Info about vivid/stasis:

Official game description:
EVERYTHING IS ABOUT TO CHANGE
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vivid/stasis is a rhythm-mystery hybrid game that follows the fates of four girls as they get wrapped up in a mind-bending adventure involving organizations, mysterious disappearances, and the fourth dimension. The game ties together an emotionally intense interweaving storyline with varying levels of music-based gameplay... and more...?
In the rhythm game section of vivid/stasis, you'll find yourself facing various levels of difficulty, with many options for customizability to play the game your way. Whether you're a casual rhythm gamer just here to enjoy the story, or a hardcore rhythm game legend looking to find a new kind of challenge, there's a good chance you'll find it here. Between "Opening", "Middle", "Finale", and the extra-spicy "Encore" difficulty, players will be sure to find something fun for their skill level no matter their prior experience with rhythm games.
Unlike other traditional vertical-scrolling rhythm games, vivid/stasis introduces the concept of "Bumper Notes"; notes that take up two lanes. These notes can be hit with either of the keys assigned to the lanes it falls under, giving the game a unique playability with strictly four keys, despite the six types of possible notes.
The song list of vivid/stasis features well-known and prominent artists in the music game scene (Tanchiky, Camellia, Silentroom), but also shines light on a fair amount of lesser known producers (A-Saph, Lundy, Spehs, and many many more).
On July 21st, 2022, Tsuki Tasogare went missing after not coming home before her agreed-upon curfew.
An investigation was picked up, but after less than a day of little to no progress, her sister, Saturday, finds the lack of enthusiasm for finding her sister confusing, and gets impatient.
And so, she decides to look into it herself. Alongside her friends, Allison and Kotomi, Saturday hopes to uncover the secret behind her sister's strange disappearance... and isn't quite ready for what she discovers.
vivid/stasis' story spans multiple chapters and multiple game genres to tell a coming-of-age story about living with trauma from a young age, and what makes our feelings "real".

Release date: 5 Jul, 2025

Categories: Rhythm Game, Single-player Story, Visual Novel, Puzzle Solving, Alternate Reality Game


- 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:
- Exceptional Music Library (weight 0.85): Players consistently praise the game's extensive and high-quality music library, noting its diverse selection of original and well-known tracks, which is exceptional for a free title. The songs are often described as 'bangers' and enhance the overall experience.
- Overall Masterpiece Experience (weight 0.74): The game is widely regarded as a masterpiece, offering an incredibly high-quality and engaging experience that often surpasses paid titles. Many players describe it as their favorite game, citing its addictive gameplay, emotional impact, and overall polish.
- Captivating & Emotional Story (weight 0.49): The story is a major highlight, described as captivating, emotionally impactful, and incredibly well-written. Its intricate plot, compelling characters, and seamless integration with the rhythm gameplay create a deeply immersive narrative experience.
- Unique Hybrid Gameplay (weight 0.49): The game stands out for its unique blend of rhythm gameplay, a compelling story, and innovative ARG-style puzzles. This combination creates a distinct and memorable experience, setting a new benchmark for non-commercial rhythm games.
- Appealing Art Style & Visuals (weight 0.43): The game's visual presentation, including its unique pixel art style, cute character designs, and overall aesthetic, is highly appealing. This distinct art direction contributes significantly to the game's charm and atmosphere.
- Highly Accessible Gameplay (weight 0.28): The game is highly accessible to both newcomers and veteran rhythm game players, offering flexible difficulty options, lenient timing windows, and various accessibility settings. These features ensure a welcoming and customizable experience for all.
- Excellent & Fun Charting (weight 0.18): The game's charts are consistently praised for being fun, well-designed, and creative. They offer a smooth difficulty curve, with engaging gimmicks and visual effects that enhance the rhythm gameplay experience for players of all skill levels.
- Remarkable Free-to-Play Quality (weight 0.18): A recurring sentiment is the disbelief and appreciation for the game being completely free, with no hidden costs or microtransactions. Players feel its quality and content volume warrant a price tag, making its free nature a significant advantage.
- Engaging & Challenging Puzzles (weight 0.14): The puzzles are a strong point, described as engaging, satisfying, and cleverly integrated into the story. They range in difficulty, providing a rewarding challenge for players who enjoy cryptography and alternate reality game elements.
- Immaculate Presentation & Direction (weight 0.1): The game's overall presentation and artistic direction are consistently lauded. The visual effects, immersive design, and polished production quality significantly enhance the player's engagement and appreciation for the game's content.
- High Skill Ceiling (weight 0.07): The game offers a high skill ceiling, providing a substantial and rewarding challenge for experienced players at higher difficulties. The varied difficulty levels ensure that both casual players and those seeking mastery can find appropriate challenges.

Common complaints:
- High Difficulty & Forced Progression (weight 0.62): Players consistently report that both the rhythm game and puzzle elements are excessively difficult, especially for new players. The mandatory integration of these challenging components with story progression often forces players to consult external guides, leading to frustration and a feeling of being 'roadblocked'.
- Unengaging & Forced Story (weight 0.54): The story is widely criticized for being mandatory, uninteresting, confusing, and poorly integrated with the rhythm gameplay. Players feel forced to engage with a narrative they don't care for, often requiring excessive grinding or puzzle-solving to unlock songs and progress, which detracts from the core rhythm game experience.
- Unpolished Rhythm Gameplay (weight 0.33): Many players feel the core rhythm gameplay is poorly designed, with issues like inaccurate difficulty ratings, inconsistent note registration, and charts that don't align well with the music. The overall 'feel' of the game is often described as clunky or unresponsive, lacking the polish and customization expected by rhythm game enthusiasts.
- Tedious Content Unlocks (weight 0.31): The methods for unlocking songs and other content are described as tedious, convoluted, and excessively grindy. Players express frustration with the time-consuming process, which often involves repetitive play, story progression, and difficult puzzles, making it a chore rather than an enjoyable progression system.
- Frequent Crashes & Performance Issues (weight 0.3): A significant number of players experienced frequent game crashes, freezes, and performance issues such as stuttering, audio desyncs, and frame drops. These technical problems severely disrupt gameplay and story progression, indicating a lack of optimization and stability.
- Unappealing Visual Style (weight 0.07): The game's visual style, particularly the mix of pixel art and real photo backgrounds, is off-putting for some players. Issues like gloomy graphics, cluttered visuals, and unreadable text due to flashing effects contribute to a poor aesthetic experience.
- Missing Language Localization (weight 0.07): A significant number of players expressed disappointment over the lack of localization for various languages, particularly Chinese and Japanese. This absence creates a barrier for non-English speakers who wish to engage with the game's story and content.
- Lack of Clarity & Guidance (weight 0.06): Players struggle to understand the game's lore, mechanics, and overall objectives due to insufficient in-game explanations and a lack of clear guidance. This confusion often leads to players feeling disconnected from the narrative and gameplay.
- Uncertain Future & Modding (weight 0.06): Players are concerned about the game's future, citing a lack of planned updates, buggy updates that break existing features, and the absence of modding support. There's a sentiment that the game has declined since its official release.
- Tedious Betweenspace Exploration (weight 0.05): The 'Betweenspace' exploration mode is widely criticized as a tedious, grindy, and confusing 'walking simulator' with repetitive music and minimal gameplay. It's seen as an unnecessary barrier to story progression and an unengaging experience.
- Overall Negative Sentiment (weight 0.05): A portion of the feedback consists of highly negative and emotional statements, describing the game as 'dogshit,' 'uninspired,' and 'one of the worst.' While these comments lack specific constructive criticism, they reflect a strong overall dissatisfaction with the game's current state and direction.

Gameplay feedback:
- Multi-Genre Integration (weight 0.51): Beyond the rhythm game, the game heavily integrates visual novel storytelling, intricate puzzles, and Alternate Reality Game (ARG) elements. These components are often intertwined with progression, requiring players to engage with multiple genres.
- Core Rhythm Gameplay (weight 0.5): The game is primarily a 4-key vertical scrolling rhythm game, but it innovates on the traditional format with unique note types and mechanics. It's designed to be accessible to both newcomers and experienced players of the genre.
- Flexible Difficulty Settings (weight 0.18): The game offers a wide spectrum of difficulty levels, catering to beginners and seasoned rhythm game players alike. Players can adjust settings and choose difficulties to match their skill, with options to make the game easier or harder.
- Challenging Puzzles with Hints (weight 0.17): Puzzles are a significant part of the game's progression, often requiring cipher-solving or external research. While some puzzles are challenging, the game provides in-game hints and accessibility options to skip them or find solutions online.
- Node Flowchart Progression (weight 0.09): Progression is tied to a 'Node Flowchart' system where players earn 'Batteries' (currency) by playing songs. This currency is used to unlock new songs and advance the story, though some players find the system a bit grindy.
- Extensive Music Library (weight 0.08): The game boasts a large and high-quality music library, featuring many original tracks and collaborations. Most songs are unlocked through story progression or an in-game currency system, with an option to unlock all content via accessibility settings.
- Dynamic Chart Gimmicks (weight 0.08): Charts often feature visual and speed gimmicks, adding complexity and requiring players to adapt. While some charts are praised for their natural flow and fun, others can be challenging due to these unique effects.
- Lenient Judgment System (weight 0.07): The game features a relatively lenient judgment system, with adjustable timing windows and clear visual feedback. This forgiving approach makes the game more accessible, especially for new rhythm game players.
- Challenging Boss Songs (weight 0.04): The game includes 'boss' songs that are often tied to story progression and can be quite challenging. However, players can adjust their difficulty to clear these sections and continue the narrative.
- Comprehensive Accessibility Options (weight 0.04): The game includes robust accessibility options, such as an 'unlock all content' button and settings to increase resource gain. These features allow players to customize their experience and bypass elements they might not enjoy.

Performance notes:
- Inconsistent Performance & Lag (weight 0.09): Players report inconsistent performance, with some experiencing significant frame rate drops and stutters even on high-end systems, while others find it runs fine on lower-end hardware. Specific issues include afterimages from notes and performance degradation after repeated track restarts or in certain game sections.
- Improved Stability & Fewer Bugs (weight 0.04): While some players initially encountered bugs and crashes, many report that these issues have been largely resolved through updates. Most current feedback indicates no serious game-breaking bugs, suggesting a more stable experience.
- Enhanced System Compatibility (weight 0.01): The developers have actively released updates aimed at improving compatibility and ensuring the game functions correctly across a wider range of computer systems, indicating ongoing optimization efforts.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Game (weight 0.65): The game is overwhelmingly recommended by players, especially for fans of rhythm games and visual novels. Many consider it a must-play and a masterpiece, urging others to experience its unique blend of gameplay and story.
- Excellent Value (Free) (weight 0.28): A significant number of reviews highlight the game's free-to-play nature as a major selling point. Players feel its quality far exceeds its price tag, making it an easy recommendation with no risk involved.
- Developer Support & Future Content (weight 0.07): Players express strong support for the developers and hope for continued improvements, future updates, and even sequels. Many are willing to financially support future projects from the team.
- Engaging Storyline (weight 0.05): The game's story is consistently praised as a compelling and essential part of the experience. Many recommend playing through it, even suggesting using accessibility options to bypass gameplay challenges if needed, to fully appreciate the narrative.
- Puzzle Solving Tips (weight 0.04): Players acknowledge the presence of puzzles within the game and offer advice on how to approach them, including using guides or hints if stuck, to ensure a smoother experience.
- Specific Gameplay Criticisms (weight 0.03): A small but notable cluster of reviews expresses negative sentiment, citing fundamental issues or specific gameplay mechanics (like 'bumpers') that detract from the experience, leading to a lack of recommendation.
- Request for Chinese Localization (weight 0.02): There's a clear demand for Chinese localization to make the game accessible to a wider audience, with players believing it would significantly boost the game's reach and popularity.
- Bumper Mechanic Feedback (weight 0.02): Some players specifically mention 'bumpers' as a problematic gameplay element, suggesting options to remove or modify them, while others encourage players to adapt to this new mechanic.

Other player notes:
- Surprisingly high quality for F2P (weight 0.11): Players are consistently surprised by the game's high quality given that it is completely free-to-play with no ads or microtransactions. Many feel the game offers exceptional value, almost like 'stealing' from the developers.
- Engaging visual novel story (weight 0.1): The game features a strong, unique visual novel story with deep narrative progression and realistic dialogues. Players appreciate the mystery surrounding the protagonist Saturday's search for her missing sister, which can be interpreted in various ways.
- Solid rhythm game experience (weight 0.09): The game is a well-crafted rhythm game, often serving as an introduction to the genre for new PC players. It features diverse genres and interesting note placements, designed as a complete experience rather than an endless community game.
- Appealing characters and LGBTQ+ themes (weight 0.08): The game features appealing character designs, often described as cute. It prominently includes LGBTQ+ themes, specifically yuri (girls' love) and a transgender protagonist, which is a significant draw for some players.
- Technical limitations and missing features (weight 0.08): The game has some technical limitations, including a lack of controller support, requiring keyboard use. It also lacks a true fullscreen mode, has a locked FPS, and limited resolution options, which can impact the player experience.
- PDF-based tutorial (weight 0.06): The game's tutorial is provided as a 19-page PDF document, which some players find inconvenient. This format requires players to exit the game or use external resources to learn mechanics.
- Transitioning from Early Access (weight 0.06): The game has recently exited Early Access, with developers actively working to iron out bugs and add features. Players are hopeful for continued updates and a complete, bug-free experience.
- Active and helpful Discord community (weight 0.03): The game has an active and helpful Discord community where players can find hints and interact with developers. The developers are noted for their engagement and responsiveness on the platform.
- Anticipation for future content (weight 0.03): Players are eager for future content, including a potential sequel to complete the game's setting and worldview. They also hope for continued updates and collaborations from the developers.
- Request for upscroll option (weight 0.03): A significant number of players desire an official upscroll option for the playfield. The current lack of this feature leads some to resort to unconventional methods to achieve it.
- Engaging ARG elements (weight 0.03): During its Early Access phase, the game extensively utilized Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) with a dedicated website and community events, adding an extra layer of engagement.
- Robust save data backup system (weight 0.02): The game includes a robust save data backup system, automatically creating backups upon opening and allowing players to revert their data if needed, which is a useful feature.
- Demand for Chinese localization (weight 0.02): There is a demand for Chinese language localization, with players expressing hope that the developers will add support for the language in future updates.
- English-only story content (weight 0.02): The game's story is presented in English, which some players find challenging. However, it is also seen as an opportunity to improve English language skills.
- Story and rhythm game progression (weight 0.01): While story progression is linked to rhythm game performance, not all songs require story completion to unlock. Some story-related songs are noted for having significant difficulty spikes.
- Hard-to-read pixel font (weight 0.01): The pixelated font used in the game's UI and story is difficult to read for some players, especially those with dyslexia, impacting readability and immersion.
- Intense prologue visuals (weight 0.01): The game's prologue features intense flashing and glitchy graphics, and there's no way to access settings before this sequence, which could be problematic for sensitive players.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.31): Players are highly satisfied with the game's overall quality, especially its engaging story, diverse music selection, and well-designed gameplay mechanics. The fact that the game is free, yet offers such a polished and content-rich experience, significantly contributes to this positive emotion, often exceeding expectations for a non-commercial title.
- Frustration (weight 0.12): Frustration primarily stems from technical issues like bugs, crashes, and performance problems, which hinder progression and gameplay. Players also express annoyance with certain design choices, including difficult or confusing puzzles, forced story progression to unlock content, and specific note types like 'bumper notes' that are hard to master or buggy.
- Excitement (weight 0.11): Excitement is driven by the game's high overall quality, captivating story, and unique gameplay mechanics. The sheer amount of free, engaging content, combined with anticipation for future updates or sequels, generates significant enthusiasm among players. The game's ability to reignite passion for rhythm games or introduce players to new genres also contributes to this feeling.
- Disappointment (weight 0.07): Disappointment arises from various issues, including a rushed or unfulfilling story ending, unexpected lag or performance problems, and the perceived lack of innovation in some aspects. Players also express disappointment with specific design choices, such as uninteresting non-rhythm elements, a small music library, or the game's buggy and unfinished state, particularly when it prevents content access or progression.
- Joy (weight 0.05): Joy is experienced through the game's enjoyable music, engaging story, and fun gameplay mechanics. Players find happiness in personal skill improvement, the emotional impact of the narrative, and the overall high-quality experience, especially considering the game is free. The extensive and high-quality song selection and cute character designs also contribute to this positive emotion.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Enjoyment is consistently reported due to the game's addicting rhythm gameplay, high-quality music library, and engaging story. Players appreciate the unique gameplay mechanics, well-designed charts, and the overall fun experience, even when facing challenges. The inclusion of mini-games and appealing visuals further enhances this enjoyment.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Admiration is directed towards the game's exceptional quality across its story, art, music, and innovative design. Players are particularly impressed by the developers' work, the game's unique blend of genres, and its non-commercial nature, which delivers a high-value experience comparable to or exceeding paid titles.
- Awe (weight 0.03): Awe is evoked by the game's profound impact, particularly through its seamless integration of music and plot, spectacular chart design, and overall high quality for a free game. Players are deeply impressed by the game's ability to create lasting memories and evoke a wide range of emotions, often highlighting the final chapter song and the sheer volume of content available without cost.
- Surprise (weight 0.03): Surprise primarily stems from the game's unexpectedly high quality, especially given that it is a free title. Players are also surprised by unique mechanics, the presence of engaging puzzles, and the depth of the story, often exceeding their initial expectations for a rhythm game. Discovering new genres or appreciating previously disliked ones also contributes to this feeling.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation is felt for the game's overall quality, its unique features, and the significant effort put in by the development team. Players particularly value the game's accessibility options, its free nature, and its unique narrative delivery, often recognizing the 'soul and hard work' invested in the project.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from unclear gameplay mechanics, particularly specific note types like dual-row notes, and disorienting UI changes. Players also express confusion regarding the story's complexity, world-building, and the game's overall purpose, sometimes compounded by bugs affecting song ranks or judgment systems.
- Amazement (weight 0.01): Amazement is consistently expressed due to the game's exceptionally high quality and production value, especially considering it is a free title. Players are astonished by the amount of content and polished features available without cost, often comparing it favorably to paid games.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness is primarily caused by the emotional impact of the game's story, particularly its ending and sentimental parts. Players are deeply moved by the narrative and specific characters, leading to a profound emotional response.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is triggered by specific game design choices, such as the 'betweenspace' element or the integration of story, which players find frustrating or poorly implemented. Technical issues, perceived poor quality, and developer actions like anti-modding policies also contribute to this negative emotion.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Gratitude is expressed for receiving a high-quality, unique game experience for free. Players are thankful for the developers' work, the game's positive impact on their personal lives, and its role in introducing them to new genres or communities.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game stems from its compelling characters, engaging story, and the emotional impact of its music and boss song effects. Players are deeply connected to the game's unique mechanics and overall quality, finding joy in its challenges and themes.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement is driven by the game's compelling rhythm gameplay and captivating story. Players feel hooked and deeply involved in the narrative, finding the combination of visual novel and rhythm elements highly addictive and immersive.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm is generated by the game's well-designed content and features, leading players to strongly recommend it to others. The overall positive experience and desire to share it contribute to this feeling.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Desire is expressed for missing features, such as specific localization options (e.g., Chinese language support) or custom skins. Players also wish for more content or specific gameplay enhancements like puzzle hints.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is centered on the potential for future improvements, particularly bug fixes and the addition of desired features like localization or official upscroll. Players express optimism that developers will address current issues and complete the game.}