A Story About My Uncle

 PC
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Ragequit.gr
    Jun 9, 2014
    83
    What pleasantly surprised me is that A Story About My Uncle doesn't focus exclusively on the story itself, but puts great emphasis on the simple yet engrossing narrative. This results in a high sense of immersion which becomes apparent only at the very end of the narration. ASAMU is certainly a non-violent interactive story videogame that pushes the genre one step forward, through its platforming mechanics. For anyone who thought Dear Esther as a surprising alternative to conventional gaming, ASAMU will certainly not disappoint.
  2. Softpedia
    Aug 6, 2014
    80
    The premise of the story is interesting and gets you hooked, and even though the game is linear and demands near perfect execution for many of its puzzles, it's still an interesting mechanical and visual experience, but A Story About My Uncle ultimately disappoints by ending very abruptly and not getting anywhere.
  3. SpazioGames
    Jun 27, 2014
    80
    The production by Gone North Games is able to offer a great gaming experience, which, however, suffers from a longevity may be inadequate. Despite this flaw is recommended buying the stock, and will not fail to satisfy lovers of the good platform supported by suggestive settings.
  5. GameOver.gr
    Jun 25, 2014
    80
    A unique platform game with clever ideas, imaginative gameplay and a well written story. A Story About My Uncle is one of a few indie titles you can buy immediately without waiting for a flash sale or a bundle.
  6. Hardcore Gamer
    Jun 5, 2014
    80
    With a price point of only $15, A Story About My Uncle is a must-own for anyone who loves games that make them think and can appreciate a good platforming challenge as well.
  7. GameWatcher
    Jun 5, 2014
    80
    Unfortunately, the last quarter of A Story About My Uncle does become a little too repetitive, and slightly overly obscure grapple set pieces require blind luck more often than skill. That said, this is still a great adventure - one which will return you to childhood fantasy, and one which will far from get your goat.
  8. God is a Geek
    May 28, 2014
    80
    A captivating and engaging experience. Once you put on that suit and are launched into the sky, you begin a journey that will have you smiling throughout, even during the challenging moments.
  9. Multiplayer.it
    May 27, 2014
    80
    A Story About My Uncle is a fast, evocative and surprisingly good first person platform.
  10. 4P.de
    Apr 27, 2015
    78
    Quotation forthcoming.
  11. IGN Italia
    Sep 14, 2014
    78
    A Story About My Uncle has got a nice concept, great controls and some nice level design, but it feels like a game that could have been so much better with more depth and polish.
  12. PC Gamer
    Jun 4, 2014
    78
    Fast, fluid and fun first-person platforming tied together with a warm narrative. Pace slows near the end, though.
  13. Game Informer
    Jun 3, 2014
    78
    It’s a short experience, clocking in at only a few hours, but it’s an adventure I enjoyed taking.
  14. Merlin'in Kazanı (Turkey)
    Jun 2, 2014
    77
    As the first game from Gone North, A Story About My Uncle is a great start for the studio. Effective storytelling and dynamic gameplay mechanics are the best side of this game. However there are some bugs, but still ASAMU is worth playing.
  15. GameFront
    Aug 25, 2014
    75
    A Story About My Uncle accomplishes its goal of creating a feeling through controls that many games aspire to, but fail to grasp. My biggest takeaway from the game was wishing there was more of it; the game does a phenomenal job of making it exciting merely to be present in and move about its world, if only for a fleeting visit.
  16. Games.cz
    Aug 18, 2014
    70
    Considering all the flitting around, the entertainment is sometimes teetering on the edge of frustration, but otherwise a search for the lost uncle is a sweet treat for a weekend, which lacks only deeper depictions of the world "on the other side" along with a stronger dramatic arc.
  17. Gameblog.fr
    Jun 25, 2014
    70
    In A Story About My Uncle, you will cross a hostile and fragmented world to find your adventurer uncle. The game is easy and short, but pleasant, and its story is really moving in the end.
  18. Gamer.nl
    Jun 12, 2014
    70
    A Story About My Uncle is a first-person platformer with some good ideas and beautiful environments. The indie game uses a Portal-/BioShock Infinite-like layout and seems to become a fantastic experience, but then suddenly is out of levels. Because of the strongly varying difficulty and a story focuses on kids, we wonder what age the game is actually meant for.
  19. ZTGD
    Jun 5, 2014
    70
    For $13, players looking for a unique experience will find it here. Keep in mind, there is some trial and error platforming awaiting would-be players that can get nerve-racking after a while, and some of the dialog delivery is off, but the world itself is colorful and interesting and while it may be delivered slightly off at times, the story is rather interesting.
  20. GameCritics
    Aug 11, 2014
    65
    When the game lets its main character race through the world, bounding across chasms and flinging himself here and there with the grapple, it is really wonderful. That happens all too rarely, however, and instead the game breeds repeated frustration brought on by the difficulty of figuring out where the protagonist should grapple, why he can't, or what to do about it.
  21. Games Master UK
    Jul 29, 2014
    61
    Despite jarring control issues there's still much to admire here in the tone and beautiful locations. [Sept 2014, p.71]
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  22. Everyeye.it
    Sep 4, 2014
    60
    A good start for the Swedish software house, but the game lacks personality and the central part of the story isn't interesting as the incipit.
  23. Eurogamer Spain
    Jun 26, 2014
    60
    The best thing about A Story About My Uncle is its scenery design, which will often leave you with your mouth open, but the rest of the game is not that great.
  24. Level7.nu
    Jun 11, 2014
    60
    A Story About My Uncle is a game with big intentions. It’s fun to jump around and the mechanics often works pretty well, but the difficulty is unbalanced, which leads to a lot of frustration. Together with a story that never reaches its full potential A Story About My Uncle is a bit disappointing.
  25. CD-Action
    Aug 25, 2014
    50
    After every moment of enjoyable flight or other dynamic event comes a segment that requires patience and counting seconds to time the next jump right. It’s a pity that instead of A Story About Jumping Around Like A Maniac we got such a drag. [8/2014, p.71]
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Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 180 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 79 out of 180
  2. Mixed: 82 out of 180
  3. Negative: 19 out of 180
  1. Blackstarhalo4
    Jun 15, 2014
    10
    An amazing idea for a game! Although more serious then Goat simulator, the magic is still there, and I absolutely love it! Great graphics,An amazing idea for a game! Although more serious then Goat simulator, the magic is still there, and I absolutely love it! Great graphics, story, and gameplay! 10/10… Full Review »
  2. EORizzo
    May 31, 2014
    9
    This is a beautiful idea for a game - myst (adventure) meets dreamfall (RPG) meets Journey (nonviolent exploration) meets an FPS withoutThis is a beautiful idea for a game - myst (adventure) meets dreamfall (RPG) meets Journey (nonviolent exploration) meets an FPS without weapons. I loved it and highly encourage trying it. This is a novel, gorgeous play experience that is as simple as it is captivating. It is somewhat short, but I prefer quality to quantity. In the future, moar like this please! Let the creation of this new genre develop further!… Full Review »
  3. TitaniumDragon
    Dec 31, 2016
    2
    A Story About My Uncle is a fairly straightforward first person platformer. The premise of the story is that you have wandered into yourA Story About My Uncle is a fairly straightforward first person platformer. The premise of the story is that you have wandered into your absent uncle’s house and find a teleporter that takes you to another world. Using the suit he left for you, you must find your uncle and make your way back home.

    The central mechanics are quite simple; there’s no combat in this game, with the game being wholly devoted to platforming through 3D environments. Your abilities include a normal jump, a super jump, an energy grapple you shoot from your hand that can connect to most (but not all!) surfaces and pull you towards them while allowing you to swing after a fashion, and later on, a pair of rocket boosts which give you an abrupt, very large bit of acceleration in a certain direction (yes, as if with a rocket) when you try to double jump in midair.

    These controls are quite simple, and the game fundamentally consists of using them to traverse environments. You start out only getting one grapple per jump through the air, but soon you end up with the ability to grapple up to three times before landing – and in the final area, refresh them mid-jump by draining glowing crystals on the walls.

    Sadly, the lack of much variety in mechanics means that, in the end, a lot of puzzles ultimately feel fairly samey – there’s only so much you can do with a limited control set, and it feels like you’ve done it all by the end of the game, and probably more than that. A number of areas feel kind of samey, which isn’t helped by the graphics – while each area of the game has its own unique look, each individual level looks pretty similar internally.

    This is kind of annoying later on in the game, when it becomes increasingly more difficult at times to see what exactly you’re supposed to be grappling onto – there’s a few points in the game where you have to do a bit of searching to figure out where you’re trying to go next, and it can be less than obvious. Combined with the game’s general aesthetic of “rocks floating in midair/stuck in the sides of a cave over bottomless pits”, the environment can start getting a bit confusing and very same-looking over time.

    Really, that’s all there is to the game; there’s three or four characters, with decent but slightly off voiceovers that contain the odd grammatical error betraying the writer as a non-native English speaker (or just some poor proofreading), but in the end, I didn’t feel a strong connection to any of the characters. Without this, there’s just the platforming – and that wears thin after a while.

    Overall, while the game has an okay aesthetic on the most basic of levels, in the end it ends up feeling too samey and there just isn’t anything else there to give it much oomph. It just is what it is, and what it is isn’t anything special. At the end, I was left walking away without feeling like I’d gained anything from the experience, or experienced anything really memorable. It just isn’t worth your time or money.    … Full Review »
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