Trauma

 PC
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 50 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 50
  3. Negative: 17 out of 50
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  1. rafael_miolow
    Aug 13, 2011
    4
    With beautiful aesthetics and sound, Trauma had some awesome ideas, but unfortunately they weren't able to go deeper than the distance of a Polaroid frame.

    Looking for photos wasn't enough to entertain me, even with the supposedly deep themes, which I found really boring. Even being extremely engaging in many visual ways, the themes haven't touched me AT ALL. Maybe people who like a more    With beautiful aesthetics and sound, Trauma had some awesome ideas, but unfortunately they weren't able to go deeper than the distance of a Polaroid frame.

    Looking for photos wasn't enough to entertain me, even with the supposedly deep themes, which I found really boring. Even being extremely engaging in many visual ways, the themes haven't touched me AT ALL. Maybe people who like a more esoteric or philosophical approach could have some fun, but I could just find some on the curious and creative presentation.    … Expand
  2. JonesR
    Dec 1, 2011
    3
    Uhmmmm....this game is a trip. I'm still puzzled at what just happened. I'm not even sure if it really qualifies as a "game." I suppose it could qualify as an eye spy adventure puzzler, but that's stretching it. Pick it up as part of the humble pack because I couldn't see buying this as a stand-alone product, but that's just my opinion. Try it and judge for yourself.
  3. Calculus
    Oct 5, 2011
    0
    Not much of a game; not much of a game at all.

    There has been some 'interesting' hype and slick marketing around what looks to me to be very little more than four flashplayer scripts, a couple of cutscenes and some silly learnable mouse symbols. To my semi-trained eye, this looks to me more like a student development exercise than a real game ... so I feel robbed ! It took me 15-20    Not much of a game; not much of a game at all.

    There has been some 'interesting' hype and slick marketing around what looks to me to be very little more than four flashplayer scripts, a couple of cutscenes and some silly learnable mouse symbols. To my semi-trained eye, this looks to me more like a student development exercise than a real game ... so I feel robbed ! It took me 15-20 minutes to finish - almost less time than it took to download. 15-20 minutes of gameplay, 15-20 whole minutes!! And It's mostly simple-minded with very little to puzzle over other than why the developers bothered. Most demos I've tried recently (Trine, Limbo) take longer than this to explore and complete! I find it hard to say anything positive simply because I feel so badly ripped off but let me try and provide some balance to this review.

    Great Visuals +1
    Interesting use of mouse 'symbols' +1

    but ...

    Gameplay / Value for money -1
    Obtuse hype/advertising/marketing -1

    If this had been a demo, or a tech/art showcase with some accompanying warnings about shallow gameplay I would have had more sympathy for the developers, but to market this as a finished game seems to me to be a great great shame.    … Expand
  4. Yesiamaduck
    Aug 21, 2012
    3
    This is more interactive experience and less the point and click adventure that the description makes it out to be. The 'gameplay' mechanics involve you wondering threw dreams, depicted by photographs, by using the mouse and gestures. The idea behind it is a very intriguing one & it certainly caught my attention ,& whilst what you have on offer is executed fairly well, the content is farThis is more interactive experience and less the point and click adventure that the description makes it out to be. The 'gameplay' mechanics involve you wondering threw dreams, depicted by photographs, by using the mouse and gestures. The idea behind it is a very intriguing one & it certainly caught my attention ,& whilst what you have on offer is executed fairly well, the content is far too unsubstantial (15 - 30minutes worth of gameplay) and the psychological analysis isn't engaging enough to make this game nearly worth the £5 asking price. It'll keep your attention the duration of the game, but given the length that isn't saying much; if 'Trauma' was a free Flash App I'd be recommending it without hesitation because of it's unique atmosphere and premise but as it is I really cannot recommend this to anyone & I say that as someone who loves experimental of games. + Great Atmosphere
    + Strong music & visual design
    + Story is and psychological analysis of dreams is intriguing - Shallow gameplay
    - Incredibly short at only 15 - 30minutes
    - Premise isn't fully realized and the psychological analysis isn't as deep as one would hope
    - No WOW factor, this is what experience games rely on, this will not open your mind
    - Poor Value For Money    … Expand
  5. ritardedartkid
    Jul 20, 2013
    4
    An interesting experience, but not much of a game. The music and visuals are excellent, but that's about all Trauma has to offer. Although the game creates a convincing sense of unease, I found the supposed deep concepts to be as underwhelming as the actual gameplay. Don't bother 100%ing the game either. It takes significantly longer than playing through the main game and adds very littleAn interesting experience, but not much of a game. The music and visuals are excellent, but that's about all Trauma has to offer. Although the game creates a convincing sense of unease, I found the supposed deep concepts to be as underwhelming as the actual gameplay. Don't bother 100%ing the game either. It takes significantly longer than playing through the main game and adds very little to the story.

    If interested in trying Trauma, I'd suggest playing the game for free on the developer site (ww.traumagame.com). It's the full version and if you aren't satisfied at least it didn't cost you anything.    … Expand
  6. Herbis
    May 9, 2013
    3
    Simply said, I did not like this game. It seemed to me that the "artist" behind it, felt the need to feel very "artsy" and "original" with this game, but in the end what he ended up is something really messy. The gameplay is clicking through the pictures, which were taken from many angles. Not the most fun gameplay mechanic as you could imagine. The next gameplay aspect is to look forSimply said, I did not like this game. It seemed to me that the "artist" behind it, felt the need to feel very "artsy" and "original" with this game, but in the end what he ended up is something really messy. The gameplay is clicking through the pictures, which were taken from many angles. Not the most fun gameplay mechanic as you could imagine. The next gameplay aspect is to look for symbols that you can draw, which are usually on some Polaroid pictures, hidden somewhere (but not really hidden). The final part is to apply these symbols to an object, to complete the stage. That's all, that's all there is to the gameplay. There's obviously a story, but it's nothing that stands out from many indie film producers..basically, it's nothing great, its just ok.
    It took me 40 minutes to complete the game. Mobile games from year 2000 took longer to complete than that, and that's saying something (unless you're too young to know what mobile games in 2000 were like). I basically completed it without much effort, because all you could do is find the object you need to apply the symbol to, and from there you could try all symbols in a row, or even just swiping random things across the screen and game registering that as a symbol, the correct one for that matter (that really is what happened to me).
    To conclude, this game is pointless, I do not recommend it at all.
    And if you wish to see my full playthrough of it, you can see it here:
    http://www.thehshow.com/2012/01/indie-play-trauma_22.html    … Expand
  7. Ears14U
    Oct 5, 2011
    1
    I really thought that I was in for a different type of game when I started playing this. I wasn't disappointed at all. I really believe I would rather watch paint dry, than submit myself to more than the 15 minutes that I wasted playing this polished turd. Other than the eerie music, and the pretty good photos that's all this game is about. I don't need a game to remind me of howI really thought that I was in for a different type of game when I started playing this. I wasn't disappointed at all. I really believe I would rather watch paint dry, than submit myself to more than the 15 minutes that I wasted playing this polished turd. Other than the eerie music, and the pretty good photos that's all this game is about. I don't need a game to remind me of how devastating death can be, since we "all" face it. Please don't even suggest this to a family member or a friend. I promise, you aren't missing a thing if you are of average to higher than average intellect!… Expand
  8. JimCorbett
    Dec 4, 2011
    1
    Insanely boring and easy "puzzle" game. Once you play the 4 "levels" and get the "secret" on each of them you can easily go back though each level and find the other endings and photos. The story is boring as hell and was not interesting at all. It is really easy, boring and absolutely not worth your time.
  9. zalzane
    Jun 1, 2012
    0
    Holy crap. I have a bad habit of calling indie games hipster trash, but this game is like the epitome of awful, pretentious, and is full to the brim with content that is 2deep4u. The "gameplay" is essentially clicking around on an image to achieve a goal, such as lifting a boulder off a teddy bear. You do this with mouse gestures that you essentially have to figure out on the spot, with noHoly crap. I have a bad habit of calling indie games hipster trash, but this game is like the epitome of awful, pretentious, and is full to the brim with content that is 2deep4u. The "gameplay" is essentially clicking around on an image to achieve a goal, such as lifting a boulder off a teddy bear. You do this with mouse gestures that you essentially have to figure out on the spot, with no tutorial or directions or anything. This game might have been good as a puzzle game, but instead of thinking to achieve a goal, you just fumble around with the mouse to get the correct gesture, at which point the game says "oh well done!" and you get to move on to the next static image to doodle on fruitlessly. There is pretty much no story, and I didnt actually know what was going on in the game until someone else told me. Don't buy for the love of god.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 12
  3. Negative: 2 out of 12
  1. SpazioGames
    Nov 16, 2011
    70
    Trauma is a very interesting product: unconventional gaming fans should take a look.
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  2. Absolute Games
    Nov 7, 2011
    48
    There is a seed of wisdom hidden somewhere deep in Trauma, but it cannot break through the thick cement crust of a poorly executed concept.
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  3. GameCritics
    Sep 28, 2011
    70
    I enjoyed myself without question, but I think something like this with just tad more concreteness to it could be a real hit.
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