Info about The Genesis Project:

Official game description:
Sburb, But Real
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The Genesis Project is the Homestuck fandom's attempt at recreating SBURB, the legendary world-ending game from the webcomic Homestuck. Build your way up through each gate and defeat unique enemies, bosses, and stairs.
Play In Co-op
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Play a no-canon solo session, or create lobbies and play with your friends to wreak havoc upon the universe!
Create New Items
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Use the revolutionary tag-based Alchemy system to combine absolutely any two items together... as long as you have the grist!
More to Come!
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Join The Genesis Project Discord server, see what we're working on next, and talk to the devs directly! Your suggestions and help are always invaluable.
Totally Free, Completely Non-profit
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Homestuck, SBURB, and many other concepts in this game are the intellectual property of Andrew Hussie, writer of Homestuck. This game is merely a labor of love from the fans of his works; it will always be free and will never profit from his creations.

Release date: Apr 13, 2022

Categories: Cooperative Multiplayer, Crafting, Base Building, Character Customization, Dungeon Crawler, Boss Fights, Mod Support, Early Access


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 15.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The first two quotes directly describe session length as very short, with a playthrough ending in 10-20 minutes without friends. The third quote shows that even after 5.4 hours a player hasn't reached the main content, indicating early-game struggles rather than completion. The fourth quote shows a high total playtime (62 hours) but does not specify completion or endgame hours. No evidence provides a clear time to complete the game or its story, so those metrics are null. Session length is estimated at 15 minutes (midpoint of 10-20).
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is fun initially, especially with friends and the alchemy system, but quickly becomes boring due to shallow progression and lack of content, leading to a drop in enjoyment.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Getting multiplayer to work
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Lack of in-game tutorial; Multiplayer bugs; Confusing mechanics; Forced multiplayer; Aimless progression; Short play sessions
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: Playing with friends; Having Homestuck knowledge; Getting multiplayer to work; Overcoming bugs; Learning the mechanics; Having friends who are also into Homestuck; Playing solo (leads to boredom); Being in a multiplayer session
- Player Archetypes:
  - Devoted Homestuck Fan (buy)
    - Motivation: To experience the world of Sburb and engage in Homestuck roleplay with friends.
    - Playstyle: Multiplayer with friends, tolerates bugs, focuses on roleplay and character creation.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: homestuck fan
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Hopeful Early-Access Supporter (sale)
    - Motivation: To help the game reach its potential and be part of the development community.
    - Playstyle: Solo or multiplayer, uses cheats to bypass glitches, provides feedback.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Tinker's Construct
  - Frustrated Bug-Weary Player (no buy)
    - Motivation: To enjoy a functional game, but the bugs prevent that.
    - Playstyle: Attempts solo and multiplayer, but gives up due to glitches.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Curious Newcomer (sale)
    - Motivation: To explore the world of Sburb and understand the Homestuck universe.
    - Playstyle: Solo play, reads guides, experiments with mechanics.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: newbie
    - Reference games: N/A


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:
- Game is highly enjoyable (weight 0.35): Players consistently describe the game as fun, amazing, and promising, with many expressing strong enjoyment and recommending it. The game is seen as a solid and charming experience overall.
- Great with friends (weight 0.23): The game is particularly fun when played with friends, allowing for funny interactions and chaotic sessions. Multiplayer with friends is a key highlight, making the experience more enjoyable.
- Perfect for Homestuck fans (weight 0.23): Fans of Homestuck find the game highly enjoyable and faithful to the source material, with accurate art style and atmosphere. It provides an awesome Homestuck experience and is made with love for the franchise.
- Excellent Sburb recreation (weight 0.21): The game is praised as a faithful and fun recreation of Sburb, capturing the mechanics and experience well. It is considered one of the best Sburb-like games, bringing the source material to life.
- Promising concept with potential (weight 0.17): The game's concept is considered cool and ambitious, with many noting its huge potential. It is seen as a blueprint for something amazing, especially for a Homestuck game.
- Enjoyable solo play (weight 0.12): The game is fun even when played alone, offering a nice solo experience. Players can enjoy the game without friends, though it is also fun with others.
- Enjoyable house building (weight 0.1): Building houses is fun and the house builder is really cool. Players enjoy constructing their own homes and even building in friends' houses.
- Great character customization (weight 0.09): The character creator is awesome and allows for deep customization, including custom human characters. Extensive options before starting enhance the experience.
- Fun when it works (weight 0.08): The game is fun and endearing when it works smoothly, but can be frustrating at times. Players note that it is extremely fun when functioning properly.
- Modding support appreciated (weight 0.07): The game has modding support through the Steam Workshop, making it easily mod-able. This adds to the game's replayability and community engagement.
- Faithful to source material (weight 0.07): The game is a faithful adaptation of the source material, capturing the comic's atmosphere and style. It is a 1 to 1 adaptation that fans appreciate.
- Fun after learning controls (weight 0.06): The game is quite fun once controls are learned, though there is an initial difficulty. Players find it enjoyable after overcoming the learning curve.
- Fun alchemy system (weight 0.05): The alchemy system, which combines any two items, is extremely fun to experiment with. It is basic but satisfying, adding a unique gameplay element.
- Made with love (weight 0.05): The game is clearly a passion project made with love, with a lot of care poured into it. This is appreciated by players and adds to its charm.
- Combat is enjoyable (weight 0.05): Combat mechanics are really fun and killing enemies is cool. The combat adds to the overall enjoyment of the game.
- Great for early access (weight 0.04): The game is really good for an early access title, showing great potential. Players are impressed with the current state and see a bright future.
- Wonderful soundtrack (weight 0.04): The soundtrack is good and adds to the overall experience. Players enjoy the music in the game.
- Plenty of content (weight 0.04): The game has more content than expected, providing plenty to play with. This is a positive surprise for players.
- Janky charm (weight 0.04): The game has a janky charm, with flaws that are part of its appeal. Players find it neat and endearing despite imperfections.
- Addicting core gameplay (weight 0.04): The core gameplay is really fun and addicting, keeping players engaged. The actual gameplay loop is a strong point.

Common complaints:
- Game is extremely buggy (weight 0.51): The game is riddled with bugs, glitches, and jank, making it nearly unplayable. Many players report frequent crashes, softlocks, and game-breaking issues.
- Multiplayer is broken (weight 0.15): Multiplayer sessions are especially problematic, with frequent bugs, lag, crashes, and softlocks. Players find the multiplayer mode unplayable due to these issues.
- Confusing and hard to start (weight 0.15): The beginning of the game is confusing and difficult to grasp, especially for players unfamiliar with Homestuck. Many players struggle to figure out how to progress.
- Lacks content and depth (weight 0.12): The game is short and bare bones, with little end-game content beyond a boss. Players feel there is not enough to do besides fighting and leveling up.
- SBURB disc fails to spawn (weight 0.11): The SBURB disc often does not drop, preventing progress in some sessions. This bug forces restarts or requires console commands to fix.
- Frequent softlocks occur (weight 0.07): Players often get softlocked and must reload sessions. The game has many bugs that lead to softlocks, making progress frustrating.
- Game feels unfinished and unpolished (weight 0.07): The game is incomplete and clunky, needing significant polish. Players describe it as unpolished and not fully complete.
- Combat is janky and clunky (weight 0.05): The combat system is atrocious, janky, and unpolished. Players find the combat mechanics clunky and frustrating.
- No updates for over a year (weight 0.05): The game has not received updates in over a year, leading players to believe it is no longer being maintained. This lack of support is concerning.
- Alchemy system is incomplete (weight 0.05): The alchemy system is super incomplete and doesn't make sense. Players find it confusing and poorly implemented.
- Game is getting worse (weight 0.05): Players describe the game as terrible and feel it is getting worse over time. The overall experience is negative.

Gameplay feedback:
- Recreation of Homestuck's Sburb (weight 0.22): The game is widely recognized as a faithful recreation of Sburb from Homestuck, replicating its core experience and chaos. This is the most frequently mentioned aspect, indicating it is the game's primary identity.
- Multiplayer Homestuck experience (weight 0.18): The game is a multiplayer Homestuck fangame, built around co-op play with friends, supporting up to 12 players. It is faithful to the source material and designed for shared sessions.
- Building and house customization (weight 0.16): Players can build and customize houses, including a house creator and building for friends. This is a major gameplay feature, mentioned across multiple clusters.
- Crafting and alchemy systems (weight 0.14): The game includes crafting, building, and an alchemy system that combines items, with a punch card variant. Alchemy is a core mechanic, often performed at home.
- Dungeons and boss fights (weight 0.12): The game features dungeons on Skaia with puzzles and boss fights, providing structured PvE content. This is a notable gameplay element beyond building and crafting.
- Cruxtruder mechanics (weight 0.09): The cruxtruder releases a Kernelsprite, displays a countdown to house destruction, and dispenses cruxite dowels, faithfully recreating Sburb's iconic device.
- Client-server gameplay (weight 0.07): The game involves client and server player interaction, with a server host creating a session and building players up to their gate. This mirrors the Sburb client-server dynamic.
- Character customization (weight 0.07): Players can customize their characters, including design and creation. This is a core feature that enhances personalization and role-playing.
- Solo play possible (weight 0.05): The game can be played solo or with friends, offering flexibility for different play styles. This is important for accessibility.
- Colony sim with terraforming (weight 0.05): The game involves colonizing new planets and has a terraforming twist, adding a strategic layer to the gameplay.
- Entering the Medium (weight 0.05): The game includes a mechanic called entering the Medium, a key Sburb concept that drives progression.
- Early access and free (weight 0.05): The game is in early access or beta and is free, which may affect player expectations and content completeness.
- Session functionality (weight 0.05): The game has sessions that can be destroyed by players, adding a dynamic and potentially destructive element to multiplayer.
- Grist as resource (weight 0.04): Grist is a resource that players grind for, essential for crafting and alchemy. This is a core loop element.
- Complex for new players (weight 0.04): The game is complicated and difficult to comprehend for new players, which may be a barrier to entry.
- Prototyping mechanics (weight 0.04): The game features prototyping mechanics, a key Sburb feature that affects gameplay and progression.
- Strife specibus system (weight 0.04): The game has a strife specibus system, allowing players to equip and manage weapons in a Homestuck-style manner.
- Mod support via Steam Workshop (weight 0.04): The game supports mods through the Steam Workshop, allowing community customization and extended content.
- Camera controls and perspectives (weight 0.03): The game has camera controls with two available perspectives, offering flexibility in how players view the action.

Performance notes:
- Frequent lag issues (weight 0.07): Players report lag occurring frequently, making the game feel unresponsive and impacting overall gameplay experience.
- Poor optimization in areas (weight 0.07): The game lacks optimization in several parts, leading to performance issues that detract from the experience.
- Crashes occur frequently (weight 0.06): The game crashes often, including during multiplayer sessions, leading to lost progress and frustration.
- Extreme ping makes multiplayer unplayable (weight 0.04): High ping values, such as 8000, prevent playing with friends, rendering multiplayer sessions unplayable and frustrating.
- Constant disconnection messages (weight 0.04): Players see lost connection messages constantly even when playing alone, indicating network stability problems.
- Frame skipping and drops (weight 0.04): Frame-skipping and spontaneous frame drops occur, causing stuttering and reducing visual smoothness.
- Performance is generally good (weight 0.04): The game runs well on the reviewer's computer and across various systems and configurations, indicating solid baseline performance.
- Deploying items causes bugs (weight 0.02): Deploying anything in the game is a 50/50 chance for bugs, causing unpredictable and disruptive gameplay.
- Lag on weak PCs with large houses (weight 0.02): Players with weaker PCs experience lag when building large houses, indicating performance scaling issues.
- Loading causes severe lag (weight 0.02): The game lags heavily when trying to load everything at once, leading to performance degradation.
- Hardware strain and noise (weight 0.02): The laptop produces a whirring noise only when playing this game, suggesting high hardware usage and potential strain.
- Camera causes motion sickness (weight 0.02): The camera system induces motion sickness in players, affecting comfort and playability.

Recommendations:
- Homestuck fans should play (weight 0.29): The game is strongly recommended for fans of Homestuck, who will appreciate the SBURB-like gameplay and humor. Non-fans may not understand or enjoy it as much.
- Best with friends (weight 0.13): Playing with friends, especially those who know Homestuck, greatly enhances the experience. The game is more fun and recommended for co-op play.
- Cannot recommend currently (weight 0.13): Many reviewers cannot recommend the game in its current state due to bugs, glitches, and early access issues. It may improve with updates, but currently it's not recommended.
- Bugs and glitches prevalent (weight 0.12): The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, requiring patience and frequent saving. Players who can't tolerate jank should avoid it until fixed.
- Wait for updates (weight 0.08): Reviewers suggest waiting for the game to leave early access or receive more updates before playing. It may be worth checking out in a few years.
- Read guides first (weight 0.05): Reading guides or the in-game tutorial is recommended to understand the game mechanics. This helps players navigate the complex systems.
- Requires patience and challenge (weight 0.05): Players need extreme patience and should expect a challenging experience. The game may require restarting sessions and dealing with progress loss.
- Not recommended at all (weight 0.05): A few reviewers give a flat negative recommendation, citing the game's current state or lack of polish.
- Not for polished game seekers (weight 0.04): The game is not suitable for those expecting a polished, finished product with balanced gameplay and deep story. It's rough around the edges.
- Free and low cost (weight 0.04): The game is free or has a low price, making it worth trying despite its flaws. The cost is low enough to justify a play.
- Potential for improvement (weight 0.03): The game has potential and could be good with more updates and player feedback. Supporting development is a reason to recommend it.
- Specific game modes (weight 0.03): The game is recommended for fans of unconventional RPGs, co-op adventures, and space strategy games, appealing to niche audiences.
- Character creator and builder (weight 0.02): The game can be recommended as a character creator and house builder, offering creative tools even if other aspects are lacking.
- Watch gameplay first (weight 0.02): Watching a video of someone playing the game is recommended before purchasing, to see if it suits your tastes.
- Discord essential (weight 0.02): Using Discord is a must for coordinating with friends and enhancing the multiplayer experience.
- Avoid water-based lands (weight 0.02): A pro tip is to restart the run if you get a water-based land, as it may be problematic or less enjoyable.
- Family friendly (weight 0.02): The game is recommended for the whole family, suggesting it is suitable for all ages.
- Appreciate the effort (weight 0.02): The game is recommended just to see the effort put into it, even if it has flaws.
- Try other Homestuck games (weight 0.02): Reviewers suggest trying the Homestuck fighting game on the fruitty rumpus factory if you have non-Apple devices.

Other player notes:
- Early access with ongoing development (weight 0.2): The game is in early access and still in development, with many reviewers noting it feels like a beta tester build. It is expected to receive future content and updates.
- Homestuck-inspired recreation of Sburb (weight 0.18): The game is a fan-based recreation of Sburb from the Homestuck comic, aiming to make it playable. Reviewers compare it to Homestuck, noting the art style and janky nature are accurate to the source material.
- Long development history (weight 0.11): The game has been in development for 6-8 years, with one reviewer noting it took 10 years. It is currently in version 0.6.0, indicating a slow but ongoing development process.
- Free-to-play passion project (weight 0.09): The game is free-to-play and intended to stay free, described as a non-profit passion project by fans. This is a key positive aspect for many reviewers.
- Frequent updates with community feedback (weight 0.09): Some reviewers note the game receives regular updates that incorporate community feedback, while others mention it has not been updated in a while. This discrepancy may reflect different time periods of review.
- Developers praised but slow (weight 0.08): Developers are praised for making the game, but they take a long time and do not update often. Some reviewers worry they have given up, while others note they are active on Tumblr despite radio silence on Steam.
- High potential with room for improvement (weight 0.07): Reviewers consistently mention the game has massive potential and room for improvement. Despite its current state, they see it as a promising project that could grow significantly.
- Accurate Sburb recreation praised (weight 0.07): Reviewers who are familiar with Homestuck feel the game recreates the Sburb experience well, given the difficulty of the task. It is considered the closest to a hands-on playable Sburb recreation.
- Community praised as chill (weight 0.07): The community is described as chill and great, with a Discord server that is awesome. However, one reviewer criticizes the Discord for being run by incompetent people with obnoxious members.
- Limited content compared to comic (weight 0.06): The game exists at a much smaller scope than the comic, lacking many features from the original Sburb. Reviewers note it is a proof-of-concept demo with a certain amount of content.
- Modding and workshop support (weight 0.06): The game supports modding through the Steam Workshop, allowing players to bridge gaps while more content is developed. This is seen as a positive feature.
- Appeals to Homestuck fans (weight 0.06): The game is especially appealing to Homestuck fans, who find it sweet and enjoyable. Prior knowledge of Homestuck helps but is not required, making it accessible to newcomers.
- Bugs and glitches expected (weight 0.05): The game has bugs and glitches, which are expected for an early access title. Some reviewers compare its bugginess to a Roblox-coded game, and it requires massive bugfixes before being fully playable.
- Content updates over bug fixes (weight 0.05): Developers prioritize adding new content like dungeons and crypts instead of fixing existing problems. This frustrates some reviewers who want optimization and stability improvements.
- Tutorial exists offsite (weight 0.05): The game provides a manual with excellent art and humor, but the tutorial exists offsite. Reviewers suggest an in-game tutorial would be beneficial.
- Low system requirements and price (weight 0.04): The game has low system requirements and is sold at a low price, making it accessible to a wide range of players. This is a practical advantage noted by reviewers.
- Small team and budget (weight 0.04): The game is made by a small studio with a small budget, which explains its limitations. Despite this, the developers are doing it for free as a passion project.
- Nostalgia bait for fans (weight 0.03): Some reviewers describe the game as nostalgia bait, appealing to Homestuck fans' fond memories. However, it is also seen as a raw but long-awaited project.
- Lacks localization and English-only (weight 0.02): The game lacks localization, with only English available, which limits accessibility for non-English speakers. This is a noted drawback.
- Server stability issues (weight 0.02): The servers are unstable, which can affect gameplay. This is a technical issue that needs addressing.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.3): The game is plagued by numerous bugs, softlocks, and performance issues that frequently prevent progress, such as getting stuck in the ground, items falling through floors, and sessions breaking. The building system is clunky and unintuitive, with problems like walls not registering and stairs that cannot be rotated, while multiplayer sessions are unstable and often disconnect. These persistent issues, combined with a lack of clear guidance and poor camera controls, make the game nearly unplayable and deeply frustrating.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.17): Players find the game fun and engaging, especially when playing with friends, as it offers a faithful Homestuck experience with enjoyable mechanics like alchemy, building, and character creation. The game's charm and the ability to LARP as Homestuck characters contribute to a positive experience, even when bugs occur. The leveling system and battles are also praised for being different and enjoyable.
- Disappointment (weight 0.1): The game falls short of its potential, with a lack of content, repetitive dungeons, and an underwhelming final boss, leaving players wanting more. The game is buggy and unfinished, with poor controls and a barren world, making it feel like a blueprint for something great that is not fully realized. The lack of updates and a dead community further contribute to the disappointment.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Players are excited about the game's potential for a full release and future content, such as Prospit, Derse, and God Tiers, which they anticipate eagerly. The character creator and the ability to recreate Homestuck characters like John Egbert are highlights, and the game's immersive entry sequence and land exploration are described as sick and exciting. The project's promise and the prospect of breeding frogs generate enthusiasm.
- Amusement (weight 0.05): The game's bugs and glitches often lead to humorous situations, such as players being thrown into orbit, getting stuck, or having their doors deleted, which players find funny and fitting with the SBURB theme. Building horrific structures with stairs and toilets, and the infection mechanic, add to the amusement. Even when the game crashes or is unplayable, players laugh at the absurdity, making the flaws part of the game's charm.
- Love (weight 0.04): Players love the game for its faithful recreation of Homestuck and SBURB, despite its flaws, and appreciate the nostalgic and nerdy experience it provides. The game's customization options and modding community enhance the experience, and playing with friends is a blast. The game is described as being held together with bubblegum and prayers, yet players love it deeply.
- Hope (weight 0.04): Players hope that the game's many bugs will be fixed and that the developers will realize its potential, as the game shows promise as a great RPG and exploration experience. The game is in beta, and players believe it could become a big hit with more development and stable servers. There is optimism that the game will be playable and enjoyable once it leaves early access.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.02): Players feel satisfied with the game's content, such as defeating the Lich Queen, clearing dungeons, and creating powerful armor and weapons with cool effects. The character creator is praised, and the game conveys the comic's atmosphere well, providing more content than expected for an early access title. The game is solid overall and free, which adds to the satisfaction.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Players are annoyed by the tutorial's failure to explain prototyping fully, glitches with placing items, and the tricky stairs issue when building to the first gate. The inability to play as a troll and the obnoxious Discord community also irritate players. Frequent ogre summons and annoying reasons to restart sessions add to the frustration.
- Fun (weight 0.02): The game is very fun to play, whether alone or with friends, and players enjoy activities like trapping friends in doorless rooms and building with new friends. Playing with a group of friends or with randos is particularly enjoyable, and the game provides a fun experience overall.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): The game is confusing at the start, with unclear progression and a save file organization that makes it seem like progress is lost. The alchemy system is initially confusing, and a crafted hammer doing no damage adds to the confusion. Players who haven't read Homestuck may find the game particularly hard to understand.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game as a great recreation of Homestuck and SBURB, made with love and as a passion project. The game provides an awesome Homestuck experience with session functionality, and players appreciate that the devs do this for free. The game even led some players to read the Homestuck comic, which they enjoyed.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): The game becomes boring quickly due to a lack of things to do besides fighting and leveling up, with tedious resource gathering for alchemy. Playing alone gets boring fast, and the gameplay loop is repetitive. There is a lot of content but nothing engaging to do, leading to boredom.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players are angry due to the game's buggy and confusing nature, which has led to lost friendships and frustrating multiplayer experiences. The game is janky, restricting, and has many softlocks, with issues like items not spawning and unhelpful camera angles. The game's bugs persist despite being publicly available for years, fueling anger.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Players are happy that the game exists and enjoy playing it, with one player beating three fathers and others finding that the game makes their friends happy. The game brings joy to players and their friends, contributing to a positive experience.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): The game is immersive, with players not realizing they spent three hours playing and getting quickly absorbed into the experience. The game made players feel completely immersed, indicating a strong sense of engagement.
- Amazement (weight 0.01): Players are amazed by the game despite its bugs, finding it really amazing and a great experience for Homestuck fans. Dave's apartment is also described as amazing, adding to the sense of wonder.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the game as a cool fan project and find it beautiful, appreciating the effort and quality put into it.
- Dislike (weight 0.01): Players dislike the game because it feels bad to play, and there is a specific crafting issue with aspect dresses that contributes to the negative experience.
- Humor (weight 0.01): Players find humor in the game's absurd situations, such as having three fathers with katanas and a coffin behind the house, and the joke that the character is sabotaging gameplay because the player is destined to play the game in the future.}