The Old City: Leviathan

 PC
Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 16
  3. Negative: 4 out of 16
  1. Softpedia
    Dec 24, 2014
    70
    I believe the game is way too demanding of the audience and even if that’s what the developer intended in the first place, the philosophical concepts it comes up with are less suitable for a game and more appropriate to be introduced in a book.
  2. Kill Screen
    Dec 22, 2014
    67
    In its best moments, The Old City: Leviathan toggles seamlessly between enchanting dreams and dark realities, tragic memories and tragic futures, and deeply touching realizations on what is actually happening. But they’re all never really meant for the player; they’re meant for the protagonist.
  3. PC Gamer
    Dec 11, 2014
    60
    There’s no strong sense of place, and nothing to anchor the high falutin ponderings that make up so much of the game. And even if we were to take it at face value, which seems to be impossible, it’s only a snapshot, a vertical slice of this world without much context, making it hard to reach any solid conclusions.
  5. IncGamers
    Dec 3, 2014
    60
    Putting a solid score on a game whose overriding ideology is a rejection of certainty is an act of high absurdity. But it’s also somewhat appropriate for The Old City: Leviathan’s other persistent theme of reconciling incompatible truths.
  6. 4P.de
    Dec 5, 2014
    50
    As a philosophical stroll in the park The Old City sparks your interest. But where Dear Esther manages to draw me into the world, this one tries very hard to lock me out.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 35
  3. Negative: 12 out of 35
  1. Sorcerer88
    Dec 16, 2014
    4
    uninformed pseudophilosophy, tedious gameplay, environments pretty but uninspired with lack of interesting and meaningful objects.

    3 basic,    uninformed pseudophilosophy, tedious gameplay, environments pretty but uninspired with lack of interesting and meaningful objects.

    3 basic, pseudophilosophical ideas the game centers on:
    contentness, satisfaction, perfection = stagnation, nothing to do, always need new goals
    belief should be open ended, you can't know for certain, shouldn't hold on to ideology (= anker),
    the world is bad and we don't know much, but we can improve step by step, but need to deconstruct everything first.
    These ideas aren't bad. But they aren't brilliant, deep or new either and instead of making them sound complicated for 2 hours, one could have added to them differently.
    i feel like the creator didn't read a lot of literature, because these ideas have been done hundreds of times before and much better. It's not even well-copied for lack of ideas.

    dialogue = simple ideas made to sound complex with naive complication of terms and syntax
    also, depressing setting, especially in the beginning, with no justification, needs to be good to be worth it.

    also, tons of game design flaws:
    horror athmosphere in the beginning, but nothing ever happens to you, so you ignore the scary feeling.
    a train that takes long to go through only to need to turn back, no reward for exploration.
    too many long texts scattered throughout the levels that want you to stop to read for a while. especially with Solomon's notes, that's too long and not that interesting. this is not a book, but a game.
    crab in the last chapter does nothing, you go a long way into a dead-end. takes you a while to realize there's nothing happening there, then you have to backtrack.

    Dear Esther is the much better game of this exploration story-driven type.
    I'm sorry to give this such a scathing review, there's surely quite some inspiration and motivation behind Leviathan, but the result just doesn't hold up in any way.    … Full Review »
  2. Taurustar
    Jan 28, 2015
    10
    The game fits perfectly with the thematic exposed... The game is a referent, in fact has more content than other of the same genre as DearThe game fits perfectly with the thematic exposed... The game is a referent, in fact has more content than other of the same genre as Dear Esther. I really feel in the place... The story makes the game even more addictive... you need to explore every corner of the game... trying to understand what's going on...… Full Review »
  3. MikeLane
    Jan 25, 2015
    9
    This game - well, not a game, it's a piece of interactive fiction - surprised me. It is intelligent, moody and asks some very importantThis game - well, not a game, it's a piece of interactive fiction - surprised me. It is intelligent, moody and asks some very important questions and, most importantly, never forces an answer. It rewards introspection and thought, and would, I'm afraid, be crippled by a player in a hurry who refused to stop and read, examine and, most importantly, think.

    I hope this, and spiritual sibling The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, are hints of a genre that will grow.

    My only negative? It could have been longer - but what's there is amazing.    … Full Review »
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