Until I Have You

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 93 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
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 93 reviews
gameplay21 positive mentions
optimization3 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 invested.
  • The story, while sometimes convoluted, provides an interesting narrative that adds depth to the gameplay and encourages players to continue.
  • Controls can be clunky and unresponsive at times, leading to frustrating deaths and a steep learning curve for players unfamiliar with precision platforming.
  • The game suffers from technical issues such as bugs, screen tearing, and inconsistent performance, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
  • Levels are often short and repetitive, with some design choices feeling unpolished, making the gameplay experience feel uneven.
  • gameplay81 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by its challenging platforming mechanics, featuring one-hit deaths and a fast-paced approach that often requires precise control and level memorization. While some players appreciate the variety of mechanics introduced in each level and the engaging boss battles, others find the controls clunky and the gameplay inconsistent, leading to frustration. Overall, the game offers a unique experience with a mix of enjoyable elements and notable flaws, making it a mixed bag for players.

    • “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.”
    • “An unforgiving platformer with one-hit death mechanics and a contrarian gameplay approach where you are encouraged to go super sonic speeds, but you actually shouldn't unless you have studied the level layout and are a master at pixel-perfect platforming.”
    • “The life/armor/hysteria mechanics 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 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 bad design.”
  • story77 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 artistic style, though some feel the narrative could have been more coherent or impactful. Overall, the story enhances the experience for many, but its execution leaves room for improvement.

    • “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.”
    • “The story was pretty dull for me, probably because I'm not really a story kind of guy, but I can say it really started grabbing my attention at around the 9th chapter.”
    • “The story's a bit cliched and it uses a lot of different tropes, nothing anyone hasn't seen before, but it's nothing that's kept me from playing through for some more eye candy.”
  • music52 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and engaging qualities, particularly its effective use of synthwave elements that enhance the cyberpunk aesthetic. While many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, some note issues with repetitiveness and unevenness. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's immersive experience, with several players recommending the soundtrack for standalone enjoyment.

    • “The dystopian cyberpunk style is done well, with the music and voice acting being very fitting.”
    • “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.”
    • “Authentic cyberpunk atmosphere created through thrilling plot, excellent synth-based soundtrack and well-detailed pixel graphics, combined with original gameplay makes this game totally perfect.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics46 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their nostalgic pixel art style, which effectively captures a vibrant cyberpunk aesthetic reminiscent of the '80s and '90s. While many reviewers appreciate the beautiful visuals and atmospheric design, some have noted performance issues such as lag and low resolution that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the art style is considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some technical flaws.

    • “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.”
  • atmosphere20 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, featuring a captivating blend of art, music, and voice acting that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the standout synth-based soundtrack and the effective use of cyberpunk and dystopian themes, creating a rich and engaging environment that complements the challenging gameplay. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as a significant strength, contributing to its replayability and enjoyment.

    • “A wonderful and atmospheric game with classic challenging platforming.”
    • “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.”
    • “Authentic cyberpunk atmosphere created through thrilling plot, excellent synth-based soundtrack and well-detailed pixel graphics, combined with original gameplay makes this game totally perfect.”
    • “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.”
  • optimization4 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 report minor bugs and performance issues like FPS drops and audio cut-offs, these do not render the game unplayable, though they can be frustrating. Overall, the experience varies depending on the user's hardware, with integrated graphics cards particularly struggling.

    • “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).”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of dark and absurd elements, with players finding the overly dramatic cutscenes either amusing or tedious. The television commercials and news reports add a grimly funny layer, while some interludes may feel dull in comparison. Overall, the humor is hit-or-miss, depending on the player's engagement with the narrative.

    • “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.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent freezes and audio stuttering, particularly after level previews, which can lead to confusion during gameplay. These bugs contribute to a frustrating experience, overshadowing the otherwise engaging story.

    • “The game freezes after the level preview and starts me 1 second late when it unfreezes.”
    • “I was sitting on the first mission, confused about how time dilation works (it doesn't seem like you even have it in the first mission, to be honest) while the game stutters audio and freezes after each preview ends.”
    • “Quite buggy and unnecessarily hard (likely due to its brevity, like those old NES games), but it contains a good story.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while it presents a dark narrative of love, revenge, and sacrifice that can evoke satisfaction upon completing chapters, frustrating gameplay elements like poor platforming and storytelling detract from the overall experience. Players express a desire for a more engaging emotional journey, hindered by technical issues and lackluster enemy design.

    • “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.”
    • “The slow loading times and inability to skip cutscenes made the emotional moments feel tedious rather than impactful.”
    • “The storytelling was so boring that it undermined any emotional connection I could have had with the characters.”
    • “The poor engine quality detracted from the emotional experience, making it hard to immerse myself in the story.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers great replayability, encouraging players to improve their times and explore its engaging mechanics and diverse design. Despite some notable flaws, the interesting premise and impressive atmosphere contribute to a compelling experience that invites multiple playthroughs.

    • “Great replayability (getting the best times, etc.).”
    • “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, and atmosphere are amazing, core gameplay mechanics are well-implemented and engaging, and the game design offers a surprising amount of variety and replayability.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is enhanced by well-matched character design and effective voice acting, which complement the game's setting and overall experience. While some gameplay elements may fall short, the cohesive integration of these aspects contributes positively to the game's appeal.

    • “The character design matches the world perfectly, and the voice acting and cutscenes perfectly match the setting.”
    • “But over the gameplay, character design, level design, and such make up for it... pretty good game overall for the price.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, citing repetitive music that restarts after each death and short, monotonous levels. The first boss encounter is particularly criticized for being underwhelming and lacking excitement.

    • “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.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy includes well-produced cutscenes and the option to watch ads between levels, which provide insights into the game's dystopian setting while also serving as a means of generating revenue.

    • “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 1 analyzed playthroughs

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