Unreal Gold

92%
Game Brain Score Based on 811 reviews
  • music
  • graphics
  • story
Unreal Gold Game Cover
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Unreal Gold is a Science Fiction Shooter game that offers a thrilling single-player campaign and both multi-player and co-op modes for up to 2 players. The game boasts a good plot, outstanding gameplay, good graphics, and exceptional music, with a dense atmosphere that immerses players in its mysterious 3D world. As a crash-landed prisoner, explore the alien planet, uncover its secrets, and free the enslaved race from vicious aggressors.

  • PC
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

92%
Audience ScoreBased on 811 reviews
music126 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • Impressive visuals for its time, creating a unique and immersive atmosphere.
  • Innovative weapon variety with unique play styles and satisfying combat mechanics.
  • Great soundtrack that enhances the overall experience and complements the game's environments.
  • Campaign can feel repetitive and some levels are confusing to navigate.
  • Enemies can be spongy and frustrating to fight, leading to tedious encounters.
  • Not a great port; players may need to modify the installation for optimal performance.
  • music227 mentions

    The music in "Unreal" is widely praised as one of its standout features, with many reviewers calling it one of the best video game soundtracks ever created. Composed by Alexander Brandon and Michiel van den Bos, the soundtrack enhances the game's atmospheric and immersive experience, perfectly complementing its vibrant environments and gameplay. Reviewers highlight the variety and emotional depth of the music, noting its ability to evoke nostalgia and elevate the overall gaming experience.

    • “The music, the atmosphere-- the entire alien world captivated me in a way other games (especially shooters) never had before.”
    • “The soundtrack is amazing and consists of a large variety of tunes.”
    • “The music provides such an incredibly otherworldly atmosphere and provides some of the best music ever heard in a video game.”
    • “The music isn't as good, the levels are often excessively large and empty, and several times I ran into bugs that required using the noclip console command to progress through.”
    • “Overrated technology demo and it wasn't even released as a demo back in the day, because people would not pay for next episodes.. it's a maze simulator with poor navigation, bad level design and boring enemies and shooting and very bad music.”
    • “Conclusion: play some hours until you get bored, take music files and uninstall.”
  • graphics207 mentions

    The graphics of Unreal, released in 1998, were groundbreaking for their time, showcasing impressive visuals, detailed environments, and a unique art style that set a new standard in the FPS genre. While the graphics have aged and may appear dated by today's standards, many players still find them aesthetically pleasing and nostalgic, especially when enhanced with community mods. Overall, the game's visuals remain a significant aspect of its charm, contributing to its lasting appeal despite the advancements in modern gaming graphics.

    • “The visuals are perhaps the biggest selling point with graphics that were unprecedented at the time.”
    • “Unreal is a revolutionary FPS classic that came out 23 years ago, not only defining the norms of graphic quality but also paving the way for the great and addictive Unreal Tournament series.”
    • “The graphics were stunning when the game came out, and are still pretty good, even by today's standards.”
    • “The graphics are poor by today's standards, and the gameplay and plot are too shallow to make up for it.”
    • “While the graphics have aged pretty poorly, the atmosphere is still pretty damn great.”
    • “Today, the textures are blurry as hell, the enemies are lumpy, outdoor areas are sparse and lacking in scenery.”
  • story176 mentions

    The story of "Unreal" and its expansion "Return to Na Pali" is characterized by a minimalist yet engaging narrative that unfolds primarily through environmental storytelling and scattered log entries, requiring players to piece together the plot as they explore the alien world of Na Pali. While some players appreciate the subtlety and immersive atmosphere created by the lore and unique storytelling methods, others find the narrative lacking in depth and clarity, often relying on text rather than dialogue. Overall, the game's plot, centered around the journey of prisoner 849 as they navigate challenges and confront alien foes, is seen as a classic example of early first-person shooter storytelling, though opinions vary on its execution and impact.

    • “With a subtle story and a fairly open world to explore, you could get lost in this game for hours.”
    • “The story is told a lot more straightforwardly, through cutscenes and audio blogs from prisoner 849 if you play as a female.”
    • “Unreal takes the player on a journey across an alien world while delivering fine storytelling, an immersive environment, and some of the best music composition that fits the situations.”
    • “The story is mostly told via alien texts that got translated.”
    • “The storyline and gameplay remind me of Quake 2.”
    • “The story was so bland I can hardly remember what it was about.”
  • gameplay114 mentions

    The gameplay of this classic title is characterized by a mix of fast-paced shooting and atmospheric exploration, with solid mechanics and level design that have aged surprisingly well despite some dated visuals. While the combat can feel repetitive and certain mechanics may not hold up to modern standards, the game offers a satisfying experience with unique weapon mechanics and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the overall enjoyment. Players appreciate the game's challenge and the nostalgic feel of its old-school FPS gameplay, making it a worthwhile revisit for fans of the genre.

    • “The gameplay is solid and suitably challenging.”
    • “The level design, weapon variety, enemy competency, and gameplay mechanics are all top notch, and still play like a dream on modern systems.”
    • “The gameplay is incredibly solid.”
    • “The gameplay loop is extremely repetitive with a very spongy enemy roster.”
    • “The gameplay is janky and the game doesn't run well on modern operating systems.”
    • “The gameplay isn't that fun, and it's not memorable at all except when it's being dickish with the enemy distribution, but the atmosphere is good enough to make up for that.”
  • atmosphere112 mentions

    The atmosphere in Unreal is widely praised for its captivating alien world, stunning visuals, and exceptional soundtrack, which together create a deeply immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke feelings of isolation and wonder, with each level offering unique environmental sounds and music that enhance the overall ambiance. Despite some dated level design and gameplay mechanics, the game's atmospheric elements remain a standout feature, making it a classic in the FPS genre.

    • “The music, the atmosphere-- the entire alien world captivated me in a way other games (especially shooters) never had before.”
    • “The atmosphere is what really makes this game a classic.”
    • “Unreal is a fantastic, atmospheric journey through a beautifully realized alien world, one filled with a sense of mystery and wonder.”
    • “But this also adds a realistic atmosphere; you're all alone, and have nothing to guide you.”
    • “All textures in the game are colored grey, black, dark green, and dark blue that helps a lot to create a strange and mysterious atmosphere.”
    • “While the graphics have aged pretty poorly, the atmosphere is still pretty damn great.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    Overall, the game exhibits strong replayability due to its numerous secrets, community-generated content, and multiple difficulty levels, with many players rating it highly for replay value. However, some users feel that despite the enjoyable experience, it may ultimately feel like a one-time journey. The consensus leans towards a positive replayability experience, with ratings averaging around 7.5 to 10 out of 10.

    • “I find that there is a decent amount of replayability since there are tons of secrets throughout the map and beyond that there are hundreds of mods and maps that the community has produced for this game.”
    • “Content/replayability: 10/10”
    • “Extremely entertaining, fast-paced and challenging gameplay even at low difficulty levels with very high replay value.”
    • “I do have to say I feel like this is a one-time trip. Even if I enjoy everything about the game, I feel like there's no replayability in what it offers.”
    • “Playing through the quest is still lengthy, even when trying to do a speed run-through. While some of the monsters are, at times, annoying as they always have been, it's still got replay value.”
    • “It has lots of replay value because of its four difficulty levels.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the game features expansive and atmospheric levels, many players find the grinding aspect tedious and repetitive, particularly in labyrinthine areas. Despite some frustrating moments, there are also enjoyable experiences that contribute to an overall sense of exploration and discovery. The game balances intense gameplay with occasional tedious puzzles, but many players feel that the design prevents it from becoming overly repetitive.

    • “Aimless wandering is tedious in any game, even this one.”
    • “The levels are huge, which I'm sure was cool in the 90s, but is now just obnoxious and tedious.”
    • “Unreal is a good game and a technical wonder of its day, but from a game design perspective, it at best isn't anything special and at worst is unfair and tedious.”
  • stability6 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while it runs well on Proton and has improved with community patches, users report issues such as lag, bugs, and audio glitches, particularly on certain settings or older versions. Minor graphical glitches are also noted, but many players find the game still holds up well over time.

    • “Runs great over Proton; just set the mouse sensitivity a bit lower.”
    • “The game looks and runs great (after the community-made patch 227) and holds up against the test of time.”
    • “Still runs great and holds up against the test of time.”
    • “The game is too laggy and buggy; I recommend not playing on software rendering or version 226.”
    • “I experienced a lot of strange audio glitches, which may have been related to my own system.”
    • “There are minor graphical glitches that detract from the overall experience.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of subtle and situational comedy, with players finding amusement in elements like the EULA and the absurdity of defeating the final boss easily. Additionally, the game's setting features a variety of creatures that are both aggressive and humorously designed, contributing to a lighthearted tone amidst the serious survival narrative. Overall, while not overwhelmingly comedic, the humor adds a unique flavor to the gameplay experience.

    • “Their EULA was pretty funny, also.”
    • “The final boss can be hilariously defeated in a few shots of the starting weapon, assuming it's fully upgraded and you have a damage amplifier.”
    • “As prisoner #849 of the Vortex Rikers ship, your shuttle makes an emergency crash landing on a mysterious planet of Napali. From there, you must escape the damaged shuttle with all your crew dead and venture off to find your escape route out from the planet, fighting hordes of interesting, aggressive, funny, but horrific creatures such as the brutes, mantas, gasbags, enormous giant titans, and alien mercenaries.”
    • “Not funny and not stupid, but pretty realistic and serious.”
    • “The humor falls flat and feels forced throughout the game.”
    • “I expected more laughs, but the jokes just didn't land.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game is mixed; while some users report smooth performance, others highlight significant issues and poor optimization, particularly on current PCs. The recent 227 patch has improved performance and added new content creation capabilities, but many still feel that further updates are necessary for a better experience.

    • “Performance: nice and smooth.”
    • “What I mainly like about Unreal is the extensive content creation capabilities. You can basically create anything with this game, such as worlds/maps, models, skins, textures, sounds, weapons, items, music, and mods. The game comes packed with developer tools, which have been expanded upon with the 227 patch. This patch fixes almost every issue with the game, improves performance, adds new capabilities for content creation, introduces new tech (such as character shadows), and includes some supplementary new effects.”
    • “Still needs updates and better optimization on current PC.”
    • “I wouldn't recommend it, even at 1 percent, that's how bad it is, and it's poorly optimized.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its atmospheric beauty and evocative music, which effectively convey feelings of isolation and alienation in a hostile environment. Users express a sense of heartbreak over the perceived decline of the developers' original vision, contrasting it with the game's ability to evoke deep emotional responses.

    • “And the reason why is because this game is so atmospheric, beautiful, and somewhat emotional (by music standards).”
    • “It made me feel like an outsider on a hostile alien world, which is exactly what I was.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that Epic's monetization strategy is criticized for prioritizing profit through Fortnite microtransactions over preserving and remastering classic games like Unreal, suggesting a focus on exploiting current trends rather than honoring gaming heritage.

    • “Epic could have worked out a deal with Nightdive to remaster Unreal and bring it to a new audience, but instead they opted to suppress their heritage in favor of extorting more Fortnite microtransactions from Gen-Z players who have no personality outside of acknowledging the existence of recognizable brands.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels more like a cash grab than a genuine effort to enhance the game experience.”
    • “It's frustrating to see a game that could be great bogged down by aggressive monetization tactics that prioritize profit over player enjoyment.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Play time

15hMedian play time
17hAverage play time
5-31hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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