. The aesthetic is consistently appealing, colorful, and creatively designed, enhancing the setting and overall presentation despite some criticism of gameplay. Overall, the graphics significantly contribute to the game's immersive and captivating experience.

    • “The game is quite a looker, with a great art style that capitalizes on the game's low poly look.”
    • “Clean, stylish and colourful visuals.”
    • “The aesthetic is very pretty and the world seems interesting, but otherwise this game just falls short on most of the gameplay elements.”
    • “I truly like the graphics, they are in 3D but with some 2D objects.”
    • “The art style of this game is definitely unique, bringing about a futuristic steampunk-ish meets the 1920s feel.”
  • music
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally well-received, praised for its atmospheric and fitting steampunk style, with several reviewers highlighting it as a standout or one of the best soundtracks they've heard recently. While some find it decent but not exceptional, the soundtrack effectively enhances the game's immersive and emotional mood.

    • “The class war backstory is light but engrossing, the charming world of gravity-defying steampunk bizarrchitecture is beautifully made, the mechanics are always entertaining, the puzzles are only occasionally challenging but make varied use of the physics, and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a while.”
    • “The actors portray emotions and character, while the ambient sounds and subtle music add to the game's well-developed environment, all stylized in a wonderfully steampunk manner.”
    • “The mood of the game is only properly established through Traverser’s eccentric, melancholy soundtrack.”
    • “The music was appropriate, nothing special.”
    • “[some ambiguous moments, trial-and-error solutions, soundtrack doesn't stand out]”
    • “Music 7.5 of 10”
  • atmosphere
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere and world-building are widely praised for their immersive and appealing qualities, supported by strong visuals and an intriguing backstory. However, some reviews note that frustrating controls and wasted potential prevent the atmosphere from fully elevating the overall experience.

    • “The atmosphere and world building in the game are the real strength of the game.”
    • “Atmospheric game with nice graphics.”
    • “Although the game has a nice atmosphere, complete with a gravity manipulation glove for puzzles, Traverser can get weighted down with wasted potential.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor blends dark, steampunk themes with goofy, playful elements, creating a unique and entertaining contrast. Players encounter quirky, funny objects that encourage lighthearted fun and frequent laughter, enhancing the overall engaging and varied experience.

    • “The story is interesting, dark, yet humorous.”
    • “As you progress throughout the game you find funny and rather crazy objects that offer the possibilities to goof around, and it will undoubtedly make you crack up and smile like the kid you are.”
    • “The dark, steampunky setting mixes perfectly with the goofy, humorous elements similarly to Deponia.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users found the emotional impact of the game underwhelming, feeling that the story, though central to the experience, was boring and left a sense of unfinished potential.

    • “Very boring story and the story is all this game had going for it.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is considered tedious due to infrequent savepoints, forcing players to repeatedly redo entire scenes upon failure. This repetitive process can lead to frustration.

    • “If you die, you have to do it all over again, and it can get tedious as you have to do the same thing repeatedly.”
    • “The save points were too spread out, forcing a restart of entire scenes, which can be tedious.”
  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers moderate replayability through hidden secrets and challenges in each level, though some players may desire a more expansive sequel for greater engagement.

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57%Critics’ scoreBased on 13 critic reviews
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7h Median play time
6h Average play time
4-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Traverser is a action adventure game.

Traverser is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Traverser.

Traverser was released on July 9, 2015.

Traverser was developed by Gatling Goat Studios.

Traverser has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked Traverser for its story but disliked it for its emotional.

Traverser is a single player game.

Similar games include Scrap Garden, Hue, Chronology, Contrast, Woolfe - The Red Hood Diaries and others.