Info about THRESHOLD: Official game description: Breathe in. ----------- High in the mountains, an endless train thunders through a decaying station. This is the Border Post. Your job is simple: blow a whistle to keep the train on schedule. But the air is thin up here. Don’t speak. Don’t run. Don’t look in the train. Just do your job. It’ll all be over soon. FIGHT FOR EVERY BREATH ---------------------- It isn’t impossible to breathe in the Border Post. Just impossible to catch your breath. Every exertion is another foot in the grave. Each blow of your whistle is a death sentence. Your only reprieve are air canisters rationed out for your good work. So you better be a good worker. MAINTAIN -------- There’s no shortage of tasks to keep you busy during your shift. Deliver reports. Clean the water filter. Collect discarded wood. And don’t worry about that smell. MEET MO ------- Mo is your friend and fellow Border Post worker. His shift is over, but he’ll happily come running if you call. He’ll answer any questions you might have. Well, except for that question. He wouldn’t lie to you. Don’t make him. YOUR CHOICES, YOUR STORY ------------------------ Your choices matter. Which choices? What country are you from? How could it matter? Experience a semi-linear narrative where every moment could be a new branching path. Or not. Such is life. Breathe out. ------------ Release date: 19 Nov, 2024 Categories: Job Simulation, Resource Management, Survival, Time Management, Psychological Horror, Single-player Story, Choice-based Narrative, Multiple Endings - 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: - Immersive, unique, unsettling atmosphere (weight 0.96): The game is praised for its immersive and unsettling atmosphere, often described as oppressive, eerie, and unique. This atmosphere is a key element of the game, enhancing the overall experience and creating a sense of unease and mystery for the player. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to draw them into its world through its strong atmosphere. - Effective retro PS1-style graphics (weight 0.95): The game's visual style, often described as retro or PS1-inspired, is a significant draw for many reviewers. The low-poly aesthetic, dim color palettes, and pixelated edges contribute to the game's overall atmosphere and create a sense of nostalgia or unease. Reviewers appreciate how the graphics enhance the game's themes and create a distinctive visual identity. - Simple and intuitive gameplay (weight 0.19): Reviewers found the game simple and easy to pick up, with an intuitive gameplay. The game is also considered well-polished, especially considering it's a one-person project. The game avoids the "just figure it out idiot" mentality common in the genre, making it more accessible. - Explores themes of oppressive work (weight 0.07): The game explores themes related to work, exploitation, and the pressures of corporate environments. The oxygen mechanic is often tied to the stress and desperation of the workplace. Reviewers find these themes resonant and appreciate the game's commentary on modern work culture. - Unique and interesting experience (weight 0.07): The game is described as a unique and interesting experience, often praised for its originality and effectiveness. Reviewers found the game to be engaging and captivating from beginning to end. The game is also described as a great entry in the workplace horror subgenre. - Enjoyable worldbuilding and writing (weight 0.06): Reviewers enjoyed the worldbuilding and creepy undertones of the game. The writing is considered well-done and enjoyable, contributing to the overall immersive experience. The game quickly turns to a horrific surrealism that reviewers appreciate. - Amazing and immersive sound design (weight 0.05): The game's sound design is consistently praised for enhancing the atmosphere and creating a sense of unease. Reviewers highlight the satisfying "crunchiness" of certain sounds and the overall effectiveness of the audio in contributing to the game's immersive experience. The sound design is considered a standout feature. - Interesting concept and engaging plot (weight 0.05): The game has an interesting concept and a decent narrative. The plot is simple and engaging, easily understood after completion. The story is confusing but keeps you engaged, providing answers to most of the questions it raises. - Train as central gameplay element (weight 0.04): The game features a train as a central element, requiring the player to keep it running. The train's constant motion and the questions it raises about the player's location and purpose add to the game's mystery and intrigue. The combination of dystopia, a border setting, and trains is appealing to reviewers. - Memorable and impactful ending (weight 0.03): The game's later scenes and ending are particularly memorable and impactful. The gruesome parts are deliberate and well thought-out, contributing to the overall horror experience. The ending is often cited as a highlight of the game. - Intriguing mysteries and questions (weight 0.03): The game is praised for raising many questions and encouraging players to analyze each interaction to uncover hidden clues and achievements. The experience is engrossing and filled with intriguing mysteries, leaving players wanting to know more. The game effectively delivers answers while also posing even more questions. - Requires meticulous timing and optimization (weight 0.02): The game requires meticulous timing and optimization of every action sequence. The time-sensitive nature of tasks makes the playtime feel longer and more engaging. The game reacts to player actions in various ways, adding to the challenge and immersion. Common complaints: - Story/worldbuilding underdeveloped, confusing (weight 0.58): Many reviewers found the story and world-building to be underdeveloped, confusing, or unsatisfying. The plot is often described as incomplete, with unanswered questions and a lack of meaningful choices or consequences. Some felt the narrative was pretentious or nonsensical, failing to deliver on its initial promise. - Game plagued by bugs/softlocks (weight 0.55): Numerous reviews cite game-breaking bugs, softlocks, and performance issues (frame rate drops, freezing) that halt progression and require restarts. These technical problems significantly detract from the experience, sometimes making the game unplayable. Several specific bugs involving character interactions and level geometry are mentioned. - Short length, low replayability (weight 0.48): A common complaint is the game's short length and lack of replayability, especially considering its price. Reviewers felt the game ended too quickly, with limited content and little incentive to replay for different endings. Some felt the price was not justified by the amount of gameplay offered. - Repetitive, tedious gameplay loops (weight 0.4): Several reviewers noted repetitive gameplay loops and tedious tasks, such as backtracking and item collection. This repetition diminishes enjoyment and makes subsequent playthroughs feel like a chore. The game's core mechanics are not engaging enough to sustain interest over multiple runs. - Not scary, but anxiety inducing (weight 0.06): Some reviewers found the game not scary, despite its atmosphere. Others found the game to be stress and anxiety inducing. - Unclear difficulty setting (weight 0.02): The game's difficulty setting is unclear and bizarre, as it involves choosing a country at the start without clear explanation of the impact. - Train mechanic underdeveloped (weight 0.02): The main mechanic involving the train is underdeveloped, and the game doesn't provide proper gameplay for tracking the train. - Wonky NPC pathing (weight 0.02): The NPC's pathing was wonky, causing it to get stuck. - Whistle mechanic underutilized (weight 0.01): The whistle mechanic is underutilized and rapidly depletes the character's oxygen supply. - Rough, bleak visuals (weight 0.01): The game's visuals are described as somewhat rough due to the low-pixel 3D modeling, creating a gloomy and bleak world. - Weak, overstated message (weight 0.01): The game's message felt weak due to the overstated topic issue, with a regressive atmosphere. - Death by elevator shaft (weight 0.01): The game features endings where the player can resign and fall to death in an elevator shaft. - Suffocation or crushed endings (weight 0.01): The game features endings where the player suffocates to death or is crushed during a collapse. - Checkpoint function issues (weight 0.01): The "return to last checkpoint" function had issues, with lip damage from air cans not working and a sequence involving Mo not triggering correctly. Gameplay feedback: - Linear story, stressful time-management (weight 0.11): The time management system can create anxiety, especially when the next steps for story progression are unclear. The story progression is fairly linear, with a few branching points. - Oxygen is a critical resource (weight 0.08): Oxygen is a critical resource that depletes with nearly every action, including movement and communication. Players must manage their oxygen levels by acquiring and consuming air canisters, often through unconventional and even harmful methods like breaking them open with their teeth. - Secrets encourage multiple playthroughs (weight 0.08): The game features multiple endings and hidden secrets that encourage exploration and multiple playthroughs. Discovering these secrets and alternate paths enriches the narrative and provides a deeper understanding of the game's world and story. - Difficulty based on starting country (weight 0.03): The game's difficulty is influenced by the player's starting country, which affects oxygen consumption rates. However, some reviews suggest that the difficulty settings offer minimal payoff. - Mysterious, solitary world (weight 0.02): The game world has mysterious rules that the player must learn. The game focuses on the experience of solitude and being lost. - Repetitive playthroughs (weight 0.01): Replaying the game involves going through the same intros and padded dialogue each time. The game essentially forces a three-playthrough requirement for full collection. - Simulates working for the state (weight 0.01): The game simulates working for the state, requiring players to perform absurd actions without questioning them. The player embodies the "yellow agent" at a border post. Performance notes: - Performance issues and game crashes (weight 0.07): Several reviewers reported performance issues such as lag, freezes, stutters, and crashes, particularly in later stages or during specific scenes with intense visual effects. Some experienced high CPU usage, and progression could be blocked by bugs. These technical problems detract from the overall experience. - Runs well on Steam Deck (weight 0.02): Multiple reviewers specifically mentioned that the game runs well on the Steam Deck, indicating good optimization for that platform. This is a positive point for players who prefer handheld gaming. - Subtitle display bug (weight 0.01): One reviewer encountered a bug where subtitles only appear momentarily. This can make it difficult to follow the story or understand dialogue, especially for players who rely on subtitles. - Camera zooms on interest points (weight 0.01): The game's camera will zoom in on points of interest when the player looks in the right direction. This feature may help guide the player or highlight important details in the environment. Recommendations: - Worth playing, especially on sale (weight 0.55): Many reviewers recommend the game, especially when on sale, citing its originality and unique experience. Some suggest its short length justifies the price, comparing it to a movie ticket, while others recommend waiting for a sale. Some reviewers also express a desire to support the indie developer. - Avoid until bugs are fixed (weight 0.31): Some reviewers advise against purchasing the game in its current state due to significant glitches and bugs that can disrupt the gameplay experience. They recommend waiting for patches or fixes before buying to avoid frustration and progress loss. - Short, memorable psychological experience (weight 0.27): The game is frequently described as a short, memorable experience, often compared to a psychological horror movie. Reviewers highlight its ability to deliver an impactful narrative within a concise timeframe, making it suitable for players seeking a brief but engaging adventure. - Desire for more content (weight 0.26): Several reviewers express a desire for more content from the developer or within the game's universe. This suggests that the game has created a compelling world or story that players want to explore further. - Play it blind for best experience (weight 0.11): Reviewers suggest experiencing the game with as little prior knowledge as possible to maximize its impact. This recommendation is based on the game's unique atmosphere and surprising elements, which are best enjoyed without spoilers. - Appeals to specific horror fans (weight 0.03): The game is recommended for fans of specific developers and titles, particularly those who enjoy games like 'Mouthwashing' and 'Buckshot Roulette'. Some reviewers compare the game favorably to these titles, while others find it falls short, indicating a niche appeal. - Systems enhance story, atmosphere (weight 0.01): Reviewers note that the game's systems effectively enhance the story, lore, and atmosphere. This indicates a cohesive design where gameplay mechanics contribute to the overall narrative experience. - Play on easiest difficulty (weight 0.01): One reviewer recommends playing on the easiest difficulty, suggesting that an easier mode could improve the experience by allowing players to focus on the story without being hindered by challenging gameplay mechanics. - Morbid questions, grotesque answers (weight 0.01): The game leaves players with disturbing questions and a sense of unease, suggesting a focus on morbid themes and grotesque imagery. - Restart for different outcomes (weight 0): One reviewer advises players to restart multiple runs, suggesting that the game encourages experimentation and exploration of different outcomes. Other player notes: - Country choice affects difficulty (weight 0.04): The initial country selection determines the game's difficulty level and starting location. Choosing China places the outpost on Mount Everest, increasing the challenge due to rapid oxygen consumption. - High-altitude, text communication (weight 0.02): The game is set in a high-altitude border outpost with limited oxygen, where communication is primarily text-based. This setting impacts gameplay and narrative elements. - Mentions specific in-game elements (weight 0.02): Some reviewers mention specific in-game elements like finding a pan or searching for a duck named Roberto. These points lack broader context or significance. - Vague descriptions, hard to review (weight 0.02): Some reviewers describe the game as weird or uncanny, and express difficulty in providing detailed reviews without spoilers. These points are vague and lack specific details. - Psychological horror focus (weight 0.02): The game is classified as a psychological horror title, emphasizing psychological elements over traditional horror elements. It utilizes a low-poly visual style to enhance the atmosphere. - Easter egg, shared universe (weight 0.01): The game includes an Easter egg referencing 'Buckshot Roulette,' suggesting a shared universe among Critical Reflex's PS1-style horror games. This is a minor detail that may only be relevant to fans of those games. - Potential vegan propaganda (weight 0.01): Some reviewers interpret the game as vegan propaganda, while others disagree. This interpretation is based on the game's themes and the developer's background, but may not resonate with all players. This point shows signs of review bombing. - Obscure UI, inverted perspective (weight 0.01): The game is an indie title featuring obscure UI elements and a unique, inverted perspective in the main menu. These elements contribute to the game's distinctive presentation. - Minor observations about presentation (weight 0.01): Some reviewers mention the interesting start screen or the menu screen showing someone being buried, but note that these elements don't seem to have a significant impact on the game. These are minor observations. - Player works at border outpost (weight 0.01): The player takes on the role of a young person working as a yellow employee at the border outpost. This describes the player's role in the game. - Single location, solo developer (weight 0.01): The game primarily takes place in a single location and was developed by a single person over a year. These are basic facts about the game's development and setting. - Unsure about true events (weight 0.01): Some reviewers are unsure about the 'based on true events' aspect, possibly because the plot could correspond to many real-world events. This point is speculative and lacks specific details. - Similar to Dishonored, Deathloop (weight 0.01): The game shares design and aesthetic qualities with titles like Dishonored 2, Deathloop, and Hunt Showdown. This is due to the creator's previous work on those games. - Themes of alienation explored (weight 0.01): The game's narrative explores themes of alienation and the consequences of seemingly insignificant actions. This adds depth to the player's experience. - Personal, lacks specific details (weight 0.01): The reviewer expresses affection for their country, the date 12/5, and oxygen cans, and states that the game makes you feel bad for your teeth. These points are personal and lack specific details about the game. - Hidden difficulty system (weight 0.01): The game features a hidden difficulty system. This is a minor detail about the game's difficulty settings. - Character naming required (weight 0.01): The game requires naming the character each time a new game is started. This is a minor detail about the game's character creation process. - Developers releasing many patches (weight 0.01): The reviewer acknowledges that the developers are releasing many patches. This is a general observation about the game's development and support. - Demo features outpost tour (weight 0.01): The demo features MO giving NI a tour of the border outpost when it was more desolate. This is a specific detail about the demo version of the game. - Avoid spoilers (weight 0.01): The reviewer advises avoiding looking up too much about the game to prevent spoilers. This is a general recommendation for players. - Atmospheric horror (weight 0.01): The game is described as a great example of atmospheric horror and the average Canadian Job. This point is vague and lacks specific details. - "Train must run" (weight 0): "Train must run" is a vague statement without context. It is unclear what this refers to or why it is important. Emotions: No emotions}