Construct: Escape the System Reviews

For both classics and hidden oddities, there’s a reason I keep crawling back to PC like some sort of bit-addled gremlin. The reason? Glorious hidden gems like Construct: Escape the System. If you like to dig for gold – or just shovelling through dirt for a shiny nugget – this is the place. There is no library like PC. Sure, there’s games everybody knows about, like WarCraft and Half-Life, but what’s the thrill in that? I live for the obscurities, the underdogs, the ones that never got invited to the cool kids’ table. Unlike those other games, Construct didn’t have a massive team behind it. It was made by solo developer Oliver Boyce who did the graphics, sound, and programming. When it comes to making games, he’s basically a Swiss Army knife. And in his capable hands, it’s a thing of beauty. Construct is a celebration of minimalist sci-fi. A first person platformer with puzzle elements, it’s somewhat similar to Portal – if Portal went full-on metroidvania and asked, “Hey, what if you’re trapped in a massive computer that’s good at keeping you lost?” Like Portal, a big aspect of this game is interacting with your environment and trying to figure out how the terrain and physics work. In Construct, though, you are trapped inside a massive computer system and you’re trying to figure out how to escape. There’s a big focus on orbs. Some orbs zap you to new places, other orbs reveal hidden pathways, and still others are power-ups that give you new abilities. The environments? They’re huge. And if I were to make a little quibble, I somewhat think they’re too huge. Sometimes it feels like you’re hiking for miles to get from Point A to Point B. They do succeed at making you feel like you’re an ant in a big massive world, and for that reason, I like it. In terms of graphics, they’re simple but effective. They’re low poly world with lots of bloom that makes you feel you’re inside a futuristic screensaver from the 2000s. One moment, you’re in monochrome. The next, there’s neon everywhere. It’s simple but nails the feeling of a massive, almost alien, computer system. The sound leans on ambient with some futuristic sound effects when you interact with objects. It’s pensive, but also somewhat unnerving. Sometimes it provokes thoughts of, “Oh no, what did I do?” that comes with messing around in a world like this. While this game doesn’t have gamepad support, the keyboard controls are simple and effective. Directional WASD is for movement, shift is for sprint, and space is for jump. You can also use left and right mouse button for interacting with objects. This simplicity made it easy to configure button mapping on my Steam Deck so it really doesn’t bother me gamepad isn’t “officially” supported. I can’t put Construct down – no really, I tried. It is quite addictive. And because of the low spec requirements, it’s a battery sipper – which means it’s perfect for playing on the Steam Deck while you’re on the go. Construct: Escape the System is definitely a hidden gem that deserves some spotlight. It’s highly recommended, especially if you like the thrill of uncovering secrets no one else has found.

I played until I got one of the orbs. The process wasn't fun. The game is pretty, for some value of pretty, but left me feeling uninspired, bored, and a little bit lost, in the sense of "I have no idea where I've already been, or where I need to go next, or how to get from one to the other really". Got it for a buck and still refunded it.

A thought-provoking puzzle game that challenges your logic and problem-solving skills. The minimalist design and clever puzzles keep you engaged, with each level offering a new way to think about solutions. It’s a great choice for players who enjoy tackling complex challenges and unraveling a system’s mysteries.