Everything
Everything is an interactive experience where everything you see is a thing you can be, from animals to planets to galaxies and beyond. Travel between outer and inner space, and explore a vast, interconnected universe of things without enforced goals, scores, or tasks to complete. Everything is a procedural, AI-driven simulation of the systems of nature, seen from the points of view of everything in the universe. Learn to change what you are to create worlds within worlds within worlds, or let go any time to allow Everything to take over and produce a never ending documentary about the world you live in. Narrated by the inspiring philosophy of Alan Watts, and featuring a rich score from composer Ben Lukas Boysen, Everything will give you a new perspective on life.
Steam User 80
I am a piece of bacon and i must scream
Steam User 56
This is a difficult one to evaluate. It's a game based on Alan Watts' philosophy, which proposes that each person, animal, being, and thing are all the same because they all comprise a larger organism, which at the highest level would be the universe / existence.
The mechanics of the game convey this. You begin the game as a small animal, such as a deer or lion, in a grassy or desert environment. The game gradually reveals abilities such as listening to other objects (trees, stones, other animals, structures), joining with other equal objects, and then with other similar objects as you progress.
At some point, you can change your perspective by switching the player character from the deer to whatever else is in reach, such as a stone, a tree, a fence, a gull, a blade of grass - whatever. The game progresses through incrementing mechanics that make it easier to jump from thing to thing at various magnification levels, beginning with landscape and progressing to continental, interplanetary, and intergalactic levels, and then down to insect-sized, microscopic, and even quantic levels. Each magnification level has several variations through which you can navigate, and each has its own catalog of specific things you can become.
That being said, the mechanics are difficult to explain because this is a very unique game, and you may feel completely lost and clueless at some point, until the narration of Alan Watts cues in, playing his speeches about oneness with the world, definition of basic concepts such as what it means to be, how all things come from the same source and thus are the same, how the spaces between things are also things, and so on. Then you may feel even more befuddled, but you will gradually grasp the game's point. And, while it's an outlandish interpretation, the game works well as a metaphor for it.
I won't even try to describe it; you should just play it and see for yourself. But don't expect a game; rather, consider it an interactive piece of art. You'll be more in tune with what the game has to offer. There are no scores, little progression, and no new content after you've seen all levels and variations. Nonetheless, I managed to put 140 hours into this game. It's reassuring to return to it and listen to it again, to reflect on it, and to internalize Watts' speeches in this way. The graphics are not overly realistic, but they are pleasing, and the ambient soundtrack complements each level well.
Of course, whether the game or the message will resonate with everyone is subjective - but at the very least, it's one of those feel-good, no-death or competition games, good to play for a few hours at the end of a stressful day, and one that will definitely help you relax.
Finally, I give it 9/10!
Steam User 35
Whenever I feel like gaming but not playing a game... I play this. It's weird. It's just an interactive piece of media that makes you think. A bit like a fidget toy. I like it!
Steam User 33
This game definitely is not for everyone. Some may question whether this is a game at all. There is no combat, not much to actually DO, but I wouldn't call it a Walking Sim either. There is no story (not in the usual sense), there is no real ending or beginning...
If you are into philosophy and spirituality, then this game is a must have. Some of the thoughts you can collect are worth considering, may make you question your own thoughts, ideas and beliefs.
There are audio files with outtakes of old recordings from speeches of Alan Watts. If you don't know who Allen Watts was, I recommend you google him. Just be known that he was heavily influenced by Eastern philosophies.
This game is about experiencing rather than doing. About thinking and clearing your mind. You can't really simulate a spiritual experience in a game, but... this game tries. At one point you have to learn how to "clear your mind" and get rid of your thoughts to progress, end the tutorial and start the main game. Basically what people try to accomplish with meditation. Music and sound is calm, sometimes reminds of typical meditation music, sometimes more of a calm SF scenario.
There are worlds within worlds within worlds to discover and explore. As Everything. As Nothing. As an atom, a virus, a dirt particle, a fence, a cow, a planet... you can "become" anything, everything or nothing.
For me, personally, playing this has a calming effect, and some of the "thoughts" were a reminder to reflect my own beliefs, how I am living my daily life and that stuff.
If you think all the above mentioned is humbug and/or esoterical mumbo-jumbo, you may get bored while playing this game. As there isn't much to actually DO.
You still MAY like it if you sometimes enjoy something relaxing.
As for technical aspects, had no trouble running the game on my laptop (Acer laptop, nearly 4 years old, with i7 processor, 8 GB RAM, older NVDIA graphics card, old SSD) while having an idle game plus some other stuff running in the background. Experienced a couple crashes lately, but only since my hard drive is a bit too full. Had some frame rate drops in one particular type of world, but as there is an achievement for what happens when the frame rate drops and it is still possible to discover Everything... so not much of an issue.
Recommended to people who want a different game experience, who enjoy something relaxing and/or who are at least open to philosophy and spirituality.
Steam User 22
Everything (2017)
I was so wasted when I started playing this game, but after waking up from my drunken state a few hours later and checking Google I noticed my search history was filled with every single philosophical question known to man and I knew the true meaning to life.
10/10
“The highest activity a human being can attain is learning for understanding, because to understand is to be free.”
- Baruch Spinoza
Steam User 24
Goes well with brownies and milk
Steam User 17
Relaxing game. I read all the "things" info - much of which was copied from wikipedia. I listened to all the audio files of Alan Watts; it was alright, it seemed to borrow from eastern philosophy/religion. Personally, I would have found it more interesting if the game presented multiple philosophical ideas, especially if they conflicted. It did that a bit with the "thoughts" you collect (and release) in the game. Also, given its focus, I would have liked the "interconnectedness" idea to be further explored in the gameplay. As it stands, most of the "things" you can collect/become have little connection to the others. Things don't eat each other, nor do you become parts of things, which are things themselves, except in rare cases. Still, the game is fun enough, if you enjoy going around and collecting/becoming things without any real conflict. Some of the humour was good too, though I'm not sure if I like that animals roll, rather than walk or bounce along the ground.