Athanasia Review Summary

Strong immersive sim gameplay, tense survival combat, a praised dinosaur setting, and well-designed levels with great atmosphere are undercut by clunky movement and sprinting.

Strong immersive sim gameplay: Reviewers widely praise the game as a well-crafted immersive sim with creative systems, interconnected environments, and player-driven problem solving. It is frequently compared favorably to System Shock and described as a love letter to the genre.

Tense survival combat and enemies: Combat tension comes from fragility — heavy hits cause bleeding and panic can mean death in seconds. Enemy design scales threat with player weapons, and encounters like the giant dino and space suit enemies are cited as memorable setpieces.

Great atmosphere, audio, and graphics: Players praise the cool atmosphere, solid soundtrack, and good music and sound effects. The artistic design and graphics are called interesting and good-looking, and audio logs add to the presentation.

Dinosaur and prehistoric setting praised: Players love the dinosaur and prehistoric fauna, including rarely depicted creatures like gorgonopsids, presented in line with modern scientific understanding. The 90s research facility setting and failed lab atmosphere are highlighted as memorable and refreshing.

Well-designed levels and exploration: Level design is described as decent and well executed, with interconnected environments and great exploration. Lots of secrets and environmental interactions reward players who chart their own course.

Movement and sprint feel clunky: Sprinting barely faster than walking, stamina is too low to avoid attacks, and jumping loses momentum, making platforming unsatisfying. Controls feel unprecise and slow, with inconsistent gravity and floaty object physics.

Enemy AI pathfinding issues: Enemies often glitch by running into walls, moving in the wrong direction, or getting stuck on objects. Dinosaurs also stand under the player while being killed safely, and AI can be easily cheesed with a trank dart and knife spam.

Audio cues and soundtrack issues: Random music changes and combat music often play when no enemies are nearby, breaking immersion. Footsteps sometimes sound left-only, and the soundtrack is repetitive with annoying random jumps.

Inventory space too limited: Basic tools like flashlight, retro-fixer, rescue axe, and inducer consume inventory slots needed for other items. Players lack room to carry traps alongside weapons, and the inventory UI is not visually appealing.

Softlock and map exploit bugs: In the ladder tube section, prying open doors with power off lets players see the whole map and fall to death. An invisible one-way wall near the bottom softlocks players, and the elevator repair section is a headache.

Immersive sim core design: The game is built as an immersive sim with diegetic exposition, interconnected environments, and player-driven systems and routing. Gadgets and multiple systems support emergent problem solving rather than direct approaches.

Inventory and crafting systems: Inventory management, crafting consumables, and combining items are core systems. Resource availability supports experimentation with these mechanics.

Level design supports exploration: The game has deliberate level design that supports exploration and interconnected routing. Players are expected to figure out their own route through spaces.

Retro style meets modern systems: The game pairs retro-style graphics and old-school FPS feel with modern mechanics and systems. Some describe it as an FPS that often plays like Wolfenstein 3D.

Exploration and combat gameplay: The game features exploration and combat, including first-person shooting with dinosaurs. Combat uses both ballistic and melee weaponry.

Audio bug misplaces footsteps: A player reports that all footsteps sound as if they come from the left ear, indicating a positional audio bug. This can disrupt directional awareness during gameplay.

Performance runs smoothly: One player reports that the game runs great, indicating positive performance on their setup. This is a vague but favorable note on stability.

Appeals to immersive sim fans: Players recommend the game specifically for those who enjoy immersive sims. It satisfies fans of that genre and should not deter newcomers.

Rewards self-directed exploration: The game suits players who like figuring out their own routes. Those who dislike hand-holding or yellow-paint guidance will appreciate it.

Strong overall recommendation: Reviewers give the game a very strong recommendation. The feedback is broadly positive without reservations.

Game completion: 8.0h.

Half-Life and System Shock comparisons: The game is repeatedly described as a mix of Half-Life and System Shock, with its story, setting, and gameplay echoing those classics. References include resonance cascade plot points, System Shock 2-style graphics and gameplay, and Black Mesa's soundtrack.

Resident Evil with dinosaurs: Several reviewers compare the game to an FPS Resident Evil with dinosaurs, highlighting survival horror elements in a dinosaur-infested facility. It is also likened to Dino Crisis and Jurassic Park for its setting and story.

Low review count and mixed comparisons: The game has only a handful of reviews and is sometimes compared to low-effort indie releases. It is also compared to Project Zomboid's use of sudden sound cues and to the demo for Derelikt.

Early access with ongoing development: The game is currently in early access, with new content being added and active development underway. Reviewers note it will not be fully complete for quite some time and some are waiting for the full release.

About 8 hours of content: Early access offers roughly 8 hours of gameplay, which reviewers consider sufficient to justify the price. The game is rated as good value for its cost.