Until I Have You

68%
Game Brain Score Based on 187 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • music
Until I Have You Game Cover
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"Until I Have You" is a challenging pixel art platformer with puzzle elements. You play as a hacker trying to escape from his past, using your wits and tools to outsmart enemies and overcome obstacles. With its tight controls and clever level design, it offers a satisfying and thought-provoking experience.

  • Mac OS
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  • Windows
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Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

68%
Audience ScoreBased on 187 reviews
gameplay42 positive mentions
optimization4 negative mentions
  • The game features a captivating cyberpunk atmosphere with stunning pixel art and an engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • The gameplay is fast-paced and challenging, offering a variety of mechanics and unique boss fights that keep players engaged.
  • The story, while somewhat cliched, is interesting and adds depth to the gameplay, making players want to progress to see what happens next.
  • The controls can be clunky and unresponsive at times, leading to frustrating deaths and a lack of precision in platforming sections.
  • Many levels are short and can feel repetitive, with some design choices leading to unfair jumps and obstacles that require trial and error.
  • The game suffers from technical issues such as bugs, lag, and inconsistent hitboxes, which detract from the overall enjoyment.
  • gameplay162 mentions

    The gameplay of "Until I Have You" is characterized by its challenging platforming mechanics, featuring one-hit deaths and a fast-paced style that rewards mastery of level layouts. While some players appreciate the variety of mechanics introduced across levels and the engaging boss fights, many criticize the awkward controls, inconsistent mechanics, and the reliance on memorization, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game offers a unique aesthetic and atmosphere that some find enjoyable, though opinions on its gameplay quality vary widely.

    • “As for the gameplay, it's definitely taken me multiple deaths to beat levels, but nothing's ever too frustrating, and most of the weapons and power-ups you gain do get a chance to shine throughout the game.”
    • “Although it has quite a few glaring flaws, this game does a lot right: the basic idea is interesting, the premise is cool, the soundtrack/artwork/atmosphere are amazing, core gameplay mechanics are well-implemented and engaging, and the game design offers a surprising amount of variety and replayability.”
    • “Each level brings something new to the gameplay, by adding new environmental mechanics, giving you new weapons and unlocking your abilities.”
    • “I found the time-dilation game mechanic virtually worthless, except for the one boss battle for which it is specifically required in order to progress, and actively avoided upgrading it until the very end of the game when there was nothing else on which I could spend upgrade points.”
    • “The life/armor/hysteria mechanics also present a confusing multi-tiered approach to health, level progression, and character management that's at times both inconsistent and unpredictable: after a certain point in the game, it's difficult if not impossible to tell at a glance whether a fall will be fatal or simply cost an indeterminate 'second wind penalty.'”
    • “I forced myself to suffer through several levels just to see the bosses and the animations, but I cannot continue; the gameplay is just too painful, constant repetition and memorization of levels is simply a bad design.”
  • story154 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and well-integrated into the gameplay, while others criticize it as clichéd or confusing. Many appreciate the dark, cyberpunk themes and the emotional depth, though some feel the execution is lacking, particularly in dialogue and pacing. Overall, the narrative is seen as a significant aspect that enhances the gaming experience, despite its flaws.

    • “This game is beautiful, has an excellent story, the gameplay is interesting and fun, although the game is quite hard sometimes.”
    • “Great atmosphere, fast and challenging platforming, surprisingly great voice acting, amazing soundtrack, and a story that makes you want to keep playing to see what happens.”
    • “If you are into platformers, pixel art, or cyberpunk and you simply can’t resist a gripping story that might hurt your feelings, this is the right game for you.”
    • “The story is pretty incoherent, which is okay for the cyberpunk genre: after all, most of the classic works have unreliable narrators, unhinged characters, lots of drugs and/or mental issues, amnesia, hallucinations, and cryptic symbols.”
    • “Without getting into any spoilers, I personally found the ending both deeply unsatisfying (which may have been at least partially by design for a story so firmly rooted in the noir tradition, in which case I respect the artistic choice) and extremely confusing.”
    • “It's not a miniclip, but it doesn't have the feel of a full game either; it's like it has a start, a finish, and nothing in between... it takes only a few minutes to finish a level (on average), and the story is cliché as hell... hard to recommend since I simply can't enjoy it.”
  • music104 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and engaging qualities, particularly the synthwave soundtrack that complements the cyberpunk aesthetic. Many players appreciate the variety and quality of the tracks, noting that the music enhances the overall experience, although some have pointed out issues with repetitiveness. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, with a free downloadable option available for players.

    • “The soundtrack is pretty stand out too with lots of 80s synth to add to the atmosphere, and most of the voice acting is actually pretty engaging.”
    • “Although it has quite a few glaring flaws, this game does a lot right: the basic idea is interesting, the premise is cool, the soundtrack/artwork/atmosphere are amazing, core gameplay mechanics are well-implemented and engaging, and the game design offers a surprising amount of variety and replayability.”
    • “Cyberpunk platforming, synthwave soundtrack, and noir story make this an indie gem buried deep in the mine.”
    • “Music is repetitive and bland.”
    • “- the music re-starts after each death making the first chords tedious.”
    • “My last complaint is that the soundtrack is pretty lackluster, this would be a perfect game to showcase retro synthwave artists such as Perturbator, Carpenter Brut or Daniel Deluxe for example.”
  • graphics92 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stylish pixel art, which effectively captures a nostalgic '80s cyberpunk aesthetic, with many reviewers noting the beautiful visuals and atmospheric design. However, some players have reported performance issues, such as lag and stuttering, particularly at lower resolutions, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these technical flaws, the art style and vibrant environments contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout for fans of retro graphics.

    • “The pixel art graphics range from practical (in the levels) to downright beautiful (in some still images).”
    • “Pixel-art graphics are not only highly nostalgic, but top notch.”
    • “The art style of the game is really good.”
    • “The biggest bummer is that the game really starts to lag and bug out on some levels, even when I lower my graphics settings.”
    • “I can't readily tell if it's just my machine with its crummy integrated graphics card - though the puny resolution shouldn't be an issue for such a low-end graphics card - or a broader issue, but I often experienced a major issue with the game freezing and stuttering like a broken record for multiple seconds at loading points - specifically, the beginning of levels and at the checkpoints.”
    • “The dev/creative team clearly know their '80s cyberpunk-oriented audience well, as - while the extremely low-resolution (at 320x200, the entire window is only marginally bigger than a Windows notification, which causes some scaling issues when played in full-screen) is a bit awkward - the graphics/art style, aesthetic, and minimalist attempts at pixel-art FMV really help pull the whole effort together.”
  • atmosphere40 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, featuring a captivating blend of art, music, and voice acting that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the standout 80s synth soundtrack and the authentic cyberpunk aesthetic, which together create a thrilling and engrossing environment. Despite some gameplay flaws, the atmospheric elements contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a recommended choice for fans of atmospheric platformers.

    • “A wonderful and atmospheric game with classic challenging platforming.”
    • “Authentic cyberpunk atmosphere created through a thrilling plot, excellent synth-based soundtrack, and well-detailed pixel graphics, combined with original gameplay makes this game totally perfect.”
    • “Until I Have You is an extremely atmospheric platformer that will quickly engross you in its cyberpunk, dystopian setting.”
    • “The soundtrack is pretty standout too with lots of 80s synth to add to the atmosphere, and most of the voice acting is actually pretty engaging.”
    • “Liked the overall atmosphere of cyberpunk tropes but with some body-horror and weird sci-fi ideas sprinkled in.”
    • “It is also mastered in intentional lo-fi, and that adds a nice touch and goes well with the art style, the plot's atmosphere and in-game sound effects.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for frequent freezing and stuttering, particularly during level transitions and checkpoints, which can disrupt gameplay. While some users attribute these issues to their hardware, the overall consensus indicates that performance problems, including fps drops and occasional crashes, are prevalent enough to cause frustration, though they do not render the game unplayable.

    • “There are still enough performance issues to frustrate, but not render unplayable.”
    • “Ok with some minor bugs and performance issues.”
    • “I can't readily tell if it's just my machine with its crummy integrated graphics card - though the puny resolution shouldn't be an issue for such a low-end graphics card - or a broader issue, but I often experienced (and still do, as I'm still playing on-and-off for kicks even after finishing the storyline and getting every achievement but the 'stretch goal' of boss rush mode on hardcore difficulty) a major issue with the game freezing and stuttering like a broken record for multiple seconds at loading points - specifically, the beginning of levels and at the checkpoints.”
    • “But the underlying cause isn't as important to buyers as the result: an annoying stuttering effect that occurs twice per level on average.”
    • “There are still enough performance issues to frustrate, but not render unplayable (infrequent crashes, fps drops, phantom control input, audio cut off).”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of dark comedy and awkward drama, with cutscenes that elicit chuckles or prompt players to skip them entirely. While some elements, like holo-recorded family episodes, fall flat, the grimly funny TV news segments and commercials provide a unique, if bizarre, comedic touch that enhances the overall experience.

    • “Even the television commercials were funny in a horrific-but-realistic kind of way.”
    • “It’s the kind of overwrought drama that’s hilarious unless played straight, and here it’s played woefully straight with some amateur voice acting to give the awkward brooding some life.”
    • “You’re either going to be chuckling and shaking your head at the cutscenes, or skipping them outright to get back to the action.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent freezes and audio stuttering, particularly after level previews, which disrupts gameplay and leads to confusion during missions. These bugs contribute to an unnecessarily challenging experience, overshadowing the game's otherwise engaging story.

    • “Game freezes after level preview then starts me 1 second late when it unfreezes.”
    • “So there I am sitting on the first mission confused as to how time dilation works (doesn't seem like you even have it on the first mission, to be honest) while the game stutters audio and freezes after each preview ends.”
    • “Quite buggy, unnecessarily hard (likely due to its brevity... like those old NES games), but contains a good story.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a dark narrative centered on love, revenge, and sacrifice, which evokes mixed feelings of satisfaction and sadness as players progress through the chapters. However, technical issues such as frustrating platforming, slow loading times, and poor storytelling detract from the overall emotional experience, making it difficult for players to fully engage with the story.

    • “It is a dark tale of love, revenge, and sacrifice that made me feel a bit less happy and a bit more satisfied at the same time for every chapter I had finished.”
    • “Slow loading, no skipping the cutscene, boring story/storytelling, poor engine quality.”
    • “Slow loading, no skipping the cutscene, boring story/storytelling, poor engine quality.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Players highlight the game's strong replayability, driven by the challenge of achieving better times and the variety in gameplay design. Despite some notable flaws, the engaging mechanics and captivating atmosphere contribute to a compelling experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.

    • “Although it has quite a few glaring flaws, this game does a lot right: the basic idea is interesting, the premise is cool, the soundtrack/artwork/atmosphere are amazing, core gameplay mechanics are well-implemented and engaging, and the game design offers a surprising amount of variety and replayability.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted through its strong character design, which aligns well with the game's world, complemented by effective voice acting and cutscenes. While some gameplay elements may fall short, the overall presentation of characters enhances the gaming experience.

    • “The character design matches the world perfectly, and the voice acting and cutscenes perfectly match the setting.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as the repetitive music restarts after each death, contributing to a monotonous experience. Additionally, the short and similar level designs, along with a disappointing first boss encounter, further exacerbate the feeling of grind.

    • “The music restarts after each death, making the first chords tedious.”
    • “Levels are short and repetitive, and the first boss was tedious and ultimately disappointing.”
    • “The music restarts after each death, making the first chords tedious.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy includes watching ads between levels, which not only provides insights into the game's dystopian setting but also enhances the narrative experience through additional content.

    • “In addition to the well-done cutscenes, you can watch TV between the levels to get some news about your misadventures, or see some ads that give you insights into the world's dystopian daily life.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

6hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
6-6hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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