Antichamber

 PC
  • Publisher: Demruth
  • Release Date: Jan 31, 2013
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 621 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 485 out of 621
  2. Mixed: 85 out of 621
  3. Negative: 51 out of 621

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. kingplain
    Feb 11, 2013
    2
    I'm not as charmed with this game as others have been. The basics are you move from one room to the next solving puzzles in a minimalistic 1st person world. There's no goal other than connecting the different rooms and seeing all the hint messages along the way. After "beating" an area you'll find yourself either in a new room or right back where you started. After failing a room, theI'm not as charmed with this game as others have been. The basics are you move from one room to the next solving puzzles in a minimalistic 1st person world. There's no goal other than connecting the different rooms and seeing all the hint messages along the way. After "beating" an area you'll find yourself either in a new room or right back where you started. After failing a room, the same thing will happen, making it unclear when you should feel like you've accomplished anything. Sometimes the reward is a dead end. Or maybe it's not. Who knows? The controls and physics within the game often lead you to wonder if you passed an area the way you were supposed to or if you stumbled on some exploit they didn't consider or correct. This also robs you of your sense of accomplishment. Most of the puzzles don't take thought or planning, rather experimentation. You just do things until something works and move forward. Sometimes you'll reapply what you stumbled on previously, but most of the puzzles are just mindless poking around. As soon as you understand, the game will move on and introduce something else that will be equally confusing on first inspection. These cheap tricks are what passes for difficulty. The mind-bending stuff is hardly ground breaking. I mean, the original zelda and super mario had repeating mazes. You're not going to mouth the word "wow" unless you're easily impressed and have already prepped by others who swear this is a mind-blowing work of art. I can assure you it's not. The end game plays like an empty/texture-less Doom level. You just stroll along an ill-defined catwalk for 5 minutes and watch an end sequence that nowadays could have been animated by a 10 year old. It is an addicting game. I'll give that. I didn't put it down until I beat it but the same could be said for most browser games. Was it fun? Not really. I feel like most that recommend do so because they think it validates their intelligence and because calling games where nothing happens "art" is in fashion. It feels like someone entirely foreign to video games had a cool idea but lacked basic video game theory to make it rewarding or enjoyable. Everything in the game is smeared with vagueness to cover its shortcomings. It sounds like a bunch of reverse-engineered cop-outs when I hear the game designer explain what's going on. I would recommend if it were a free browser game (because all they need is the addiction part) but as it's not, I cannot. Sorry guys.… Expand
  2. TheLinkgirl
    May 29, 2022
    1
    I didn't enjoy Antichamber. My experience with all of the puzzles was that they were either preposterously easy, or a total roadblock because the game failed to provide the player with necessary information. For each bit of progress I made, I felt that I was reminded of how pointless everything I was doing was. I never experienced anything that blew me away, or made me think a puzzle wasI didn't enjoy Antichamber. My experience with all of the puzzles was that they were either preposterously easy, or a total roadblock because the game failed to provide the player with necessary information. For each bit of progress I made, I felt that I was reminded of how pointless everything I was doing was. I never experienced anything that blew me away, or made me think a puzzle was clever, or anything like that. It was all just nebulous content, wasting my time away.… Expand
  3. pacoda
    Aug 30, 2013
    4
    Its a one-of-a-kind game thats for sure. Its a puzzle game but very different in that its really trying to make you see things in other ways then what you been taught. It looks good but again different. So why the low score? Well i just dont enjoy it. I tried several times but it bores me. The game has very little direction which is on purpose i think. So i find myself not knowing where iIts a one-of-a-kind game thats for sure. Its a puzzle game but very different in that its really trying to make you see things in other ways then what you been taught. It looks good but again different. So why the low score? Well i just dont enjoy it. I tried several times but it bores me. The game has very little direction which is on purpose i think. So i find myself not knowing where i want to go. I get stuck on some sort of puzzle and i just feel unmotivated to crack it. If you are a sucker for puzzle games this is probably it for you. Perhaps even an masterpeice. Me? I just dont enjoy this.… Expand
  4. dumle
    Mar 8, 2013
    4
    Antichamber is an interesting game. It tries really hard to be different which might really please some people. It certainly feels different from other first person puzzle games which might be a reason to pick this game up if you are getting bored of other games in the same genre. I am not entirely in love with everything about this game though. First of all i should mention that i gotAntichamber is an interesting game. It tries really hard to be different which might really please some people. It certainly feels different from other first person puzzle games which might be a reason to pick this game up if you are getting bored of other games in the same genre. I am not entirely in love with everything about this game though. First of all i should mention that i got really badly dizzy and nauseated when playing this game. I have never experienced this before despite gaming for quite a long time and this might be a total deal breaker for people more sensitive than i am. It did certainly affect my time with this game negatively. Puzzle-wise it is quite varied. The game do have some really interesting puzzles that feels smart and fresh, But it also have some quite odd puzzles that just is not all that fun to solve. I am also not a big fan of the non-linear progression system in the game. In theory its sound cool to be able to solve different puzzles at different places at your own pace. However since some puzzles are unsolvable without the proper tools gained trough solving a different puzzle you might find yourself trying to solve a unsolvable puzzle which is not all that fun. Antichamber is not a bad game but its not a game that will appeal to all kinds of players. It certainly didn't appeal to me and being kind of clever from time to time doesn't excuse the fact that the general gameplay wasn't all that enjoyable for me.… Expand
  5. SuperConnor99
    Apr 30, 2013
    4
    I don't like this game. it is a puzzle game You move from one room to another room by solving puzzles on the way. It's fun for the hour but after that, BORING. i recommend you skip it.
  6. spydercanopus
    Jun 16, 2013
    4
    Senseless, storyless, narrativeless, nonsense. I want my money back. The puzzles are pulled out of a lama's a$$ and follow no rules. Good for those who are deaf, blind, and want to play a video game.
  7. Riflenator1234
    Feb 14, 2013
    4
    While this game was at first enticing I quickly grew tired of extremely repetitive mechanics that we have seen in many puzzle games. This game also lacks any guidance whatsoever and is essentially a waste of time. I am quite befuddled when I see people praising this game. While it does have SOME originality it is only at the start of the game. The only thing I really liked about the gameWhile this game was at first enticing I quickly grew tired of extremely repetitive mechanics that we have seen in many puzzle games. This game also lacks any guidance whatsoever and is essentially a waste of time. I am quite befuddled when I see people praising this game. While it does have SOME originality it is only at the start of the game. The only thing I really liked about the game was the nice minimalistic art style, although; this game is certainly no work of art.… Expand
  8. Tpocth
    Feb 5, 2013
    4
    The game was advitised as messing with your brain, sadly for me it missed abit and only seemed to mess with my stomach. Having games for the best part of 24 years, this is the first game out of the hundreds that I've played that has made me feel physically sick. That coupled with the need to manually edit a configuration file as I don't use WSAD makes me give this game a poor score. ThisThe game was advitised as messing with your brain, sadly for me it missed abit and only seemed to mess with my stomach. Having games for the best part of 24 years, this is the first game out of the hundreds that I've played that has made me feel physically sick. That coupled with the need to manually edit a configuration file as I don't use WSAD makes me give this game a poor score. This game seriously needs a health warning, a BIG ONE.

    I'm sure the puzzles are truely asume and mind blowing sadly, but between the the FOW and the colors they have chosen I don't think I'll ever play it through as for me a game should not send you running to the toilet to throw up. Of the puzzles I've seen they are not difficult, however given I could only play for 10 minutes, in comparison to the first 10 minutes of most games it certainly starts at a harder level, so I can definately believe what others have written.

    I really wish I could give this a higher score.    … Expand
  9. Aberzanzorax
    Dec 15, 2013
    0
    The Emperor's New Clothes of games.

    Antichamber is supposed to be "mind blowing" and "non euclidean". That may be true from a developer's standpoint. However the way it presents itself to a player is more in the vein of Zelda "discovery" of "oh I have to go up, up, up, left, right, left, down". Trial and error is not mindblowing. Neither is it a "clever puzzle". If you have 1000    The Emperor's New Clothes of games.

    Antichamber is supposed to be "mind blowing" and "non euclidean". That may be true from a developer's standpoint. However the way it presents itself to a player is more in the vein of Zelda "discovery" of "oh I have to go up, up, up, left, right, left, down".

    Trial and error is not mindblowing. Neither is it a "clever puzzle".

    If you have 1000 monkeys and 1000 gaming areas, you will see this game beaten. Cleverness? No. Cleverness is not required. Randomness is required. When A doesn't work, do B, C, D, E, F until you have "solved" the conundrum.

    As in the Emperor's New Clothes, I feel that people are too ashamed to downrate this game. It MUST be smart (and if I don't get it, I must not be) so I should rate it highly, seems to be the case with many a reviewer.

    If you like closing your eyes and throwing darts and then patting yourself on the back when you get a bullseye, by all means, this is the game for you.    … Expand
  10. Ottoplay
    Feb 8, 2013
    0
    This game is unfinished. You are limited to only using the A, W, S, D keys and the spacebar. You are not allowed to configure your keys. The creator of this game and all of you whom approve this kind of half-az work to be released are asking for the world of pain. What you've shown is it's perfectly okay for people to release games that are not finished. Well Done.
  11. Eglin
    Sep 11, 2013
    3
    Antichamber is to games is what elevator Muzak is to music. Seriously, playing the game is like being stuck in a book of collected motivational cliches. As far as I can tell, the whole game is made up of wandering aimlessly down one corridor after another while clicking on signs with stupid motivational messages. What's the point? The game is marketed and reviewed as a puzzler, butAntichamber is to games is what elevator Muzak is to music. Seriously, playing the game is like being stuck in a book of collected motivational cliches. As far as I can tell, the whole game is made up of wandering aimlessly down one corridor after another while clicking on signs with stupid motivational messages. What's the point? The game is marketed and reviewed as a puzzler, but it's really more of an "experience" like Dear Ester and its ilk.

    On top of the mediocre to very poor gaming experience, the game options are as rudimentary as possible. It's not possible to adjust the keyboard mapping to something suitable for left-handers, it isn't possible to setup a gamepad, it isn't possible to set the resolution to match my 16:9 Windows Desktop, it isn't possible to adjust the sound levels, and the game is riddled with horrible, horrible aliased and jagged lines with no option to enable anti-aliasing. All these features should be trivial to include, since the game is built on the excellent Unreal engine, but the developer must've felt like creating an options menu or setup program was too much work.

    This is definitely another indie game that benefited from rating inflation. It doesn't deserve the 8.2 that it received, so pass on it until it shows up for four dollars or less.    … Expand
  12. psylife
    Sep 6, 2023
    3
    I would strongly recommend game designers to play this game in order to learn how NOT to make a puzzle game. In fact how not to make a game, period. Antichamber is a RELATIVELY interesting experimental project that suffers from a severe lack of awareness of the most basic design concepts.

    Simply put, bumping into every wall while being continuously confused and frustrated about your    I would strongly recommend game designers to play this game in order to learn how NOT to make a puzzle game. In fact how not to make a game, period. Antichamber is a RELATIVELY interesting experimental project that suffers from a severe lack of awareness of the most basic design concepts.

    Simply put, bumping into every wall while being continuously confused and frustrated about your actual location and what it is you are supposed to do or solve, is not fun nor clever. It's just bad design. Not only that, but the designer thought judicious to let the player run in circles, and get stuck on - what may or may not be? - a puzzle, only for the player to realize that this particular puzzle - which may or may not be an actual puzzle - is not currently solvable ! If at least the solutions to the puzzles offered a satisfying payoff...

    At the risk of sounding too negative, the visuals hurt my eyes.

    Play Stanley parable, Talos, or Portal instead.    … Expand
  13. k9wazere
    Dec 13, 2015
    2
    Before you get this game, watch a few minutes of it on YouTube.

    There must be something about this game's extremely minimalist graphics, because a significant number of people - myself included - cannot play this game without feeling violently ill. I have never, ever experienced FPS sickness in a gaming career spanning over two decades. But I can only last 15-20 mins in this game. I had    Before you get this game, watch a few minutes of it on YouTube.

    There must be something about this game's extremely minimalist graphics, because a significant number of people - myself included - cannot play this game without feeling violently ill. I have never, ever experienced FPS sickness in a gaming career spanning over two decades. But I can only last 15-20 mins in this game. I had to turn it off, because my head was spinning and my dinner was making a dash for freedom.

    It might be a little unfair to rate this game poorly based on the motion sickness it gives me, but at the end of the day I'm not alone. A Google search reveals that many people have a similar reaction, and could not play the game they spent money on.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Best PC Game of 2013
60
#60 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 50
  3. Negative: 0 out of 50
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Jun 10, 2013
    81
    If you’re looking for the most extreme, bizarre, intelligent and wacky puzzle game, look no further. [April 2013]
  2. CD-Action
    Apr 5, 2013
    85
    I just finished Antichamber. I feel satisfaction I haven’t experienced after completing any game in many years and for the first time in ages I learned something about myself while playing. It’s hard for me to expect anything more from a game. [CD-Action 04/2013, p.82]
  3. Riot Pixels
    Apr 1, 2013
    55
    Antichamber is an intriguing little experiment. It is both a humble imitation and an attempt to avoid all the trappings and clichés of the genre. Alas, it fails to excite. Unlike Echochrome and Braid, where we bending realities to our will, in this game its creators simply tease us whenever they feel like it.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »