The Assembly

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. GameCritics
    Jun 16, 2017
    75
    As a graphic adventure and 3D puzzle game, The Assembly is a success. As a VR interpretation of the same, it’s fantastic. The world is easy to explore, and interesting enough to make that exploration a pleasure. While it might be a little pricey for such a limited experience, it’s a solid adventure title that had me enthralled and left me wanting more. The Assembly may be an outwardly sterile place, but it’s filled with enough human intrigue to warrant the trip.
  2. games(TM)
    Nov 19, 2016
    60
    It's in desperate need of a rethink in terms of its movement systems. [Issue#180, p.48]
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  3. 4P.de
    Oct 21, 2016
    58
    The controls are well conceived, but the puzzles as well as storytelling are without any challenge.
  5. Wccftech
    Nov 3, 2016
    54
    From a safe yet unwieldy control scheme to a lack of cohesive content, The Assembly has the edges of a complete adventure game with just a few too many pieces missing from being able to assemble the complete picture.
  6. Gameblog.fr
    Jan 11, 2017
    50
    The Assembly could have been released without VR support. The story is interesting but the immersion is poor, and the controls aren't good at all.
  7. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Nov 21, 2016
    50
    Feels like an underwhelming adventure trying to piggyback on VR's inherent charms. [Dec 2016, p.89]
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  8. High-Def Digest
    Oct 31, 2016
    50
    I went looking for Michael Crichton in The Assembly, but I got stuck on the lowlights. As with many ambitious projects, there is some good stock here. As VR advances, another take The Assembly could realize the promise. What's here, however, just isn't thrilling.
  9. PlayStation Universe
    Oct 26, 2016
    50
    Nice concept, but an under-developed storyline, simple puzzles and graphical issues make The Assembly one of the PSVR launch games to avoid.
  10. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Oct 19, 2016
    50
    Despite providing an interesting showcase for the equipment, it is blatantly devoid of anything that’s unique to virtual reality as a platform. Even in two dimensions, this is a title that would be hard to recommend due its mediocre story and bland puzzles.
  11. Hardcore Gamer
    Oct 17, 2016
    50
    Virtual reality is an incredibly exciting technology. Unfortunately, The Assembly follows safely along the path of other VR games with a functional, but absolutely cumbersome, movement scheme.
  12. Push Square
    Oct 16, 2016
    50
    The Assembly isn't bad, but it's not good either. It's a puzzle game without enough puzzles, and a pretty forgettable plot.
  13. CGMagazine
    Nov 1, 2016
    30
    The Assembly is an ugly, jagged mess that is just plain dull with lengthy load times and nauseating gameplay.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 5 out of 12
  1. subjective
    Nov 29, 2021
    8
    I did not have high expectations given the negative reviews, but I was in the end positively surprised. I played the VR version on ps5 withI did not have high expectations given the negative reviews, but I was in the end positively surprised. I played the VR version on ps5 with the DS4, and smooth turning and normal speed locomotion.

    I would say it is a point & click adventure and I would compare it to Red Matter in style, type and play length, or It plays like a mildly interactive movie. I would consider the sound design and voice acting as good. Music is sparse but I did not miss anything. I also liked the graphics but there is some aliasing, which was not distracting to me. At times I had the impression that it could eventually cause nausea to sensitive people. There are a few locomotion or turning options which could mitigate these issues, but I did not try any of those and this was not a problem for me.

    The game takes place inside a not particularly big facility, but with enough variety that wandering around was interesting enough to me. The controls are less immersive compared to Red Matter, since You just look and click to interact with objects. But they do the job, and the possibility to pick up and rotate objects would not have added much. Unlike Red matter the puzzles are mostly non-environmental, but just very short mini games. All in all I really liked the story, and exploration, gameplay and the story was varied enough and the "relatively" short play length of 4-5h felt even shorter than it was.

    I got the game for cheap during a sale and can highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys slow, point & click adventures or "interactive" stories. At full price the game might feel a bit short.    … Full Review »
  2. pacific1
    Feb 5, 2019
    4
    This game is boring as another reviewer stated and the graphics aren't great and for whatever reason I felt ill with the locomotion evenThis game is boring as another reviewer stated and the graphics aren't great and for whatever reason I felt ill with the locomotion even though you don't move particularly quick. Something is amiss with this title.… Full Review »
  3. Sinder583
    Oct 23, 2016
    4
    i got bored with this kinda fast, but made it to the end. i found out i could also stick my head threw the walls and doors to get to thei got bored with this kinda fast, but made it to the end. i found out i could also stick my head threw the walls and doors to get to the other side, gave me a few laughs when i was like, "oh the door is locked, well i'll just stick my head threw it and grab what i wanted inside"… Full Review »
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