peripeteia is an immersive sim in every sense of the word. zero hand-holding, you are raw dogging exploration and let me tell you - its incredibly refreshing. however, it is important to understand that the game is THE definition of jank in its current state. this is early access though, so it can only get better from here!

all of the levels are incredibly expansive and all have multiple points of interest, offering different routes. if you can see it, you can go there. there are no invisible walls or barriers preventing you from accessing any part of the map. you are quite literally given so much freedom to approach your objective that you just end up becoming lost.

that's the most common criticism of the game right now; getting lost. it doesn't give you any indication of where you're meant to go, only vague notes and dialogue from NPCs. while it IS a nice change of pace from the typical 'go here' quest markers, the maps are way too big to not have clear directions.

most negative reviews also seem to be bringing up the fact that your inventory does not carry over from levels. this is strange at first and was off-putting, but it's clear that the levels are not designed for you to have an entire armoury going into it. it's designed for a Metal Gear Solid esque on-site-procurement playstyle where you have to scavenge around for equipment. you got the drop on an AK guard? great, now you have his weapon with whatever ammo that's left in it. use all of your augments to their fullest and avoid direct combat until you can build up your arsenal.

i haven't even gotten to the aesthetics yet. everything has a very bleak, brutalist design, reflecting the concrete apartment complexes of the USSR but with a cyberpunk flair. the combination of the styles results in these imposing megalithic cityscapes that make you feel tiny. there is also an underlying theme of bodyhorror and surrealism which is conveyed through the narrative and through certain set-pieces which I will not be spoiling.

the soundtrack is honestly insane too. there is an incredible mix of ambient genres; jungle, breakcore, shoegaze etc. most surprisingly, the majority of the tracks (if not all) are produced by various indie music artists. i did not expect to hear sewerslvt or pisca while playing if i have to be honest. haven't seen an indie game with a line-up quite like this. the vibes are immaculate.

if i had to compare peripeteia with an existing game, i guess E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy comes close. they both share a surrealist atmosphere and are insanely ambitious. there's the obvious Deus Ex comparison as well.

overall, i would say that it is completely worth the price to support the dev. peripeteia shows so much potential in a genre that is slowly losing its meaning. we need more games like this.

tl;dr, great immersive sim, has huge potential. very jank right now though, only buy if you want to support the dev.

belgrade is the the best worst level in the game.

peripeteia is an immersive sim in every sense of the word. zero hand-holding, you are raw dogging exploration and let me tell you - its incredibly refreshing. however, it is important to understand that the game is THE definition of jank in its current state. this is early access though, so it can only get better from here! all of the levels are incredibly expansive and all have multiple points of interest, offering different routes. if you can see it, you can go there. there are no invisible walls or barriers preventing you from accessing any part of the map. you are quite literally given so much freedom to approach your objective that you just end up becoming lost. that's the most common criticism of the game right now; getting lost. it doesn't give you any indication of where you're meant to go, only vague notes and dialogue from NPCs. while it IS a nice change of pace from the typical 'go here' quest markers, the maps are way too big to not have clear directions. most negative reviews also seem to be bringing up the fact that your inventory does not carry over from levels. this is strange at first and was off-putting, but it's clear that the levels are not designed for you to have an entire armoury going into it. it's designed for a Metal Gear Solid esque on-site-procurement playstyle where you have to scavenge around for equipment. you got the drop on an AK guard? great, now you have his weapon with whatever ammo that's left in it. use all of your augments to their fullest and avoid direct combat until you can build up your arsenal. i haven't even gotten to the aesthetics yet. everything has a very bleak, brutalist design, reflecting the concrete apartment complexes of the USSR but with a cyberpunk flair. the combination of the styles results in these imposing megalithic cityscapes that make you feel tiny. there is also an underlying theme of bodyhorror and surrealism which is conveyed through the narrative and through certain set-pieces which I will not be spoiling. the soundtrack is honestly insane too. there is an incredible mix of ambient genres; jungle, breakcore, shoegaze etc. most surprisingly, the majority of the tracks (if not all) are produced by various indie music artists. i did not expect to hear sewerslvt or pisca while playing if i have to be honest. haven't seen an indie game with a line-up quite like this. the vibes are immaculate. if i had to compare peripeteia with an existing game, i guess E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy comes close. they both share a surrealist atmosphere and are insanely ambitious. there's the obvious Deus Ex comparison as well. overall, i would say that it is completely worth the price to support the dev. peripeteia shows so much potential in a genre that is slowly losing its meaning. we need more games like this. tl;dr, great immersive sim, has huge potential. very jank right now though, only buy if you want to support the dev. belgrade is the the best worst level in the game.