Trüberbrook
- April 17, 2019
- btf
- 7h median play time
If you don’t mind some wonky voice-acting, there’s plenty of charm to be found in Trüberbrook's engrossing and rustic sci-fi tale.
"Trüberbrook" is a single-player mystery point-and-click game set in a 1960's parallel universe. With handmade scenery, delightful graphics, and atmospheric music, players will be immersed in an excellently crafted story that combines humor and intrigue. Enjoy a fantastical vacation filled with science fiction and mystery. This engaging adventure game offers a unique and exciting experience for players..
Reviews
- Gorgeous hand-crafted 3D graphics that create a unique and immersive atmosphere.
- Engaging and quirky story with interesting characters and humorous dialogue.
- Straightforward puzzles that are fun to solve, with a practical point-and-click interface.
- Game pacing is slow, with some tedious backtracking and lengthy cutscenes that cannot be skipped.
- Some puzzles lack logic and can feel nonsensical, leading to frustration.
- Short gameplay length, making it feel less valuable at full price.
- story198 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as a mix of interesting concepts and quirky elements, but it suffers from pacing issues and a lack of depth, leading to a tedious experience for some players. While the visuals and humor are praised, many reviewers found the narrative to be disjointed, with underdeveloped characters and plot holes that detracted from overall engagement. Overall, the story has potential but often feels rushed or simplistic, leaving players wanting a more cohesive and immersive experience.
“This game has a great storyline and fun puzzles.”
“The story is interesting enough to make you want to see it through to the end.”
“I came to this game for its looks, and stayed for its story.”
“The story began to get boring very quickly, and I found myself rushing to just complete the game because everything was starting to feel very tedious.”
“The story and pacing are all over the place; there were a few graphical bugs, and the puzzles are often tedious and absurd.”
“The story is a masterclass in horrible game writing.”
- graphics114 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning, hand-crafted 3D visuals and unique art style, which many reviewers found to be the standout feature. While the aesthetics and atmosphere are described as beautiful and immersive, some players noted that the visuals alone cannot compensate for the game's lackluster story and tedious puzzles. Overall, the graphics are considered exceptional, making the game visually appealing, but they are often overshadowed by issues in gameplay and narrative.
“Gorgeous looking, detailed and realistic hand-built 3D graphics.”
“The graphics are absolutely stunning and the characters are endearing.”
“The visuals look great - the hand-made aesthetic draws you in, and the animation of the characters isn't bad.”
“Unfortunately, the pretty visuals are the only redeeming aspect of this game.”
“Very disappointed, especially since the graphics and the overall atmosphere had been promising.”
“As many others have reviewed, not much going for this game besides the graphics.”
- music45 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing, jazzy quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its handcrafted feel and beautiful integration into the gameplay. While some found certain musical moments, like the concert, to be mismatched with the narrative's emotional beats, the soundtrack generally complements the game's aesthetic and setting. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's charm, despite occasional repetitiveness and moments where it feels out of place.
“The art style and quality is great, and the soundtrack adds so much atmosphere to this little adventure.”
“The music definitely matches the mystical setting of the game, as the music does in Twin Peaks.”
“The music is very atmospheric and nice to listen to.”
“The story beats are irregular and badly-placed: the 'concert' (a device that should certainly be to reward the player) comes right before the climax, and the song played is entirely wrong for the mood.”
“There is an entire music sequence built into the game that you have to sit through.”
“Atmospheric music, except the last scene the music seems a little... off from the scene.”
- gameplay44 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its slow pacing, linear structure, and lack of depth, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the unique graphics and casual atmosphere, others criticize the mundane mechanics, poor puzzle design, and a lack of meaningful interaction, leading to a feeling of disconnection from the story. Overall, the game is seen as visually stunning but ultimately falls short in delivering engaging and polished gameplay.
“Truly stunning game with light to moderate puzzles and engaging/immersive gameplay.”
“Relaxing gameplay and atmosphere, perfect for the casual player.”
“You can expect typical and good point-and-click gameplay, a neat story, and very unique looking graphics.”
“Everything about this game (animations, story progress, and gameplay pacing, mouse speed, camera movement, screen transitions) is so slow.”
“This is all overshadowed by the mundane gameplay and mediocre controls, that leave me feeling unable to really feel connected to the story and the world.”
“Gameplay is subpar with puzzles that have little to no logic (solutions don't make sense, having to walk around repeatedly to find the 'right' person you need to talk with no hints whatsoever, etc.).”
- humor32 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in Trüberbrook is characterized by a blend of wisecracking German wit and absurdist comedy, often eliciting genuine laughter through clever writing and engaging character interactions. While some players found the humor to be hit-or-miss, many appreciated the funny dialogues, unexpected twists, and amusing puzzles that contribute to the game's charm. Overall, the humor is a highlight for those who enjoy quirky and intelligent comedic elements, though it may resonate more with players familiar with German humor.
“On top of that, Trüberbrook offers a good dose of wisecracking German humor and other absurdist comedy.”
“It genuinely made me laugh out loud a few times; it had an engaging story, everything seemed to make sense, and the game is beautiful.”
“The wry adult humor was appreciated, and the mid-century theme was fantastic.”
“It's very beautiful but not funny.”
- atmosphere19 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive art style, nostalgic setting, and effective soundtrack, which collectively enhance the overall experience. Many players appreciate the game's ability to evoke a sense of place, particularly with its 60s small-town German backdrop, while the humor and character depth contribute positively to the ambiance. Despite some criticisms of other game elements, the atmosphere remains a standout feature that captivates players.
“The art style and quality is great, and the soundtrack adds so much atmosphere to this little adventure.”
“This adds more to the atmosphere of the game which takes you back to the 60's in small-town Germany. The atmosphere of the game feels very good; you can experience they must have loved making it.”
“The atmosphere is immersive and lives up to its influences.”
“Very disappointed especially since the graphics and the overall atmosphere had been promising.”
“The story in itself isn't what grabbed my attention, but more the graphics, lights/shadows and music (also the mystical atmosphere).”
“The only saving grace of this game is the atmosphere, which I found very effective and the characters that I found surprisingly not dull.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, primarily due to an abundance of fetch quests and excessive backtracking before unlocking fast travel. This leads to a loss of engagement with the story and puzzles, which are often described as easy yet frustratingly time-consuming. Overall, the grinding detracts from the enjoyment of the game, making it feel stretched and monotonous.
“Nice artwork and a good story concept, but after halfway through you realize it's mostly fetch quests and tedious filler work to stretch out the length of the game.”
“The story began to get boring very quickly, and I found myself rushing to just complete the game because everything was starting to feel very tedious.”
“I love puzzle games, but the puzzles themselves were easy to figure out; having to go back and forth between locations so much to complete them was tedious.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many users noting that the short length and lack of engaging content make it difficult to justify multiple playthroughs. While some players may return to collect achievements, the general consensus is that the game offers minimal replay value beyond that.
“My main concerns are the very short length of play, subsequent lack of replayability, and the frustrating nature of the puzzles.”
“And the replay value is honestly...very low.”
“Replay value is nonexistent.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches upon returning from saves, and frame rate problems, particularly on Mac. Players have reported inconsistencies with dialog skippability and autosave functionality, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, critical elements like the ending are prone to bugs, leading some users to resort to external sources to view the conclusion.
“The game looks great, but the puzzles are either stupidly easy or just illogical and random. The game was way too short, characters are shallow, and the ending was buggy. I had to watch the ending on a YouTube video because no matter what I did or how many walkthroughs I watched, I could not get the ending to happen.”
“First, it is buggy.”
“The walk system is buggy, there are frame rate issues (on Mac at least), and it's inconsistent what dialog is skippable and what is not. The autosave feature is unreliable, and while the inventory system is novel, it doesn't really add anything.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight a mixed emotional experience, with some praising the game's emotional plot, graphics, and music, while others criticize it for a lack of genuine emotional engagement and frustrating gameplay. Overall, the emotional impact seems inconsistent, leaving players divided on their feelings towards the game.
“Emotional plot, really nice graphics, astonishing music.”
“The game fails to evoke any real emotions, leaving players feeling disconnected from the characters and their struggles.”
“Despite its attempts at emotional depth, the narrative feels shallow and unengaging, making it hard to care about the outcomes.”
“The emotional moments feel forced and contrived, lacking the authenticity needed to resonate with players.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game's environment and character design are impressive, the overall character development is lacking, with many feeling that the story writing and other elements do not adequately support deeper character exploration. There is a consensus that there is significant potential for enhanced storytelling and character growth that remains untapped.
“So much room for further storytelling and character development.”
“The character development feels shallow, as if the game relies too heavily on its environment and design while neglecting the story and character arcs.”
“There is so much potential for deeper storytelling and character development that remains untapped.”
“The characters lack depth and growth, making it hard to connect with them throughout the game.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant frame rate issues on high-end hardware, indicating potential bugs overlooked during quality assurance. While not game-breaking, players also report missing subtitles for dialogue and occasional stuttering during navigation, detracting from the overall experience.
“Severe frame rate issues on even higher-end hardware (please, no macOS jokes! - these are clearly bugs that weren't caught in the QA process rather than a lack of hardware performance) get in the way of what should be a must-play title for me.”
“Nothing game-breaking (as of 16/03/2019), but sometimes dialogue doesn’t appear with subtitles (which can be a pain if you’re playing in a different language than the voice acting), and there’s a bit of stuttering here and there when you click around to move.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is perceived positively, as it enhances the nostalgic atmosphere of 1960s small-town Germany, suggesting that the developers' passion for the project is reflected in the overall experience.