Info about Arise: A Simple Story:

Official game description:


Release date: Dec 3, 2020

Categories: Platformer, Puzzle Solving, Narrative Adventure, Cooperative Gameplay, Emotional Storytelling, Atmospheric Horror (Light), Time-based Mechanics

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game generally runs well on Steam Deck with Proton/Linux compatibility. There are minor performance issues reported towards the end of the game, but they do not severely impact the overall experience.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game has significant issues with its control scheme, which multiple users have described as clunky and frustrating. Additionally, the puzzles are considered too simple by several users, and there are reports of performance drops on the Steam Deck. There is also a mention that the game is not suitable for small screens like the Steam Deck, indicating potential compatibility issues.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game worth purchasing when it is on sale or discounted. Several reviews mention that the game is worth it at a lower price point, indicating that the community considers the fair price to be below the current base price. The positive sentiments about the game's value at a discounted price help establish a fair price range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 6.0h
  - Story completion: 4.0h
  - Session length: 1.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct and indirect references to the playtime required for different aspects of the game. The first quote mentions a range of 5 to 15 hours to finish the game, depending on whether the player collects all memories. The second quote implies a shorter playtime for the main story, suggesting that the emotional impact can be significant even after a few hours of gameplay. The third quote supports the idea that the game can be finished in a few hours but additional time is needed for collecting memories. The fourth quote provides a specific playtime of 6 hours to complete the game, which aligns with the general consensus of a few hours for game completion.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts slow but becomes enjoyable as players progress, with its emotional and atmospheric elements being the main anchors of fun. Co-op mode enhances the experience.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Emotional and atmospheric immersion
  - Time to anchor: 0h 30m
  - Friction: Initial slowness; Technical issues; Repetitive platforming sections
  - Unlock drivers: Progressing through the game; Co-op mode
  - Conditions: Playing with a partner in co-op mode; Appreciation for emotional and atmospheric storytelling; Patience for initial slowness
- Player Archetypes:
  - Emotional Story Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Emotional engagement and narrative depth.
    - Playstyle: Immersive and reflective, focusing on the story and emotional journey.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Story lover; Emotional gamer
    - Reference games: Limbo; Ori Franchise; Gris
  - Completionist Collector (sale)
    - Motivation: Completing all achievements and collecting all items.
    - Playstyle: Thorough and meticulous, aiming to complete every part of the game.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Achievement hunter; Completionist
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Platforming Puzzle Enthusiast (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoying the challenge and mechanics of platforming and puzzle-solving.
    - Playstyle: Strategic and skill-based, focusing on mastering the game's mechanics.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: Platformer fan; Puzzle solver
    - Reference games: Limbo; Ori Franchise
  - Co-op Companion (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoying the cooperative multiplayer experience.
    - Playstyle: Collaborative and social, focusing on playing with others.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Co-op player; Social gamer
    - Reference games: It Takes Two; Unravel Two


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:
- Emotional and touching story (weight 0.49): The story is described as emotional, heartfelt, and touching. It conveys deep emotions and is praised for its simplicity yet profound impact.
- Beautiful visuals and art style (weight 0.43): The game is praised for its stunning and beautiful visuals, including landscapes, environments, and artistic style. Players appreciate the gorgeous graphics and beautiful illustrations.
- Amazing soundtrack and music (weight 0.35): The game's soundtrack is highly praised for being beautiful, evocative, and fitting the on-screen events perfectly. Players appreciate the orchestrated and atmospheric music.
- Innovative time manipulation mechanic (weight 0.19): The game features a unique and interesting time manipulation mechanic that players find well-executed and enjoyable.
- Enjoyable and engaging gameplay (weight 0.16): The gameplay is described as enjoyable, straightforward, and engaging. Players appreciate the good gameplay mechanics and dynamics.
- Unique storytelling without words (weight 0.12): The game tells its story without relying on dialogues or voice acting, using visuals and audio alone to convey a touching and meaningful narrative.

Common complaints:
- Poor and frustrating controls (weight 0.28): Many players find the controls unintuitive, difficult, and frustrating. The keyboard controls are particularly problematic and can lead to many deaths.
- Platforming and jump issues (weight 0.16): The platforming and jump mechanics are criticized for being imprecise, inconsistent, and frustrating. Players also report issues with depth perception.
- Camera angle problems (weight 0.14): Fixed camera angles can be misleading, frustrating, and obscure the path. Players also cannot adjust the camera with the mouse.
- Inability to restart or replay levels (weight 0.08): Players are frustrated by the inability to restart or replay levels, which forces them to restart the entire game to collect missed items.
- No key remapping (weight 0.08): The game does not allow players to remap keys, which is inconvenient for players with different keyboard layouts or preferences.
- Cannot skip cutscenes (weight 0.06): Players are annoyed by the inability to skip cutscenes, especially when replaying levels.
- Grappling hook issues (weight 0.04): Players report problems with the grappling hook, including it not working more than once.
- Difficult and tedious achievements (weight 0.04): Some achievements are reported to be difficult and tedious to obtain.
- Character dies from short falls (weight 0.04): Players report that the character dies from short falls, which can be frustrating.
- Slow pacing initially (weight 0.04): The game has a slow start and pacing, which can be off-putting for some players.

Gameplay feedback:
- Core time manipulation mechanic (weight 0.19): The game features a central mechanic involving time manipulation, allowing players to control and shift time as part of the gameplay.
- Innovative and simple gameplay (weight 0.15): The gameplay is noted for being innovative yet simple, combining puzzle-solving and platforming elements in a relaxing and story-driven manner.
- Platforming mechanics (weight 0.11): The game includes various platforming mechanics, such as jumping puzzles and climbing sections, which are integral to the gameplay.
- Puzzle-solving elements (weight 0.11): The game features various puzzle-solving elements, including environmental puzzles and time-bending puzzles that are integrated into the gameplay.
- Narrative-driven experience (weight 0.1): The game offers a narrative-driven experience, focusing on the story and emotional engagement, often told through the protagonist's memories.
- Co-op and cooperative gameplay (weight 0.07): The game supports local co-op and cooperative gameplay, allowing two players to engage with the game together, though the second player may have limited control.
- Exploration and memories (weight 0.05): The game includes exploration mechanics, where players can explore memories and uncover secret memories as part of the gameplay.
- Collectible mechanics (weight 0.05): Players can collect items within the levels, adding an additional layer of gameplay mechanics.
- Keyboard controls and settings (weight 0.05): The game's controls are designed for keyboards, with specific keybinding settings that may include issues for some players.
- Minimalist graphics (weight 0.03): The game adopts a minimalist approach to its graphics, contributing to its overall aesthetic and design.

Performance notes:
- Performance issues reported (weight 0.08): Multiple players have reported performance issues, including laggy performance and the need for optimization. Some players have also mentioned that lowering graphic settings did not help with performance issues.
- Steam Deck optimization (weight 0.05): The game runs well on Steam Deck according to several reviews. One review specifically mentioned that the game is well-optimized for Steam Deck in Russian.
- Stable performance for narrative indie (weight 0.02): One review noted that the game has stable performance for a narrative indie game, which could be a positive aspect for players interested in this genre.
- Save file issues (weight 0.02): Some players have encountered issues with save files, although specific details about the nature of these issues were not provided.
- Good VR performance (weight 0.02): A review mentioned that the game has good performance on VR, which could be beneficial for players using virtual reality headsets.
- Poor keyboard controls (weight 0.02): Some players have reported that the keyboard controls are poor, which could affect the gameplay experience for those using a keyboard.
- Not suitable for small screens (weight 0.02): A few reviews mentioned that the game is not suitable for small screens, which could be a consideration for players with smaller displays.
- Cobwebs issue related to resolution (weight 0.02): A review mentioned an issue with cobwebs related to resolution, which could be a graphical bug affecting the visual experience.

Recommendations:
- Emotional and story-driven experience (weight 0.2): The game is highly recommended for those who enjoy emotional, story-driven experiences with beautiful visuals and music. It is often compared to games like Gris and Journey, and is praised for its touching, meditative narrative about love and loss.
- General recommendations (weight 0.09): The game is generally recommended for its overall incredible experience, interesting mechanics, and attractive landscapes. It is also recommended for its strong platforming skills and good coordination.
- Worth buying on sale (weight 0.08): Many players recommend buying the game during a sale due to its low volume and to get the best value for money.
- Play with a partner (weight 0.06): The game is recommended to play with a partner or friend for a shared emotional experience and to enhance the gameplay.
- Cozy puzzle game (weight 0.06): The game is recommended for those seeking a cozy game with puzzles and an emotional story. It offers challenging puzzles and an impactful narrative.
- Family-friendly and relaxing (weight 0.05): The game is highly recommended for family-friendly playthroughs and for relaxing during quiet times. It offers a cozy feeling and is ideal for a couple of evenings to unwind.
- Prepare for heavy emotional themes (weight 0.04): Players should prepare emotionally for heavy themes like loss and grief. The game is recommended for those who have experienced love and loss.
- Recommended for specific audiences (weight 0.04): The game is recommended for people with life experience, young people to understand the value of love, and those who have played similar games like Little Nightmares.
- Worth playing despite minor issues (weight 0.03): The game is recommended despite minor gameplay issues and frustration. It is worth playing through for its overall experience.
- Recommended for its soundtrack (weight 0.03): Some players recommend buying the soundtrack instead of the game, or listening to the soundtrack while playing another game like RUSH.

Other player notes:
- Not intended for kids (weight 0.02): The game contains content that may not be suitable for younger audiences.
- Support for the studio (weight 0.02): Players expressed their support for the game studio.
- Mild instance of nudity (weight 0.02): There are mild instances of nudity in the game.

Emotions:
- Joy (weight 0.36): Players express joy due to the game's beautiful visuals, emotional storytelling, and unique mechanics. The combination of stunning graphics, a touching story, and an engaging soundtrack creates a deeply enjoyable and immersive experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Players feel frustrated primarily due to control and camera issues, which make platforming and navigation difficult. Additionally, unclear progression, problematic puzzles, and various bugs contribute to a challenging and often annoying gameplay experience.
- Sadness (weight 0.11): The game's story, which often deals with themes of loss, love, and emotional depth, evokes feelings of sadness. Players are deeply moved by the narrative and its portrayal of life's bittersweet moments.
- Positive (weight 0.04): Players have a positive experience due to the game's pleasant graphics, beautiful worlds, and enjoyable gameplay mechanics. The unique storytelling and relaxing atmosphere also contribute to an overall satisfying experience.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.03): The game evokes nostalgia through its beautiful soundtrack, atmospheric music, and storytelling. Players often compare it to memorable experiences and childhood feelings, enhancing the emotional connection.
- Disappointment (weight 0.03): Players feel disappointed due to the lack of meaningful cooperative mode and the story not being as emotionally impactful as expected. Limited replayability and gameplay mechanics not meeting expectations also contribute to this sentiment.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.01): Players enjoy the game's soundtrack, visuals, and the overall experience of playing. The story and the unique mechanics add to the enjoyment, making it a pleasant experience.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players feel anger due to tedious platforming, frustrating mechanics, and misleading design. The difficult controls and gameplay sections contribute to a sense of annoyance and anger.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players express love for the game due to its beautiful love story and emotional journey. The game's message about bonds and relationships resonates deeply with players.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): The game's calming music, casual pacing, and relaxing atmosphere provide a soothing experience. The minimalist design and overall ambiance contribute to a sense of relaxation.
- Awe (weight 0.01): Players feel awe due to the game's beautiful visuals, immersive soundtrack, and unique experience. The combination of simple aspects creating a powerful and complex experience evokes a sense of wonder.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the game for its well-done mechanics, lovely visual presentation, and unique storytelling. The level design and excellent OST also contribute to a sense of admiration.
- Reflective (weight 0.01): The game's themes of memory, life reflection, and philosophical storytelling evoke a reflective mood. Players appreciate the depth and thought-provoking nature of the narrative.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.01): Players feel satisfied with the game's high-level artistic presentation and the fulfillment of its promises. Collecting achievements and enjoying the character actions and graphics contribute to this sentiment.
- Touching (weight 0.01): The game's themes of life and death, along with its overall story and experience, touch players emotionally. The narrative's depth and emotional impact resonate strongly.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Players feel grateful for the comfort the game provided during difficult times and for its beautiful and expansive music. The appreciation for the developers' efforts is also noted.}