Metamorphosis
You wake up one morning to find that you are rather inconveniently transforming into a tiny bug, while your friend Joseph is being arrested for reasons unknown. To save him and to find the answers you seek, you must embark on a journey through a world which, like yourself, has become twisted and unfamiliar. What once seemed like mundane dwellings have become an expansive obstacle course, and now you’ll have to chart your path through the dingy nooks and crannies that exist within the cracks of civilization. Use your wits to unravel the truth, and regain the life you once knew. A bug's perspective in first person – experience the world in a whole new way Challenging environmental puzzles – parkour, wall climb, search for clues, and overcome obstacles Unique movement mechanics – make full use of your tiny body and sticky limbs A story inspired by Kafka’s imagination – meet eccentric characters in a hand-painted world, as you journey through surrealist landscapes towards The Tower
Steam User 5
If you get it on a discount, it is worth a few bucks for a few hour long game. I would never imagine someone would make videogame based on Kafka stories. The world of bugs is something fresh and never seen before. Good story about bureaucracy playing as disgusting bug.
Steam User 4
It's a nice short little game, nice experience, story was getting very interesting but the ending was very confusing. I haven't read the book so i have no idea if it's faithful to the source.
Steam User 2
A unique and strange experience. Not sure if I'd say I liked it but I didn't hate it. Everything was just so strange and different from what i'm used to it just kept me wanting to see more and is what kept me going.
7/10
Steam User 2
It's the most Kafkaesque parkour platformer ever made, though it's also probably the only one that's ever been made. "Metamorphosis" mostly works as a game, though it's a tad too easy. The real allure is just seeing how Kafka's works are reinterpreted into video game format, and while I would say the results are overall mixed, this is still a pretty good game. It's based off of "The Trial" and "Metamorphosis" as you play as Gregor Samsa in Metamorphosis but witness the events of Josef K in "The Trial." These are two completely separate characters in Kafka's books, but here they are intertwined in a story that should be "Kafkaesque" but ends up being kind of convoluted nonsense. The transition of Gregor Samsa becoming a bug is well done. You never see him as a bug, but when you look down you will see his insect legs as a part of you. In the book he is human-sized, as turning into a bug is a metaphor for adulthood. Here he is literally a tiny insect who goes around Josef K's house as he is investigated by the police for a crime he has no idea he committed, which is the plot to "The Trial." Kafka's metaphors of tragic comedic irony are not very easy to interpret and I don't think the developers really understood that "Metamorphosis" is not really a story about a man turning into a bug, but I digress. As you progress you talk to other insects and climb up furniture and basically try to get a certificate so you can reach a tower to turn back into a human.
The puzzles are fun to solve, but they are also very simplistic. I really like that the dialogue and exposition often occurs in the background while you are playing, such as you running across the desk as the bug while Josef K talks to his lawyer. Occasionally you will do something to break the dialogue like hit a bell or drop a stamp and this will transition well into changing their animation and behavior. There's also a bug city and a level that is like a huge printing press. It's well done but I wish the game was harder. Most of the puzzles just solve themselves. I would've preferred more "Kafkaesque" puzzles like a puzzle in the beginning of the game where you receive a letter stating a key is well hidden when in reality it's in the exact place it was hidden before. Maybe more of that sort of comedy but with more difficulty and confusion.
The game only takes a few hours to complete and 100% completion adds a few hours. There are two endings, but they're anticlimactic and totally nonsensical, especially if you've read the books and know how these stories end. There are also references to other Kafka stories like "The Hunger Artist" but the characters are so different it barely matters. I liked it but I will probably never play it again because it's just too simplistic and easy to really be all that compelling, even though I was mesmerized the first time I made my way through it.
Steam User 2
A neat little game.
I must admit, I'm not familiar with Kafka's works and as such, the experience was a tad odd, yet I'd say the game is nonetheless charming.
I didn't quite get the ending, it felt a little too sudden, but I understood the key narrative points. You can end up skipping a lot of the game's dialogue if you don't interact with the characters (which in many cases, you do not need to), I don't think that's a very good choice.
The puzzles are pretty straight-forward, the game does a very good job guiding to your next objective if you are lost and always offers you the tools needed to progress. The writing is very enjoyable and though it is short, it does a very solid job of establishing its small cast of characters.
The game has quite a few collectibles scattered around, ranging from easy to find to "you'll likely need a guide". They have no effect on gameplay however.
The level-design is good, the controls are responsive, I've had no technical issues with the game. It seems to have a whole other set of bonus levels called the "Gates of Law" but I haven't checked them out.
The game is, however, pretty much a walking simulator, whether that is a bad thing depends on you. I found it relaxing.
I don't think 24,50 euros is the right asking price however, would recommend you grab it on a discount. I wouldn't say it has much replayability to warrant the price either. It's a cool dive into a unique world that ends before it could get stale.
Overall, would recommand. I'd give it a 9/10
Steam User 2
I loved it! Very fun, not too hard. Atmosphere not dissimilar to the movie 'Brazil'.
Steam User 4
I have been fantasizing about being a bug and a philosopher for a long time so glad this game exists