Info about Lab Rags:

Official game description:
Lab Rags is a hilarious 3D puzzle game where your failure is meaningful! Build upon failed attempts to solve an assortment of puzzles.  
Just like life, you never know that you're moving forwards unless you make mistakes. Our labs follow the same philosophy: Use every unsuccessful attempt to improve yourself and get further.  
In our workplace, failure is never the end.  
\- Teleport to the art-deco 1920's world of Lab Rags.  
\- Take control of our fancy crash test dummy to navigate these treacherous labs.  
\- Manipulate the properties of your previous frames to overcome dangerous traps.

Release date: May 16, 2021

Categories: First-Person Puzzle Platformer, Physics Simulation, Puzzle Solving, Single-player Story, New Game+, Achievement System, Art Deco Visuals

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game starts successfully with the latest Proton, as confirmed by two Linux users. No negative Linux-specific feedback was found.
- Steam Deck: score 15; verdict: Seamless; summary: All user feedback is positive, indicating the game runs well on Steam Deck after minor control adjustments and works with the latest Proton. No technical barriers such as crashes, small text, or launcher issues were reported.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 1.5h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviews indicate a first playthrough (story completion) takes about 40–45 minutes, leading to 0.75 hours. Others report that getting all achievements (full game completion) takes about 1.5 hours. A reviewer mentions killing 30 minutes with a speedrun, suggesting a typical session length of 0.5 hours. No clear separate endgame-only time is reported; achievement time includes story completion, so endgame is left null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players report boredom, poor tutorials, and no fun from the start, with no indication of enjoyment later.
  - Stance: Never clicks
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: boring early gameplay; annoying soundtrack; uninteresting puzzles; poor or missing tutorial; no clear instruction on core mechanics; large persistent tooltips
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: N/A
- Player Archetypes:
  - Achievement Hunter (sale)
    - Motivation: Completing all achievements and mastering game mechanics through challenging runs.
    - Playstyle: Methodical, replaying levels for specific no-gun/no-jump challenges, achievement-focused.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Casual Puzzle Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Relaxing and enjoyable puzzle solving without excessive difficulty.
    - Playstyle: Casual, exploratory, light puzzle solving, appreciates chill experience.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: casual gamer
    - Reference games: Life goes on; Portal
  - Value Seeker (sale)
    - Motivation: Getting maximum entertainment for minimal or zero cost.
    - Playstyle: Samples free games, judges worth, willing to pay small amount for quality.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Portal


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Enjoyable puzzles (weight 0.65): The puzzles are described as fun, entertaining, and suitable for puzzle enthusiasts, adding significant value to the game experience.
- Fun and engaging gameplay (weight 0.52): Players consistently praised the game for being fun, engaging, and worth playing, with quick but interesting gameplay that captivates users.
- Interesting and unique mechanics (weight 0.43): Players found the game's mechanics to be very interesting, original, and unique, contributing to an engaging gameplay experience.
- Corpse mechanics innovative (weight 0.43): Using dead bodies as objects or platforms after death is a unique and fun concept that adds originality to puzzle-solving.
- Pleasant graphics and art (weight 0.33): Players appreciated the pleasant graphics and great art direction, with a gorgeous 1920's Art Deco style adding visual appeal.
- Clever and interesting premise (weight 0.28): The game's premise is clever and interesting, capturing players' attention and adding depth to the overall concept.
- Challenging achievements add fun (weight 0.25): The last four achievements provide a fun challenge, making levels more enjoyable and proving to be challenging but obtainable.
- Great music and soundtrack (weight 0.24): The game's music and soundtrack are praised for being great and spectacular, enhancing the overall atmosphere.
- Great level design (weight 0.14): The level design is enjoyable, with the idea and implementation being considered perfect by players.
- Charming and good game (weight 0.13): The game is described as charming and good, with players enjoying the overall experience despite its short length.
- Easy to understand mechanics (weight 0.13): The game is easy to understand with cool mechanics that are easy to learn, making it accessible to a wide audience.

Common complaints:
- Frequent bugs and glitches (weight 0.94): Players encountered various bugs and glitches, including physics issues, clipping, and progression-blocking errors. Some bugs required reloading levels or restarting the game, harming the overall experience.
- Game is too short (weight 0.63): The game is reported to be very short, often completed in under an hour with only four levels. Multiple players expressed disappointment at the brevity, with some stating it ends just as it becomes engaging.
- Puzzles are frustrating or confusing (weight 0.44): Puzzles are often considered unpolished, unclear, or enraging, with some tasks lacking hints and leading to getting stuck. The difficulty spikes, such as challenges that become impossible, add to frustration.
- Only four levels total (weight 0.35): The game contains only four levels, which are mostly small except for the last. This lack of content contributes to the overall short playtime and limited replay value.
- Graphics and audio are underwhelming (weight 0.34): Visuals are described as plain, simple, and unimpressive, with flat lighting and simple textures. Sound design also received criticism, with repetitive music and annoying turret sounds causing fatigue or headaches.
- Achievements are buggy or difficult (weight 0.32): Several achievements are reported as bugged, not unlocking as intended, or being overly difficult to obtain. Examples include achievements not unlocking after meeting conditions, and one bugged achievement counting shots when firing nothing.
- Lacks depth and variety (weight 0.25): The game feels more like an obstacle course than a puzzle game, with repetitive tasks and little opportunity for creative shots. It scratches the surface but lacks the depth of similar games.
- Lack of proper tutorial (weight 0.25): The game lacks a proper tutorial, leaving players confused about mechanics and controls. The existing tutorial is unclear, with tooltips persisting until level 4 and covering the screen, and no clear instruction on changing body types.
- Physics interactions are problematic (weight 0.23): Physics interactions are often janky, with ragdolls causing slips, bounce bodies stacking buggy, and elevators interacting unnecessarily. Some interactions lead to infinite force or getting stuck.
- Game-breaking exploits and cheese (weight 0.18): Exploits allow sequence breaking and trivializing puzzles, such as a fly exploit using cube placement and the bounce option to skip sections. This undermines the intended challenge and puzzle experience.
- Missing accessibility features (weight 0.17): The game lacks key accessibility options like key rebinding, causing problems for AZERTY keyboard users and accidental respawns. Also missing are graphics settings and FOV adjustments, limiting player comfort.
- Controls and gun quirks (weight 0.16): The gun model is large and obstructive, and shooting can be unreliable at times. Also, tooltips block the screen, and controls reset when starting a game, causing issues.
- Technical issues with bodies (weight 0.16): Bodies can become bugged, vibrating at high velocity, and shooting corpses at feet requires clearance. These issues can hinder puzzle solving and immersion.
- Challenges are poorly designed (weight 0.13): Some challenge modes become impossible or frustrating, such as the no jump/no body gun challenge failing at level 3. This highlights a lack of playtesting and balance.
- Sound and music repetitive (weight 0.12): The music and sound effects become tiresome over time, with the soundtrack playing from every corner and turret sounds causing headaches. This negatively impacts long play sessions.
- Game feels unmaintained (weight 0.12): The game appears unpatched and unmaintained, leaving known bugs and issues unresolved. This contributes to a sense of abandonment and unfinished quality.
- No Russian localization (weight 0.06): The game lacks Russian localization, with all text in English, which may alienate Russian-speaking players.

Gameplay feedback:
- Core mechanic uses corpses (weight 0.8): The central gameplay mechanic involves using the player's own corpses to solve puzzles and progress. Corpses can be stored, transformed, and used as tools, platforms, or projectiles.
- Portal-like first-person puzzle game (weight 0.48): Multiple reviews describe the game as a first-person puzzle game similar to Portal in its puzzle nature. The mechanic involves using ragdolls instead of portals, emphasizing physics-based puzzle solving.
- Puzzle gameplay with multiple solutions (weight 0.43): Reviews highlight that the game is puzzle-based and offers multiple ways to solve each level. Players are encouraged to think outside the box and experiment with different approaches.
- Platform puzzle game (weight 0.36): Reviews describe the game as a platform puzzle game, blending action and platforming elements. It is sometimes seen as more of an obstacle course than a pure puzzle game.
- Dying leaves persistent bodies (weight 0.36): When the player dies, they leave behind a corpse that persists in the level and can be used as a platform or shield. The player has infinite lives, encouraging strategic voluntary deaths.
- Body gun transforms corpses (weight 0.35): The game features a gun that can absorb and shoot corpses, allowing them to change into different body types like cube, ball, or trampoline. This mechanic is used to overcome obstacles.
- Challenge modes include no-jump (weight 0.29): The game offers challenge modes, such as beating the game without using the jump button or without shooting projectiles. These self-imposed challenges increase replayability and difficulty.
- Corpses transform into multiple shapes (weight 0.29): Dead bodies can be transformed into various forms, including normal, cube, trampoline, and sphere. These shapes serve different purposes, such as bouncing or blocking hazards.
- Achievements enhance experience (weight 0.27): The achievements system adds to the game experience, with some achievements being challenging and others easy to obtain. They provide additional goals for players.
- Game consists of four levels (weight 0.24): The game is structured into four main levels, each introducing new mechanics. This concise level count contributes to the game's short overall length.
- Game difficulty is low (weight 0.24): Several reviews note that the game is not very challenging, with low difficulty in puzzle solving. This makes it accessible to a wide audience but may not satisfy hardcore puzzle fans.
- Game is short (weight 0.24): The game is generally considered short, with many players completing it in a few hours. It can be 100% completed within a short timeframe.
- Physics-based gameplay and glitches (weight 0.23): The game features physics-based gameplay with fun physics, but mechanics can be easy to abuse, leading to glitch-friendly exploits. This can be both a feature and a flaw.
- Uses dead ragdoll bodies to traverse (weight 0.2): Puzzles require using dead ragdoll bodies, such as climbing over them to reach exits or using them as stepping stones. This mechanic is central to progression.
- Absorb and shoot corpses with gun (weight 0.2): The player uses a gun to suck in dead bodies and shoot them out as projectiles, which can be shaped into platforms or tools. This mechanic allows for versatile puzzle solving.
- Respawn and checkpoint mechanics (weight 0.18): The game includes respawn points and a respawn mechanic, with the ability to die and retry. Pressing R can kill the player and teleport to a checkpoint, allowing for mass-producing bodies.
- Player controls laboratory hamster (weight 0.17): The player character is a laboratory hamster trying to escape a lab, set in a steampunk environment without a strong story. This unique premise adds charm to the puzzle gameplay.
- Bodies used as shields and trigger (weight 0.14): Corpses can be used as shields to block projectiles and as weights to trigger mechanisms. This expands their utility beyond simple platforms.
- Hazardous traps kill player (weight 0.13): Levels are filled with traps like spikes, machine guns, and electric fields that cause instant death. These hazards require careful use of corpses to navigate safely.
- Abilities unlock progressively (weight 0.13): Abilities are unlocked as the player progresses through levels, but are all available from the start in a new game+ mode. This adds replayability for experienced players.

Performance notes:
- No V-Sync option (weight 0.13): Players report the absence of a vertical synchronization setting, which can cause screen tearing. This is a straightforward technical complaint with a clear and specific ask.
- Poor older PC performance (weight 0.08): The game fails to run well on a PC with a 680 GPU, a specific hardware reference. This indicates optimization problems affecting older systems.
- Frame drops with many bodies (weight 0.08): Performance drops occur when many dead bodies are scattered in the environment, which impacts gameplay during or after combat. This specific scenario indicates a performance bottleneck.
- Graphical glitches like clipping (weight 0.08): Players experience graphical glitches such as clipping through spikes, which can be distracting and undermine immersion. This is a specific visual artifact.
- Rare random upward launches (weight 0.08): Occasionally, the character is launched upward randomly, and in one instance it led to death. This is a rare but potentially game-breaking physics bug.
- Not smooth at 144Hz (weight 0.08): Despite having a high refresh rate monitor, the game does not feel smooth at 144Hz, suggesting frame rate or input issues. This can affect competitive or fast-paced play.
- Game has bugs (weight 0.06): A player broadly noted that the game contains bugs, suggesting that the experience is not-polished. The feedback is vague and lacks specificity.
- Passable but improvable graphics (weight 0.06): Graphics were described as acceptable but not outstanding, leaving room for improvement. This is a moderate quality impression without specific details.
- Strange textures in places (weight 0.06): Textures appear unusual in certain areas, which detracts from the visual experience. This could be a texture mapping issue or artistic inconsistency.

Recommendations:
- Players suggest trying free game (weight 0.37): Several clusters (3, 4, 30, 31, 42) recommend that players check out and try the game, often citing the lack of financial commitment. This widespread encouragement indicates confidence in the game's appeal.
- Positive overall recommendation (weight 0.32): Clusters 2, 6, 14, and 34 offer straightforward recommendations ranging from 'recommend' to 'seriously recommend' and 'worth playing'. This general positivity suggests broad satisfaction across different player types.
- Recommended for puzzle genre fans (weight 0.29): Clusters 5, 12, 16, and 25 specifically target fans of first-person puzzle platformers, Portal-like games, and the genre in general. These endorsements indicate the game appeals strongly to established puzzle game audiences.
- Free game worth trying (weight 0.25): Clusters 17, 22, 24, and 27 highlight the free price as a major incentive to try the game, noting there's no financial risk. Reviewers suggest players can easily quit if they don't enjoy it, reinforcing the low barrier to entry.
- Suitable for relaxing gameplay (weight 0.19): Clusters 8, 10, and 26 describe the game as suitable for relaxed playthroughs and calm evenings of puzzles, suggesting it offers a low-pressure experience. This makes it appealing to players seeking casual, engaging entertainment.
- Good for short play sessions (weight 0.18): Clusters 27, 29, and 36 mention the game fits into short timeframes, such as an hour or 30 minutes, making it perfect for quick entertainment. This accessibility is a key selling point for time-constrained players.
- Worth time and entertainment value (weight 0.17): Clusters 15, 35, and 38 describe the game as worth your time, fun to download, and valuable for entertainment. These comments reinforce the game's ability to provide enjoyment without requiring a significant investment.
- Achievements add fun challenge (weight 0.13): Clusters 18 and 33 recommend trying the achievements, with cluster 18 specifically noting the last four are a fun challenge for those who enjoyed the base game. This indicates achievement hunting enhances replayability and enjoyment.
- Players would buy paid expansion (weight 0.13): Clusters 23 and 37 show reviewers would purchase a paid version if more content were added, reflecting strong satisfaction with the current game. This willingness to pay extra signals high perceived value and potential for franchise growth.
- No risk in trying the game (weight 0.13): Clusters 11, 42, and others emphasize that players lose nothing by playing, reinforcing the free cost as a major advantage. This makes the game an easy recommendation for hesitant players.
- Creative mechanics for puzzle fans (weight 0.13): Clusters 7 and 19 note the game appeals to fans of light puzzles, unusual stories, and those tired of regular puzzle mechanics. This suggests the game introduces fresh ideas that differentiate it from typical puzzle titles.
- Enjoyable for specific audiences (weight 0.12): Clusters 32 and 39 recommend the game for those who like puzzles or robots and players who enjoy casual puzzle games, respectively. These niche recommendations highlight the game's targeted appeal.
- Not recommended for impatient players (weight 0.08): Cluster 40 explicitly advises impatient players to avoid the game, implying it requires patience and likely involves trial-and-error or difficulty. This caveat helps set appropriate expectations for potential players.
- Engaging for dedicated players (weight 0.08): Cluster 21 recommends the game for those committed to mastering levels, indicating it offers depth and challenge for completionists. This implies the game has progression elements that reward skill and dedication.
- Offers thinking challenge (weight 0.08): Cluster 41 wholeheartedly recommends the game as a free-to-play experience that makes you think, highlighting its intellectual engagement. This suggests the puzzles stimulate cognitive effort, appealing to players who enjoy mental challenges.
- Suitable for single playthrough (weight 0.07): Cluster 20 notes the game is good for a single playthrough, suggesting it has limited replay value but is satisfying as a one-time experience. This helps set expectations for players concerned about longevity.
- Comparable to other puzzle games (weight 0.07): Cluster 28 suggests that if players seek a similar game with better execution, they should check out Gravitas, indicating the game has similarities but may fall short in some aspects. This provides a balanced perspective.
- Suitable for puzzle and robot fans (weight 0.07): Cluster 32 specifically recommends the game for those who enjoy puzzles or robots, indicating it combines these themes. This dual appeal may attract a broader audience within the puzzle genre.

Other player notes:
- Game is very short (weight 0.74): Multiple reviews emphasize the short length, with total playtime ranging from 30 minutes to about 2.5 hours, and the game can be finished in one sitting.
- Comparisons to Portal (weight 0.43): Many reviews compare the game directly to Portal, often calling it a clone or similar to Portal and Portal 2, with some also mentioning The Entropy Centre and other puzzle games.
- Achievements included (weight 0.32): The game includes achievements, some of which are creative (e.g., no shooting, 'Go to space'), and the game can be fully completed in a couple of hours, with low difficulty for earning all achievements.
- Free to play (weight 0.24): Several reviews note that the game is free to play, which may temper some expectations about content length and polish.
- Has New Game Plus (weight 0.17): The game includes a New Game+ mode, but some reviews suggest it does not add replayability.
- Seems like student project (weight 0.17): Some reviewers speculate that the game might be a student project, mentioning indie college students, and thus may have limited scope.
- Lack of localization (weight 0.13): Some reviews point out a lack of localization options, such as Russian and Japanese, with text only available in English.
- Easy to complete (weight 0.13): The game is easy to fully complete, with low difficulty even for unlocking all achievements, which may appeal to completionists but not challenge seekers.
- Potential for workshop (weight 0.11): The potential for a workshop feature to increase replayability is noted as unrealized.
- Mechanics need update (weight 0.11): Some players feel that the game's mechanics may need an update to improve gameplay depth.
- Polished and acceptable (weight 0.11): Reviews mention the game is highly polished and that graphics are acceptable, indicating overall decent quality.
- Wish for full game (weight 0.07): A reviewer expresses a wish for a full game based on this concept, indicating the potential they see in the core ideas.
- Level select feature (weight 0.06): The game has a level select feature, allowing players to revisit specific levels at their convenience.
- Works on Steam Deck (weight 0.06): The game is reported to work on Steam Deck with control adjustments, making it playable on handheld devices.
- Bugs and glitches (weight 0.06): Some reviews mention exploitable bugs and glitches, which can affect the gameplay experience.
- Proof of concept (weight 0.06): The game seems like a proof of concept or prototype, possibly indicating it is an early-stage project.
- Missing graphics options (weight 0.06): The game lacks graphics settings adjustments, so players cannot lower or raise visual quality.
- Developer expansion plans (weight 0.06): The developers intend to expand the game in the future, which may add more content and features.

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.17): Players consistently enjoyed the novel puzzle platforming mechanics, particularly the core corpse-based abilities and physics. The game was praised for its charm, humor, and entertaining challenges that encouraged fresh thinking and speedrunning.
- Frustration (weight 0.13): Frustration stemmed from technical issues such as bugs breaking progression, glitches, and optimization problems, including frame drops and control resetting. Difficult achievements, unclear mechanics, and frustrating controls also contributed to player annoyance.
- Fun (weight 0.1): The game provided fun with its simple, engaging puzzle gameplay and humorous corpse mechanics. Players enjoyed the ability to exploit cheats and speedrun, making the experience entertaining even when glitchy.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.07): Satisfaction came from the rewarding challenge of solving puzzles using the body mechanics, with multiple solutions and accessible achievements. Players also appreciated the polished controls, graphics, and the ability to complete the game in a reasonable time.
- Love (weight 0.05): Players loved the game's unique mechanics, beautiful art direction, and clever puzzle design. The death and body mechanics were particularly enjoyable, with the game's overall quality exceeding expectations.
- Disappointment (weight 0.05): Disappointment primarily arose from the game's short length and lack of content, such as the absence of a workshop and limited gameplay hours. Players felt the game ended too soon, especially after it became more engaging.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy was derived from the satisfying progression, clever puzzles, and humorous glitch-finding during speedruns. The game's stylish art deco visuals and music also contributed to an uplifting and enjoyable experience.
- Amusement (weight 0.04): The humorous concept of reusing your own corpse in various forms, coupled with ragdoll mechanics, provided significant amusement. Players found the game's clever, funny gameplay and unique 'over my dead body' premise highly entertaining.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Appreciation was expressed for the game's well-executed concept, charming art deco style, and solid mechanics. Players particularly valued the challenge modes that offered a rewarding and distinct difficulty curve.
- Frustrated (weight 0.02): Frustration arose from unclear tasks that could lead to getting stuck, and from challenging modes becoming impossible early on. Technical issues also left players feeling the game lacked basic polish.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Excitement was sparked by the interesting corpse storage and usage mechanic, and the challenge of pursuing 100% completion. Players found the final achievements a fun and engaging goal.
- Interest (weight 0.02): Interest was generated by the original idea of using dead bodies as a puzzle mechanic, which was fresh for the genre and made the game engaging to play.
- Disappointed (weight 0.01): Disappointment was caused by the game's perceived lack of polish and bugginess, as well as a gameplay design that some found unintelligent or uninteresting.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom from repetitive tasks and monotony, combined with an unappealing soundtrack and uninteresting puzzles, led to diminishing engagement over time.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Happiness came from a fun and enjoyable playthrough that encouraged playing the game twice, with the overall experience considered wonderful and satisfying.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope was expressed for future expansion of the high-concept premise, with players wishing for a more substantial full version after appreciating the core idea.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance was triggered by intrusive UI elements such as large tooltips and the gun model obstructing the screen. Frequent and repetitive idle animations also became irksome.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Anticipation for the game's future progress was high, with players eagerly looking forward to the full release and seeing how the game evolves.
- Desire (weight 0.01): A strong desire for more game content was expressed, with players wishing the game were longer and offering more of the engaging gameplay.
- Entertained (weight 0.01): Players found the game to be a unique puzzle solver that provided entertaining and intellectually stimulating gameplay.}