Vaudeville

About

"Vaudeville" is a single-player, mystery open-world game that utilizes AI technologies for an experimental whodunit experience. The game features AI-generated dialogues, music, sceneries, and illustrations, creating an immersive story in an original setting. This game also serves as an experiment on human interaction with AIs, offering innovative gameplay and a unique experience. Support the project on Kickstarter or wishlist it on Steam.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

56%

Audience ScoreBased on 204 reviews

story6 positive mentions

stability9 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging concept, allowing players to interact with AI characters in a dynamic way.
Many players find the AI interactions entertaining and humorous, leading to memorable moments during gameplay.
The potential for future updates and improvements is promising, with players expressing excitement for the game's evolution.

The game is plagued by technical issues, including crashes, poor voice recognition, and inconsistent AI responses that can lead to frustration.
Players often find it difficult to progress in the investigation due to the AI providing misleading or contradictory information.
The lack of meaningful evidence and clear direction in the gameplay makes it challenging to solve the mysteries effectively.

story
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
76%
8%
The game's story mode presents a mixed experience, with players noting significant challenges in progressing due to AI bugs and unclear objectives, leading to frustration. While the narrative and character interactions are praised for their intrigue and potential, the execution suffers from inconsistencies and a lack of polish, making it feel more like an experimental platform than a fully realized game. Despite these issues, some players find enjoyment in the unique AI-driven storytelling, suggesting that with further development, the game could offer a compelling narrative experience.
- “The mystery, interesting interactions, story, characters, and much more keep me driven to solve the cases.”
- “The story, the characters, the plot, and the setting were all very intriguing and were the reason I hung in there through the end.”
- “In conclusion, Vaudeville delivers an engaging detective adventure with immersive storytelling and captivating character interactions.”
- “Unlocking new areas in the story mode is a nightmare, and I had to look up so much stuff to figure out how to progress.”
- “The AI, while intelligent overall, will often withhold necessary information or flat out make up false or irrelevant information related to the story, leading to frustrating and misleading experiences.”
- “However, on the story mode, I was unable to collect all achievements due to AI chat bugs and being unable to open the items on the map required.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
56%
17%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players expressing disappointment due to poor AI performance, slow load times, and limited settings, leading to a frustrating experience. However, others appreciate the innovative mechanics, such as engaging in conversations with NPCs and the variety of mini-games, suggesting that while the core gameplay is intriguing, it still requires significant improvements and polish. Overall, many recommend waiting for updates before investing in the game.
- “A variety of mini-games keeps the gameplay engaging and diverse.”
- “Being able to have a conversation with an NPC, having to think of the correct line of questioning without choosing from a list of prompts is a rather intriguing new mechanic.”
- “If you like mysteries, crime-solving, and innovative gameplay, this game is an absolute must-play.”
- “In theory, it's cool, but the actual gameplay sucks.”
- “So, overall, it's definitely amusing to chat with the AI, but the gameplay aspects leave a lot to be desired.”
- “This can be a really confusing gameplay experience.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from the absurd and unpredictable interactions with the AI, which can be both hilarious and chaotic, appealing to those who enjoy random, nonsensical dialogue. While some players find the experience genuinely funny and entertaining, others criticize the lack of structure and functionality, suggesting that the humor alone may not justify the game's price. Overall, the comedic elements are a highlight, but they come with caveats regarding gameplay quality.
- “Overall though, the game is absolutely a 10 out of 10 just for the hilariousness it can ensue.”
- “However, despite all that, it is highly amusing and an excellent platform to interact with some excellent AI storytellers, and I've gotten a couple of hours laughing like an idiot at how well crafted they are.”
- “The AI conversations are simply hilarious, both from watching streamers and playing the game myself.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. While some appreciate the concept, many find it unplayable due to major issues like save selection problems, microphone functionality, and graphical errors. Overall, the game is described as severely underdeveloped and a "buggy mess," leading to a frustrating experience for players.
- “This is buggy as hell, so don't purchase expecting AAA polish.”
- “Very cool concept, sadly it is completely unplayable due to major issues such as graphical glitches that randomly close the dialog while you are trying to write notes and the microphone ceasing to work after a few questions. Other small issues include pressing Esc too many times, which just closes the game, and poor voice recognition.”
- “I wanted to play it, despite all the bad things I heard about it, as the concept of the game seemed really cool, but my PC had a literal stroke trying to play this as it is a buggy mess. I crashed about three times in the short span I attempted to play this, despite having the minimum system requirements to run the game.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's graphics are described as charming and vintage-inspired but ultimately lack polish, earning a score of 6/10. Reviewers highlight significant issues such as graphical glitches, crashes, and UI inconsistencies that detract from the overall experience, making the game feel unplayable at times. While the concept is appreciated, the technical challenges need to be addressed for the game to reach its full potential.
- “The game features charming, vintage-inspired graphics, though they lack some polish.”
- “If that goal is achieved, even with only a single mystery and current graphics, the game would be easily worth $20.”
- “While embracing the voice feature is recommended for maximum enjoyment, the game's technical challenges, including graphical bugs and an unstable AI, need attention to fulfill its potential.”
- “The graphics and visuals are bad.”
- “Very cool concept, sadly it is completely unplayable due to major issues such as graphical glitches that randomly close the dialog while you are trying to write notes and the microphone ceasing to work after a few questions. Other small issues include pressing Esc too many times, which outright closes the game, and poor voice recognition (I am a native English speaker). This is, however, understandable as most AI still struggles with this.”
- “Graphical bugs, crashes, hard locks, and UI inconsistencies plague the game, hampering the enjoyment and requiring improvements.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's replayability is rated as average (5/10), with players expressing disappointment that the solutions are not procedurally generated, which limits the potential for varied experiences. The use of an AI chatbot was expected to enhance replay value, but ultimately, it does not significantly elevate the game's overall replayability.
- “I purchased this game under the assumption that the solution was procedurally generated, justifying the use of a versatile AI chatbot, providing decent replayability, and bringing meaning to some of the more unremarkable characters and concepts.”
- “Replay value: 5/10”
- “Would make it replayable.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect initially engaging but quickly become bored and frustrated due to its tedious nature and limitations, such as touchy voice controls and restricted note-taking capabilities. While it has potential for fun, the overall experience tends to feel monotonous over time.
- “It's cool for half an hour, but becomes unbelievably boring, tedious, and frustrating afterward.”
- “It has amazing potential to be a fun gimmick, but the voice controls are very touchy, and note-taking (as the developers want you to do) is limited by the small notepages, making it tedious in general.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Users note that the game's performance optimization aligns well with prior expectations, indicating effective implementation of planned enhancements.
- “Performance optimization is exactly as you have planned.”
- “The performance optimization aligns perfectly with your initial plans.”
- “The optimization of performance has been executed just as intended.”
- “Performance optimization is lacking, and it feels like the game is not running as smoothly as it should.”
- “The game suffers from significant performance issues, indicating that optimization was not a priority.”
- “There are noticeable frame drops and stuttering, suggesting that the optimization needs serious attention.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music aspect of the game is highlighted through engaging interactions, such as discussions about classical music with characters like Marina H, which adds depth to the overall experience.
- “After I beat the story, I just talked to Marina H about classical music.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of the game is widely regarded as both atmospheric and memorable, contributing significantly to the overall experience.
- “It's definitely atmospheric and memorable.”
- “The game's environment immerses you completely, making every moment feel intense and alive.”
- “The haunting soundtrack combined with the stunning visuals creates an unforgettable atmosphere.”