Apparatus: Exanimus

lots to see and explore here. a great love letter to an era of fun era of gaming without being overly derivative. the rigid control scheme has been frustrating at times but overall makes me focus and "get into it" more. deffo recommend if you like puzzles, spooky liminal space gaming, and have some patience :-)

Figglewatts has been busy making a very immersive walking sim with ARG elements set in a story that I can't seem to put down. Dirus Software is an ailing game studio on its last legs, right before the turn of the millenium, and Apparatus: Exanimus will prove to be their final entry to the art form. The connected website to Dirus Software is the core of the ARG elements, mainly giving important lore information as to what was happening in the studio during the game's development. I really like how the walking simulator 90s throwback here uses specific tank controls and strained movement options, because it helps crystallize a point where Dirus Software was developing this only for Half-Life to come out in November of 1998 and the amount of course correction it took to avoid being an also-ran in comparision. Your biggest threat in AE are these strange fungi strewn throughout the facility. You take radiation damage while within their AOE, which is represented by TV static overlaying your vision similar to how other games will use VHS static to alert the player of danger. Staying too long in this state takes one pip off of your health (represented as these red pustules in the top right corner) and you respawn at first aid stations when you die. Because of the aformentioned fungi and the fact that their damage is in a confined space, the slow movement in AE becomes a vital tool in your arsenal to stay alive - take your time, be careful, don't overstep into a fungi's radius or it'll cost you. The necessity of exploration to get anything done in this game provides the push and pull that makes this game so interesting - keep moving forward, but pace yourself. Most importantly, be on your guard...you're all alone in the facility - until you're not.

Absolutely awful, horribly clunky movement. Level designs are very confusing and convoluted making it nearly impossible to figure out how to traverse the map. Enemies are slow and non-threatening, and the game looks like it came straight out of the 90s. And it's an absolute masterpiece. Every thing about this game is dripping with heart and character. So much thought and care has gone into this little game, it's found a very special place in my heart. If you are not willing to engage with this game, you will not enjoy it. But if you slow down, think through things and really analyze what the game is telling you, you will find yourself experiencing one of the most immersive and curious games I've ever encountered. This is the kind of game that you try and then drop for a bit. Maybe you don't get it at first or think you're too stupid to figure out the puzzles. But then you take a break and you think about it. "What if I tried this?" Or "what did I miss here"? There are so many things to explore and so many things to discover. I look at the screenshots and realize that I'm hours behind everyone else. But it doesn't matter because this game is enjoyable at any pace. I'm already 12 hours in, and I still have not finished it. There is so much to explore and question, so many things to search up and investigate, that I feel like I could easily drop an additional 12+ hours into it. Figglewatts has created an absolute gem of a walking simulator that is so much more than that. It rewards your curiosity with every step. Please buy this game. Please play this game. Please review this game. I promise you it's worth it. If you enjoy getting lost in world full of hundreds of secrets to explore, I highly recommend Apparatus: Exanimus! Try it. It's worth it. Unironically my game of the year, it has given hours of enjoyment and I'm sure will continue to do so!

An excellent remaster of a classic game!

A fun trek though weird areas with some puzzles and platforming with its own storyline that you have to find yourself.

I did not manage to finish this game, but I still give it a hearty thumbs up and encourage others to check it out. My main issue was with navigation, which I struggle with in general. I am a patient gamer and don't mind exploration and slow game styles, but I got stuck in the same small area for hours and sadly just had to give up. But I really loved what I played, strange and atmospheric, oozing mystery. I really enjoyed piecing together what the game wanted from me, the light ARG elements, the vibes were incredible, the puzzles interesting and the gameplay loop of dealing with enemies was creative and refreshing. Big thumbs up, I just wish I could find my way out of that damned zone I was stuck in, and remember how to get back to that other area that I had seen earlier before I got lost! I may well return to this at some point, it really is very good.

Play this game! Its got some great early 3d environmental design, great puzzles and an ARG storyline that is really interesting and still ongoing(?). It is an amazing rabbit hole to unravel. the controls are janky but pretty easy to get used to.