Tulpa

About

Tulpa is a single player arcade action adventure game. It was developed by Encryptique and was released on January 29, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Tulpa is a single-player puzzle-platformer game known for its pretty visuals and atmospheric setting. Control Ophelia and her tulpa, Oliver, as you explore a hauntingly elegant world full of bizarre obstacles and abstract puzzles. The ever-changing landscape and mysterious trials will challenge you to decipher the path forward, making for a unique and captivating adventure."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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44%

Audience ScoreBased on 140 reviews

graphics20 positive mentions

gameplay8 negative mentions

The game features gorgeous visuals and a unique art style that creates a haunting atmosphere.
The puzzles, while sometimes frustrating, offer a mix of challenge and creativity that can be engaging.
The music and sound design effectively enhance the overall mood of the game.

Controls are often unresponsive and clunky, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Many puzzles rely on trial and error rather than logical reasoning, making them feel arbitrary and unsatisfying.
The game is very short, with a lack of depth in story and gameplay mechanics, leaving players wanting more.

graphics
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
53%
6%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and vibrant art style, creating an atmospheric and visually striking experience. While many reviewers appreciate the abstract and sometimes gloomy visuals, they also note that the gameplay often falls short, with some describing it as lacking innovation and depth. Overall, the visuals are considered the standout feature, making the game worth experiencing for those who prioritize aesthetics over gameplay quality.
- “The visuals and the atmosphere of this game is the most fascinating and enjoyable aspect this game has to offer.”
- “I really liked the aesthetics due to their vibrant colors and mysterious environment.”
- “The artwork of this game shines, with beautiful backgrounds and level design; it's refreshing to see a game that uses colors so well.”
- “Visuals are very abstract and gloomy.”
- “Tired old puzzle platformer mechanics, lazy graphics (at least they're not pixel art?).”
- “The artwork is really gloomy and depressing; what is the game trying to talk about?”
gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
75%
17%
The gameplay of "Tulpa" is characterized by basic puzzle-solving mechanics and clunky controls, leading to a generally frustrating experience for players. While the game features a unique character-switching mechanic and aesthetically pleasing visuals, it suffers from a lack of engaging challenges and poor execution, making it difficult to recommend for those seeking a satisfying gameplay experience. Overall, the game is short and simplistic, with many players feeling that it fails to justify its price due to its gameplay shortcomings.
- “I really liked the gameplay concept, where you have to control two characters to solve the puzzles.”
- “The gameplay consists of solving puzzles by alternating between both characters.”
- “Mildly challenging spooky puzzle game with character switching mechanic.”
- “Aesthetically vibrant, though gameplay is... middling to say the least.”
- “The gameplay itself is just basic puzzle solving.”
- “The controls/gameplay are less than solid, sometimes frustrating, where actions are delayed, moving objects around are noticeably laggy, and half of the time the character won't hold on to a ledge.”
atmosphere
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
21%
9%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique and colorful visuals, haunting sound design, and the ability to evoke feelings of grief and introspection. While some players appreciate the psychedelic and dream-like qualities, others note inconsistencies in execution, such as bugs and unpolished elements. Overall, the game's atmosphere stands out as its most compelling feature, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of atmospheric gaming, despite its gameplay shortcomings.
- “It has a nice psychedelic, horror, dream-like atmosphere throughout.”
- “The music and graphics create an atmospheric and memorable world, which is what I like the most about the game.”
- “The visuals and the atmosphere of this game is the most fascinating and enjoyable aspect this game has to offer.”
- “From the rather unnerving atmosphere, the shortage of music, the eeriness of sound design, the 'floaty' controls (which is ironic given that, you know, one of the characters you control literally floats), short run time, even to the fact that the devs made up an alphabet from scratch for just three-four occurrences in-game, it feels rather unpolished, but made with the sole purpose of not being enjoyable, but to try and get to know the feeling of grief (at least their abstract version of it).”
- “Tulpa is a short puzzle game with a pretty great art style and atmosphere that sadly falters when it comes to actual gameplay and content: while the care that went into the game is plain to see, its simple nature and extreme shortness make the asking price hard to justify.”
- “All things considered, Tulpa is worth a playthrough for the art style and atmosphere alone if, like me, you got it from a bundle: but its price tag and bland gameplay aren't enough to recommend as it is.”
story
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
49%
41%
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal, vague, and unengaging, leaving players to interpret abstract imagery and symbolism without clear narrative direction. While some appreciate the artistic presentation and atmospheric music, many find the lack of a coherent storyline frustrating, with the gameplay mechanics further detracting from any potential emotional investment. Overall, the storytelling is seen as confusing and lacking substance, failing to compel players to explore or decipher its themes.
- “The vague storytelling also lends itself pretty well to such imagery, giving you a feel for what the game wants to convey and then sealing the deal with quite a stark ending.”
- “I actually really like that the story is a little obtuse, other than a clear Orpheus inspiration - although the Ophelia reference might imply it's all in her head, making the final bit doubly ambiguous.”
- “The music is absolutely made for this game - the plot is amazing combined with mega atmospheric artistic vision comes out a really psychedelic product!”
- “There was no story to compel me to press on and complete the puzzles faster, and what little there was, I couldn't get invested in.”
- “The controls are clunky, the story is nonexistent, and the puzzles are infuriating.”
- “Despite the colorful presentation and surreal imagery, there is no story in this game.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
36%
14%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric and relaxing qualities that enhance the overall experience. While some found it effective and integral to the game's mood, others described it as bland or lacking in variety. Overall, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's unique ambiance, despite criticisms regarding its depth and the absence of a compelling storyline.
- “The music and graphics create an atmospheric and memorable world, which is what I like the most about the game.”
- “The music is amazing and definitely sets the mood for the rest of the game.”
- “I enjoyed the music in this game; it was really relaxing and just perfect for it.”
- “The music and sound effects were bland.”
- “The music was ok, if a bit bland and uninspired.”
- “It deals with loss, but only through the moody music, imagery, and symbolism - there is no storyline at all.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game features a smooth and visually appealing performance, but it is criticized for being poorly optimized, particularly in terms of user interaction with puzzles, which seems to favor touch controls.
- “The game itself runs smoothly and beautifully.”
- “Poorly optimized.”
- “The interactivity between the user and puzzles strongly suggests a touch-optimized design.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Overall, the game's replayability is limited, primarily hinging on the pursuit of achievements rather than varied gameplay experiences. However, its unique visuals, engaging music, and thoughtful level design provide enough incentive for players to revisit it despite the lack of substantial replay value.
- “I guess it even has some replayability not because of the gameplay, but because of the unique visuals that make you want to see it again.”
- “Getting all the Steam achievements takes another playthrough, which immediately makes it very clear that the game has no replay value.”
- “I guess it even has some replayability, not because of the gameplay, but because of such unique visuals that make you want to see it again.”
- “Not a ton of replay value, besides going for certain achievements if you miss them, but the music and level design more than make up for it in my opinion.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report that the game's stability is inconsistent, with frequent bugs and glitches affecting gameplay. Notably, some players have experienced issues such as being stuck in certain modes, which hampers their ability to interact with objects.
- “Controls are fine, but they can be a bit buggy here and there.”
- “It is also quite buggy.”
- “Glitches - I was stuck in 'sane' mode and unable to operate objects.”