Receiver

 PC
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 43
  3. Negative: 13 out of 43

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  1. Troubletcat
    May 7, 2013
    6
    Receiver is a very small game, and, in terms of the presentation, does feel a bit unfinished. This is understandable considering the very short dev time, but it bears mentioning. For the most part, though, it's a very interesting game. Weapons handling is modeled in a way that no other game (that I'm aware of) has done. Instead of having a reload key, for example, the game has separateReceiver is a very small game, and, in terms of the presentation, does feel a bit unfinished. This is understandable considering the very short dev time, but it bears mentioning. For the most part, though, it's a very interesting game. Weapons handling is modeled in a way that no other game (that I'm aware of) has done. Instead of having a reload key, for example, the game has separate buttons to remove/insert magazines, pull the weapon's slide, pull back the hammer, etc. Once you get the hang of it, it makes for a really interesting, tactile experience using the game's weapons.

    The game has a storyline told by finding 11 casette tapes scattered around an environment that's randomly generated each time you play. Finding all 11 tapes requires a fair bit of exploration, and the random elements of the game give it decent replayabilty, even with only a few weapons and enemy types.

    Overall it's an engaging, atmospheric game. It's also very small and somewhat half-baked the graphics will probably be considered unacceptably ugly by some (although I didn't mind the sterile environments particularly), but for $5 you could do a lot worse, and it's worth checking out for the interesting way weapons are handled. I'd love to see a more complete game with these kinds of mechanics.    … Expand
  2. Koo
    Mar 9, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Receiver is part technology demo, part game. The demo part of this game is impressive: For every weapon equipped, you can view how many rounds are chambered, store and reload ammunition, as well as equip an optional flashlight. This takes a little getting used to in the beginning, but soon becomes second nature. In terms of the game itself, Receiver is fascinating. While exploring a large skyscraper, you encounter "killbots" or automated sentry turrets. To destroy them, you can target either their motors, their guns, or their batteries, and each action has a consequence. For example, destroying the battery makes the turret blind to your movement, destroying the motor, prevents it from rotating, and destroying the gun lets it rotate and see you, but be unable to shoot. Very cool. The soundtrack in Receiver is very dark and sinister, but lends itself appropriately to the game's atmosphere. The sole objective of the game (besides staying alive) is to find cassette tapes scattered throughout the level. According to the in-game heads-up display, there are 11 tapes, although I have only found 1 so far. The level is randomized every time you play, with different killbots located in different areas, varying amounts of ammunition, etc. Overall, a fun game that can be played in short installments. 7/10… Expand
  3. suneater
    May 6, 2013
    5
    Created by a team of 4 in a week for a FPS game design challenge, Receiver revolves around realistic gun mechanics in a (very) randomly generated world. Despite being an FPS game, the gameplay focuses more on actually controlling and preparing your firearm and stealth rather than on modern "realistic" cover shooting concepts. Reloading magazines manually, emptying revolver chambers, andCreated by a team of 4 in a week for a FPS game design challenge, Receiver revolves around realistic gun mechanics in a (very) randomly generated world. Despite being an FPS game, the gameplay focuses more on actually controlling and preparing your firearm and stealth rather than on modern "realistic" cover shooting concepts. Reloading magazines manually, emptying revolver chambers, and juggling your inventory are actually all very enjoyable, even more so when you manage to learn the controls. The randomization is very strong, starting you off with one of three random handguns, a random amount of ammo, and occasionally a mag light. Room objects, enemies, pickups, and lighting all are randomized, making you want to explore. However, the randomization also causes issues; one game I spawned right next to a taser drone with 3 bullets. Overall, I think this is worth picking up just to experience it, especially with the low asking price.… Expand
  4. x2495iiii
    Jan 21, 2014
    8
    This game is really quite interesting. There are plenty of in-depth reviews on here, so I'll just leave a few personal observations:

    -Reloading is complex, but very satisfying once mastered. The same goes for aiming at the right spots and taking an enemy down with one shot. -Though the original game was made in a week, it's obvious the devs were intent on cramming as much cool stuff    This game is really quite interesting. There are plenty of in-depth reviews on here, so I'll just leave a few personal observations:

    -Reloading is complex, but very satisfying once mastered. The same goes for aiming at the right spots and taking an enemy down with one shot.

    -Though the original game was made in a week, it's obvious the devs were intent on cramming as much cool stuff as possible into it in that time and in the following re-release. The superfluous revolver spin, added option to change gun distance to camera, and old-school cheat codes are proof of that.

    -The game's hard. The mechanics make it harder than it would be if it had more production value, but it's by no means unplayable or unfun.

    -The randomness is interesting, but it doesn't add much to the game.

    -The game is harder with a flashlight, since it drowns out the signal lights of the drones and the spare rounds is occasionally helpful in locating can easily be picked up without being seen by just holding down the "G" key

    Overall, excellent game and quite fun, though also very difficult and at times disheartening.    … Expand
  5. TheNinjaSammich
    May 6, 2013
    10
    really fun game, almost a horror like atmosphere, because you don't know where you are, how you got there or what you're fighting against until you listen to the tapes. the gun controls take some getting used to, but after awhile it becomes second nature. permadeath, and randomized guns make for an enjoyable, replayable game. for a game that was made in 7 days, this is a triumph
  6. stranglehold
    Jul 7, 2013
    5
    Receiver has a neat idea at its core, but that didn't translate into an interesting game.
    The game is also CONFUSING AS HELL! If you still want this game buy it on a sale.
  7. Lolzkeplar
    Jun 22, 2013
    9
    Great game given the time it was built in. Even with its limited enemy types it still had me jumping at every last noise. Lighting is fantastic and graphics are acceptable. Overall the game is fun and worth a try
  8. uberhen
    Jul 26, 2013
    9
    I was surprised at what a great little game this was. Mastering the controls is the toughest hurdle, since there are so many separate actions involved. Once you get the mechanics down, though, it is a lot of fun.

    My favorite part is starting the level: you have to manually check the condition of your weapon, to see if a round is chambered or not, whether the safety is on, and if your    I was surprised at what a great little game this was. Mastering the controls is the toughest hurdle, since there are so many separate actions involved. Once you get the mechanics down, though, it is a lot of fun.

    My favorite part is starting the level: you have to manually check the condition of your weapon, to see if a round is chambered or not, whether the safety is on, and if your magazine is full. From then on, it's a tactician's dream full of encounter angles and ammo rationing.

    It's quite tense when you're down to your last round or completely empty. Stealth becomes a viable method to avoid the machines' line of sight, as does losing the flying drones by navigating through doorways and stairwells. Downing a drone just before it divebombs you is very satisfying, as is sprinting past a trio of sentry turrets. Remember, you don't have to shoot everything to make progress.

    One issue I had was with performance: upon generating the next section of the map, the framerate took a noticeable dip and remained there. It seems like the game could have been optimized better, but I'm no expert on the subject. Aside from that, I found that the minimalistic graphics detract little from the experience. Piecing together the story for the first time was interesting (albeit across multiple respawns; replaying each casette can be a little annoying after a few dozen attempts).

    I bought this game discounted at $2.99 during a Steam sale, and I've definitely gotten my money's worth.    … Expand
  9. Boltonhero
    Sep 14, 2013
    7
    The game is okay with a nice idea but it gets boring after a while and the frame-rate is poor for my computer and it has some bugs. Overall an average game.
  10. 11254man
    Jun 23, 2017
    7
    I really hate useless _/10 scores, but this platform forces one, so wait until the end for a recommendation on how much you should buy it for, as I feel it to be a more accurate representation of whether the game is, you know... worth it. Receiver is a first person shooter game by Wolfire Games for the 7 day FPS Challenge. Now, a lot of FPS games focus on realism, but Receiver strivesI really hate useless _/10 scores, but this platform forces one, so wait until the end for a recommendation on how much you should buy it for, as I feel it to be a more accurate representation of whether the game is, you know... worth it. Receiver is a first person shooter game by Wolfire Games for the 7 day FPS Challenge. Now, a lot of FPS games focus on realism, but Receiver strives for this in a very interesting way. The gun functions like an actual gun. Not in the kick of the gun, or the muzzle flash, or the way it looks (Though it generally speaking does in these ways as well). No, the guns in this game are totally under your control mechanically. You have a revolver? Well, there are buttons mapped to push the cylinder out, to drop the bullets out of the gun, to reload the bullets (Which are in limited supply) in the cylinder, and a button to pull the hammer once you’ve got everything back in order. Past that, you die in one hit from the enemies, effectively turning the game into one of the scariest horror games I’ve ever seen. I saw a review on steam that sums it up better than I ever could. “The end result, then, was that I felt exactly how I’d expect Real Me would in a combat situation involving live ammo.” So, it’s gameplay is special and done very well, but I will admit that the story was kind of shoved in at the end. It’s not great, and very hard to follow, but it’s almost entirely covered up by one thing: The atmosphere. This game has an amazing and oppressive atmosphere that keeps you terrified of what’s around the corner at any given moment. Now, this game actually suffers rather greatly in that there isn’t a whole lot of content. The biggest sticking point is that there are only two enemies and three guns. Of course, the enemies still scare the crap out of me to this day in a way only clowns, the dark, and the current state of US politics can *Topical reference* The guns all have a ridiculous and fun set of commands you have to pull off to reload and fire off a shot before you get shocked from 25 feet away by a flying drone. So, is Receiver worth it? I’d say yes, it’s definitely worth the price point, though I do wish there was a bit more bang for your buck.… Expand
  11. ThePCGamer101
    Jun 24, 2015
    5
    Receiver is... meh, it is not a terrible game nor is it a fantastic game!

    The game was developed by Wolfire Games (the same developer as Overgrowth) for the 7-day FPS challenge, and I must say for 7 days, they have created quite a stable game. The gun mechanics and the realism of the gun handling is amazing, the animations for the guns are fantastic, well done to Wolfire Games!    Receiver is... meh, it is not a terrible game nor is it a fantastic game!

    The game was developed by Wolfire Games (the same developer as Overgrowth) for the 7-day FPS challenge, and I must say for 7 days, they have created quite a stable game.

    The gun mechanics and the realism of the gun handling is amazing, the animations for the guns are fantastic, well done to Wolfire Games!

    BUT the game has some serious issues:-

    The level of difficulty: The game is really hard, from beginning to end, once you die, it resets everything (kind of like a rogue-like game), it is randomly generated, the enemies are really hard and annoying and the tapes that you have to collect are very hard to find. Once you found a number of tapes and you get killed, you lose everything, which can be quite annoying, as the enemies are difficult and sometimes just appear out of nowhere!

    The controls for the guns: They are extremely awkward, I can understand why they did it, because in real life, to handle a gun, it takes time and practice, but for game it is pretty annoying, the game does help you with a list of controls, but if you run out of a magazine with one of the game's enemies running after you/shooting at you, I don't think the list of controls will help in dire need of refilling a magazine with ammo, whilst focusing on the game and the list of controls (not for me anyway)!

    Level design: Although the levels are quite good, they can get really confusing and it put me off after a while

    Ammo: Ammo is really scarce, and you can hardly find any ammo anywhere, once you lost your ammo, and you meet one of the enemies of the game, your ♥♥♥♥ed

    Compatibility: The game is awful with compatibility, the game is developed with the Unity3D engine, and its frame rate just drops drastically in some areas, whereas other Unity3D games I've played, run fantastically on my gaming PC

    Level of detail: The level of detail (excluding the gun designs) is bland, and very incomplete, I can understand for a 7-day development time, but Wolfire Games could of after the game finished the 7-day FPS challenge make the game a bit more detailed, but it seems that Wolfire Games just abandoned the game after they finished the 7-day FPS challenge

    Now to the recommendation, for its full price, I would not recommend it, BUT if it is either in a sale, price drop, giveaway, gift or even given to you as a free game then I would recommend it.    … Expand
  12. Epicfury
    Sep 16, 2014
    9
    The story is simple, the gameplay is not. Every part of the 3 guns available can be manipulated realistically.
    The complex controls make for a brilliant game. There are some problems, like getting dropped frames on older computers. Overall the game is a complex experience. If you like realism and difficult games, than this is for you.
  13. dnesov
    Mar 19, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Receiver was developed in 7 days during a challenge. It demonstrates complex and unusual weapon mechanics, which make you feel that you're holding a real gun, not a pee shooter. Soundtrack immerses and perfectly sets the mood of the game. Despite there are 2 enemy types, they're well designed and challenging. It has a religious narrative, which is told by collecting tapes, which is a shame, since level is randomly generated and finding them presents a tough challenge. The game has a potential if it will be polished.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 2 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 1 out of 2
  1. GameCritics
    Jun 25, 2013
    30
    Receiver has a neat idea at its core, but that didn't translate into an interesting game.
    Read full review
  2. Destructoid
    Apr 7, 2013
    85
    Receiver is one of those games that feels so incredibly satisfying once it is finally understood and everything clicks. Then you remember that a group of talented people made it in a week and you question what exactly you're doing with your life.
    Read full review