Only If

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 58
  3. Negative: 22 out of 58

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  1. HardcoreGarner
    Mar 27, 2015
    9
    My dear QTE generation: this game is not for You. It requires the player to actively listen, think and respond. It's not the game where everything is served on the table and player is only required to monkey-see-monkey-do To me it was an actual simulation of...life, the surreal situation in it but still, without obvious help, hints or even HUD. Ok, there are some bugs, but this is anMy dear QTE generation: this game is not for You. It requires the player to actively listen, think and respond. It's not the game where everything is served on the table and player is only required to monkey-see-monkey-do To me it was an actual simulation of...life, the surreal situation in it but still, without obvious help, hints or even HUD. Ok, there are some bugs, but this is an experimental title hence free to play. If this was, say, 10x longer I would easily pay full price even for a game this linear (perhaps the devs could include multiple paths to do certain tasks, as in real life).… Expand
  2. daedal32
    Jul 12, 2015
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game surprised me. It constantly twists and turns until you are in a trance of trying to get to the next objective. By the time I reached the park it honestly felt like a dream. Relatively inspired, although [spoilers] ultimately you come to realise the plot is entirely nonsensical (like the television series Lost) but this isn't what matters at all. For something about nothing, this game really did create depth. I am about to and see what the other six achievements I missed were and see if there is any worthwhile content to warrant a replay. Definitely worth a couple of hours of your life if you're looking for one of those surreal / unorthodox first person games with light puzzles. It's all about the experience with games like this.… Expand
  3. aserpentperplex
    Oct 24, 2015
    9
    A very interesting game! The puzzles are interesting, and I love the strange twists and turns that the game takes you on in terms of puzzles and plot. The voice acting is pretty good, but it's the writing that is really well done! Normally these types of surreal games/movies have a certain type of atmosphere. They involve a sort of lofty philosophical or political message, and theA very interesting game! The puzzles are interesting, and I love the strange twists and turns that the game takes you on in terms of puzzles and plot. The voice acting is pretty good, but it's the writing that is really well done! Normally these types of surreal games/movies have a certain type of atmosphere. They involve a sort of lofty philosophical or political message, and the writing usually reflects this with dark satirical humor. However in this game the dialogue and voice acting aims at the opposite of lofty and high brow, which is a very nice change of pace from most other surrealist puzzle games. The only flaw this game has, in my opinion, is there was one puzzle, that for me I spent days trying to figure out, only to eventually have to give up and look for help on the Internet. This was partly due to the fact that I had to take a break from the game, and when I got back to it the next day I did not remember what the hint was for solving the puzzle and had no reminder of what I was supposed to do from the game until about an hour of being stumped. This particular puzzle also required a lot of searching around for a small object hidden amongst others like it, which took hours due to the sheer size of the map, which I didn't find very enjoyable or interesting, whereas every other puzzle in the game was either very original and unique or at least fun to do. Overall, probably one of my favourite puzzle games on Steam (that I've played so far)!… Expand
  4. Scrub01
    Aug 17, 2014
    9
    I really do think that game deserves a much better score than it was given, as I truly enjoyed this game. Being a free to play game on steam I would understand that Only If wouldn't be the most amazing masterpiece out to play. But I still really enjoyed running through this game and experiencing the scenery, music, and hidden concepts behind the game. Only If holds many varying types ofI really do think that game deserves a much better score than it was given, as I truly enjoyed this game. Being a free to play game on steam I would understand that Only If wouldn't be the most amazing masterpiece out to play. But I still really enjoyed running through this game and experiencing the scenery, music, and hidden concepts behind the game. Only If holds many varying types of lessons and all can teach you something, which was quite the surprise. As I played, I really tried to play as if I was the Anthony (the main character) and combat all of the scenarios he was dealing with, I really did feel as I was him. Though the game is not without its issues. I agree that the gameplay could be a bit clunky sometimes and confusing. However the game wasn't meant to be easy, there is always some kind of hint as of what your supposed to do if you really thought about it and didn't expect it to be handed to you. This game deserves so much better than this score it was given, because the game has much more than it seems to offer. If people would only attempt to understand what the game has focused on, and not whine about how its too hard or how the gameplay aspect is bad. You must really try to feel this game and don't judge it so quickly, think about how Only If works when you play it. Its so unpredictable and a joy to play once you keep an open mind.… Expand
  5. OnP01ntGaming
    Aug 19, 2014
    10
    I have to take a minute to address some of the negative and mixed reviews on this game. First, I would like to address Sockbutler's review,. In his review he states:"Unclear rules and a complete lack of understanding of what you have to do." He goes on to explain it's probably because he;s dumb. However, In my opinion, he's is not dumb. Sock's just isn't a good listener. You see, the wayI have to take a minute to address some of the negative and mixed reviews on this game. First, I would like to address Sockbutler's review,. In his review he states:"Unclear rules and a complete lack of understanding of what you have to do." He goes on to explain it's probably because he;s dumb. However, In my opinion, he's is not dumb. Sock's just isn't a good listener. You see, the way the puzzles work in this game are in the form of riddles -- that you need to listen to in order to solve the puzzles. So when you play this game just listen and you'll be alright. Now, lets talk about bugs. You have to keep in mind that this game is free, and to say the least, This game is no more than a project/experiment of a truly 'up and coming' developer. At no point of me playing this game, did I feel like I wasted my time. In fact I found this game truly charming, funny, dark, and very well written. That said, this game stand very well next to game like MYST, and it's free and developed by one person. So give this game a try and find out for your self weather or not this game is bad or good.… Expand
  6. neng
    Jan 29, 2015
    10
    The aggregate score of this game on Metacritic for both professional and gamer is why I never pay any attention to Metacritic. Then why am I here. I am here to say this game is a good example of why gamers should decide for themselves on a game. Only if is a game wherein a gamer has to address his or herself to what is on the screen not what they are used to being on their monitor screen.The aggregate score of this game on Metacritic for both professional and gamer is why I never pay any attention to Metacritic. Then why am I here. I am here to say this game is a good example of why gamers should decide for themselves on a game. Only if is a game wherein a gamer has to address his or herself to what is on the screen not what they are used to being on their monitor screen. Most games involve only hand eye coordination, this game requires something other than stimulus response --it requires thought, which sadly most games never exercise in most gamers. This game really forces one to be observant with ones power of observation, which as I said a great many games do not require. So, this game, despite bugs is still imminently playable and rewarding to play. If you don't want to think when you play, except for which button on a QTE to push, then don't get this game. However, if you like games which stir one's cognitive powers, this is a great game. I give it a 10.… Expand
  7. Unknown_Shocker
    Aug 10, 2014
    5
    Only If is..... a weird game. It's free but..
    The good: It has good puzzles, it has sometimes some good humor, it's free.
    The bad: You feel forced to do stuff, you are not explained what you have to do and if they do they explain it in a really bad way. The game is more of a something to just kick you really hard. It feels like a giant joke pulled on you. It's free however so you can    Only If is..... a weird game. It's free but..
    The good: It has good puzzles, it has sometimes some good humor, it's free.
    The bad: You feel forced to do stuff, you are not explained what you have to do and if they do they explain it in a really bad way.

    The game is more of a something to just kick you really hard. It feels like a giant joke pulled on you.
    It's free however so you can always check it out.    … Expand
  8. gabenator123
    Aug 13, 2014
    10
    I really don't understand the Flak this game has gotten. The graphics are stunning, the story is completely unpredictable, the voice acting is great, and the perspective is incredibly realistic. You DO feel like you're on an acid trip. You DO feel trapped and cornered. The game is additionally incredibly deep, with heavy symbolism about overcoming life's obstacles. Their wereI really don't understand the Flak this game has gotten. The graphics are stunning, the story is completely unpredictable, the voice acting is great, and the perspective is incredibly realistic. You DO feel like you're on an acid trip. You DO feel trapped and cornered. The game is additionally incredibly deep, with heavy symbolism about overcoming life's obstacles. Their were difficult parts, however none of them were unfairly difficult. For example, one room many people were stuck in hinted at the answer 3 times. I really love the non-linear puzzle style. I can honestly say that the puzzles were so subtle that it didn't feel like a puzzler, and that is where much of the criticism has come from. I can honestly also say that I came out of the game enjoying life a lot more than before I played it, and very few games have achieved that.

    In a way, the lack of clear rules and obscure game play is this game's greatest strength, not it's greatest weakness.

    One more thing. Stop complaining about getting stuck at parts, you got stuck like that in portal 2, and NO ONE complained there.    … Expand
  9. DeathSpankIL
    Aug 25, 2014
    0
    Completely embarrassing piece of crap. The voice acting moves between incoherent screams and mumbling, the mechanics in the different parts are clumsy and not fun, the writing is childish and nonsensical (in an unfunny way) and the game is literally a 2 hours long incest joke (I am not kidding, incest is the game's punchline). The 10s here were probably given to the game by the developerCompletely embarrassing piece of crap. The voice acting moves between incoherent screams and mumbling, the mechanics in the different parts are clumsy and not fun, the writing is childish and nonsensical (in an unfunny way) and the game is literally a 2 hours long incest joke (I am not kidding, incest is the game's punchline). The 10s here were probably given to the game by the developer and his friends.… Expand
  10. Rem
    Oct 8, 2014
    3
    What happens when you mix boring, obnoxious platforming and puzzle solving with awful and try hard voice acting. Well, you get Only If, one of the most dull one trick ponies I've played in a long time. Listening to a voice on the radio while on an acid trip might seem interesting in the sense that you may have pretty neat visuals, but the visuals at best are unmemorable. There is not muchWhat happens when you mix boring, obnoxious platforming and puzzle solving with awful and try hard voice acting. Well, you get Only If, one of the most dull one trick ponies I've played in a long time. Listening to a voice on the radio while on an acid trip might seem interesting in the sense that you may have pretty neat visuals, but the visuals at best are unmemorable. There is not much to this game other than you can laugh at how hard it tries to be funny and deep with that awful thing they call voice acting and presentation. An absolute thumbs down.… Expand
  11. EndiTheGambler
    Aug 1, 2014
    10
    one of the best games i have ever played. i dont know why i enjoyed the game sooooo much. i loved it, and would pay 50 $ for it. its so simple, u will love it, but may be frustrating at times, because the hints are almost non-existent. voice acting is very nice, but i'd love if the game had subs.
  12. helpermonkey27
    Aug 9, 2014
    2
    I found this game to be mildly entertaining but mostly annoying. Within the first scene i already had to revert to Google to find my way, and in one particular scene it had an absurdly short time limit to preform the particular task. This game to me was extremely frustrating. On top of the ridiculous game play and mechanics(who types commands into a fps) the story was kinda creepy. it wasI found this game to be mildly entertaining but mostly annoying. Within the first scene i already had to revert to Google to find my way, and in one particular scene it had an absurdly short time limit to preform the particular task. This game to me was extremely frustrating. On top of the ridiculous game play and mechanics(who types commands into a fps) the story was kinda creepy. it was also mildly annoying that you had to remember the name of the level you where on and there was no real save function.… Expand
  13. johnplays
    Sep 15, 2014
    0
    I felt like I was going to throw up with the constant camera swaying. If you let someone play this you should be arrested for negligence. The 'puzzles' can come down to walking around clicking & hitting E on every surface & item to 'solve'; button mashing. It's impossible to tell if you've made a correct choice at times, so can spend half an hour wandering around when the game won'tI felt like I was going to throw up with the constant camera swaying. If you let someone play this you should be arrested for negligence. The 'puzzles' can come down to walking around clicking & hitting E on every surface & item to 'solve'; button mashing. It's impossible to tell if you've made a correct choice at times, so can spend half an hour wandering around when the game won't advance any further. Only made worse by the 'game' actively not allowing the player to skip or quit during it's repetitive, mandatory, lengthy voice overs. The audio is badly done; some sections I can barely hear what's being said & have to turn it up so much that the other sounds (like explosions) are ridiculously loud, which is also odd for a game that relies on audio clues. I like puzzles & games that are different, so was considering a score somewhere around 1 or 2 for the attempt, but I suspect the 10/10 reviews & suggested price of $50 are from the developer themselves. It's unfair to call this trippy because tripping is actually fun. This is... a headache.… Expand
  14. jojopeterjohn
    Oct 17, 2014
    2
    This game is absurd. The plot is so small and random it might have been better without one. The voice acting is horrible. Also not very exiting in any way. I didn't laugh, cry, get tensed up, scared, or wonder how to beat the level once in the whole game. Tedious.
  15. cactac
    May 16, 2015
    10
    Be patient, take this game easy. Want the acid trip? Play it. You don't want? Don't play it. It's that simple.

    (And you don't want the black pawn scenario. Really.)
  16. smilzoboboz
    Aug 1, 2014
    5
    The game itself is not bad but feels like it's not worth the time you lose playing.

    Ah, the camera will continuously swing left to right to a point that I had to stop playing after one hour because I almost threw up.

    Probably would have been a 4, but I'm giving +1 because it's a free to play indie.
  17. Sockbutlers
    Aug 6, 2014
    2
    This game... infuriated me. Unclear rules and a complete lack of understanding of what you have to do. It's probably because I'm dumb... but my god. Granted, I did play for 20 minutes. But I kept thinking of the phrase "Ain't no body got time fo dat". And it's true. Ain't NOBODY got time for this.
  18. PhoenixEX
    Jan 23, 2015
    1
    Some games are super easy and hold you by all your limbs to get you to the end while others chain you to a chair in a room of nothing and all the game tells you is to go to Washington D.C. A good game would leave small clues to your victory. This game is an example of one of those games that chain you to the chair and stuff. I started the game, and I already hated the main character. TheSome games are super easy and hold you by all your limbs to get you to the end while others chain you to a chair in a room of nothing and all the game tells you is to go to Washington D.C. A good game would leave small clues to your victory. This game is an example of one of those games that chain you to the chair and stuff. I started the game, and I already hated the main character. The voice acting was horrible, they should have just put a text speech. Voice acting is cool, but everyone says there lines like they are thinking it right off the top of their heads without even thinking. The controlling is also not the greatest either, nor is it any good at all. The "puzzles" give you a small time to figure out what the heck you are sup post to do. An example would be the first freaking puzzle thing in the entire game where he tells you the "cops" are coming and you have to find this key that isn't even freaking visible until the "cops" come and then it would randomly appear under the random dresser without a single clue to guide you there! I must take a deep breathe after that run-on sentence. Anyways, the game generally hates the player and doesn't want to make the game a fun puzzle adventure, instead it wants them to go online and look at some dumb tutorial to make a full of yourself. Thank god this game is free because this game isn't worth anything. This game doesn't get a zero just because you get a small feeling of "what's going to happen next" once you finally find out how to do the puzzle, then all that happens is another "chained-to-a-chair-and-told-to-go-to-Washington-D.C-puzzle". This game is bad and I don't know if it will ever be fixed.… Expand
  19. Wilpe_compeYT
    Jul 15, 2022
    10
    Excellent game but it is true that it has bugs that do not affect the gameplay and script conveniences like any game but apart from that it is a good game

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
39

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 2 out of 4
  1. Kill Screen
    Aug 8, 2014
    21
    At times it seems like Only If might actively hate its audience, that it resents being played at all.
    Read full review
  2. Game Informer
    Jul 30, 2014
    50
    It will cost a couple hours of your life to finish Only If, and that price is too high for the few fleeting, interesting concepts buried in the wreckage.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    Jul 29, 2014
    20
    Buggy behavior and clunky locomotion make it a mechanical failure, leaving the story and themes to make good where gameplay could not. Alas, irredeemable characters and loathsome dialogue aren't appropriate pillars upon which to erect a substantial tale.
    Read full review
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