Unhack

About

Unhack is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by InvertMouse and was released on January 9, 2015. It received positive reviews from players.

"Unhack is a single-player visual novel game with an amazing story, stellar gameplay, sensational graphics, and splendid music. As the top unhacker in Smash Security, you must team up with an AI companion to battle hostile AI and conquer digital dungeons to bring peace to the digital realm. The game features a fully voiced cast, including Xanthe Huynh, Aimee Smith, and Skyler Davenport, and comes with a free soundtrack DLC."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 196 reviews

story70 positive mentions

The game features a charming story with engaging characters and decent voice acting, making it enjoyable to play.
The puzzles are simple yet fun, providing a light challenge that complements the visual novel elements.
The art style and music are appealing, enhancing the overall experience of the game.

The game is very short, taking only about an hour to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content.
There are technical issues such as lack of resolution options, no save feature, and the inability to take screenshots.
The story can be predictable and lacks depth, with some dialogue being triggered awkwardly during gameplay.

story
224 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
The story in the game is a mixed bag, often described as predictable and clichéd, yet it manages to engage players with its emotional moments and character interactions. While some reviewers appreciated the blend of visual novel storytelling with puzzle mechanics, others criticized the pacing and lack of depth in the narrative. Overall, the game offers a short but charming experience, with decent voice acting and art, though it may not satisfy those seeking a more complex or original plot.
- “The story is actually quite well done for a game that is so short.”
- “The short running time enables the creators to keep surprising you with changes and with delightful interplay of mechanics, story, art, voice acting and music.”
- “The story kept me glued to my keyboard.”
- “Thin and predictable story.”
- “The story is rife with clichés but in the very end did manage to draw me in enough to care, a big part of that credit goes to the solid voice acting that was delivered.”
- “The story lacks worldbuilding and context - there's something to be said about suspension of disbelief, but without proper establishment of setting, you get lost on what is happening, especially with regards to the integration of the digital and real worlds.”
gameplay
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The gameplay is generally described as simple and straightforward, often blending puzzle mechanics with visual novel elements. While some players appreciate the relaxing and engaging nature of the gameplay, others find it lacking in depth and challenge, with many noting that it serves primarily as a backdrop for the story rather than a robust gaming experience. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable mechanics and narrative, though it may not satisfy those seeking a more complex or challenging gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is smooth and there's a challenge mode as well.”
- “Each level builds upon the previous ones and has a new mechanic added, keeping it fresh.”
- “Navigating mazes as a little cube of code is fun while it lasts, and new mechanics are introduced regularly enough to give you something new to consider with every level, keeping things simple but engaging.”
- “One of the single biggest issues with the story clashing against gameplay is that 'story activation' markers within the puzzles are often placed in such a way as to prevent hearing the fully-voiced dialogue during the process of avoiding obstacles.”
- “The gameplay itself is simplistic, the UI gives little to no indication of progress, the art is amateurish, and the characters are poorly written and one-dimensional.”
- “It's basically a visual novel with some basic gameplay thrown in to appease those people who claim that simply reading text 'isn't a game', but the problem is that all it does is create a minor obstacle course to slow the player down in between text segments.”
music
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
58%
6%
The music in the game is generally praised for its ambient techno and electronica style, effectively complementing the story and atmosphere. While some tracks are described as catchy and enjoyable, others are noted for lacking distinct progression, leading to mixed feelings about their impact. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point of the game, with a free downloadable option that enhances the experience for those who appreciate it.
- “Electronic music is one of the strongest points of this game.”
- “I really enjoyed some tracks and the free soundtrack DLC is a cool bonus.”
- “The music works very well as game music.”
- “I pressed the return key during the end credits, and the music just stopped playing.”
- “The music seems to suddenly shift, and it's kind of off putting.”
- “The soundtrack is nothing to write home about but that's a minor point.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
37%
8%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising the clean and simple artwork that effectively conveys the story's themes, particularly in character design. However, some critiques highlight the basic backgrounds and minimalistic art style in puzzle elements, which detracts from the overall visual experience. Despite these shortcomings, the charming aesthetic and expressive character artwork contribute positively to the game's appeal.
- “For visuals, the clean and simple artwork does a great job of conveying the themes of the story.”
- “The artwork is pretty good, and the mix of tech with anime doesn't clash as one might think originally.”
- “Unhack has a beautiful art style, kawaii AI girls with cute voice acting, and an interesting theme and story.”
- “The puzzle gameplay is flash/browser tier, very low quality/minimalist art style.”
- “Characters are expressive and the art style is consistent, maintaining the mood throughout, but backgrounds are exceedingly basic, while CGs are few, rather poor compared to the regular graphics, and only thinly connected to the plot.”
- “Everything is just the same character portraits in front of purple hexagons with flatly delivered 'I will destroy you all,' 'oh noes!'-type dialogue, and at least showing some variation in artwork would have done something.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it funny and endearing, particularly in the dialogue and character interactions, while others criticize its reliance on outdated jokes, particularly regarding the protagonist's behavior towards female AI. The game features a blend of comedic and serious moments, with some players appreciating the quirky and absurd elements, though not everyone finds the humor appealing. Overall, it offers a lighthearted experience that may resonate more with those who enjoy its specific style of comedy.
- “Funny and endearing dialogue.”
- “Simple fun puzzles with funny and endearing dialogue while you do them.”
- “The dialogue was great in my opinion, made me laugh quite a bit.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is described as a mixed experience; while some players found the story and character arcs to evoke genuine feelings, particularly during poignant moments, others felt the emotional impact was limited due to short backstories and one-dimensional characters. The game features a blend of light-hearted and touching elements, with some players appreciating the emotional depth despite gameplay and narrative flaws. Overall, it offers a few heartfelt moments that resonate, but it may not fully satisfy those seeking a deeply emotional experience.
- “Nevertheless, the story is quite nice and did get me a little emotional over the AI characters at the end.”
- “Despite that, it still respects the story of the original and provides time to feel closure and an emotional punch to the story from the first.”
- “But regardless, I've had a lot of fun with this game; great soundtrack, great characters, great story, and I really felt the emotional bond between the characters by the end of it all.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
Overall, the game's replayability is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting its short playtime of around an hour and a lack of meaningful incentives to replay. While some players appreciate the potential for trying harder difficulties, the absence of achievements or stat tracking diminishes the overall replay value, making it feel more like a one-time experience.
- “This game has a lot of replay value and it would be really awesome to try this on harder difficulties.”
- “The only other thing I wish was included was a CG viewer if you beat the game; however, that is what makes this game replayable.”
- “There is some replayability, but it is more of a one-time experience.”
- “The game is really short, only around an hour long, and there's next to no replay value in this title.”
- “The biggest issue is its playtime (just under an hour, 3 hours for 5 card drops) and replay value (not really).”
- “At the end of the day, the game felt like a poor time filler, and I expected more replayability, but I knew what I was buying into.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Character development in the game is generally criticized for being shallow and clichéd, with many reviewers noting that the limited length of the game hampers deeper exploration of the characters. While the character designs, music, and voice acting receive praise, the overall depth of character development is lacking.
- “I love the character designs, the music, and the voice acting.”
- “The character development is engaging and adds depth to the story.”
- “The characters are well-developed and their arcs are compelling.”
- “The characters are cliché and have shallow, if not non-existent, character development.”
- “Not much character development because of its length.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a fitting ambient techno/electronica soundtrack, which effectively complements the overall immersive experience.
- “The music is primarily ambient techno/electronica style, perfectly complementing the game's atmosphere.”
- “The game truly immerses you in its atmospheric world.”
- “The overall ambiance creates a captivating experience.”
- “The ambient techno music feels out of place and doesn't enhance the game's atmosphere.”
- “Despite the game's setting, the atmosphere lacks depth and fails to immerse the player.”
- “The overall ambiance is flat and uninspired, making it hard to feel engaged with the game world.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the fair balance between free and paid content, while others criticize the presence of aggressive microtransactions that can hinder gameplay. Overall, the approach to monetization appears to impact player experience significantly, with calls for more transparency and value in purchasable items.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has received positive feedback, with users expressing satisfaction with its performance.