June 18, 2020
Jason Oda

Waking

Perhaps with a couple of in-depth quality-of-life updates, Waking can be something special. For now, the reality is its unique narrative is held back by some fundamental design oversights.

47%Game Brain Score

music, graphics

gameplay

46% User Score Based on 48 reviews

Critic Score 51%Based on 8 reviews

Platforms

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About

Waking is a single player action adventure game with horror, fantasy and comedy themes. It was developed by Jason Oda and was released on June 18, 2020. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

Combining third-person action and guided meditation, Waking is an emotional adventure through your dying mind. Battle the forces of oblivion, conjure the memories of loved ones, and join them in the fight for your life.

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46%

Audience ScoreBased on 48 reviews

music6 positive mentions

Waking offers a unique and immersive experience that encourages self-reflection and exploration of personal themes.
The game features beautiful graphics and a captivating atmosphere, enhanced by thoughtful audio design.
It provides a personal and emotional journey, with moments that resonate deeply with players, especially those who appreciate introspective narratives.

The controls and combat mechanics are clunky and frustrating, making gameplay feel sluggish and unenjoyable.
Many players find the pacing too slow and the gameplay directionless, leading to a lack of engagement over time.
Technical issues, such as long loading times and inconsistent controller support, detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The gameplay is marred by clunky controls and a frustrating controller layout, which detracts from the otherwise intriguing mechanics and ideas. Players experience long loading times, excessive waiting periods, and a lack of enemy diversity, leading to a repetitive and tedious experience. While the game offers a personal touch and customization options, the overall execution leaves many feeling irritated and disappointed.
- “How waking is set up, a lot of the gameplay experience comes from the different choices you make through the personalization.”
- “It is inevitably somewhat repetitive because it gives you many hours of gameplay, but just doesn’t quite have the enemy diversity or unique map specificity to keep up with that.”
- “The gameplay looked amazing at first glance; however, it is bottlenecked by control mechanics.”
- “A fascinating set of ideas, which are unfortunately absolutely gutted by horrid character controls, a frustrating controller scheme/layout making an already janky telekinesis game mechanic far more difficult, art assets such as Unity heightmaps and what look like free models, long stretches of time sitting still waiting for the four big words on the screen to go away.”
- “Controls and mechanics are clunky, music is good, too long sections with prolonged white screens, long loading times for such small sections the game is divided into.”
- “Gameplay, whether it's combat or exploring, is clunky and a slog. It way overstays its welcome, making it quite literally a pain to finish. When environments don't work, they really don't work.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it enjoyable and fitting, others describe it as cheesy and note that certain tracks, like the "pop" battle music, feel out of place. Overall, the soundtrack is appreciated for enhancing the personal experience, despite criticisms of the game's other mechanics and design elements.
- “Some will enjoy the personal experience as I did, and the music is great.”
- “Waking is a beautiful game with good graphics and enjoyable music.”
- “Movement feels terrible, level design is lame, and the music/sound effects are really cheesy.”
- “(The 'pop' battle music was kind of weird); additionally, I often felt nausea.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
The graphics in "Waking" are praised for their surreal and artistic quality, contributing to a unique atmosphere that enhances the game's exploration of the mind. Players appreciate the beautiful visuals, which, along with the audio, create an immersive experience that supports the game's distinctive storyline. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point of the game.
- “Waking has a very unique feeling and atmosphere to it, supported by both the graphics, the audio, and the way that various concepts of the mind shape both the game world and the interactions in it.”
- “Waking is a beautiful game with good graphics and enjoyable music.”
- “The graphics are very good, and it does have a unique storyline.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's story features a unique narrative that appeals to players seeking a compelling storyline, but it can be overly specific, potentially alienating those without certain experiences, such as pet ownership. This specificity may limit player engagement in later stages of the game.
- “The graphics are very good, and it does have a unique storyline.”
- “The only people I would recommend this to are those who want a nice storyline.”
- “The story elements that are supposed to involve the player are often too specific - for example, if you never had a cat or a dog, you are kind of stuck with strange alternative choices for some kind of hero in the later stages.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Waking is praised for its distinctive atmosphere, which is enhanced by its graphics and audio, as well as the integration of various concepts of the mind that influence the game world and player interactions. This unique ambiance contributes significantly to the overall experience of the game.
- “Waking has a very unique feeling and atmosphere to it, supported by both the graphics, the audio, and the way that various concepts of the mind shape both the game world and the interactions in it.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply engaging, often feeling a strong connection to the narrative that drives them to confront personal challenges and seek resolution. The experience is described as both beautiful and satisfying, making it accessible and impactful for players of all skill levels.
- “It’s satisfying at times, beautiful at times, emotional at times, and it quickly roped me in to feeling passionately eager to resolve my mental problems and discover my fate.”
- “I recommend this game to any player, of any skill level, looking for a unique, emotional, and personal experience.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in Waking is largely unintentional, stemming from its overly lengthy and frustrating gameplay, which some players find amusing despite the game's serious intentions.
- “Waking tries to be a very unique experience, but all it manages to do is be way too long, frustrating, and unintentionally hilarious.”