FRACTER Review for Steam

4L GAMES LTD recently released a puzzle game called FRACTER, which has already established quite a bit of recognition for the game’s mesmerizing sounds and style. In it, the player plays a young protagonist who must solve a series of puzzles through a mysterious labyrinth, in order to resolve the darkness within. The game is now available for purchase on iOS, Android, and Steam for PC.

FRACTER is a puzzle game set in a monochrome labyrinth with glowing, isometric fixtures in the form of puzzles. It balances complexity and simple design with its varying shades of black and white to respectively emphasize light and dark value to complement its premise. The player must solve a series of puzzles, each a bit more complex than the last, in order to get to the next level — of which there are seven. Along the way, the player may encounter spider-converting zombie versions of themselves that they must avoid or lure into a light encompassing fixtures to get rid of. Melancholic, orchestral music follows and narrates the player’s journey through the labyrinth.

Since the game is relatively short, I managed to finish all seven levels within a few hours. Since one does not need much experience with puzzle games to successfully play through FRACTER, it was not too difficult for a puzzle amateur, like myself. Please note that my review is based on the Steam version.

Sound

PROS:

• The music is incredibly enchanting and deserving of its award-winning recognition. The music may range from thrilling to innocent depending on whether the player is near a certain obstacle, allowing the player to really get into the magical aspect of the game.
• The music is very high quality and gentle to the ears. It does not distract too much from the gameplay experience.

CONS:

• The sound effects can get a tad redundant as the player encounters more and more obstacles, though this may be muted through the settings.
• The music may initially be a little jarring in terms of volume in contrast to its calm design, which may or may not be an issue for players wearing headsets.

Graphics

PROS:

• The graphical design is stylishly creative and brings a refreshing, modern twist to puzzle/maze games.
• The designs of the larger puzzles are wonderfully complex and are theatrical in their presentations.
• Despite the minimal detail, the protagonist and their encounters with zombie-like and glowing figures are well constructed and each seem to embody their symbolic purposes beautifully.

CONS:

• The fluidity of graphics are important for the experience of the game — a little lag will make a difference in your frustration when trying to move through levels.
• Occasionally, a glitch will happen with the zombie-like versions of the player, depending on the puzzle. The glitch is minor, though.

Plot

PROS:

• A very simple and straightforward plot with an objective that accumulates some meaning the game progresses.
• The riddles that start each level are meaningful and almost invoke some self-reflection.

CONS:

• This meaningfulness is not incredibly memorable, since its riddles — or life lessons, if you will — may be deemed a bit too serious considering the complexity of the gameplay.

Gameplay

PROs:

• The game eases the player in with different puzzles that slowly build on each other as the levels progress.
• The controls to move around are fairly simple and straightforward, which the game introduces very briefly.
• The puzzles are easy enough to solve but are complex enough to effectively challenge the player.
• The game is relatively short but its atmospheric experience makes up for it, making it worth its price.

CONS:

• The player has three movement styles, and at the very beginning, it may be a bit difficult to distinguish which one character is doing, as they look very similar to each other.
• The game does not repeat directions to you after they are aiven, nor are they in the settings of the game.
• The player is unable to save their progress unless they pass a certain check point — otherwise, the player is left to start at the previous checkpoint or at the very beginning of the level.

Reviewer’s Opinion

I very much enjoyed solving the puzzles and experiencing the musical aspects of the game. I struggled a few times at the beginning while trying to understand how the controls operated, but this was resolved fairly quickly. Since I am more of a plot-driven kind of gamer, I don’t see myself having any interest in playing FRACTER again in the future, though I wouldn’t mind playing more games similar in gameplay experience. I would recommend this type of game to gamers who are interested in intermediate level puzzles, and for anyone who would enjoy a game with some musical enchantment.

Rating

All in all, I would rate FRACTER a 7/10. It certainly is a slightly above average game that is particularly noteworthy for its creativity and meaningful effort. And of course, its music.

Check Out The FRACTER Trailer:

FRACTER is available for PC via Steam, the App Store, and Google Play.

For more information, please visit: https://www.fractergame.com/

Charysma Natividad

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I am an arts and sciences student always looking for new games to sink most of my time into. Some of my favorite series include Ace Attorney, Final Fantasy, Shin Megami Tensei, and Persona. Don't hesitate to reach out for some friendly gamer banter.

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