Violet Cycle

About

"Violet Cycle is a challenging kinetic arcade game, often compared to Hyper Light Drifter and Transistor, with a unique art style and a good combat system. The game features risk/reward mechanics and a dance of chaos as you climb the Tower Garden to save precious seeds of life. A hidden gem on Steam with positive user reviews."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 19 reviews

graphics5 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features unique and visually appealing graphics, creating a captivating atmosphere.
Combat mechanics are engaging and offer a satisfying rhythm once mastered, with a variety of weapons and enemy types.
Despite some issues, many players find the game enjoyable and worth revisiting for its fun gameplay and roguelike elements.

Keyboard controls are poorly designed, making it difficult to play without a controller, and key bindings often reset.
The game's visual style can be confusing and cluttered, leading to a lack of clarity during combat and navigation.
Some players find the combat repetitive and lacking in depth, with issues related to hit detection and enemy attack patterns.

graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The graphics of the game are visually appealing and create a strong atmosphere, but they suffer from a lack of environmental variety and clarity. While the aesthetic is praised, many reviewers note that cluttered visuals and inconsistent hitboxes detract from gameplay, making it feel disorienting and messy. Overall, the unique style is appreciated, but it can hinder the player's experience.
- “The aesthetic and sound are very well done and enjoyable.”
- “The visuals, the combat, it's all quite satisfying.”
- “Aesthetically pleasing and honestly is best described by its store description as a hyperkinetic neopoly roguecade action game.”
- “Hitboxes and visuals feel messy and inconsistent.”
- “Violet Cycle lets its unusual and wiggly graphics get in the way of gameplay and visual clarity too much for me to recommend it.”
- “Lack of readability is this game's biggest issue; the environments are cluttered, often with useless scenery to make the game look prettier (which it does very well), but this combined with the game's floaty visuals and controls makes everything feel disorienting.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The gameplay in Violet Cycle is engaging and rewarding, featuring powerful attacks, a diverse range of enemies, and a well-implemented roguelike mechanic that encourages skill improvement through repeated playthroughs. However, some players find the unusual graphics detract from visual clarity, and there are issues with saving settings between sessions. Overall, the core gameplay loop is satisfying, promoting high score challenges and strategic planning over mindless button mashing.
- “I can see myself coming back to try and beat my high score, just because of how great the gameplay feels.”
- “Attacks feel powerful, there is a fun variety of enemies, and I really enjoyed the heat mechanic - I actually had to be precise and plan instead of just button mashing my way through.”
- “The core gameplay loop is more than satisfying enough, and there is plenty to improve in terms of one's own skill on the repeated playthroughs.”
- “Violet Cycle lets its unusual and wiggly graphics get in the way of gameplay and visual clarity too much for me to recommend it.”
- “Other than what is wrapped into the gameplay, Violet Cycle also has a problem with keeping your settings after you close the game.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is highly praised for creating an engaging atmosphere, with some comparisons to Fever Ray, and is considered a standout element that enhances the overall experience. While some describe it as merely serviceable, many agree that it effectively complements the artwork and gameplay, making it worth revisiting even after completing the game.
- “But the artwork and music create a good atmosphere, and even after beating it, it's still worth a couple of runs just for fun.”
- “The music is really nice too and kind of reminds me of Fever Ray a bit.”
- “Enemy designs are good, combat has an amazing back-and-forth flow to it, and the killer soundtrack and art tie everything together.”
- “The music is serviceable and the lore is presented in a way that makes it both optional and involving.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The story in the game is minimal, primarily revolving around the objective of ascending a 13-floor tower. Players can find small narrative snippets through statues located in break areas on each floor, but overall, the storytelling is considered lacking.
- “The basic story is that you are tasked with getting to the top of the tower, which currently has 13 floors.”
- “On each floor, in the break area, there are statues which also give small story snippets.”
- “The story is nearly nonexistent.”
- “The basic premise is that you are tasked with reaching the top of a tower that has 13 floors.”
- “On each floor, in the break area, there are statues that provide small snippets of the story.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's artwork and music effectively create an engaging atmosphere that enhances the overall experience, making it enjoyable enough for players to revisit even after completing it.
- “The artwork and music create a captivating atmosphere that makes each playthrough enjoyable, even after completing the game.”
- “The immersive environment and sound design truly enhance the overall experience, drawing players into the game's world.”
- “Every detail contributes to a rich atmosphere that keeps you engaged and wanting to explore more.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has limited replayability, with users expressing doubts about its ability to engage players for multiple playthroughs.
- “I don't know that there's a lot of replayability to this game.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is noted for its unique and visually appealing design, though it may lack clarity and depth, making it difficult for players to fully engage with the characters.