Space Scaven is a physical puzzle game about an engineer, whose job is to collect black boxes on abandoned space stations.
Positive
12 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | — | — | Y |
| Russian | — | — | Y |
I started this game with hopes of completing it quickly. Turns out this puzzle game is a little more involved than I thought.
You are a lone space engineer armed with a hook to pull things around (which could be you, at times). You arrive at various abandoned space stations and are tasked with recovering at least one data recorder, presumably to understand the fate of the station, before you can move on.
The beginning two thirds of the game is fun with some challenging puzzles. I recovered all but two data recorders in the first thirty levels. Then the game introduces alien bugs and everything goes downhill. Bugs are super perceptive, hard to kill, and will bite you. Two bites and you are dead. Since they run faster than you, it is a given they will chase you down.
The bugs wouldn't be so bad except for two game design elements: sloppy controls and your hit box. I understand that things are hard to move in space. However, in a precision puzzle game when you need to move objects in the proper orientation to the proper location under duress where if anything is wrong you die isn't fun. It also seems that your hit box is about three squares big when you are carrying something, even after you drop the item. Many times I dropped an item and died three squares away from the super mandibles of some alien bug.
Another game design decision that created unneeded angst was the oxygen meter. I can understand working in space you need to have oxygen. However, there are undamaged parts of the station the didn't leak oxygen. Not a problem, until you get to levels and it seems like the entire station is leaking requiring you to continually fill up on oxygen. This generally isn't an issue, which to me means it becomes an unnecessary game design element.
Finally, the save system takes some getting used to. The game will automatically save your game anytime you pick up an item such as a health kit, oxygen tank, or data recorder. However, the state of the game is not entirely saved in the same way. Many times I have died, to be resurrected with a game state just different enough to be an issue or worse fatal. Having to restart an entire level because of this is not fun.
The menu selection shows lack of polish. Every time you start the game the menu starts you on level one. You have to manually scroll through all the levels to get to the one you are currently working on. Every time. I am sure some global variable could have been programmed to make this a little more user friendly.
And finally, level 46. WTF??? This level took me 2 to 3 hours just to finish. I did complete it with 2 of the 3 recorders. Getting the third one was not deemed worth my time.
I had high hopes for this, but ultimately was disappointed and cannot recommend.
I am 32 years old.
My ex-wife and I have a daughter together, and we adopted our son together. Both are now 4 years old.
When we were going through our separation, I felt lost and unhappy. I was self-destructive. One day, I was so angry with everything spiraling out of control that I punched a concrete wall in a moment of overwhelming emotion. This resulted in breaking my fifth metacarpal in my right hand—the hand I worked with, played games with, and used to carry my children to bed—the hand I desperately needed to ensure I could continue providing.
Upon learning the severity of the self-inflicted damage, I became almost suicidal. Keep in mind that just a few months before this, I was the happiest man, with no history of depression or anxiety. I had never experienced anger outbursts, nor was I the type to break down and cry, but I was in a tough situation that truly prevented me from seeing the light on the other side.
With nothing better to do, I looked for a game I could play WITH ONE HAND while recovering. Somehow, I stumbled upon this game and read some of the comments. I decided it was worth a try... I must admit I didn't beat the game, nor did I play as much as some of you. In fact, I may have played this game for only a day or two. That being said, after doing so, I had a new joy and hope for life. I managed to leave behind the pain and suffering that had been thrust upon me. I could experience the joy and happiness of other people. I relaxed for 5 ♥♥♥♥ minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.
After realizing this, I turned off the game and went back to work. My hand hurt a lot, but I was motivated. I stopped feeling so sorry for myself and became the father I needed to be at that moment, not the weak boy I was behaving like.
Today, I am close friends with the mother of my children. We don't fight, argue, or say hurtful things to each other. We are parents and friends.
Now I have 3 children. My third child is, wait, ALSO 4 YEARS OLD. The woman I am with was going through a very similar situation at the time of my separation, and we just unexpectedly stumbled into each other's lives. We have been dating for a year and are very happy together.
Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today. This silly little game helped me realize that.
Thank you.
Приличная игра. Мозг нужно напрягать.
Güzel , küçük ama etkili bulmacalı beyin jimlastiği yapmalık bir oyun.
recomendes from me, good enough, logical scifi labyrint, thx
Benim üstesinden gelebileceğim bir oyun değil bende arkadaşıma geçtiriyorum bölümleri :D
bilmem sevdim ama sevmemiş gibiyim oynarken keyif alıyorum ama yüzüm *_* oluyo. okadar sevmeye bilirsiniz
bide kart var
A very neat puzzle game with the pixel atmosphere of Dead Space. Massive amount of levels, solid mechanics and a good level design.
For the asking price, this is absolutely great.
hate the clumsy controls.
Really nice puzzle game with horror-ish atmosphere (which reminds me of Dead Space, actually)
I like puzzle games and this is pretty descent one, got me thinking a few times already and I expect it to do so much more? so I'll recommend it, its worth its money
Check out my video review on YouTube (or read the transcript below)
https://youtu.be/XxUAWWOd-Eg
The game will run on Windows and SteamOS/Linux. Interestingly it requires Java to be installed. The game will tell you it requires Java 1.6 but that is no longer supported by Oracle and I’m not even sure you can download it. You’ll want to install Java 1.8, but be careful with the install. By default it will replace your browser’s search engine with Yahoo! You can turn that off but it is bit rude for them to default to screwing with your browser.
The game has 50 levels. You begin each level at a shuttle craft. On some levels you will leave the station using the same craft, but on most you will travel through the station to a second shuttle. Finding your way through the station, and collecting the additional red boxes are the primary challenge of game. You begin with a grapple hook which can be used to pull drums and boxes. When you place them on pads it causes the connected elements of the game to activate. This is all very clearly displayed with neon blue lines on the station floor. There are numerous doors on each station, some of them open when you approach, some require some action on your part, either placing a drum/box or interacting with a computer terminal. The game leaves you to discover the terminals on your own. They can be used to open doors, replenish oxygen, turn off lasers, etc. Like many puzzle games you can only proceed to the next level if you complete all earlier levels. This will mean if you get stuck on a particular level you cannot bypass it and continue. It is completely possible to get stuck in a portion of a station. The only way out will be to restart the level. The game automatically saves when you interact with an item in a useful way, so if you die, you can resume at the last saved position instead of starting the entire level over.
You play the game from a top-down perspective where your character is always centered on the screen and the station map moves around you as you navigate. The graphics are good considering the limitations of the perspective. You feel like you are on a derelict space station. Dangers are obvious at first glance. Some interactive elements, particularly the boxes, may be missed initially due to their subtle highlighting. There are spacewalks which are particularly dangerous because you have no control unless there is floor beneath your feet. You might be able to save yourself with the grapple but it has a limited range. In space, or an unsealed section of the space station you are constantly using oxygen and must be mindful of the amount remaining. There are numerous places to refill oxygen, and even heal your character on levels where it would be possible to run out of oxygen and/or be injured. Some injuries are instantly fatal, but it is possible to take partial damage and still survive running into, for example, a laser beam. The game uses a haze of color, audio clues, and a vignetting of the screen to indicate both lowered health and lowered oxygen. It is a nice implementation and helps with the immersion and sense of urgency. Although most levels are not timed there are constraints which require quick movement, such as dodging between barriers to avoid lasers. The game could not be described as a twitch game, but it is worth bearing in mind that the puzzles are not simply logic puzzles, you will be required to make quick actions.
The game is very nicely polished and while it does not have many settings it does let you lower the music and sound volumes independently which is something many puzzle games seem to forgo. The controller is fully supported, though I did completely hang my computer by clicking Find Controller when it had already identified my Xbox One controller. The controller appears to be the recommended way to play but I found I did better with W-S-D-A keys and the mouse. I have played the game both in front of a computer and in Steam’s Big Picture mode and found both work well. The music feels appropriate and has not gotten tiresome despite spending as much as 7 minutes on a level.
I can easily recommend Space Scaven. While I am currently stuck on level 17 I sure I will be putting much more time into the game in the next few days.
Головоломка с элементами экшенов на космическую тематику. Игра очень понравилась, в ней есть и хорошая графика и научно-фантастический сюжет и самое главное - приходится подумать. Местами в игре нужны рефлексы - быстро сделать свою работу в разгерметизированных секциях, пока не кончился кислород, увернутся от злобных роботов, не улететь в открытый космос. Но это все не мешает игре, не портит сам жанр игры, а как хорошая приправа только идёт на пользу.
Игра сделана на java, отлично работает в Linux.
Одна из моих немногих "идеальных" игр. Кто охотится за достижениями - их выбить реально, пройдя все уровни. Сами достижения не сложны, если осилите сами уровни.
Разработчик - наш соотечественник, поэтому считаю игру обязательной к покупке, по крайней мере тем, кто любит головоломки.
