Info about Doomer:

Official game description:
Step into the melancholic world of a Russian doomer, living in the bleak confines of a typical post-Soviet Khrushchev. Your life is a cycle of addictions, mundane work, and endless introspection, set against the backdrop of a provincial town that time forgot.
Experience the raw and gritty, yet very nostalgic atmosphere. Wander aimlessly around your neighborhood, through garages, explore the empty playgrounds, or sit and smoke by the flower bed where the cigarette butts pile up. When the weight of the outside world becomes too much, retreat to your small apartment. Inspect the mementos of your past, surf the internet, pet your faithful rat, or lose yourself in the old TV shows and commercials that echo the sentiment of your soul.
In this game, you’re not chasing grand adventures. Instead, you’ll explore the quiet, unassuming corners of your life—smoking a cigarette, taking a stroll through the desolate yards, or simply embracing the sweet apathy of it all. This is your nostalgic playground, some actions lead to unexpected consequences, all you have to do is experiment.
Embrace the carelessness, and navigate the grey days of a life that’s as familiar as it is empty.

Release date: 17 Jun, 2023

Categories: Single-player, Life Simulation, Walking Simulator, Open-World Exploration, Environmental Storytelling, First-Person Perspective


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


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:
- Excellent graphics and atmosphere (weight 0.8): Players consistently praise the game's visual quality, especially for an indie title, and its ability to create a strong, immersive atmosphere. The graphics are frequently described as breathtaking and beautiful, contributing significantly to the overall experience.
- Strong nostalgic and immersive feel (weight 0.42): Many players, particularly those who grew up in the post-Soviet era, experience strong feelings of nostalgia and familiarity. The game's setting, especially the apartment, accurately captures the essence of that time, making players feel like they've returned to their childhood or home.
- Unique and quirky interactions (weight 0.3): Players find the inclusion of a pet rat and the ability to perform mundane or quirky actions like 'pissing' to be memorable and enjoyable features. These elements add to the game's unique charm and humor.
- Developer's effort appreciated (weight 0.3): Players express significant respect and gratitude towards the developer, acknowledging their effort and engagement with the community. There's a strong sense of appreciation for the game's concept and its successful execution.
- Great music selection (weight 0.2): The game's music selection is highly appreciated, with players noting its quality and how well it complements the 'doomer' aesthetic and overall mood. The music contributes significantly to the game's unique atmosphere.
- Promising future potential (weight 0.09): Players are optimistic about the game's future, noting that the planned features sound promising and that the genre itself has great potential for further development and innovation.
- Improved day/night cycle (weight 0.05): The recent update introducing a day/night cycle has been positively received, as it further enhances the game's atmosphere and visual appeal, adding another layer of immersion.
- Best in its genre (weight 0.05): The game is considered by some to be the best in its niche, standing out among similar titles due to its unique approach and successful execution of its core concept.
- Friendly landscape design (weight 0.04): The landscape design is noted for being 'friendly,' suggesting that the environment is well-crafted and contributes positively to the player's experience, making exploration enjoyable.
- Good value for money (weight 0.04): A player expressed that the game was an excellent purchase for its price, indicating strong value for money. This suggests that the content and experience provided justify the cost.
- Impactful small details (weight 0.04): The presence of cat pictures on the fridge is mentioned as impactful, suggesting that small, authentic details like these contribute to the game's immersive and relatable atmosphere.

Common complaints:
- Insufficient Game Content (weight 0.96): A recurring complaint is the extreme lack of content, with players stating there's nothing to do, the game is very short, and exploration is minimal. This significantly impacts replayability and overall value.
- Poor Performance & Optimization (weight 0.8): Many players report severe performance issues, including low FPS, constant freezes, and lags, even on high-end hardware. This suggests poor optimization, making the game unplayable for many.
- Limited World Interactivity (weight 0.76): Players note very limited interactivity with the game world and objects, both inside the apartment and outside. This reduces immersion and makes the environment feel static.
- Unpolished & Buggy (weight 0.75): The game is described as unpolished and crude, with many bugs and a general lack of refinement. This contributes to a poor user experience.
- Unjustified Price & Misleading Screenshots (weight 0.73): Players feel the game's price is unjustified given its minimal content and poor implementation. Screenshots are also criticized for showing most of the limited content.
- Lack of Development & Updates (weight 0.31): Concerns are raised about the game's development status, with players believing it has been abandoned. There's a lack of updates, and the roadmap is not being followed, leading to a perception of a 'dead' game.
- Problematic Smoking Mechanic (weight 0.19): Specific issues with the smoking mechanic are highlighted, including downgraded animations, bugs, and the inability to move while smoking, which disrupts gameplay flow.
- Sound Issues & Missing Settings (weight 0.13): Players report general sound problems, including too few sounds, making the game feel muted, and a lack of sound settings in the menu.
- Game Fails to Launch (weight 0.12): Some players are unable to launch the game at all, encountering errors that prevent them from playing.
- Removed Features (Music, Inventory) (weight 0.09): Previously available features, specifically music and an inventory system, have been removed from the game, leading to a regression in content.
- Small & Uninteresting Map (weight 0.09): The game's explorable location is described as very small and uninteresting, consisting mainly of a single yard and garages.
- Annoying Invisible Walls (weight 0.08): The use of invisible walls to block player paths is noted as an annoying design choice, hindering exploration.
- Clunky Bottle Collection (weight 0.08): The mechanic for collecting bottles is described as clunky and difficult, often requiring multiple attempts to pick up an item.
- Buggy In-Game Music Player (weight 0.08): The in-game phone's music player is buggy and lacks basic functionality like skipping songs, making it frustrating to use.
- Out-of-Bounds Bug & Long Train (weight 0.07): A specific bug allows players to go out of bounds near the train, and the train itself is noted for being excessively long.

Gameplay feedback:
- Diverse mundane activities (weight 0.35): The game offers a variety of mundane, slice-of-life activities such as browsing the internet, interacting with pets, and performing daily routines. It emphasizes a casual, objective-free experience focused on 'just living' within its environment.
- Smoking mechanic present (weight 0.13): Players have the ability to smoke cigarettes within the game, which is a recurring action mentioned by multiple players.
- Bottle interaction and collecting (weight 0.13): The game includes mechanics related to bottles, specifically allowing players to break them and engage in bottle collecting.
- In-game music playback (weight 0.09): Players can listen to music, specifically through a mobile phone within the game.
- Atmosphere of loneliness (weight 0.09): The game is perceived as a 'loneliness simulator' due to its silent open world and lack of clear objectives, contributing to a solitary experience.
- Windows XP computer interaction (weight 0.09): The game features a computer running Windows XP, which players can interact with, including looking at old pictures.
- Non-functional PC window (weight 0.05): A specific issue exists where turning on the in-game PC results in an empty, unfunctional window.
- Car entry bug (weight 0.05): A specific bug allows players to enter cars through the windshield, indicating a potential issue with collision detection or intended interaction.
- Early access status (weight 0.04): The game is currently in its earliest access stage, implying that many features may be incomplete or subject to change.

Performance notes:
- Poor game optimization (weight 0.32): Many players are experiencing significant performance issues, including low frame rates and lag, even on systems that meet or exceed the stated minimum requirements. This suggests poor optimization, especially given the game's limited content and small map size.

Recommendations:
- Mixed Purchase Recommendations (weight 0.47): Player recommendations are mixed, with some suggesting the game is worth its low price or on sale, while others strongly advise against purchasing, citing poor value and requesting refunds. The game's current state is often seen as incomplete.
- Better Alternatives Exist (weight 0.16): Several players suggest that there are better alternatives available, particularly other post-Soviet meme games or even real-life activities, implying the game does not offer unique or compelling value.
- Unfinished Game State (weight 0.14): Many players feel the game is currently an unfinished product, resembling a tech demo rather than a full game. There is hope that future updates will add promised content and refine the experience.
- Niche Appeal (weight 0.05): A niche group of players, specifically fans of the 'Doomer' aesthetic, find the game to be a must-have, indicating it successfully caters to this specific subculture.
- Hardware Performance Warning (weight 0.05): One review specifically warns about performance issues on lower-end hardware, advising against purchase if the user's video card has less than 4GB of VRAM.

Other player notes:
- Anticipate future updates (weight 0.59): Many players express strong hope and anticipation for future game updates, bug fixes, and content additions. They view the game as a work in progress and are willing to wait for improvements, indicating a belief in the developers' commitment.
- Expand map and locations (weight 0.23): There's a strong desire for a significantly larger and more diverse map, including more detailed Russian urban environments like hotels, parks, and factories. This would provide more areas to explore and interact with.
- Add day/night cycle and weather (weight 0.2): Players frequently request the implementation of a day/night cycle and dynamic weather conditions, such as seasons. This would enhance immersion and provide more varied environmental experiences within the game.
- Introduce 90s plot and lore (weight 0.19): Several suggestions revolve around adding narrative elements, such as a 90s-era plot, notes, and specific aesthetic details like old posters and Polaroid photos. This indicates a desire for more story-driven content.
- Increase environmental interaction (weight 0.17): Players want more interactive elements within the game world, allowing them to engage with objects and the environment in more varied ways. This would increase player agency and depth.
- Correct architectural inaccuracies (weight 0.13): A very specific detail-oriented critique points out architectural inaccuracies regarding kitchen window doors and wall types in panel buildings, suggesting a desire for higher realism.
- Add diverse NPCs (weight 0.13): Players are keen on seeing non-player characters (NPCs) added to the game, specifically mentioning various types of Russian residents like grandmothers, children, and gopniks. This would make the world feel more alive.
- Improve music player and selection (weight 0.12): There's a demand for more music options on the in-game phone and a better music player interface, including the ability to skip songs. Some even suggest selling the soundtrack as DLC.
- Implement daily life activities (weight 0.09): Players suggest adding more mundane, slice-of-life activities common in post-Soviet culture, such as visiting acquaintances for a beer or buying booze from a kiosk to drink on the balcony.
- Enhance ambient sounds and atmosphere (weight 0.09): Players suggest adding more ambient sounds to enhance immersion, such as indoor noises like vacuum cleaners and crying children, and outdoor sounds like cars and birds, along with smog.
- Expand in-game phone features (weight 0.08): Suggestions for the in-game phone include viewing a mix of taken photos and old images/videos, and the ability to upload personal music tracks.
- Implement co-op mode (weight 0.04): One player believes that the addition of a co-op mode would make the game the 'best game in the world,' indicating a strong desire for multiplayer.
- Introduce random trains (weight 0.04): A suggestion to add trains with random appearance timers to the game world, enhancing the environmental realism.
- Include Soviet Bonzi Buddy (weight 0.04): A humorous and specific suggestion to add a Soviet version of the 'Bonzi Buddy' desktop assistant to the in-game computer.
- Compare to similar games (weight 0.04): A critical comparison point: the reviewer notes that similar post-Soviet apartment games exist that are cheaper and more polished, suggesting a competitive landscape.
- Fix sound bug (weight 0.03): A bug report: the reviewer has to re-enter through the menu to fix a sound bug, indicating a technical issue.
- Improve language display (weight 0.03): A minor UI/UX suggestion: language options should consistently display 'Eng' and 'Pус' regardless of the active language.
- General purchase/content notes (weight 0): These points are general statements about purchasing the game, seeing it recommended, or creating content, and do not offer specific feedback for improvement.
- Game as a portal (weight 0): This point describes the game's nature as more of a 'portal' than a traditional game, which is an observation rather than a suggestion for improvement.
- Humorous urine interaction (weight 0): This is a highly unusual and likely humorous suggestion that does not contribute to constructive game development.
- Tasteful USSR aesthetic (weight 0): This point is a subjective compliment about the game's aesthetic and does not offer actionable feedback.
- Authentic lack of activities (weight 0): This point interprets the lack of activities as an authentic representation of the East, which is an observation rather than a suggestion for improvement.
- Contemplative game nature (weight 0): This point acknowledges the developer's stated intent for the game to be contemplative, which is an observation rather than a suggestion for improvement.
- Concern about abandonment (weight 0): This point expresses a concern that the project might be abandoned, which is a sentiment rather than a specific actionable feedback point.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.2): Players expressed disappointment due to the game's perceived lack of content, missing features, and unpolished state. This includes issues like poor optimization, high price for the content offered, and a feeling that development has been abandoned or promises broken, leading to an unplayable or low-quality experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.18): Satisfaction stems from the game's authentic atmosphere, attention to detail, and overall quality, often compared favorably to similar titles. Players appreciate the graphics, music, and the unique 'doomer' theme, finding value in the experience despite some noted issues.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Frustration is primarily caused by the game's technical issues, including poor optimization, bugs, and performance problems like low FPS and high GPU load. Players also reported issues with the game not launching, misleading system requirements, and a lack of rebindable keys or clear explanations for features.
- Hope (weight 0.09): Hope is driven by the potential for future improvements, updates, and the addition of new features, such as co-op. Players see the game's underlying potential and anticipate that ongoing development will address current shortcomings and enhance the overall experience.
- Desire (weight 0.07): Players express a strong desire for more content, new features, and increased interaction within the game world. This includes a wish for new environmental elements and a general expansion of the gameplay experience beyond its current state.
- Amusement (weight 0.05): Amusement arises from specific, often quirky, game features and minor details, such as the rat companion or bottle collecting. Players also found humor in unexpected out-of-bounds experiences and humorous suggestions, indicating an appreciation for the game's lighter, more unique elements.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy is experienced through the game's realism, interactive elements, and specific features like the pet rat. For some, the game evokes vivid memories and offers a sense of freedom, contributing to a positive emotional response.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.04): Nostalgia is a significant emotion, triggered by the game's atmosphere and its ability to evoke childhood memories. The game's overall experience resonates with players who appreciate its thematic elements and how it connects to their past.
- Excitement (weight 0.04): Excitement is generated by the anticipation of new content, particularly the prospect of co-op, and the game's release after a long wait. Players are enthusiastic about the genre's potential and the future direction of the game.
- Anticipation (weight 0.02): Anticipation is focused on the game's future development and upcoming updates. Players are looking forward to how the game will evolve and what new content will be introduced.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Confusion stems from missing features and performance issues, indicating a lack of clarity or understanding regarding the game's current state and intended functionality.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is caused by technical problems like overheating and a perception that the game's description is misleading given its current poor state.
- Warning (weight 0.01): Players issue warnings regarding the game's performance on less powerful computers, advising others about potential technical limitations.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement is demonstrated through players actively providing suggestions for game improvements, showing a desire to contribute to its development.
- Respect (weight 0.01): Respect is shown towards the developer's effort, acknowledging the work put into the game despite any existing issues.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise is caused by unexpected in-game elements, specifically the inclusion of Doom 1 within the game.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Relief is expressed concerning the developer's well-being, indicating a positive sentiment towards the creator beyond the game itself.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom is a direct result of the perceived lack of content within the game, leading to a repetitive or unengaging experience.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm is generated by the game's description, suggesting that the initial presentation effectively captured player interest.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Gratitude is expressed specifically for the game's music selection, highlighting appreciation for the audio experience.}