Gnosia

I ultimately found very little that I disliked about GNOSIA. If anything, I can’t recommend it enough, and honestly, I can’t wait to get back to playing it. In fact, I’m ready to loop through another fight against the Gnosia again.

Gnosia isn’t a game for everyone. You’ll likely loop over a hundred times before you reach the conclusion, and the repeated dialog and loops where nothing happens will infuriate impatient gamers. However, this unique blend of RPG, visual novel, and social deduction game hits like nothing else and is one of the Switch’s hidden gems.

Gnosia is a smart spin on visual novels, and a clever re-imagining of elements seen in the recent uber-hit Among Us. It’s an excellently addictive game on the strength of its mechanics alone, but is elevated by a strong story and neatly defined characters.

Gnosia is more than just a visual novel game: It is a quest to help some characters discover universal truths. It allows players to break the boundaries of time and space, to move ahead and explore every single aspect of its expansive story.

A unique blend of social deduction game and visual novel, Gnosia is a mixture of both and something new entirely. A strong narrative that’s unveiled little by little combined with a looping logic and deduction game make for a very compelling proposition and damn near essential for fans of either genre.

I’ve barely scratched the surface on every last amazing detail in Gnosia, but the truth is, this is a game best experienced and explored by the individual. I would be doing a disservice to everyone by explaining any further; if you thought Among Us needed more storyline, mechanics, and a single-player mode and you enjoy beautiful graphics with a compelling story, you absolutely must pick up Gnosia. The fate of the universe rests on your sleuthing skills, lest you become doomed to repeat history again and again and again and again and again…

Gnosia will be a confusing, frustrating, enlightening, but overall rewarding experience. The unique approach to storytelling, as well as the charming cast of characters, engross players in the futuristic horror of the game's universe. A single round provides addicting entertainment; however, the gameplay can become tiring, and the story, long-drawn-out. Overall, Gnosia is an ideal game for people who love flexing their deduction skills and those who enjoy immersing themselves in interesting game worlds.

Gnosia is outstanding. Its unconventional structure is definitely not for everyone though. Petit Depotto somehow crafted a social deduction RPG that smartly integrates a time travel mechanic almost flawlessly. The execution is inherently shaky due to its repetition, but it drives home the crestfallen feeling of being a time traveler for an extended amount of time so perfectly. By the time I finished the true ending, I felt so satisfied with what I accomplished along the way to get to that point.

The fact that the game takes as long or as short as you make it will make every playthrough feel personalized. It has a staying power that few games like it are able to achieve, which is apparent with just how it practically begs for public discussion. It’s a blast to discuss your progress with your friends, compare how many loops it’s taken you to complete the game, and give each other advice. The flaws are certainly apparent, but Gnosia isn’t necessarily ashamed of them. Gnosia has a specific kind of confidence to it you don’t often see from this medium.

There's really nothing quite like Gnosia in gaming, even when considering other imposter games. The various characters of Gnosia feel like real people to gradually develop hopes and fears for, and the whole package has a surprisingly uplifting message to impart. Gnosia is a game that by no means will appeal to everyone, but it does exactly what it sets out to do, and does it exceptionally. For those that can get invested in the single-player imposter experience - or even just convince themselves it's worth a try, however bizarre it sounds - there's an unforgettable journey lying in wait.

Whether you’re playing for 20 minutes or 2 hours at a time, Gnosia is the perfect single-player experience for those that want a unique spin on the social deduction genre. With a loveable cast, an innovative investigation system, and tons of replay value thanks to the premise, this is one game you’ll want (and have to) play again and again.

Gnosia takes the rules of a social game and turns it into a single-player science-fiction experience. Each loop will present you with more questions and slowly feed you answers to what is a compelling and unique narrative. The game is fueled by an amazing cast of insane characters and over-the-top mechanics that make it fun no matter how long you play.

Gnosia is a great Game. Releasing in the West, this title invites us to use logic to find the infiltrator in games with loops that last fifteen minutes and that end up telling a well-crafted bigger story with an incredible atmosphere.

All in all, Gnosia is a fantastic game with a riveting story and interesting characters supported by rich art and solid gameplay mechanics. If you can handle some repetitiveness — and potentially having to go through multiple rounds without seemingly making progress — the ending of Gnosia is one of the most heartfelt ones you’ll experience this year.

Gnosia is a fascinating and extraordinarily engaging game. It’s based on written word and static illustrations but it engrossed me much more than any AAA title. [06/2021, p.62]

Gnosia is a great single-player experience for someone who loves social deduction games. [Issue #52 – May/June 2021, p. 19]

Cleverly designed, full of charismatic characters and hiding a universe richer than it seems, this original Visual Novel manages to tell its story in a beautiful way. Alternating phases of bluffing and pure storytelling, it has an engaging rhythm and a strong identity. In short, if you are comfortable with English and are not afraid of a few lengths here and there, Gnosia is a highly recommendable experience.

Even though Gnosia has a simple and familiar concept, it presents a sophisticated social deduction game with an interesting narrative. With various roles and combinations of crew members, each game can trigger new events depending on what you decide to do. Although constantly playing the same guessing game can feel repetitive (as this is true for most things), there is great replayability due to the many options Gnosia provides. Mix this with a group of eclectic characters and a thought-provoking sci-fi narrative, and you’ve got yourself a great game you can play for ages.

By the time I finished Gnosia and reached the true ending, I had played 210 Loops, and I almost felt as though the game was dragging on. Still, I had fun with the numerous escapades I got into when I could play at a more leisurely pace, and the ending sequences made me feel as if the overall experience was worth it. It has been a while since I’ve played such a creative single-player visual novel, and I enjoyed my time experimenting with the various loops and getting to know an endearing cast of characters. This is a title I can easily recommend to gamers who are patient and looking for a solid, unique visual novel experience. Just be sure to start up an entirely new game save once you see the ending credits for the first time and then see what happens. …Trust me, okay? It is worth it!

Gnosia is an eccentric blend of visual novel, Werewolf-style social deduction and RPG mechanics that somehow manages to pull it all together to make one of the most intriguing game releases this year. While some repetitive and frustrating moments mean that the game feels a little bit longer than it should, its cast of quirky, likable characters and quite frankly addictive gameplay loop will keep you just as much on the edge of your seat in Loop 1 as it will in Loop 100. There’s a wild ride to unravel, full of crazy twists and turns, and combined with the sharp writing and clever mashup of different genres, Gnosia truly stands out as a fascinating addition to your Switch library. Just be careful who you trust.

While it hits all the expected beats as a sci-fi horror, Gnosia is playful and warm, too, with a real compassion for its oddball cast. Despite all the death and deception, you'll keep jumping back in, looking for a way to break the cycle - and to save everyone else, for good measure. [Issue#358, p.119]

Gnosia is an ambitious game and one that I definitely am glad to have experienced over the last week. While the repetition and localisation issues hold it back, Gnosia is well worth experiencing. Blending the best of visual novels with a werewolf style game and bringing in skills and stats is not an easy task. Doing so while making me care about the characters and universe across dozens of hours is what makes Gnosia a game I can recommend to those looking for new ways to experience a narrative.

We love experimental games, Gnosia is certainly experimental and a unique game with some brilliant programming to make it all work. Gnosia can't be a movie, or a book, or anything else, its made in such a way that only possible by using a video game format. Its repetitive in nature but still worth experiencing.

With its unique take on social deduction gameplay and its unexpected mix of visual novel and RPG, Gnosia delivers an experience that’s unlike any other. Despite being repetitive at times, its narrative engages up to the very last twist – which is extremely satisfactory.

From its compelling characters and unique gameplay hook to its stunning art style and engaging story, Petit Depotto has created a wholly original sci-fi thriller that's worth enduring a few late-game pacing issues to experience.

But even with its flaws, Gnosia remains a fascinating and engrossing experience. Its short gameplay loop makes for a unique presentation different from other visual novel and adventure games, and adds a hard-to-resist “just one more game!” quality that keeps you eager to find out what will happen on the next go-around. The varied roles and options also make each attempt a unique experience, and even when the game isn't fully cooperative in giving you the event scenes you want to see, it's still a fun time to try to eke out a victory over either the humans or the Gnosia--or possibly both. If you're looking for a different spin on social deduction games, Gnosia is one time loop you'll be eager to get sucked up in.

A hugely innovative single player social game, Gnosia blends Among Us with visual novels to create an entertaining (if slightly repetitive) experience.

Gnosia takes the classic social game of Werewolf and transforms it into a single-player graphical adventure experience. Arguing against the computer in an attempt to determine who is the human-killing alien in your group is far more dynamic and exciting than you’d ever expect this type of game to be. Unfortunately, its compelling gameplay gets tarnished somewhat by the requirement to go through those searches so many times that their charm can wear off. Still, Gnosia’s engrossing story and fantastic cast of characters make the game’s duller moments worth getting through in the end.

Between the surprisingly deep plot for such a simple game, the clever narrative explanation of the mechanics, and enough chaos going on in the discussions to keep you guessing, we had a lot of fun with this one. Gnosia's simple game mechanics and deceptively deep story make it a must-have for visual novel and murder mystery fans; it's just a shame that the music is so poor. Even so, if you give it a chance it's highly likely that you'll fall in love with each member of its diverse cast – just in time for them to kill you.

Gnosia is a game that’s going to test your deduction skills, imagination, and ability to lie like a cheap rug. It’s a game that I will definitely keep around if I want to knock off a quick loop on a break, or even if I need to warm up for the next time I have tasks to do on stream. Don’t cold sleep on it.

Gnosia is really interesting, and knows how to keep you engaged. However, as the story progresses, the lack of gameplay mechanics makes it feel more repetitive.

Gnosia is a science fiction graphic novel with an entertaining, magical and dangerous story. If you are a master of persuasion and can charm anyone, this game is for you.

Obviously, the big problem with Gnosia is that it seems to exist more in relation to other, better (or at least better-known) games, rather than standing out on its own. While this status is mostly deserved, compared to most visual novels I’ve played/read, there’s still lots here you’ll find interesting if you want to give it a chance.

Ultimately, Gnosia is worth playing through to the end thanks to its strong narrative. The story goes in unexpected directions, and the revelations I learned along the way were compelling enough to push me past my frustrations. Make no mistake, I wanted to give up on this game multiple times. But every time I considered quitting, I'd start one last loop that would pull me right back in because all of the elements were in place for another bit of tasty narrative to reveal itself.

The thing about Gnosia is it is incredibly compelling. Perhaps even frustratingly so. It is a game where I wanted to know what was going on. Even when it became repetitive or I got tired of loops with no real progression, I couldn’t look away. I had to play one more round to level up a stat again. One more chance to see if that would unlock another missing profile detail for a character I liked. An extra run, because really it might only take fifteen minutes anyway. There are a few issues that keep it from being perfect, but I’ll keep coming back to search for answers.

The bite-sized nature of each loop means that Gnosia is the perfect game to spend a little time with when you have a modicum of downtime. You could play one or two loops while on your lunch break, for example, or one before you go to bed every night. That way, you’re less likely to get put off by the repetitive roundabout discussions. It’s also perfect for those who want a single-player equivalent to the multiplayer-focused Among Us. It has its flaws, but Gnosia is an inventive and unique title that draws you in and surprises you.

Gnosia fails to deliver a satisfying experience, becoming more frustrating loop after loop due to its randomness.