When I Was Young

About

When I Was Young is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by WallRus Group and was released on July 10, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"When I Was Young" is a single-player action game set in the brutal Vietnam War, where you embark on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth about your missing brother. With a captivating storyline inspired by classic depictions, engaging 2D combat incorporating various enemies and shooting mechanics, players can expect around 6 hours of exhilarating gameplay. Check out other games from Art Games Studio at .

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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66%

Audience ScoreBased on 64 reviews

story14 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

Engaging story and atmosphere that captures the Vietnam War experience well.
Unique pixel art style that adds charm to the game.
Challenging gameplay that provides a sense of satisfaction upon completing missions.

Boot camp and tutorial levels are overly tedious and frustrating, often leading to player frustration.
Combat mechanics and controls are poorly designed, making gameplay difficult and unenjoyable.
Numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with launching the game and progressing past certain levels.

story
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
42%
10%
The game's story is generally praised for its engaging narrative and strong themes, particularly in the context of the Vietnam War, with many players finding it compelling and well-developed. However, some critiques highlight issues with dialogue quality and gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall experience, suggesting that while the story is good, it could benefit from better execution and polish. Overall, it is seen as a worthwhile experience for those who appreciate story-driven games, despite some frustrating gameplay elements.
- “I am almost finished with my playthrough, and I can say this is my favorite game; it has great storytelling.”
- “The story plays out well and kept me engaged from start to finish across the game's fairly meaty 9 chapters.”
- “One of the best story games I have played.”
- “If you're playing this game in English, then don't. It's a linear, story-driven game by a dev team that doesn't even have a basic grasp on the English language - 90% of the game is just reading dialogue, and 90% of it is spelled abhorrently wrong.”
- “- writing: the story is nonsense.”
- “You will never get to see the whole story, you will get mad, and uninstall.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Gameplay reviews highlight a significant divide in player experiences, with many expressing frustration over challenging combat mechanics and controls that detract from enjoyment. While some appreciate the blend of storytelling and action, others criticize the game's difficulty as excessive, leading to feelings of rage and confusion. Overall, the gameplay is seen as needing refinement, particularly in combat fluidity and user interface, despite some players finding value in its narrative and mechanics.
- “I love this game! The overall experience is very cool, with the mechanics working well.”
- “Though when I was young, it could benefit from a little polish here and there, I enjoyed the mixture of storytelling, blistering action, stealth, and fetch quests across my 8 hours of gameplay.”
- “You have to hide behind a rock, which is a mechanic never before seen in the game, and you have to be pixel perfect in where you choose to start hiding.”
- “Hardcore 3 hours of gameplay and 4 hours understanding what to do.”
- “Boring game with hellish combat mechanics and controls; if you make it through the tutorial that just won't end!”
- “I am going to pull my hair out; this game has the worst combat mechanics I've seen in a long while. You can very clearly tell this was a poorly executed port to PC with zero consideration for how fluid the combat is.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
60%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the vibrant soundtrack featuring electric guitar and 70s rock elements that enhance the atmosphere, while others find it to be merely average or weak, particularly at the beginning. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's experience, despite some criticisms.
- “Great soundtrack.”
- “The bloody, fire-blasted pixel art looks good and a soundtrack brimming with electric guitar motifs, organ, and funky downer 70s rock voltage brings the atmosphere to life.”
- “Characters, music, stories, graphics, I like these.”
- “The soundtrack is weak at the beginning.”
- “The music lacks variety and becomes repetitive quickly.”
- “The background music feels generic and fails to enhance the gameplay experience.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The graphics have been praised for their appealing art style and effective use of pixel art, successfully bringing the warfront to life in a way that resonates with players. Many reviewers appreciate how the visuals complement the overall narrative and character development, enhancing the gaming experience.
- “For anyone thinking that bringing the warfront to life in a pixel graphics medium borderlines on the impossible, wiwy might just convert the hard-headed to the truth that it can work and work well.”
- “I loved the art style and how the plot develops.”
- “+ graphics: I wanted a pixel look and this is what I got.”
- “The graphics are disappointing; I wanted a pixel look, and this is what I got.”
- “For anyone thinking that bringing the warfront to life in a pixel graphics medium borders on the impossible, this game might just convert the hard-headed to the truth that it can work and work well.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is vividly enhanced by its striking pixel art and a dynamic soundtrack featuring electric guitar and 70s rock elements, effectively immersing players in a Vietnamese setting. However, some players note that shallow dialogues detract from character connection and overall atmospheric depth.
- “Atmospheric, and you will certainly feel Vietnam.”
- “On the other hand, there are some (few) screens which are quite beautiful and atmospheric.”
- “The dialogues are shallow and do not help create an atmosphere or a bond with the other characters.”
- “The bloody, fire-blasted pixel art looks good, and a soundtrack brimming with electric guitar motifs, organ, and funky downer 70s rock voltage brings the atmosphere to life.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with players reporting significant bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, particularly around the two-hour mark. Issues such as freezing when using grenades and problems with the tutorial level have led to frustration, suggesting that the game is currently unpolished and not worth its price until these problems are addressed.
- “It starts strong, but right around the 2-hour mark (where Steam won't let you refund), all the polish goes poof and you're left with a broken, empty husk of a game that freezes whenever you try to throw a grenade.”
- “I bought this game hoping to have an interesting experience, but instead I got stuck on the first level because the grenades keep glitching through the sandbags. You can't aim the grenades, and with only 3 available, if you miss two, you may as well restart the level. I shouldn't be forced to play a buggy tutorial level. I will recommend buying it after the developer fixes the spelling mistakes and bugs, and hopefully allows you to skip that stupid tutorial level. This is not worth $10; at most, it's worth $5.”
- “I've done everything it says, including how to do it when it was buggy in the demo.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Many users find the grinding aspect of the game, particularly in boot camp, to be tedious and unenjoyable, leading some to abandon the experience altogether.
- “Boot camp was so tedious, I could not finish.”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, but the rewards just weren't worth the effort.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is characterized by a unique style that, while occasionally marred by grammatical errors, manages to deliver amusing moments in the right contexts. Some players feel that the dialogue could use significant editing, which may frustrate language purists, but the overall comedic tone is appreciated.
- “The dialogue could benefit from some heavy editing, so English teachers (I bet there's a mistake or two in this review!) might get a bit annoyed, but there's actually a neat style to it, with some humorous touches that come across in the right situations.”
- “The humor in this game is spot on, with witty one-liners and clever puns that keep you chuckling throughout the adventure.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously; the absurd situations and quirky characters always bring a smile to my face.”