TesserAct Reviews

a true puzzle game indeed. i feel though that they left out instructions and i think some that were obvious should stay out but others they really need to tell us. they also need to add more settings options but for the most part the Gameplay was good. you can check my videos out that i will soon be uploading to youtube on my channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/AtomicGamerMax

Everytime I go through the door it lags a little. Shortly after the beginning bit I've reached a doorway that makes the game crash. I'm unable to get past this part in the game. From what I've seen it could have been a promising game, but I'll never find out.

It's an enjoyable game. Obviously made on a shoestring budget but they did what they could. Rough in places, frustrating in others but ultimately it's fun I guess.

I can't even play this game. Perhaps it is just my setup: 3930K, 680GTX, but the game won't let me select a resolution of 1920x1080 and the FOV looks like it is set to 45 degress. After starting the game I can't find a way to get back to the main menu, I have to use Ctrl+Alt+Del just to quit the game. This should have been an EarlyAccess game at best since most EarlyAccess games are of Higher qualty than this game.

The idea behind the game is really good, I would enjoy the game play if it had no issues with the graphics. It gave me a lot of Cyberpunk 2077 vibes due to the rendering issues it has, objects and surfaces randomly disappear from the view, thus the players will hardly find their way to the end. If the rendering gets redone, I would recommend the game to buy.

I'm of two minds what to say about this game. On the one hand it's a perfectly serviceable physics puzzler with an interesting story (extraterrestrial human colony and terraforming operation! YAY!). But, on the other hand it has all the look and feel of a first draft of a finished product. All the set pieces are there, they all work, but there are tons and tons and METRIC TONS of rough edges, snags and burs that make the game difficult where it shouldn't be and obtuse and hard to figure out when it doesn't need to be. Endless short, unskippable cutscenes that are there for nothing more than ambiance. If you're going to put us through these at least put the save point AFTER the 15-second scenery flourish. I'm going to ignore the purely aesthetic problems with this game, as I don't think there nearly as important as the actual gameplay unless they actually impede the gameplay (as you will find out). . . Problems: * Catwalks with railings that are so narrow it's almost impossible for you to walk on them * Jumps that are JUST long enough that you will fail to get there 80% of the time even if your timing is nigh-perfect. * Spacing in level layouts has you catching on protruding furniture or unable to fit between certain doorways. It's not necessary to be able to, but it's obvious that you SHOULD be able to. * Completely unclear, and obtuse level design and flow. This is most obvious in (some of) the puzzles not the rooms between. * Mechanics aren't explained in any way. You can climb frozen water curtains, but you pretty much have to figure that out on your own. * LIGHTING! OH MY GOD THE LIGHTING! Look. I know there are all these wonderful reflective surfaces and nifty bloom and HDR effects around right now, but for the love of Asmodeus go easy on them! You do not need a room that is basically 75% reflective surfaces, and neon lights in between all the furniture and fixtures. With all the graphical options turned on it's like being on the set of a Star Trek film. Tone it down. * The movement feels klunky, not enough to be game-breaking, but bad enough to be noticeable, which is probably worse TBH, because it's annoying, but not enough to make me turn the game OFF. Over all this isn't a bad game, but it needs a bucket-load of polish, and then another bucket's worth. I know I put a tick beside my review, but only because there wasn't a 'maybe' option. I'm certainly enjoying all the details behind the gameplay, and aside from a few cosmetic things the game is actually playable. But somehow TesserAct evokes the feeling of a QBasic Text Adventure. All in all I think it serves as a perfect example of the importance of playtesting.

[h1]The good[/h1] The game concept is one that is right up my alley. I love physics games like Portal so when I saw this in the Steam store I thought "eh, why not". Man, was I in for a nasty surprise. [h1]The bad[/h1] Pretty much everything. The level layout is poor, and most of the time you're not sure where to go. This is especially tricky in timed levels where you die after the timer reaches zero. Also the objects in the game are horribly narrow, you really have to squeeze into a catwalk for example. Something which can also get annoying if you're trying to get somewhere. The cutscenes are equally horrible. They're lengthy and badly dubbed. This wouldn't be a huge issue if you could skip them... [h1]The ugly[/h1] The controls. Really. And the jumps. 80% of the time you're just a few centimeters short of a jump you thought you could make. Now this wouldn't be bad but some jumps kill you if you botch them. Like the ones in the lava levels.. It gets REALLY frustrating if you have to start a level - AGAIN - because you just missed a jump. In the end: don't spend your 15 euro's on this game. Buy Portal or Portal 2 if you haven't already. This is barely more than a (terrible) tech-demo...