THE IMPOSSIBLE Review Summary

Clever optical-illusion puzzles shine in a minimalist, charming world with soothing music, but clunky controls and an inflated price tag undercut the experience, especially with puzzles that feel too simplistic.

High-quality puzzles with optical illusions: The game features a variety of interesting and well-designed puzzles that play with visual misalignments and optical illusions. These puzzles are challenging yet enjoyable, often incorporating elements like the Penrose triangle and Escher's staircase.

Minimalist and charming design: The game has a minimalist art style and design, which adds to its charm. The visual and auditory styles are simple yet effective, creating a pleasant and engaging atmosphere.

Worth the price and fun: The game is considered worth its price, offering a fun and enjoyable experience. It provides good value for its cost, especially when purchased at a discount.

Calm and relaxing music: The game features calm and ambient music that enhances the overall experience. The pleasant and relaxing soundtrack complements the game's visuals and gameplay.

Interesting narrator and voice acting: The game features a cool and interesting narrator with voice acting similar to GladOS from Portal. The humorous and engaging voice-over adds to the game's charm.

Controls are poorly designed: Many players find the controls uncomfortable, awkward, and difficult to master. The controls are often cited as a significant issue affecting the gameplay experience.

Game is overpriced: Several reviews mention that the game is expensive for the amount of content it offers. Players suggest waiting for a discount before purchasing.

Gameplay lacks originality: The gameplay is often described as boring and lacking originality. Many players feel that the puzzles are uninspired and not innovative.

Graphical and performance issues: Players report various graphical issues and visual glitches. The color scheme and lack of edge lines can make it difficult to parse some levels.

Puzzles are too easy: Players find the puzzles to be too easy and lacking in depth. The puzzle design is often criticized for being lazy and unoriginal.

Optical illusion puzzles: The game features a variety of puzzles based on optical illusions and perspective manipulation. These puzzles challenge players to think differently and navigate through levels inspired by Escher's impossible works.

Unique puzzle mechanics: The game includes unique puzzle mechanics such as moving a cube through optical illusions and using eight-directional control. Players must navigate through levels by manipulating perspectives and solving visual illusions.

Multi-dimensional puzzles: Players encounter puzzles involving hyperdimensional space and multi-dimensional navigation. These puzzles challenge spatial capacity and offer a unique gaming experience.

Horror and psychological elements: The game incorporates horror and psychological elements, creating a creepy atmosphere. It includes screamer elements and a narrative that adds to the overall eerie experience.

AI interactions and commentary: The game features AI interactions and commentary that guide and engage players throughout the puzzle-solving experience. This adds a unique layer to the gameplay.

Graphical glitches: Players have experienced various graphical glitches, including torn graphics and visual anomalies. These issues can detract from the visual quality and immersion of the game.

Real bugs: There are various bugs affecting the gameplay experience. These bugs are significant enough to impact the overall enjoyment and functionality of the game.

Poor optimization: The game suffers from optimization issues, leading to performance problems on various systems. This can result in lower frame rates and a less smooth gaming experience.

Sudden loss of sound: Players have reported instances where the sound cuts out unexpectedly during gameplay. This issue seems to occur without any apparent trigger.

Fullscreen issues on Win7: Users running Windows 7 have encountered problems when trying to run the game in fullscreen mode. This issue may hinder the gaming experience for those using older operating systems.

Worth buying only on sale: Many players suggest that the game is only worth purchasing when discounted, indicating that the full price may not offer good value for money.

Recommended for puzzle fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of puzzle games, particularly those who enjoy minimalist and indie puzzle experiences.

Generally recommended to others: Several players recommend the game to friends and for all audiences, suggesting it has broad appeal.

Short length affects recommendation: The game's short duration and lack of different mechanics make it difficult to recommend at full price, though some still find it worth playing despite its brevity.

Mixed feelings on value: Opinions on the game's value vary, with some players finding it worth the price while others feel it is not worth it even on sale.

Community fair range: $0.50 - $1.50.

Game completion: 1.0h.

Story completion: 1.0h.

Session length: 0.5h.

The game has a mixed reception with some players finding it engaging and others finding it tedious and repetitive. The fun factor is hindered by inconsistent difficulty and repetitive elements.

Reported time to anchor: 30m.

Friction: Inconsistent difficulty of puzzles; Repetitive voiceovers; Tedious gameplay elements.

Puzzle Enthusiast: Casual puzzle-solving with an appreciation for meta elements. Motivation: Enjoyment of puzzle-solving and meta elements. Stance: sale.

Meta Element Explorer: Exploring meta elements and enjoying the narrative. Motivation: Interest in meta elements and AI interactions. Stance: buy.

Visual Puzzle Comparator: Comparing and solving visual puzzles. Motivation: Enjoyment of visual and conceptual puzzles. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The overall user experience with the game on Steam Deck and Linux platforms is largely positive, with many users reporting seamless gameplay and excellent compatibility. However, there are notable issues with controls, particularly when using external displays and controllers, as well as dissatisfaction with the game's length and mechanics. Minor technical problems, such as audio settings issues, were also reported but did not significantly detract from the overall experience.

Linux and Proton: The game demonstrates excellent compatibility and performance on Linux systems. Users reported smooth gameplay without any technical difficulties, indicating a reliable and well-optimized Linux port.