Welkin Road
- April 13, 2016
- Gregor Panič
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Welkin Road" is a post-apocalyptic first-person shooter where you play as a survivor in a war-torn world. Fight against hostile factions, scavenge for resources, and make challenging moral choices in a branching narrative. Upgrade your skills and arsenal to survive in this unforgiving world.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features complex, physics-based movement mechanics that provide a challenging and rewarding experience for players who enjoy mastering their skills.
- The level design is well-crafted, with numerous checkpoints that prevent frustration and allow players to focus on improving their performance.
- The minimalist graphics and smooth gameplay create an enjoyable atmosphere, making it a good choice for fans of parkour and speedrunning games.
- The game has been criticized for its lack of polish and feels more like a proof of concept than a fully realized experience, with some players feeling it has been abandoned by the developers.
- Many players find the grappling mechanics to be frustratingly imprecise, leading to repeated failures and a sense of unfairness in gameplay.
- The absence of a narrative or story, along with a simplistic art style, may leave some players feeling that the game lacks depth and engagement.
- gameplay47 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Welkin Road" is characterized by well-designed levels and a focus on grappling and parkour mechanics, offering a fun and addictive experience for fans of precision platforming. While the introduction of new mechanics in each level keeps the gameplay fresh, some players find certain mechanics frustrating and the overall difficulty can be challenging. Despite its simplistic graphics, the game shines in its physics-based movement and offers a speed run mode for added replayability, though it lacks a deeper narrative or exploration elements.
“The gameplay is driven by two core components: grappling and parkour.”
“Each of the eleven levels brings a new mechanic into the game, which adds variety to each level as the game progresses, since these new mechanics carry over into the later levels.”
“Adding these sorts of mechanics into a full-fledged game in the future would probably be a great asset, but for now, Welkin Road is entertaining, simple, yet a fun challenge.”
“The problem with this game is that it seems like it's too hard on the player and only really wants to cater to the people that enjoy precise and accurate movement, as this is basically a jump and run title that uses wall running, duck jumps, and a grapple as its signature gameplay elements.”
“So on to the gameplay, and this is where things go downhill. The key layout isn’t the best, but the game itself also works against you.”
“The swinging mechanics barely work when trying to make a maneuver any harder than just swinging forward.”
- story16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The game is primarily focused on gameplay mechanics, particularly parkour and speed running, with no narrative or story elements to enhance the experience. Reviewers express disappointment over the absence of a storyline, suggesting that a backstory could have added depth and context to the gameplay. Overall, while the parkour mechanics are praised, the lack of a compelling narrative leaves the game feeling bland and unremarkable.
“A short backstory and reason for the game’s existence would be fantastic; otherwise, it runs the danger of becoming just another of the countless fun but lacking puzzle-esque games on Steam.”
“How amazing would it have been if this game had a story that elaborated on how this world got created, what its purpose is, what the orbs are, and where your powers come from.”
“The best description would be Mirror's Edge (police) + a story about my uncle!”
“There is no story at all, it is just platforming a linear path to the goal.”
“Right now the game is kind of bland without any scenery, atmosphere, or story.”
“What I think is most keenly felt is how there is just no story whatsoever.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist art style that some players find beautiful and fitting for the gameplay, while others feel it lacks detail and variety in scenery. Overall, the visuals are clean and well-optimized, contributing to a smooth gameplay experience, though opinions on the simplicity of the graphics are subjective.
“Very beautiful graphics.”
“Clean graphics and good optimization.”
“The art style is pretty and clean.”
“Not much to look at; although minimalism is great for the game, there's just a straight level with no pretty scenery or aesthetics, just blocks.”
“Although the graphics and the overall look of the presentation are quite simplistic, it’s in the actual gameplay that the game shines.”
“Very simplistic graphics, smooth gameplay.”
- music10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's music has received mixed feedback, with players appreciating the soothing minimalist style of the menu music but expressing a desire for more upbeat and ambient tracks during gameplay. Many feel that the absence of in-game music detracts from the overall experience, suggesting that adding soft, atmospheric music could enhance enjoyment and immersion. Overall, while the menu music is well-received, players believe that incorporating music into the actual levels would significantly improve the game.
“The game features a minimalist style, in both its art and music, which I found relaxing and undistracting.”
“Music does often enhance experiences; however, the same soft and soothing type of song in the menu would make the game more enjoyable for some.”
“Combine this with ambient music that stages the atmosphere, and this game would be a masterpiece.”
“There is only music in the game’s menu but not while playing the actual levels.”
“No in-game music (subjective)”
“Now add music in-game while we're playing and it's perfect.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere has received mixed reviews; some players find it bland and lacking in scenery and story, while others appreciate the immersive sound design and relaxing ambiance reminiscent of titles like Skyrim and Dishonored. Enhancing the atmosphere with dynamic elements and ambient music could elevate the experience significantly.
“Windlands does this beautifully with moving rock titans and an interesting atmosphere.”
“I enjoy the atmosphere created by a game where you can hear the sound of the environment, especially in atmospheric heavy games like Skyrim or Dishonored.”
“Combine this with ambient music that enhances the atmosphere, and this game would be a masterpiece.”
“Right now the game is kind of bland without any scenery, atmosphere, or story.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's high replayability, particularly enjoying the challenge of speedrunning and the dynamic "levelution" mechanics introduced by green orbs. The emphasis on improving completion times adds to the game's lasting appeal.
“This game has tons of replayability and interesting 'levelution' through green orbs.”
“There is a lot of replay value in trying to cut down your time.”
“Honestly, this might be the game I'd love to speedrun.”
“There's lots of replay value in trying to cut down your time.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its strong optimization, allowing players to customize various settings such as contrast, brightness, and resolution, while also delivering clean graphics.
“The game is well optimized and lets players adjust the usual settings like contrast, brightness, bloom, resolution, and more.”
“Clean graphics and good optimization.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users noted that the emotional impact of the game was diminished by a lack of synchronization between character actions and the accompanying emotional cues, which affected their overall experience.
